We are in utero. Snug, secure, surrounded. The breathing is rhythmic; our senses are challenged. Something is wrong. Not everyone makes it out. The brevity of this vignette belies its impact. We must steel ourselves. Established immediately and irrefutably, there is love and loss at the heart of this script.

We are about to find out if aquafilia and claustrophobia play nicely together. A looming, peaked karst abuts a pier constructed with sturdy pylons. Our adventurous self longs to deep-dive into the underworld of playwright Caleb Lewis at this world premiere, but we want some reassurance that we will be able to resurface. This dramatic tension is but one of the masterstroke devices that lends much to the success of this thriller.

Nathan O’Keefe stars in State Theatre Company South Australia’s production of Cathedral by Caleb Lewis. Photo © Matt Byrne.

South Australia’s Limestone Coast is the location where the mettle of the protagonist Clay (Nathan O’Keefe) is established as he discovers his passion – cave diving. On his exploratory quest, his interwoven...