DUST celebrates the endurance, integrity, and courage of those affected by asbestos related diseases. It is a roving performance incorporating side-show, ice sculpture , rock "n " roll , film and video, written & directed by Donna Jackson with music composed and performed by Mark Seymour, with a choir of 60 voices.

DUST will be presented in Melbourne in November 2008. The Melbourne performances will be part of Asbestos Awareness Week.

Where:
The Williamstown Town Hall
104 Ferguson Street,
Ballarat
Melway ref 56 B8

When:
Fri 28 November 8.00pm
Sat 29 November 2.00pm and 8.00pm
Sun 30 November 2.00pm and 6.00pm

Cost:
Adult $22.00
Conc/Student $17.00

Bookingsph 9932 2001
http://www.hobsonsbaytickets.com.au

About the show
DUST springboards from the presence of asbestos in our daily lives: toothpaste, electric blankets, cooking utensils, industrial boilers, surgical thread, installation, ship lining, bricks, lagging, hair dryers, and cigarette filters- all at sometime contained asbestos. Asbestos-related diseases primarily attack the lungs: those afflicted struggle to breathe normally. Breath is the artistic core of DUST. Breath carries our voice; tells our stories and is the foundation of song. Breath, the lungs and x rays are symbols used through out the script, songs and filming in the production.

During the first half of the show the audience will journey through a maze of small 'side show' scenes - home renovation, bricklayers at work, asbestos removal processes, a suburban laundry, a hair-dressing salon. In the second half the audience is seated and the production takes on a more traditional theatre/concert format.

Cultural concept for the production
Advertised as a wonder product in the 1950s and 1960s, asbestos merchandise was common in home renovations, beach houses and the building industry. Asbestos products were fire-retardant, white ant proof, borer proof, rodent proof, weather proof and cheap.

Asbestos was mined primarily in Wittenoom in WA, manufactured by James Hardie Industries, recommended by builders, used by handy men whose overalls were washed by housewives and the residue swept up by their children. Asbestos is now being removed from houses, schools and office buildings nationwide: it is well paid and dangerous work.

Asbestos causes serious illness: there are hundreds of asbestos related lung cancers, as well as asbestosis and the lethal mesothelioma, diseases with long incubation periods. In 2008, 600 people will be diagnosed with asbestos related diseases. This number will steadily increase and is predicted to peak in 2020. Many of those affected are seeking compensation through the courts. James Hardie Industries Limited, which continued asbestos manufacture into the mid-1980s, has vigorously fought these claims.

DUST is the stories, memories, and beliefs of those affected by the contradictory and surprising presence of asbestos in our daily lives: toothpaste, electric blankets, cooking utensils, industrial boilers, surgical thread, installation, ship lining, bricks, lagging, hair dryers, and cigarette filters. Asbestos-related diseases primarily attack the lungs: those afflicted struggle to breathe normally.

Creative team
The DUST creative team is led by director and writer Donna Jackson who founded Melbourne's Women's Circus. The songs are composed by writer Mark Seymour, (Hunters and Collectors). Film maker Malcolm McKinnon and Lighting Designer Phil Lethlean (their most recent collaboration, We Built This City, was nominated for four Green Room Awards) are joined on DUST by Ballarat based vocal lecturer Tracy Bourne, formerly of Chamber Made Opera.