Timothy Jones

It dramatises the real-life Beaconsfield mine disaster in Tasmania (2006). The story follows the real events of Beaconsfield quite closely: We first meet the miners at work before the quake hits, causing the mine collapse. The above-ground characters respond to the crisis in ways consistent with actual events and as reported in media and post event interviews with those involved.

The dramatic shape of the current draft adheres to a common three-act structure:

Act 1: The Set-Up and inciting incident: The miners arrive for work, travel underground, the quake hits and we see the mine cave-in: the inciting incident which ignites the drama to follow (the problem that needs to be solved)

Act 2: Solving the problem/confrontation: Central problem attempted to be solved through various scenes: Extended conversations between the trapped miners across the 14 days underground keep spirits up and death at bay; Above-ground scenes where rescue methods attempted and fail with resultant confrontations between many characters.

Act 3:  Resolution: Final desperate attempt to release them is successful, they return to the surface and meet their loved ones. A final scene points towards the legacy of this terrible incident.

The confined underground setting is inherently theatrical, focusing attention on language, character and story while intensifying tension. It also offers the potential to break away from the naturalism of the setting and for imagination and memory to be realised on stage.  (more on this below)

The storytelling between the miners to keep hope alive (and death at bay) is powerful and moving, and this intimacy would work beautifully in a small theatre. The core structure, outlined above, is also solid and adheres to a standard three act play structure, which is one of the pathways to keeping an audience engaged in the material. 

The “gallows humour” used by the main characters is also a strong feature—quintessentially Australian, genuinely funny, and cleverly written.

I believe the idea has potential to reach the stage, however I don’t think its there yet and there is work to be done.  Read on and consider:

Ask yourself: What larger idea drives this story? What do you want the audience to think about when they leave?

Examples: The Laramie Project uses a real event to explore the tragic impacts of ignorance and prejudice. It is a plea for empathy for diversity. Society of the Snow (a film, but thematically related) examines the moral limits of survival.

Possible core questions for Beaconsfield:

• How do you live a meaningful life after nearly losing it?
• What is the real legacy of extreme trauma?
• Why do we risk everything to plunder the earth? (an environmental/societal question)

If the only dramatic question is “Will they survive?”, the play runs the risk of losing resonance for an audience once they are rescued.

Can the meaning reach further?

The central question is often explored/highlighted in the final “act” of a play. Currently, the last scene in the pub —while heartfelt—does not yet explore the deeper psychological or spiritual consequences of being trapped for 14 days underground. Defining your central dramatic question will clarify the play’s structure, focus and purpose. This may alter the shape of the play quite a bit, and could change its tone and even involve the introduction of new characters and elimination of others – don’t worry, this is all part of making the play more compelling for an audience. 

The mine collapse sequence, which calls for a wall to “disintegrate with dirt flying everywhere,” risks being unconvincing unless executed with a highly sophisticated design. From a producer’s perspective, the cost and technical demands of such effects could make the play difficult to stage and could make me choose another play to produce. 

Consider a more theatrical form—for example, documentary or verbatim theatre. Here is a great resource detailing this form of theatre making. These forms use direct address, simple staging, and shared narration to bring immediacy and emotional truth. There is a link to a podcast here about “turning Council meetings into performance”. Idea: Perhaps Beaconsfield could all take place in a Council meeting after the event with direct address testimonials to the audience (as if they are attending the Council meeting) and then flashback to the events as Councillors describe what happened.

The Laramie Project and Grace Under Pressure (video example) are also excellent references. Remember: audiences know they’re in a theatre. They know it’s not real. Docu-theatre can easily switch from third person storytelling to first-person dramatic scenes without comprising truth and audience engagement in the narrative. Use that knowledge to your advantage—embrace simplicity, imagination, and theatrical invention. For example you may request that Beaconsfield takes place on a bare stage with minimal props and that the mine collapse must be created only with chairs and the actors’ bodies. A great theatrical challenge!

Drama relies on empathy. Ideally, the audience follows one central character whose journey embodies the play’s main question. Next time you are at the theatre and find yourself completely absorbed in the story ask yourself: why? Usually its because you are invested in the main character/s because you have got to know them and therefore empathise with the problem they are trying to solve.

Suggestion: Focus the story around one or both miners, allowing others to orbit their experience. Be open to the changes this might encourage for example, cutting scenes and characters. This focus will unify the narrative and give emotional weight to the play’s outcome. – It will give the play meat on the bones!

Not every scene needs to increase the stakes, but each must reveal something new about character, theme, or circumstance.

A quiet moment of truth (“I became a miner because it felt like family”) can be as powerful as a high-stakes one (“we’ve run out of water”). 

Ask yourself:

What do we learn here that we didn’t know before? Does this move the story forward or deepen meaning?

Cut or condense anything that doesn’t serve that purpose.

Simple props, minimal set, and fluid role changes can heighten immediacy. The musical Come From Away demonstrates how this style can work brilliantly and in a very different way to a film of the same story. Australian playwright Alana Valentine is an expert in dramatising real-life subjects and stories with great theatrical insight and sensitivity. Her work is well worth checking out, here.

The action moves between present reflection and past trauma. The mine could become a metaphor for inner entrapment and unresolved fear. A present day drama (a marriage breakdown) could find its genesis in the underground trauma. In this way, the real events become a catalyst for exploring something larger.

If you don’t want to go with option 1, consider using the real event as inspiration rather than replication. [As per The Crucible] Setting the story in a fictional or symbolic town actually sets you free to explore a theme/question in any way you want. For example, making one of the miners female might open new emotional or thematic territory while preserving the story’s essence. Setting the play in a different place and country such as Alaska USA, opens up the potential to focus on political issues relevant to that specific locale.

If two people raise the same concern, reconsider it. If three or more do, it’s likely an issue worth having a good look at!

After this process and you have written your next two or three drafts, possible next steps include:

1. Approaching a theatre company in Tasmania to produce the work. Its likely that, in the first instance, a company located close to the real events may have the highest level of interest in producing the work.
2. If your final draft asks some big questions about (for example) the need for mining in our contemporary world, then you may want to approach a University arts centre, like MPAC in Melbourne or one in the USA, where exploration of provocative ideas drives programming. Alternative Facts is another great company focused on making new work that explores contemporary social life with artistic rigour.
3. There are also playwrighting competitions and awards that can be a good pathway to production. Check out this great list of Australian and international opportunities.