228:
Gray's play, with its themes of "feminism and the saving of the environment", did not have popular appeal in a very conservative era with only one amateur performance recorded (New
Theatre, Adelaide 1957). It was not published until 1988 and did not have a professional production until 1996 by the
146:. With the death of her mother in 1926, her older sister Grayce became the guiding female presence of her formative years. Gray came from a politically active family, her father briefly held the seat of Werriwa for the Australian Labour Party Gray was a member of the
187:
being modelled on the new radical and political theatre movement blossoming in the United States. In 1942, Gray was appointed as the first paid
Australian playwright-in-residence. She was commissioned to write a weekly radio segment for the New Theatre on
126:, was an Australian dramatist, playwright and screenwriter who wrote from the 1940s to 1990s. The major themes of her work were gender equality and "social and political issues such as the environment, Aborigines, assimilation and bush life".
293:. Tudawali played the role of Don in the television version of the play for ABC TV (1961). Despite a poor critical reception at the time, this production is noted as a cultural landmark, having three First Nations' performers in major roles.
274:
Theatre Guild
Competition. The play explores the racial tensions that erupt in a small town when a young Aboriginal girl gains brief notability as a film actress. The plot is not based on real events, rather being inspired by the release of
686:
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She married John Gray in 1940, an actor whom she met while at the Sydney New
Theatre and they had a son, Stephen. By 1947 her marriage had broken down and she moved on to a long-term relationship with writer
571:
was published, detailing her life in New
Theatre, personal relationships and growing unease with the leadership direction of the Australian Communist Party. It was republished in 2020.
539:. Gray wrote radio adaptations of several of her major stage plays, many educational radio dramas for the Victorian Education Department and original plays for ABC Radio including:
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Over her stage-writing career, she wrote two political revues, six one act and eight full length stage plays, plus several plays for young adults.
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magazine, described Gray as "one of the most significant and talented
Australian playwrights whose work has so far been produced here".
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225:. This has been called "one of the great “compare and contrast” moments in the history of female Australian playwriting."
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She wrote six original television plays for ABC-TV, also working as a team member on the television serial
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The 1955 award by the
Playwrights' Advisory Board for best play was given jointly to Gray's play
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in the leading role. In the eighties the play was turned into a light-hearted musical, called
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from 1942 to 1950. She remained active in the peace movement until the dismissal of the
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for nearly a decade. In 1970 she co-wrote the feature film script for
884:"After 63 years, Oriel Gray finally gets the production she deserved"
199:
In reviewing plays, L. L. Woolacott, critic and editor of the Sydney
142:, New South Wales. Her father and grandfather owned a newspaper in
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was written for and produced by Sydney's
Belmore Theatre in 1997.
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45:
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Oriel Gray, 'playwright of ideas', dies aged 83 (3 July 2003)
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Australian Women Playwrights: The Sacrifice of Oriel Gray
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Joan and The Errant Soul, A Moment in the Permanent War,
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and her first stage play, based on the short stories of
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From 1937 to 1949, Gray wrote and acted for the Sydney
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Australian Women Dramatists in the Limelight at Last
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as a television play for ABC-TV and her stage plays
1096:20th-century Australian dramatists and playwrights
802:
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535:Beginning with the serialised version of her play
16:Australian playwright and screenwriter (1920–2003)
992:The Playwright Database (Retrieved 10 March 2008)
805:The Cambridge Guide to Women's Writing in English
669:"Oriel Gray, 'playwright of ideas', dies aged 83"
122:(26 March 1920 – 30 June 2003) known by pen name
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183:which had the reputation of being left wing and
1021:Staging a reversal of fortune (9 January 2003)
1006:. Strawberry Hills, N.S.W.: Currency Press.
556:The Man Who Wanted to Murder Sherlock Holmes
1091:Australian women dramatists and playwrights
1041:https://australianplays.org/script/ASC-1843
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249:under Clare Watson's direction, starring
355:(1943) Published Yackandanda Playscripts
231:State Theatre Company of South Australia
196:, was performed at New Theatre in 1943.
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846:
809:. Cambridge University Press. pp.
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285:which made known the Aboriginal actors
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910:"The Flawed Landmark: Burst of Summer"
836:"The Flawed Landmark: Burst of Summer"
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484:(1970) - co-writer with Robert Garlick
459:Her original screen writing includes:
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1101:20th-century Australian women writers
1033:(Retrieved 28 April 2020) PhD thesis.
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766:"'Scarlet woman' put us centre stage"
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747:"'Scarlet woman' put us centre stage"
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386:1950) Published Playlab New Vintage
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908:Vagg, Stephen (14 November 2020).
834:Vagg, Stephen (15 November 2020).
641:. Australia: Honour Bright Books.
456:, directed by Giorgio Mangiamele.
14:
1122:
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1023:The Age (Retrieved 10 March 2008)
998:Austlit (Retrieved 10 March 2008)
986:The Age (Retrieved 10 March 2008)
882:Kembrey, Melanie (12 July 2019).
687:"A.B.C. Week of Australian Plays"
667:Fiorovanti, David (3 July 2003).
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431:
764:Arrow, Michelle (24 July 2003).
745:Arrow, Michelle (24 July 2003).
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247:Black Swan State Theatre Company
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717:"Burst of Summer by Oriel Grey"
427:(1960) Published Currency Press
411:(1957) Published Currency Press
1061:National Archives of Australia
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395:1952) Published Currency Press
222:Summer of the Seventeenth Doll
1:
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581:Her last work for the stage,
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1038:Oriel. Australian Plays.org.
801:; Showalter, Elaine (1999).
603:"Austlit Agent - Oriel Gray"
521:We Should Have Had a Uniform
341:Resources in other libraries
322:Resources in other libraries
241:was produced jointly by the
148:Communist Party of Australia
103:Social and political issues
7:
10:
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996:Agent details - Oriel Gray
574:Gray published one novel,
1043:(Retrieved 28 April 2020)
888:The Sydney Morning Herald
336:Resources in your library
317:Resources in your library
257:, with music composed by
255:A Bit O' Petticoat (1982)
235:Adelaide Festival of Arts
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169:West Heidelberg, Victoria
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66:West Heidelberg, Victoria
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1086:Australian screenwriters
1002:Arrow, Michelle (2002).
863:. Australian musical.com
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436:Gray adapted Sheridan's
697:(10): 25. 10 March 1956
550:The Ghosts in My Family
382:Had We But World Enough
488:The Man Upon the Stair
419:(1957) Published Rigby
243:Sydney Theatre Company
144:Young, New South Wales
771:Sydney Morning Herald
751:Sydney Morning Herald
400:The King Who Wouldn't
136:Oriel Holland Bennett
120:Oriel Holland Bennett
34:Oriel Holland Bennett
1056:Drive a Hard Bargain
637:Gray, Oriel (2020).
567:In 1985, her memoir
525:The Quality of Mercy
523:(1975) - episode of
490:(1972) - episode of
416:Drive a Hard Bargain
368:My Life is my Affair
1111:Writers from Sydney
990:Plays by Oriel Gray
544:Philip of Australia
506:Frank and Francesca
171:, on 30 June 2003.
859:A Bit O' Petticoat
152:Whitlam government
691:The A.B.C. Weekly
648:978-0-6488817-0-4
391:Sky without Birds
303:Library resources
297:Major stage plays
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158:Personal life
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865:. Retrieved
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194:Henry Lawson
185:avant-garde,
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81:screenwriter
61:(2003-06-30)
59:30 June 2003
18:
1081:2003 deaths
1076:1920 births
893:29 December
531:Radio plays
259:Peter Pinne
181:New Theatre
92:Nationality
1070:Categories
978:References
919:7 February
438:The Rivals
308:Oriel Gray
237:. In 2019
217:Ray Lawler
130:Early life
124:Oriel Gray
95:Australian
78:Playwright
72:Occupation
39:1920-03-26
25:Oriel Gray
966:8 January
943:8 January
701:11 August
639:Exit Left
605:. Austlit
569:Exit Left
154:in 1975.
84:dramatist
867:10 March
723:10 March
609:10 March
578:(1990).
450:Bellbird
279:'s film
219:'s play
914:FilmInk
840:Filmink
811:288–289
673:The Age
233:at the
215:and to
108:Partner
1010:
962:, 1967
939:, 1966
817:
645:
558:(1987)
552:(1982)
546:(1944)
509:(1973)
501:(1972)
476:(1967)
468:(1966)
403:(1953)
377:(1947)
371:(1947)
363:(1946)
352:Lawson
305:about
175:Career
140:Sydney
46:Sydney
777:9 May
589:Notes
282:Jedda
201:Triad
100:Genre
1008:ISBN
968:2024
945:2024
921:2021
895:2019
869:2008
815:ISBN
779:2020
725:2008
703:2019
643:ISBN
611:2008
514:Rush
444:and
289:and
245:and
56:Died
31:Born
1059:at
190:2KY
138:in
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393:(
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