4 Nick Dunning as Sideway, David Haig as Ralph, Royal Court Theatre, 1988 21 Set play: Our Country's Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker Character studies Our Country’s Good has a large cast, of men and women, from different classes and backgrounds, offering a wealth of acting opportunities. The following pages contain detailed descriptions of the characters, as well as practical activities to support your exploration of them. Why this is important In the exam, you could be asked to describe how a speci c character should be performed, so you should be comfortable discussing any of them. The officers Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark The play is an ensemble piece, but Ralph is the play’s protagonist, as the audience follows his journey in discovering a positive role in directing the play and in nding love with Mary. He is often the only character not to be doublecast. He is based on the real Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark, a young of cer in the marines, who had left behind his wife and young son. Clark kept journals during his time in Sydney, which spoke of his Christianity and his affectionate homesickness for his wife, as well as the dif culties he faced. We rst see him counting, in a ‘slow and monotonous voice’ (page 3), the lashes that Sideway is receiving. This is a very different impression from that in the novel The Playmaker, where he is rst seen holding auditions. So, in Our Country’s Good, we are aware of a ‘before-the-play’ Ralph. He next appears in Scene 4, where his harshness towards the prisoners, his homesickness and his ambition to be First Lieutenant are revealed. When Harry arrives to discuss Duckling, Ralph asks, ‘How can you treat such women with kindness?’ (page 10) and claims never to be tempted by them. During this conversation, the plan to put on the play emerges as an opportunity to impress Captain Phillip. The rst audition is in Scene 5, where Meg Long says that they thought Ralph was a ‘ uter, a mollie’ (page 13) because he hadn’t shown any interest in the women. The second convict to audition is Robert Sideway, who was being ogged in Scene 1, again showing how relationships have rapidly changed. Ralph is intent on nding convicts who can read and write, especially Key terms Protagonist: The lead character in a drama. Look here On page 37 is a downloadable sheet on which you can gather your discoveries. It can also be downloaded here: www.illuminatepublishing.com/ ourcountrysgood Theatre maker insight Max Stafford-Clark, director in, Taking Stock ‘David Haig, as Ralph Clark, the director, was trembling with excitement and emotion as he made Ralph’s nal speech thanking his actors and acknowledging the experience they had been through together.’ Copyright: Sample material
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