The production will then tour to Birmingham, Aberystwyth, Cheltenham, Southampton and Oxford, before visiting the Hague in the Netherlands, then return to the U.K. to visit Watford, Leeds and Cambridge. It will then have a London season at the new St. James Theatre, beginning performances Jan. 30, 2013, for a run through March 9.

The play, which looks at the first British convict colony to land in Australia, is set in 1789, and revolves around a boat full of murderers, thieves and marine officers arriving on a distant shore. Cast out from their native land, and forced to build a new country, the convicts and their jailers quickly learn that the shadow of home is never far away.

In the midst of this, an ambitious young lieutenant, Ralph Clark, is set the task of directing a cast of dispirited convicts in the Restoration comedy The Recruiting Officer. But with growing suspicion from his fellow officers, just two copies of the script, his leading lady facing the gallows, and an uncontrollable passion for one of his convict players, Ralph's – and Australia's – first theatre production is in trouble from the start.

The play was originally commissioned to complement a revival of The Recruiting Officer, with which it played in rep.

For further details and dates for the tour, visit www.outofjoint.co.uk.