0n June 4, 1789, theatre came to Australia when a group of thieves, whores and cutthroats performed George Farquar's comedy, The Recruiting Officer. From this obscure bit of history, Timberlake Wertenbaker has crafted a panoramic, unabashedly contemporary and generously comic epic about the relationship between art and humanity.

An ambitious young lieutenant prepares to cast the nation's first play in order to introduce culture and humanity to the British penal colony at Botany Bay, Australia. But with only one copy of the script, an illiterate cast, and a leading actress about to be hanged, this could prove to be either a supremely foolhardy or a courageously visionary act. Bawdy, brazen and laden with humor, Our County's Good is as brilliantly theatrical a play as they come.

Nominated earlier this year for six Tony Awards including Best Play, Our Country's Good received the Olivier Award as Best New Play of 1988 and its author, Timberlake Wertenbaker received the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright.