Explain how you would direct your cast in two or three scenes of the play, Our Country's Good, in order to reveal the civilising effect of the theatre upon the convicts

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Stephanie Gadsby Theatre Studies

Explain how you would direct your cast in two or three sections of the play in order to reveal the civilising effect of the theatre upon the convicts.

Our Country’s Good is a play written by Timberlake Wertenbaker based on the Playmaker by Thomas Keneally. Timberlake was approached to adapt the book into a play and as part of her research she went to see a play at Wormwood Scrubs performed by convicts. The play highlights how the convicts can gain a positive humanising effect through the power of theatre On seeing the convicts perform so seriously Timberlake explains that how "…in prison conditions, theatre can be hugely heartening and influential and indeed in prison your options are so limited you can become a born-again Christian, a gym-queen constantly working out, a bird watcher or you become passionate about theatre.”

She thought the convicts were quite professional and became very civilised throughout their  whole performance, "The convicts knew their lines absolutely because they had nothing else to do and they didn't want to waste time with pleasantries as soon as you came into the room they started rehearsing. The two hours were very intense because the time was so valuable and we saw immediately how doing a play could become absolutely absorbing if you were incarcerated."

To show the civilising effect of the theatre upon the convicts in Our Country’s Good, I intend to explore a few scenes which are the following:-

  1. The First Rehearsal
  2. The Second Rehaersal
  3. Backstage.

I feel these three scenes are key within the play to show the progression of the convicts from being ill mannered to more humane human beings but also how the attitude of Ralph Clarke, the second liuetennant changes toward the convicts. At first he sees them as nothing more than convictst but proportionally to their progression he begins to see them as people with a little bit of worth and potential.

In the first rehearsal the first person to speak is Ralph Clarke and he addresses the convicts as “ladies and gentlemen”. I would have the actor playing ralph quite tall (roughly 6”2) to show his position to the convicts and he woullds also have a very straight and upright posture to show he takes his role as director and 2nd lieutennant seriously. In this secen I would have Ralph already present centre stage left tbut the convicts are not on to begin with. This is to higlight to the audience that he is respectful to time keeping and is prepared to commit to the play now. Also, he would be stage left as I feel the convicts would still see him as a little bit villianous like some of the other officers . They slowly begin to see he is different from the rest but I want the distance between the convicts and Ralph to decrease through the progression of these three scenes. Him being seen as almost a threat to begin with by the convicts is why I would want the actor to be stage left at the start of the scene. This is more of an association and tradition of pantomime( The “Baddie” always enters and exits stage left as it was recognised by audiences as the right and left hand of God, left being the devil) but hopefully will provoke the audinece into thinking about the evolving relationship between Ralph and the convicts. Ralph will wait patiently , standing straight with his arms held behind him in status revealing way  quite expressionless then the convicts will enter stage right in a hustle an bustle muttering and dragging their feet but stop a few metres before Ralph again to create that little bit of distance between them.  The convists would have their arms folded across their chests to put up physical barriers and playing with their hands to suggest their uncertainty. At the delivery of his first line, Ralph would speak in standard english  and in a  formal tone as he was doing so he wuld release his hands from behind his back and hold out his hands in front of him in an open gesture as he welcomed the convicts.When he had addressed the convicts as Ladies and Gentlemen, the female convict Dabby Bryant would cut him off in a strong cockney accent and would be quite exciteable, her eyes would be large, her mouth movements exaggerated and her smile wide at being called a lady. Ralph treats them with more respect  than they have probably ever been treated before which shows in earlier scenes such as the cant used by Liz  Morden in Visiting Hours and how they talk to eachother throughout the play. They have been kept in poor conditions and spoken to like dogs so are the exact same with eachother. This is shown by Dabby and Duckling later on in the  scene when they exchange insults. Dabby is probably jealous of Duckling as she gets to live in a nice warm bed with food because she is courting with one of the lieutennants. There is different status levels witihn the convicts aswell which creates tension amongst them. As they insult eachother, they would turn and face eachother but would still be stage right and it would be Dabby who had her back turned to Ralph because although they are both unaware of how to properly behave Duckling has had more Experience with the lieutennants because of Harry Brewer. Duckling would be slightly taller than Dabby so would be looking down at her  and Dabby woulkd be looking up with her finger thrust in Duckling’s face both would have their eyebrows furrowed  and in quite close proximity to eachothers face. At the close of the scene and after many failed attempt of a successful rehearsal and disruption from the two lietennants Campbell And Ross who take great delight in taunting the convicts and indeed Ralph, the convicts would all be in the positions on stage Ralph had directed them to be in but not holding an appropriate stance or expression all would be lookin toward Ralph expectantly who is now downstage centre. I would the nhave Ralph looks to the floor, sigh and bring his hands up behind his head to show the shambles of the rehearsal.

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In the second rehearsal, three of the convicts have beein taken away and put in chains . Ralph, Mary Brenham and Robert Sideway are all presnet on stage waiting for the three convicts to be brought in  to rehearse. Ralph, Mary and Robert are situated downstage right with Mary and Robert sat on the floor, cross legged with their hands neatly placed on their lap while their faces would be fixed in front of them.. Ralph would be standing next to them watching the door anxiously. His appearance has become somewhat more ruggid. His dark hair is ruffled, he ...

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