X Close Icon

Dust

for ages 4-9

A Half Moon and Z-Arts co-production

DIGITAL ON DEMAND TOUR – A joyous reminder about just how playful the world can be by award-winning children’s author Laura Dockrill, with music by Hugo White of The Maccabees. Available throughout 2023/24. Please enquire.

Dust is being presented as an ‘as live’ performance for digital broadcast, as part of Half Moon’s digital performance platform. 

Put your sofa in the front row with a digital performance of Dust, live-recorded at Half Moon and professionally filmed and edited. Join us for an online performance that puts the best seats in the house into your own home.

When Little Titch and her scruffy rucksack arrive at the giant, pink house it is not what she expected – a blanket of thick grey dust covers everything in sight and it is wild and overgrown. Her new home is cold and unwelcoming until she meets Nelly, a flamboyant and loveable old Aunt. Together the pair discover they have more in common than they first thought and that friendship can heal hidden wounds.

Written by acclaimed award-winning children’s author Laura Dockrill (Darcy Burdock book series and Big BonesDust uses puppetry and exquisite poetic language to explore a heartfelt story about love, loss, identity and memory. With haunting music by Hugo White of The Maccabees, this striking and emotional new play is a joyous reminder about just how playful the world can be.

Dust is a Half Moon and Z-arts co-production: an exciting collaboration by the UK’s leading small-scale young people’s venue and touring company and Manchester’s unique and award-winning venue for children and families.

Winner of the Off West End 2022 OnComm Award for Best Theatre for Children Aged 5-11.

Download image library and press kit Interview with Laura Dockrill Interview with Hugo White

Educational resources

Alongside this production of Dust we also have three online creative learning workshops for audiences to take part in at home, exploring the themes of the show. All the videos have closed captioning for d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences.

The videos are available to view at the links below.

Storytelling Creating a Home Building Character

Show information

  • Online performance lasts 50 mins.

  • Dust is available in the following formats:

    • Film with closed captions
    • BSL interpreted film (with captions)
  • For audiences to view at home via an online streaming platform, at a time that suits them:

    Dust will be made available on a password protected Vimeo link, which will need to be passed onto bookers (link and password). The play has closed captioning for d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences.

    Alternatively, the shows can be embedded onto the venue’s website and the page link sent to bookers. Audiences will still need to enter the password to access the video.  This will be available for your audiences to view for 14 days following the date of the last programmed online show. After this time the video will no longer be available to watch as the password will expire. Venues will not be sent a digital file of the booked show to download.

    For a live screening or at a specific date and time online experience:

    Venues will be released the full MP4 file so that a venue can play it through their own playback or cinema system. Captions will be sent as a separate SRT file for you to upload to your platform. This is for 1 day (2 showings are permitted per day). Venues are required to delete the MP4 file after use and not distribute to anyone else.

  • Please enquire.

  • The company are able to offer for free a range of bespoke digital creative learning activities for schools and family groups on request to complement the performance.  

⭐⭐⭐⭐ “It should be a bit grubby really, a play about dust. Yet this production has an inherent beauty and magic that belies the chaotic, quirky set at its centre, and the fluffy layers of history that rest upon it. Dust deals with a number of difficult emotions, but with such a light touch it’s suitable for children of any age, including the adult kind.”

Everything Theatre

⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Dust is a great story and deceptively clever”.

Mobile Theatre Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A cheerful parable of young befriending old. It’s an ancient tale reimagined with new actors and a show-stopping set”.

A Younger Theatre

“My students watched Dust this morning and I wanted to let you know that it received a standing ovation from the students in school!!! Online students have been saying how interesting and moving it was to watch.”

Drama and Ethics Teacher
For more details on Dust, please contact:

Chris Elwell  | 020 7709 8902 or chris@halfmoon.org.uk

More Half Moon Shows