"Modern classic" was the fitting accolade bestowed on Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good soon after its premiere in 1988 at the Royal Court Theatre, London. The play tells how a company of convicts staged George Farquhar’s The Recruiting Officer in the early days of the Australian penal colony.

Having directed the premiere, Max Stafford-Clark brings his own unrivalled insights to this in-depth study of how it actually works on stage. Sections include an introduction about the creation of the play, a discussion of its action moment by moment, the historical context, the characters and how the production was rehearsed and designed for its original production. The result is an invaluable and authoritative guide for anyone studying, teaching or performing the play.