The Rough and Ready Lot

"The Rough and Ready Lot" is a stage play by Welsh dramatist Alun Owen, first broadcast in 1958 and produced for the stage in 1959. The play depicts religious and cultural bigotry through the story of four soldiers of fortune fighting for the independence of South American Indians. These characters represent opposing viewpoints on life: a political revolutionary, a fanatical Roman Catholic, and a "realist". The narrative highlights their eloquent arguments, but it is the fourth protagonist, who remains non-judgmental, who ultimately survives the ordeal. Owen's work often explored the cultural and religious conflicts present in his native Liverpool.1