‘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. 

Written in1955, The Torrents co-won best play (Playwrights’ Advisory Board) with Summer of the Seventeenth Doll. Yet while Lawler’s play is considered a defining feature of Australian theatre, The Torrents is under-appreciated and was perhaps ahead of its time.