November 11, 2005 Source: Brock University:
http://www.brocku.ca/webnews/displaystory.phtml?TEMPLATE=template.html&sid=1382 Our Country's Good - Experience the transformative power of theatre! Brock University's School of Fine and Performing Arts is pleased to announce the Department of Dramatic Arts' main stage production of Our Country's Good by British playwright, Timberlake Wertenbaker. Our Country's Good chronicles the journey of the first British convicts transported from England to the continent that would become known as Australia. These unwilling pioneers find themselves trapped between slow starvation, the brutality of the soldiers guarding them, and the terror they feel in an unfamiliar landscape. In an effort to raise flagging morale and create a more humane society in the makeshift penal colony, the governor decides to put on a play using the convicts as actors. This unusual and challenging undertaking results in transformations in prisoners and jailers alike. This student performance is directed by David Fancy, with set and costume design by David Vivian, and sound design by Trevor Hughes. David Fancy, a faculty member in the Department of Dramatic Arts since 2004, has been involved in more than 40 productions as an actor, singer, and director. Fancy received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, and a doctorate from The Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity College, Dublin. He has previously taught at Concordia University in Montreal, and at the Oklahoma Arts Institute. David states, "Working with a cast of twenty-two performers, we have updated this play which was written in 1989 and set in the 18th century, to a contemporary urban gangscape - military officers and prisoners alike become bands of roving hipsters in a cruel turf war. We are not changing the language, but creating a contemporary and flamboyant environment for the play." This thought-provoking play challenges ideas and establishments, and raises issues concerning justice. A rich, funny, moving story in which art and humanity triumph over ignorance, Our Country's Good is a must-see for anyone who believes in the ability of theatre to move and change lives. Our Country's Good will be performed in the Sean O'Sullivan Theatre, Brock University, on Thursday, Nov. 17, Friday, Nov. 18 and Saturday, Nov. 19, at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults; $7 for students and seniors, and can be ordered by calling the Centre for the Arts Box Office at 905-688 -5550 ext. 3257, Monday - Friday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Saturday, 12 noon - 4 p.m. or online at www.arts.brocku.ca The eyeGO Arts program offers high school students a special ticket rate of $5 available through the Box Office. For more information, please contact Marie Balsom, Coordinator, School of Fine and Performing Arts, at 905-688-5550, ext. 4765; e-mail: mbalsom@brocku.ca
| 