In The Sick Of It.
Verbatim theatre
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date. 1-26 August 2024
city. Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Assembly George Square Studios, Studio Five
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Proud to be a Sit-Up Awards 2024 Finalist for our work advocating for mental health and wellbeing of healthcare staff
"truly the perfect Fringe show...hugely enjoyable and engrossing from start to finish" NorthWestEnd.com
'In The Sick It' is a playful, political and irreverent exploration of the unspoken toll on our NHS and Healthcare Workers.​
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This ground breaking production will be performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and is a continuation of 'In Our Own
Words' - a four-year journey capturing the challenges, triumphs, and
unwavering dedication of healthcare workers during the pandemic and
beyond.
'In The Sick Of It' is a heartfelt collision of music, medical mayhem and satire created from 500 verbatim interviews with NHS and Social Care staff. A side-splitting, deeply moving experience as the doors are thrown open to a hilarious and thought-provoking
Emergency Department...run entirely by exhausted yet defiant NHS staff.
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From heroes to villains our Healthcare Workers have been upholding our
healthcare system in the most challenging conditions for far too long, and we are #SICKOFIT.
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500 stories, four years, three NHS Trusts, two actors, one hour. YOU!
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CREDITS
Written & Directed by Adam McGuigan
Co-created: Kemi Coker & Adam McGuigan
using interviews from NHS and Social Care staff from April 2020 – present.
Performed by Kemi Coker & Adam McGuigan (until 20th August. From 20th August Cassandra Hercules will be performing)
Company Manager: Jodie Jasmine Hicks
Based on ‘In Our Own Words’, a creative staff support project initiated by Dr Sue Gibbons at
Whittington Health NHS Trust, in collaboration with Wake The Beast Theatre.
Clinical Psychologists: Dr Sue Gibbons & Njinga Kankinza
Producer and Project Manager: Sophie Branscombe
North of England Producer: Natalie Taylor
Sound Design: Luke Thomas
Outside eye support: Tonderai Munyebvu & Eleni Edipedi
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With thanks to staff and supporters from Whittington Health NHS Trust, See ME First campaign,
Delia Mills, Beverleigh Senior, Margo Innocent, Dr Heidi Edmundson, Varda Lassman & Nadine Jeal. Shambhala Meditation Centre, Elinor Randal (Unity Theatre). Anton Califano (promo),
Nigel R Glasgow (imagery). Hayley Rudd. Eyglo Belafonte.
With thanks to all the staff who agreed to be interviewed and trusted us with their stories.
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We are fundraising for this project! You can support by booking tickets, donating to our GoFundMe page and by sharing the show info and GoFundMe page to your networks and socials. Thank you!
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FOR AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT PLEASE CLICK HERE
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In Our Own Words.
Verbatim theatre
date. March 2020 - present
city. London. Performed at the Houses of Parliament on 25th April 2023.
National Tour April 2024.
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Watch the promo and live streamed performance of 'In Our Own Words' at Jacksons Lane Theatre here:
The pandemic was tough. Staff at Whittington Health NHS Trust know that better than anyone!
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‘In Our Own Words’ is a collection of stories and reflections from the past four years (and beyond), charting the extreme challenges and the incredible moments, memories and mighty people who extended themselves and achieved so much throughout the pandemic and since.
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Wake The Beast Theatre company and The Whittington’s Clinical Health Psychology Team worked with NHS staff from early May 2020, conducting interviews with over 400 staff and collecting over 300 hours of audio, which we then presented in seven theatre pieces, ten short films to Care Home staff, B.A.M.E staff, community and hospital staff from 3 NHS Trusts from June 2020 until present.
Actors performed these stories with clinical psychologists to staff in care homes, community clinics, meeting rooms and hospital wards across many sites.
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On Thursday 26th May 2022 we performed a one night only performance of 'In Our Own Words' at Jacksons Lane Theatre in an uplifting and forward-looking reflection, illuminating the real people behind the ‘heroes’ narrative. It was a chance for us to say thank you to the 200+ staff who agreed to be interviewed about their experiences. It was also a chance for family and friends of staff and the public to witness for the first time the inspiring stories from ‘behind the scenes’ at one of London’s busiest NHS Trusts.
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You can watch the full live streamed performance of 'In Our Own Words' at Jacksons Lane Theatre by clicking on the YouTube video at the top of this page.
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Wake the Beast performed 'In Our Own Words' at the Houses of Parliament on 25th April 2023 and continue to tour the project to NHS Trusts across England.
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