The 2014 graduating class of
the National Theatre School presents

Our Country’s Good

By Timberlake Wertenbaker
Directed by Tadeusz Bradecki
December 10 to 13, 2013, 8:00 p.m. and December 14, 3:00 p.m.
At the Ludger-Duvernay Theatre (Monument-National)

Montreal, November 26, 2013 – The 2014 Graduating Class of the National Theatre School of Canada (NTS) is proud to present Our Country’s Good, by British playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker, directed by international director Tadeusz Bradecki. An impassionate, and sometimes funny plea for the power of theatre, Wertenbaker’s play is based on the 1789 true story of a ragtag group of convicts, settlers of the first penal colony in New South Wales, staging Australia’s first-ever theatre production.

About the Play

Written in 1988, Our Country's Good is a play within a play set amidst the harshness of a society where justice is swift and cruel, and a hanging makes for good theatre. At the suggestion of Captain Arthur Phillip, the Governor-in-Chief of the new penal colony, the brutalised convicts rehearse for a performance of George Farquhar's The Recruiting Officer.

“I want to rule over responsible human beings, not tyrannize over a group of animals,” says Captain Phillip, who needs to believe in the educational and redemptive power of art. While the fledgling actors discuss the merits of theatre and their overseers take on the “nature versus nurture” debate, the exercise itself gives several convicts a desperate chance to reclaim some of their dignity.

“Our Country's Good is a rich play for emerging theatre artists,” explains English Section Artistic Director Alisa Palmer. “A contemporary classic by a remarkable playwright, the play suggests a refreshingly optimistic connection between the transformative power of art and the possibility of redemption. However unique in its historical period, it grapples with questions still present in a 21st-century debate about retribution and rehabilitation in our penal system. I am delighted to have director Tadeusz Bradecki at the helm of the production. His ability to bring theatrical intensity to large stage productions and his commitment to young artists is inspiring.”

About Tadeusz Bradecki, Director

Tadeusz Bradecki is a director, actor, playwright and teacher. A graduate of the State Theatre Academy in Krakow, Poland, where he is Associate Professor, Mr. Bradecki has directed over 80 productions worldwide. From 1990 to 1996, he was Artistic Director and General Director of the Stary Theatre in Krakow, and Artistic Director of the Slaski Theatre in Katowice, Poland, from 2007 to 2013. He was also Resident Director at both the Stary Theatre in Krakow and the National Theatre in Warsaw. In Canada, Tadeusz Bradecki frequently directs productions for the Shaw Festival, including the remount of his hit 2003 production of the Brecht/Weill musical Happy End. He also directed the more recent Shaw hit Guys and Dolls.

Mr. Bradecki has acted in many films, among others by K. Kieslowski, K. Zanussi, A. Wajda and S. Spielberg’s Schindler’s List. He was awarded the Leon Schiller Prize and the Golden Screen TV Award. In 1993, he was appointed Chevalier des Arts et Lettres in France.

The 2014 NTS graduating actors
Photo: Stephen Tracey

Costume renderings for convicts Mary Brenham and Liz Morden by Set and Costume Design graduating student Coral Coughlan

Costume renderings for Governor Arthur Phillip and Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark by Coral Coughlan

The set created by Set and Costume Design graduating student Léa Robertson doubles as a ship and as precarious settlement tents.

with the 2014 acting graduating class

Erica Anderson, Wayne Burns, Andrew Chown, James Daly, Alexander De Jordy, Nikki Duval, Natasha Mumba, Chilko Tivy, Stephen Tracey, Megn Walker and Benjamin Wheelwright

tickets and theatre

Tickets: $9 – available at the Monument-National Box Office. Call (514) 871-2224. A $3.25 handling fee applies to tickets reserved by phone.
>> Click here for complete box office information

Performance Schedule:
December 10 to 13, 2013, 8:00 p.m.
December 14, 3:00 p.m.

At the Ludger-Duvernay Theatre of the Monument-National, 1182 St. Laurent Boulevard (Montreal) - Saint-Laurent Metro

Design / Production Team (2014 graduates)

Léa Robertson (Set Design)
Coral Coughlan (Costume Design)
Brian Kenny (Sound Design)
Amelia Scott (Lighting Design)
Corey MacVicar (Production Manager)
Meredith Daley (Stage Manager)
Nicholas Timmenga (Technical Director)