Timberlake Wertenbaker’s unusual costume drama, Our Country’s Good, is set in an Australian penal colony in 1788, where prisoners and their keepers—soldiers and officers of the British army—combine forces to put on a play. Amidst savage conditions, art and literature enlarge the scope of humanity and lead to romantic entanglements and questions about the relationship between jailer and the jailed. Sometimes it’s difficult to know what—precisely—is or isn’t good for a country. Based on historical fact, Our Country’s Good continues at the Piven Theatre, Noyes Arts Center, Evanston, through Nov. 21; (847)866-8049; $25.