Once a criminal, always a criminal? Or should those branded as convicts be given opportunities for redemption and development? Questions that any society needs to have some answer to, but none so urgently as the new British colony of Australia back in 1789.
Penrith Players’ latest offering is Our Country’s Good, a fascinating insight into the moral dilemmas facing a new world in more brutal times. And it’s about the power of theatre as a force for good. The Governor believes in the potential of redemption for his charges, but he faces an uphill task.
It’s a play that new Director James Shorrock has always wanted to stage. “I studied it for A level and it made me fall in love with the theatre” says James, “it’s based on a true story, taken from accounts and diaries, about the first Western play ever attempted to be staged on the Australian continent”.
Regarded as a modern classic and frequently a set text for students, Timberlake Wertenbaker’s powerful, sometimes down-to-earth and ultimately uplifting drama is about whether characters can be redeemed through art and theatre.
“I love it because it has a community and collaborative feel about it that draws in the actors and audience” adds James, “we have a great mix of experienced and young actors and most are playing multiple roles on each side of the convict/officer divide, so they are challenged in the same way that the convicts were back in the 1700’s”.
Our Country’s Good is performing at the Playhouse, behind Morrisons and the Agricultural Hotel, on the nights of 5th-8th June at 7.30pm. Tickets from Penrith TIC in person or by calling 01768 867 466 or via the Player’s website www.penrithplayers.org.uk, or on the door.
