OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD

Style -  fits broadly into the epic theatre genre and has lots of elements of epic theatre throughout eg saying scene title before the scene. Naturalistic form to characters - realistic in their speech n actions, even though there is multirole - mix of naturalistic and epic theatre 

Original production used multirole - 22 characters and only 11 actors 

There is an episodic structure but they dont use guestic acting and they speak in naturalistic voice - it just has episodic elements 

Play uses historicisation so creates different concept - works well for Brecht as more objective than emotional, puts audience at a distance - can see that not much has changed in society 

In 1787 and 1986, Thatcher was getting more strict with crime and punishment - prisons became overcrowded and poor living conditons for convicts - die from starvation etc  - not lots has changed, prisons are still overcrowded and we still have a very right wing Government with similar views on crime n punishment. 

Political message - the power the arts and theatre have to civilise and redempt people. Education in prison has a better affect on them and society after, gives them a better chance of redemption. Everytime the play is mentioned, it brings the covicts together and forms friendships/relationships that wouldnt happen 

Ketch's name means hangman - convict code 

Wertenbaker uses the play-within-a-play to explore themes of :

Crime and punishment - hangings, flogging

Theatre - potential to transform indviuals n societies 

Colonisation 

Dehumanisation and abuse of power - treated like animals 

Sex and love - temptation 

Food and status - convicts were staving as officers ate their food as weeks went by. 

Hierarchies of class and gender 

In 1986, (1980s Britain) Thatcher was getting more strict with crime and punishment - prisons became overcrowded and poor living conditons for convicts - die from starvation etc  - not lots has changed, prisons are still overcrowded and we still have a very right wing Government with similar views on crime n punishment. 

Margaret Thatcher's conservative Government had reduced funding for many parts of the public sector - theatre had suffered from government hostility to subsidies the arts and so the plays celebration of the humanising power of theatre had a powerful resonance. The play suggests complex links between poverty n crime challenged the growing inequality of britain.

Political message - the power the arts and theatre have to civilise and redempt people. Education in prison has a better affect on them and society after, gives them a better chance of redemption. 

give a sense of an overview of the whole extract not just random moments - beginning, middle, end 

use up full extract - 20 mins per q

explain intentions for the extract at the start, then talk about moments chronologically - dont over explain more describe 

Introduce the character your writing about and what you want them to be like - personality traits and characteristics 

Set in Ralph Clark's tent - late at night (dark). Ralph is reading his diary out loud.

Harry Brewer is a midshipman - a low ranking officer in the Roal Navy, however he has a close relationship with Captain Phillip. Harry is in a relationship with a convict called Duckie (Duckling) of whom hes quite possessive. Harry played a part in one of Ducklings previous lovers hanging - Handy Baker. Ever since Duckling has been quiet and cold towards Harry - 'who would want to **** a corpse'. He feels guilty about the role he played in Handys execution and is for ever haunted by his ghost.

'I didnt want to hang him Ralph I didnt' - start of Harrys downfall 

'wouldnt want her to be looked at by all the men' - controlling (status)

'you dont think i killed him then' - ralphs opinion matters to him - respects it - moment of friendship - see change in relationship 

'Harry' - caught off guard, could jump, - embarrassed 

'dont speak of her name on this iniquitous shore!' - defensive and angry. 

'How can you treat such women with kindness?' - shows Ralphs disgust towards convict women - changes when he meets Mary - the play changes his opinions 

'A play? who would act in a play?' - shows interest - wants to impress captain phillip - social context - wertenbaker wanted to show power of theatre - thatcher 

'but how could a whore play Lady Jane?' - disrespectful, ignorant - stereotypical 

'you could tell the excellency how much i like theatre'  - needs to be clear that Ralph is initially only interested in doing a play to impress Phillip - but he enjoys it and creates new friendships n opinions - Mary.

At the start have Ralph and Harry visibally distant from eachother, Ralph could be turned away - embarrassed because he was reading his journal 

Harry could be pacing up and down to show his guilt and anxiety over Handy Baker - hes trying to talk to Ralph but raplh is uninterested - avoid eye contact except from when Phillip is mentioned. 

When the play is mentioned, Ralph starts to engage - straight away the play is bringing people together - link to wertenbaker challenge. 

When Ralph tells Harry to mention the idea to Phillip - he could move physically closer to Harry so audience can visually see the power of the play. Change in tone voice - more optimistic. 

At the end, there is a moment of friendhsip and we see where the title comes from - they have someone to talk too - warm scene. Lighting could get more intense/warm