Thirst

AT A remote mining outpost in the desert of western Australia, everyone has one thing in common - thirst.

It is the late 19th century and a genius engineer arrives with a fantastic vision of creating an oasis, only to discover that no one has seen, let alone tasted water for over a century.

Instead, the miners have been surviving on beer, which is delivered by a ramshackle stagecoach once a week.

The town is slowly withering in the heat. The councillors who run the outpost are slowly going blind, and the women are all imported and struggle to survive in the unrelenting heat.

O'Connell is a man of energy and ingenuity but his plans to bring water to the desert begin to fall by the wayside when he falls in love with a married woman and they both begin to plan their escape from the town.

Thirst, which is based on a true story, is a modern-day allegory of aspiration, greed and love in a very hot climate. SC

Tickets: £7.50. Box office: 01329 310600.