Whether by design or coincidence it seems appropriate to see a play extolling the virtues of theatre at a time when their functionality is under threat from Government spending cuts.

Timberlake Wertenbaker's Our Country's Good is essentially about the redemptive power of theatre. Based on true events, a radical thinking governor (John Hollingworth) of a penal colony in 18th century Australia suggests the convicts put on a play which, he believes will be beneficial to both captives and jailers.

Naturally the idea is not universally liked by either side. The soldiers, many of whom are reluctantly in Australia, prefer to keep the prisoners in their place with a brutal regime of starvation, hard labour, humiliation and punishment. The prisoners are suspicious.

Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark (Dominic Thorburn) volunteers to direct the play and so embarks on a journey towards opening night troubled by losing cast members to the death penalty, romance, prejudice and artistic temperament.