La Mama Theatre

In a liminal, late night world, the playwright Oriel types her plays, stalked by her characters, battling her demons and sharing thoughts and reflections with modern day playwright, Moss. In a series of flashbacks, Oriel depicts the left wing bohemian world of Sydney in the early 1950’s, including vibrant moments from Oriel Gray’s unconventional love life, her passionate involvement with the New Theatre and her occasionally fractious association with the Australian Communist Party.

In 1955, Gray’s play The Torrents shared the prize for best Australian play with Ray Lawler’s Summer of the Seventeenth Doll. Both plays were promised production, but only The Doll was supported. Imaginative and dynamic, Oriel raises questions about the foundation of Australian theatre today.

Highly commended: R E Ross Trust Playwrights Script Development awards.

“A seamless blend of contemporary and historical... with both sensitivity and muscularity... a thoughtful meditation on the act of writing.” - MTC Literary Director Chris Mead