Our Country's Good

Written by Timberlake Wertenbaker
Directed by John Ribovich
Performed May 11-June 3, 2000

From the director:

People often find meaning by finding a shared sense of purpose.  Nothing creates that sense of purpose like a play, where everyone is necessary and everyone's work contributes to the whole.  Timberlake Wertenbaker has taken the true story of the first play performed in Australia and turned it into a metaphor for the power of the theatre to redeem people's lives.  Most of the people in this play really lived, and their story, as it is performed on our stage, reminds us that it is the spirit of hope and cooperation that can ultimately turn a convict camp into a community, and a prison colony into a country.

The play is set in the recently established prison colony in Sydney, Australia in 1788 and 1789.

Cast:

David Colley (John Wisehammer, Captain Campbell) was most recently seen as Alex Gal in Rough Crossing at Actors Ensemble of Berkeley and as Roy Cohn in Angels in America at Solano College Theatre, for which he received a Dean Goodman Choice Award for Outstanding Performance.

Tom Darci (Governor Phillip, Ketch Freeman) most recently appeared in King Lear at the California Shakespeare Festival.  He has also worked with Theatre First, Berkeley Rep, Shakespeare at the Beach and Theatre Rhinoceros.

Bryant Hoex (Lt. Ralph Clark) returns for his third show at CRT after roles in Scapin and The Merry Wives of Windsor.  A graduate of Santa Clara University, he currently teaches drama in the Milpitas Unified School District.

Erik Kline (Captain Collins, Robert Sideway) was most recently seen as a Storyteller in AMTSJ's Children of Eden.  He has also performed with Peninsula Center Stage and Peninsula Light Opera.

Michael Low (Harry Brewer, Major Ross, John Arscott) was last seen in Wild Blue at Theatre Rhinoceros.  Trained at Bristol Old Vic, he has appeared in numerous West End productions including Tom Stoppard's Dirty Linen, in which he played Arthur, the lead role.

Laura Patterson* (Liz Morden, Meg Long, Lt. Dawes) is pleased to bge appearing in Our Country's Good, her CRT debut.  Other recent South Bay credits include Queen Elizabeth in Die, Die Diana, Kate in All My Sons, and Marie St. Clare in I Ain't Yo Uncle, all at SJSU, where she teaches.

Kunal Prasad (Aborigine, John Caesar, Lt. Johnston) last appeared at CRT in Prelude to a Kiss.  Other credits include Zach in A Chorus Line and Oedipus in Oedipus Rex.

Mary Saudargas (Duckling Smith, Lt. Tench) is a member of the Living Arts Theatre Lab's Playback Theatre Company.  In the Bay Area, she has worked with Rough and Tumble, Theatre Valentine, Doublemask Productions and Signal Theatre.

Lauri Smith (Dabby Bryant, Lt. Faddy) has performed at TheatreWorks, Bus Barn and City Lights.  Other credits include Abigail in The Crucible, Bridget in Eclipsed, Oberman in The Water Engine and the title role in Lysistrata.

Holli Thenhaus (Mary Brenham, Reverend Johnson) is a graduate of the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts.  Credits include Anne in 13 Days, Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Liesl in The Sound of Music.  This is Holli's second appearance at CRT.

*Appearing courtesy of Actor's Equity Association