Verbatim play examining the lives of nurses on the frontline of the National Health Service.
There are 400,000 nurses in the NHS today. This is their story…
Based on over 70 interviews conducted over two years with NHS nurses of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities, Tending tells their raw, real and often unheard stories. These true-life testimonies are woven into the experiences of three characters: a palliative care nurse, a paediatric ICU nurse and an A&E nurse who give moving and powerful accounts of why they chose the profession, what a typical working day looks like and the highs and lows of job - from bad smells to providing support to those grieving the loss of loved ones. A love letter to the NHS, created with the community that sustains it, Tending is a call to action for reform and also shines a light on the lack of support, asking: when the system is under pressure and lives are on the line, who will care for the carers?
Tending was inspired by writer El Blackwood’s best friend who is a paediatric nurse. It played at last year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe to great critical acclaim and will be stopping at Theatre Royal Bath and The North Wall in Oxford as well as Riverside Studios in London.
El Blackwood said, “The Tending 2025 tour is a brilliant opportunity to keep sharing this very special production, which we believe has an incredibly important message, deserving a much broader audience. Tending makes nurses feel seen, often for the first time. It platforms voices that are too often overlooked, and can be, we hope, a real catalyst for change."
“Compassionate…beautiful, and master-crafted ” British Theatre Guide
Listings
Tuesday 15 April – Sunday 4 May
Riverside Studios, 101 Queen Caroline St, London W6 9BN
£18 – 16 (concs) BOOK NOW
Further Information: Tending | Riverside Studios