What is the essence of community, responsibility and civil concord? For Captain Ralph Philip, the first governor of the Australian Penal Colony, it is not “business as usual” – a cycle of floggings, hangings and humiliation. Instead, he proposes that his officers, a motley lot with various levels of education and resentments of their own, work with their distrustful prisoners to put on a play. As he explains, “I want to rule over responsible human beings, not tyrannize over a group of animals. I want there to be a contract between us, not a whip on my side, terror and hatred on theirs.”
The prize-winning play Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker recounts the historical events of 1788. As Philip and Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark lead a group of prisoners as they rehearse and perform a play, can collaboration and expression lead alienated prisoners toward beauty, humanity and a form of redemption? As directed by Scott Myers, the cast of 10th, 11th and 12th graders (listed below) portrayed a slice of British society, from the elite to the destitute, discovering truths about themselves and each other, and the new country they were asked to create on the other side of the world.
Cast and Crew:
Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark: William Bremer
John Wisehammer: Theo Rosenfeld
Major Robbie Ross/John Arscott: Evan Grobar
Mary Brenham: Thea Goddard
Captain Arthur Phillip: William Vose
Captain David Collins: Megan Mittelberg
Captain Watkin Tench/Ketch Freeman: Jim Hotti
Midshipman Harry Brewer: Brandt Rohde
Meg Long/Reverend Johnson: Lauren Jacobs
Robert Sideway: Benjamin Su
Dabby Bryant/ Lieutenant George Johnston: Nanita Balagopal
Liz Morden: Maile Murphy
Captain Jemmy Campbell: John Morse
Second Lieutenant William Faddy/convict: Riva Weinstein
Lieutenant Will Dawes/convict: Sophia Hernandez
Duckling Smith: Sophie Heflin
Director: Scott Myers
Assistant director/set designer: Betsy Roy
Technical director: Rob Lewis
Lighting operator: Claire Shaffer
Sound operator: Olivia Markowitz
Stage managers: Drew Montgomery, Betsy Roy
Publicity Artwork: Lauren Burke, Betsy Roy
Set construction and painting: William Bremer, Clarice Hooley, Michael Martinet, Drew Montgomery, Claire Shaffer
Flintridge Preparatory School, 4543 Crown Avenue, La Cañada Flintridge, (818) 790-1178 or visit www.flintridgeprep.org.
