The Torrents
by Oriel Gray
A printing office of a newspaper is no place for a member of the female sex.' 1890s, regional Australia. Koolgalla is a gold town, but the gold rush is beginning to wane. In the office of the Koolgalla Argus, the editors must decide between protecting old interests and investing in the farmland of the future. The new editorial assistant, J. G. Milford, arrives—but it turns out the 'J' stands for Jenny. The Torrents is a forgotten classic. In 1955 it was the co-winner, with Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, of the Playwrights' Advisory Board's award for Best Play. Yet while Lawler's play is considered a defining feature of Australian theatre, The Torrents is underappreciated and was perhaps ahead of its time. Currency Press is proud to re-publish this crucial work, whose themes of media chauvinism, environmental destruction and corrupt powers are chillingly relevant today.Features a new introduction by Anne-Louise Sarks.