Arthur Henry Adams, born in Otago, New Zealand in 1872, was a poet, playwright, journalist and novelist, committed to the development of an ‘Australian’ theatre. An astute writer, Adams struggled for many years to pierce the stranglehold that companies such as J.C Williamson Ltd had on the Australian theatre scene. With mixed success, Adams persevered and authored an impressive collection of plays, poems and novels, each seeking to reflect Australia’s social and political realities. Mrs Pretty and the Premier, both performed and published in 1914 (as part of Adams’ Three Plays for the Australian Stage) was the most commercially successful of Adams’ plays and reflects Adams’ interest in gender, politics and the Australian character.