OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD.

Folding Chair Classical Theatre will present OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD by Timberlake Wertenbaker, for a limited run, February 28 – March 22 at the 78th Street Theatre Lab. Folding Chair’s Artistic Director, Marcus Geduld, will direct.

OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD is based on a real, historical event. In the late 18th Century, England used far-away Australia as a penal colony. Some of the convicts decided to act in a play & The Recruiting Officer, a Restoration Comedy by George Farquhar, became the first play ever performed in Australia.

OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD, which is based on The Playmaker, a novel by Thomas Keneally (Schindler's List), tells the story of the casting, rehearsals & performance of The Recruiting Officer. First produced by the Royal Court Theatre, OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD won the Olivier Award in 1988 & was later nominated for a Tony Award.

Featured in this AEA Approved Showcase production are Lisa Blankenship, Gowan Campbell, Francine Margolis, Jessika Hardy, James Arden, Jordan Barbour, Paul Hope*, Ian Gould*, Brad Makarowski* & Karen Ogle*.


Rather than staging the “play within the play,” The Recruiting Officer will be presented as an audio recording using the acting talents of Marcus Geduld, Jennifer Katz-Hickman, Dan Salyer & France Margolis (all non equity) & Lisa Blankenship, Gowan Campbell, Francine Margolis, James Arden, Paul Hope*, Ian Gould*, Brad Makarowski* & Karen Ogle*. A copy of the CD of The Recruiting Officer will then be given to each audience member.
Folding Chair Classical Theatre produces plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov, Aeschylus & other writers from past eras. They also produce modern adaptations of classic stories, plays based on historical events & the occasional 20th Century "classic," such as Death of a Salesman. Folding Chair does not emphasize theme, concept or social relevance. Rather, their passion is storytelling, emphasizing plot, character & language. They usually perform on a bare stage, with actors dressed in street clothes, telling their stories using only bodies, voices & the playwright's words.

DATES: February 28 – March 22, 2008
TIMES: Thurs – Sat @ 8pm & Sun, March 16 & 23 @ 2pm
THEATRE: 78th Street Theatre Lab
236 West 78th Street
TICKETS: $19
RESERVATIONS: SmartTix (212) 868-4444 or
http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showCode=OUR8
*DENOTES MEMBER AEA