Our Country's Good : Based on the novel 'The Playmaker' by Thomas Keneally (Paperback, 2 ed)

Commentary Chronology: A timeline of Wertenbaker's life and works, set alongside key theatrical, social and political events of the period. Contexts: - The 1780s: Attitudes to Crime and Punishment; The First Fleet and the Penal Colony of New South Wales; Theatrical Styles and Conventions; The Recruiting Officer - The 1980s: Attitudes to Crime and Punishment; Theatre Funding; The Royal Court, Max Stafford-Clark and the 'Joint Stock Method'; The Playmaker - Timberlake Wertenbaker Themes: - Guilt and Innocence; Punishment, Rehabilitation and Redemption; The Value of Theatre; Language, Silence and Voice; Colonialism Dramatic Devices: - Language(s): Regional Dialects; Articulacy and Inarticulacy; The Aborigine - Episodic Structure - Theatrical Style: Multi-roling and Cross-casting; Brechtian Aesthetic - Options for Design Production History - A Timeline Critical Reception - Critical response, recognition and influence - The Play Today Academic Debate: A brief discussion of academic responses to the play Further Study: A bibliography of texts for further study - A discussion of Comparative Literature (by Wertenbaker and others) PLAY TEXT - OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD