21 September 2017
Newsdesk
Fresh from an award-winning, sell-out run at Edinburgh Fringe 2017, Dust by Milly Thomas (Clique, BBC3; Clickbait and A First World Problem, Theatre503), directed by Sara Joyce, now transfers to London’s Soho Theatre. Dust is a refreshing, caustic and comedic treatment of one woman’s depression, suicide and everything that happens afterwards.
A woman. A suicide. A choice. A fly on the wall. A funeral. A Bakewell tart. A life. A lie. A truth. An ending. Of sorts. Alice thinks that life isn’t worth living. So she kills herself. Sort of. She is stuck, a fly on the wall. Forced to watch the aftermath of her suicide and its ripple effect on her family and friends, Alice quickly learns that death changes people. And that death is not the change she hoped for.
Milly Thomas comments, I’m beyond excited to bring Dust to a London audience. For the show to come to Soho Theatre after the support and nurturing they have given me from the very start of my career feels like a dream come true. So much of my very favourite work have grown from this venue and I’m hugely excited for this next chapter in Dust’s afterlife.
Written using Thomas’ own experience of depression and her desire to talk more about suicide and mental health in society today, Dust is very much about life, about those who remain behind and how squeamish we are around death. How do you quantify a life? What if you lived as an arsehole but suddenly, in death, you’re a saint? And, if push came to shove, would your mother get your funeral right?
Written and performed with dynamism by Thomas herself, there's a candour about Dust that looks the audience in the eye and dares it to either pass judgement or else be sympathetic. Alice wouldn't be satisfied with either, one suspects, in a show where sex is a matter of life, death and much more besides (The Herald).
Thomas was awarded a Stage Edinburgh Award for her performance in Dust in Edinburgh 2017.
Performance Dates Tuesday 20th February – Sunday 17th March 2018
Location Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, London W1D 3NE
Box Office Tickets are available from www.sohotheatre.com or 020 7478 0100 priced from £10.
How to get there Soho Theatre is located on Dean Street. The nearest underground stations are Tottenham Court Road (on the Central and Northern lines), Oxford Circus Street (on the Bakerloo, Central and Victoria line) and Leicester Square (on the Northern and Piccadilly lines). The nearest rail station is Charing Cross.
Running time 70 minutes
Twitter @dust_theplay, @sohotheatre
Notes Ages 16+
Writer/Performer Milly Thomas
Director Sara Joyce
Producer Holly De Angelis
Set Designer Anna Reid
Sound designer Max Perryment
Lighting designer Jack Weir
Milly Thomas
Milly Thomas is a London-based writer and actor, whose credits include Quacks (BBC2); Cargo (The Arcola Theatre); Dry Land (Jermyn Street Theatre); & Downton Abbey (ITV). She began writing when she graduated in 2014 from the BA Acting at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Milly’s first full length play A First World Problem opened at Theatre503 in July 2014 to critical acclaim. She was then commissioned by The Royal Central School of
Speech and Drama to write Piggies in 2015 . Her play Clickbait opened the 2016 spring season at Theatre503 and played to sold-out audiences and an extended run. Clickbait is published by
Oberon. Her play Brutal Cessation will also be running alongside Dust during the Edinburgh Fringe 2017. She is a member of both the Young Writers’ Lab 2015 and Writer’s Lab Alumni 2017 at Soho Theatre. She has taken part in The Royal Court Writers’ Group 2016 led by playwright Stef Smith, and of Headstart – a group comprising of ten playwrights assembled by Headlong Theatre Company and Blacklisted Films. Milly has taken part in writers’ rooms for Pure Grass Films, Balloon Entertainment and Brown Eyed Boy and has recently completed the 2016 Channel 4 Screenwriting Course. She has written episodes of River City for BBC Scotland and Clique for BBC3.
Sara Joyce
Sara’s work includes: Hedda Gabler (Bunker Theatre November 2017); Service by Lauren Mooney (Edinburgh Summerhall); The Scar Test by Hannah Khalil (Soho Theatre); Bush Theatre Emerging Writers’ Showcase (Bush Theatre) Crestfall, The Quality of Mercy, The Win Bin, Night Tella, Act Without Words I; Rough For Theatre II; Catastrophe, The Playboy Variations and Click. Sara is Associate Director at The Bunker Theatre. Previous residencies include: the Almeida & Soho Theatre. She is an Off-West-End nominee for Best Director for Act Without Words I, Rough for Theatre II and Catastrophe.
