Book excerpt: The year is 1789. A naive young woman ran away with a soldier and lived for a while in London lodgings. The soldier was called away and the rent went unpaid until the landlady accused the woman of theft and pawning of metal fire cheeks. She was arrested and due to a false witness was found guilty. The opening of the play finds her shackled in leg irons, about to be taken abroad to a new colony in Botony Bay, Australia. CHARACTERS (Unless otherwise directed, each actor may use any accent with which they are comfortable in order to add colour to their character) Miss Goodbody……………. Tough prison warden, sent to London to escort Sarah Whitlam who is to join a convict ship to New South Wales and then to act as the escort to the others during the voyage. Sarah Whitlam………………Innocent young country woman who has fallen foul of the law after falling in love with a soldier, being left by him in lodgings and later accused of theft by her greedy landlady. Elizabeth Whitlam ……….. Distraught mother of Sarah who comes to London to see her daughter off before she is transported. Hannah Smith……………….Ex-law-abiding shop worker who was paid off when the men came back from the war and took her job so was forced to turned to shop-lifting Mary Bellamy…………….…Ex-maid who was paid off and had to steal a silver spoon from employers to survive Mariah Marshall……………. Sullen troublemaker & recidivist, who refuses to kow-tow to authority of any kind (may double later as Liza Kestlewray) Meg Marchant………………Old recidivist who was sentenced for clipping coins and narrowly avoided the death sentence. Charlotte & Charlene Grey …Juvenile thieves who have known nothing but crime all their short lives (characters may be combined) Olivia Gascoigne ……………Foul-mouthed thief and prostitute Phoebe Moulton …………… Friend of the above, of similar background Mrs Barnsley ………………..Well-to-do lady convict with lots of money whose brother is rumoured to be a highwayman. Liza Kestelwray. ……………Recidivist thief and witness who originally identified Sarah Whitlam (May double as Mariah Marshall)