IN THE SICK OF IT Comes to Edinburgh Fringe

Buckle up for a side-splitting, deeply moving experience and see the NHS as you've never seen it before.  Wake The Beast Theatre's "In The Sick Of It" takes place in a hilarious and thought-provoking A&E, staffed by two exhausted but defiant heroes of the NHS and Social Care.

Drawing on the real life stories of over 500 NHS and Social Care staff collected since April 2020, the show's verbatim theatre, movement and interactive elements take the audience on a whirlwind tour behind the scenes of the NHS, via a chaotic and darkly humorous A&E. The performance provides a playful and irreverent exploration of the unspoken toll on healthcare workers, sparking a much-needed conversation about who cares for the nation’s carers. 

The show has been shortlisted for a Sit-Up Award at this year's Edinburgh Fringe.

Venue: Assembly George Square: Studio Five, 50 George Square, EH8 9LH

Tickets: £13.50 (£12.50 concessions; £10 NHS & Social Care discount)

Dates: 1-26 August 2024 (not 12 or 19)     Time: 12:15-13:15

Website: https://assemblyfestival.com/whats-on/608-in-the-sick-of-it

“In The Sick Of It” is the latest iteration of “In Our Own Words”, an innovative NHS & Social Care staff support project led by Wake The Beast Theatre in collaboration with NHS and Social Care partners.

Wake The Beast have been working with Clinical Psychologists in three NHS Trusts (Whittington Health NHS Trust; Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust; Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust) and four London Care Homes since 2020, supporting healthcare staff exhausted by the pandemic. The project uses creative activities and verbatim theatre to propel unheard voices into the national conversation on NHS staff mental health. It has been a source of healing for staff with performances supported by psychologist-led reflective sessions, serving as a crucial tool to support staff mental health and wellbeing.

Wake The Beast were invited by Emily Thornberry MP to perform for policy-makers at the Houses of Parliament in April 2023, and in April 2024 toured a workshop and performance to 10 NHS Trusts in London and Manchester, and to the Headquarters of NHS Providers and NHS England (London).

In 2019, Wake The Beast and Whittington Cancer Care Psychology Service won a Macmillan Award for Excellence in Innovation for The C Factor, a creative arts & psychology initiative with and for people undergoing cancer treatment at Whittington Health NHS Trust.