A synopsis from the director:

“This is a play of hardships, experiments and transformations. In 1787, with London’s prisons overflowing and the advent of the American Revolution, a fleet of 11 ships full of convicts, of necessity, sets sail to New South Wales (now Australia) to begin a new penal colony. The pressing questions: How to run such a colony as there was little to no chance of return to England? To punish or rehabilitate? Does art have a place in this new culture? According to history, there was a play produced with convict performers in the infancy of this new colony and this experiment is the subject of Our Country’s Good.”

The first track you hear is the intro to the play. For this production of Our Country’s Good, the director and I decided to record and actor giving the preshow speech in character. We wanted to create the feeling of being sucked into the world of the play and to pull the audience onto the stormy sea and convict ship to Australia. With the underscoring, I wanted to set an ominous mood that felt like the rocking of a boat and was reflective of the character Wisehammer who speaks over it.

The second track you hear is for Act 2 Scene 9 a love scene near the end of the play. In this scene, 2nd Lieutenant Ralph Clark is rehearsing lines with Mary one of the convicts and actors in the play within the play on the beach. Ralph finally admits his love to Mary as they rehearse lines which cues the underscoring. I wanted to capture the tenderness of this moment that starkly contrasts the rest of the play which is very rough and violent. The modulation on the sustained bowed string notes is reminiscent of the waves washing up on the beach.

The other tracks are our transition vocabulary. I was inspired by the naval aspects of both the costumes and set with the music for the transitions. I wanted to capture both the danger and excitement that comes with embarking on a new journey and to help keep the pace of the transitions moving.

Directed by Judy Braha

Co-Sound Designed by Feitong Wang

Scenic Design by Marina Sartori

Lighting Design by Kat Zhou

Costume Design by Zane Kealey