Esson drew his inspiration for a distinctively Australian theatre from a bewildering array of models from overseas, but he was highly influenced by the Irish poet and playwright, W. B. Yeats. Yeats encouraged Esson to write about Australia as if it were the centre of the universe. But despite the creative output of the 1920s, Esson failed to attract a large audience. McCallum concludes that, if not for Yeats, Esson probably would not have written the material on which his reputation is based and would not now be considered a pioneer dramatist.