Actor's passion to rise in 'Our Country's Good' tonight

Can art lift the human spirit and restore humanity in dark times? That is the question playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker set out to answer when she wrote the play, "Our Country's Good," which opens at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Wells-Metz Theatre. \nThe play, which is based on true events, traces the story of convicts and soldiers who the British government have exiled to Australia. What unfolds on the small continent is a tale of brutality overcome by the theater and its ability to lift the human voice and spirit. \n"Wertenbaker is not a famous writer, but she should be," director Bruce Burgun said. "She was inspired by Thomas Keneally, the guy who wrote 'Schindler's List,' so it shows you the human concern she expresses." \nBurgun, who has been away from the stage for about three years, stood outside smoking a cigarette, anxious about what would happen on opening night. \n"I much prefer people to be disturbed than bored," he said. "The play opens up with an act of brutality and ends with an act of beauty."\n"Our Country's Good opens with a man being flogged and tells the story of convicts sent to Australia to die who decide to stage a performance of Farquhar's comedy "The Recruiting Officer" while they are exiled. Though performing a play seems innocent, the convicts encounter resistance that becomes a battle for humanity and spirit in the face of inhumane treatment. \n"It shows how powerful art is in bringing out the humanity in people," said junior Tijideen Rowley, who plays both a native Aborigine and a convict named Black Caesar. \n"These convicts start out as being treated as not human, and they probably think of themselves as less than human, but as they get deeper and deeper into the play, more is revealed about them to themselves and to the audience," Rowley said.\nRowley is passionate about the piece and feels it can speak to a number of people and themes. \n"For people living in poverty who have never had much, it can tell that through art they can create or be someone they never had the chance to be," he said.\nJenna Weinberg, who plays convict Dabby Bryant and Lieutenant Dawes, said the play reminded her of her own ancestors' struggle for humanity.\n"In a concentration camp in the Czech Republic, Jewish people were allowed to perform plays for the Red Cross because it reflected well on the camp, but they were killed afterwards," Weinberg said. "Fortunately in this play, the convicts have a better end than the Jews did, but it teaches us if we manage to hold onto what we create together, we can rise above the abuse." \nAs the actors talk about the play and what it means to them, the passion emanates from their voices and faces. Senior and Assistant Director Laine Bonstein attributes this to a combination of the director, subject matter and experience of the cast. \n"Bruce is a huge mentor. He reaches out to the students to show them how to act," Bonstein said. "I think this is why they're so passionate, because this -- it is about people that are lost and finding hope in something that can change their world in a desolate universe." \nOne of the central themes in the play is the opportunity to get a second chance at life after all hope is lost and redeeming the meek. Bonstein said the passion that the cast possesses is also a reflection of themes within the group. \n"These are not the usual stars of the main stage, so they can relate to the prisoners," she said. "They were given something special and did not squander it all." \nBurgun hand-picked the diverse cast to be in direct conjunction with the themes and overall message of the play. \n"I have a multicultural cast and women playing men because it is about people who have not been empowered playing the authority or powerful role," he said. "It's about people getting a second chance and people getting a chance that never got one." \nPerformances are tonight through April 1. Ticket prices are $15 for adults and $13 for students and seniors. For more information, visit www.indiana.edu/~thtr/.