DUST at Pleasance Courtyard, Bunker One

DUST is a solo drama based on true stories of survivors of the 1973 Lofthouse Colliery disaster, including performer Craig McArdle's own grandfather. The show follows the final, fragmented memories of an elderly man in a hospital ward as he reflects on a life defined by working-class struggle in Yorkshire, moving between his present medicated delirium and his past as a boxer, a boilermaker, a soldier, and a miner. Written and directed by Charlaina Thompson and performed by Craig McArdle, the piece explores generational trauma, the erosion of industrial trades, and how the experiences of ancestors shape us. DUST is the first play in a trilogy of new work by Thompson and won the 2025 Adelaide Fringe inSPACE Award for Best Original Work by a South Australian Artist.