DUST: Bringing Yorkshire's Mining Heritage to the Fringe

What began as a journey back to Yorkshire for a family funeral became the inspiration for DUST, a deeply personal play rooted in mining heritage, family and remembrance. Ahead of the show's Edinburgh Fringe premiere, we spoke to writer Charlaina Thompson about uncovering extraordinary stories in ordinary lives and why those histories deserve to be remembered.

The show draws on the real 1973 Lofthouse Colliery disaster and Craig's grandfather who survived it. How did you first come across that story and what made you want to put it on stage?

The inspiration for DUST began with a funeral.

In 2023, I took a sabbatical from my work as a drama teacher. A few months into my leave, I received the news that my beloved aunt had passed away in Doncaster. She wasn't my aunt by blood, but after my mother died from cervical cancer, she became one of the most important people in my life.

When my mother passed away in 1990, I was left effectively orphaned. I lived with my aunt for a short time before entering foster care at the age of fourteen. Over the years, I emigrated to Australia and built a life on the other side of the world, but she remained my last living connection to my childhood and to the Yorkshire family I had left behind.

I knew I had to go home.

Returning to Yorkshire after so many years was surreal. Standing outside the house where I had once lived with my mother, and later with my aunt, I was struck by a strange feeling: nothing had changed, yet everything had changed. The streets were the same. The houses were the same. But the people who had filled them with life were gone.

When my cousins asked me to deliver the eulogy, something shifted. I realised that the stories of my family—the stories that had shaped me—were beginning to disappear. If I didn't ask the questions now, those memories could be lost forever.

What followed became an extraordinary journey into my own past.

During my research, I discovered that my great-grandfather had been awarded the Edward Medal for bravery following a rescue at Askern Colliery. The award was later transferred to the George Cross, Britain's highest civilian gallantry honour. As I uncovered more of my family's history, I found myself revisiting childhood memories of mining communities: strike debates around the dinner table, working-class pride, resilience and the humour people used to survive difficult times.

Then came a chance meeting with actor Craig McArdle. We met in 2010 when I went to The Holden Street Theatre to see Heroine for Breakfast - Winner of the Edinburgh Fringe Holden Street Theatre Award 2009 and which came to Adelaide in 2010. I became friends with Craig and we have worked on multiple projects over the last 16 years - DUST was our first personal collaboration that has deep meaning to both of us.

As we shared family stories, we discovered remarkable parallels in our histories. Craig's grandfather had narrowly escaped the 1973 Lofthouse Colliery disaster, which claimed the lives of seven miners. Six of those men remain entombed underground in what are believed to be some of the deepest graves in Yorkshire.

Those conversations became the foundation of DUST.

What began as a search for family history evolved into something much bigger—a story about heritage, identity, memory and the people whose lives built entire communities but whose stories are rarely told.

The greatest gift of creating DUST has been reconnecting with my own family and discovering where I come from. Along the way, Craig has also forged a deeper connection with his father, uncovering family stories and histories he never knew existed.

At its heart, DUST is about preserving those voices before they are lost. It's a love letter to the generations who came before us, and a reminder that ordinary people often leave behind extraordinary legacies.

The "10 Northern Commandments" are central to the character's moral world. Where did that framework come from and how did it shape the writing?

I always wanted to start at the end and work back through “The Man’s” life. I named him “The man” and although he is based on a true story - it is also a universal story. To tell a story of a life in 55 minutes and make it authentic, raw and honest is challenging. I knew I wanted the backbone of the narrative to be grounded in The 10 Northern Commandments as it was so personal to my own memories, but also knew it would ground me by connecting each moment with this moral compass. It helped me curate what I felt were significant moments that shaped a life and would allow the audience to connect with his journey.

The present story where the play starts and ends is a true story. The man is taken away from his wife during the pandemic and placed in a hospital bed because he has Covid-19. He is alone and isolated in a room, desperate to get back to his wife who has Alzheimer's - He is her memories - her only connection to the past. We journey back through his life to the present to find out whether he makes it home one last time.

DUST is the first part of a trilogy exploring familial love, generational trauma and working-class life. How much of the bigger picture were you holding in mind while writing this first play?

DUST Part One was an artistic choice - It felt like the right place to start. There are multiple stories that form the larger framework of DUST and Craig was excited to part the first project. Part Two and Part Three are quite different. Watch this space.

You were born in Sydney, grew up in Yorkshire in a mining family and are now based in Adelaide. How has that distance from your roots influenced how you tell this story?

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Sometimes distance and perspective allow you to see your home, the place that made you and shaped you into who you are more clearly. I am so proud to be from Yorkshire and for my ancestors to have been miners. I think it has given me the resilience and grit to work through the challenges and difficulties in my own life.

I know I miss and appreciate the little things, the humour, the warmth, the community and the people and I hope that is deeply reflected in DUST.

The 10 Northern Commandments are the backbone and moral compass to the Trilogy and although there were scribblings of my own memories growing up - They came to mean so much more as the play evolved.

The show won the Adelaide Fringe inSPACE Award for Best Original Work. What has that recognition meant for the journey to Edinburgh?

Winning the Award was a Game Changer. It wasn’t about the Award itself, but how it validated and recognised that working class stories have a place on-stage and that ordinary lives are extraordinary.

DUST has taken on a life of its own. I never dreamed that from the lonely writing room back in 2024 we would have connected with so many people both in the UK and Australia, had two sell out seasons as Adelaide Fringe, be supported by Creative Australia, The Adelaide Fringe Fund, have the opportunity to be at The Pleasance and premiere in the UK at Edinburgh Fringe and be selected to go on tour in Melbourne.

It is mind blowing to think back where DUST began and how far we have come. It has been 18 months of hardwork, dedication, blood, sweat and tears - but I am so proud that the audiences so far have connected with it, especially those from Wakefield and the mining families who have been deeply moved and connected to the story. It is our dream that we would be able to take it on tour to Yorkshire. To take DUST home. A full circle moment. I feel quite emotional thinking about that - I hope we get that opportunity and make our families proud.

The award has opened doors and given the play recognition. I hope the DUST journey continues and we can share more extraordinary stories with the world.

You describe the work as written for your ancestors. What do you hope audiences who have no connection to that world take away from it?

I hope they leave feeling they've experienced a story that stays with them long after they've left the theatre.

More than anything, I hope they're completely immersed in the world of the play for fifty-five minutes so that they laugh, reflect, remember and perhaps see something of themselves in the story.

One of the things I love most about DUST is that every audience seems to take away something different. Some people see their father, grandfather or uncle. Others are reminded of their childhood, their community, or the place they grew up. For some, it's a story about mining; for others, it's about family, identity, resilience, grief or love.

What surprises me most is how often people tell us afterwards, "That was my story," even when they've never set foot in a mining town.

I think that's because, at its heart, DUST is about ordinary people living extraordinary lives. If audiences leave feeling a little more connected to their own history, to their family, or to the people around them then we've done our job.

One piece of feedback that has always stayed with me came from someone who told me, quite honestly, that they didn't really like theatre and they were dragged to the show. My heart sank for a moment, until they followed it up with, "But if this is what theatre can be, I'd go and see more."

I'm still not entirely sure what they meant by it in its entirety, but I chose to take it as a compliment.

Perhaps it was because they connected with the story rather than feeling like they were watching a piece of theatre. Perhaps they recognised something of themselves, their family or their own experiences in the characters. Whatever the reason, it reminded me that powerful storytelling can reach people you never expect.

For me, that's one of the greatest gifts of theatre: creating a shared experience where people can laugh, reflect and see the world or themselves a little differently.

DUST is at the Edinburgh Fringe at Bunker One, Pleasance Courtyard from 5 – 30 Aug (not 12, 18 or 25) at 14:10. Ticket information here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/dust