The Torrents | |
---|---|
Written by | Oriel Gray |
Date premiered | 1957 |
Original language | English |
Genre | comedy |
The Torrents is a 1955 Australian play by Oriel Gray, set in the late 19th century, about the arrival of a female journalist in an all-male newspaper office, and an attempt to develop irrigation-based agriculture in a former gold mining town.
In 1955 it was voted best play that year by the Playwrights' Advisory Board, alongside Ray Lawler's Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, [1] [2] [3] [4] winning a prize of £100 for its author. [5] This has been called "one of the great “compare and contrast” moments in the history of female Australian playwriting." [6]
The play is set in the second half of the 19th century, [2] [5] [7] [8] in the newspaper office of a country town [2] [3] [5] built around gold-mining. [2] [7] [8] [9] The gold is running out, [2] [8] [9] and a young engineer suggests developing agriculture, supported by irrigation, as an alternative. [2] [7] [8] [9] A new recruit to the newspaper, one J.G. Milthorpe, arrives – and turns out to be a woman named Jenny. [8] [9] The play explores tensions between the all-male workforce of the newspaper and the new female reporter; between those who want to see mining continue and those who support agriculture; and the different stances of the newspaper editor and his son. [2] [8] [9]
The Torrents had its stage premiere in 1957 at the New Theatre, Stow Hall, Adelaide, [7] [10] produced by Mary Miller, one of the founders of that theatre. [8] It was performed in Melbourne the following year, at the New Theatre, [2] [11] and in Sydney in 1962 at Norman McVicker's Pocket Playhouse in Sydenham. [12] [13] The cast included John Cooper, Beverley Harte and Lionel Mann, and it was produced by Robert Findlay. [13]
Its next stage productions were not until 1995 and 1996. A reading of the play was performed at the Victorian Arts Centre in March 1995. [2] [14] In 1996, the State Theatre Company of South Australia dedicated its program at The Playhouse theatre to works by Australian authors, including some which had been neglected. [2] [15] Its production of The Torrents was directed by Marion Potts, with set design by Mary Moore. [11] [16] Paula Arundell played Jenny, and John Adam played the son. [11] [16]
It was adapted into a one-hour radio play by Joy Hollyer [17] for the ABC in 1956. [3] [4] [18] Three performances were broadcast, one in March 1956, with Beverley Dunn as J.G. Milford, [17] another in November 1956, with Margo Lee as J.G. Milford, Kevin Brennan as the editor, Ben Gabriel as the son, and Keith Buckley as the young engineer. [19] and the third in December 1956, in which Gwen Clarke played Jenny Milford, and Donald McTaggart played the son; also in the cast was Rodney Hall. [20]
Another production aired in 1966, with Nonie Stewart and John Nash in major roles. [21]
The play was adapted for Australian TV in 1969. [9] Filmink said this adaptation "seemed forgotten in newspaper reports about the recent STC/Black Swan revival of that play." [6]
It was also adapted into the musical A Bit o' Petticoat. [22]
The Torrents was not published until 1988, [23] when Penguin released it as part of their Australian playhouse series, and it was also included in Dale Spender's The Penguin Anthology of Australian Women's Writing. [2] [24] It was then re-issued by Currency Press in 1996 and 2016.
The Torrents | |
---|---|
Written by | Oriel Gray |
Date premiered | 1957 |
Original language | English |
Genre | comedy |
The Torrents is a 1955 Australian play by Oriel Gray, set in the late 19th century, about the arrival of a female journalist in an all-male newspaper office, and an attempt to develop irrigation-based agriculture in a former gold mining town.
In 1955 it was voted best play that year by the Playwrights' Advisory Board, alongside Ray Lawler's Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, [1] [2] [3] [4] winning a prize of £100 for its author. [5] This has been called "one of the great “compare and contrast” moments in the history of female Australian playwriting." [6]
The play is set in the second half of the 19th century, [2] [5] [7] [8] in the newspaper office of a country town [2] [3] [5] built around gold-mining. [2] [7] [8] [9] The gold is running out, [2] [8] [9] and a young engineer suggests developing agriculture, supported by irrigation, as an alternative. [2] [7] [8] [9] A new recruit to the newspaper, one J.G. Milthorpe, arrives – and turns out to be a woman named Jenny. [8] [9] The play explores tensions between the all-male workforce of the newspaper and the new female reporter; between those who want to see mining continue and those who support agriculture; and the different stances of the newspaper editor and his son. [2] [8] [9]
The Torrents had its stage premiere in 1957 at the New Theatre, Stow Hall, Adelaide, [7] [10] produced by Mary Miller, one of the founders of that theatre. [8] It was performed in Melbourne the following year, at the New Theatre, [2] [11] and in Sydney in 1962 at Norman McVicker's Pocket Playhouse in Sydenham. [12] [13] The cast included John Cooper, Beverley Harte and Lionel Mann, and it was produced by Robert Findlay. [13]
Its next stage productions were not until 1995 and 1996. A reading of the play was performed at the Victorian Arts Centre in March 1995. [2] [14] In 1996, the State Theatre Company of South Australia dedicated its program at The Playhouse theatre to works by Australian authors, including some which had been neglected. [2] [15] Its production of The Torrents was directed by Marion Potts, with set design by Mary Moore. [11] [16] Paula Arundell played Jenny, and John Adam played the son. [11] [16]
It was adapted into a one-hour radio play by Joy Hollyer [17] for the ABC in 1956. [3] [4] [18] Three performances were broadcast, one in March 1956, with Beverley Dunn as J.G. Milford, [17] another in November 1956, with Margo Lee as J.G. Milford, Kevin Brennan as the editor, Ben Gabriel as the son, and Keith Buckley as the young engineer. [19] and the third in December 1956, in which Gwen Clarke played Jenny Milford, and Donald McTaggart played the son; also in the cast was Rodney Hall. [20]
Another production aired in 1966, with Nonie Stewart and John Nash in major roles. [21]
The play was adapted for Australian TV in 1969. [9] Filmink said this adaptation "seemed forgotten in newspaper reports about the recent STC/Black Swan revival of that play." [6]
It was also adapted into the musical A Bit o' Petticoat. [22]
The Torrents was not published until 1988, [23] when Penguin released it as part of their Australian playhouse series, and it was also included in Dale Spender's The Penguin Anthology of Australian Women's Writing. [2] [24] It was then re-issued by Currency Press in 1996 and 2016.