Black Hole Sign

When a hole appears in the roof of a crumbling and understaffed A&E department, patients, porters and nurses do what they must to make it through the night.

Senior charge nurse Crea strives to deliver sage and effective care while porter Billy angles after a date. Staff nurse Ani juggles her bursting caseload, knowing that no one has come to Mr. Hopper's bedside for his final moments. Octogenarian Tersia is trapped in a disco-fuelled fever dream, while a disgruntled Fred Turnbull prepares his strongly worded complaint. And student nurse Lina has No. Idea. What. Is. Going. On.

Personal principles clash with professional obligations as three generations of nurses and one 'long in the tooth' porter are pushed towards breaking point.

Written by practising NHS critical care nurse Uma Nada-Rajah and directed by Traverse Artistic Director Gareth Nicholls, Black Hole Sign takes a razor-sharp scalpel to the absurdities, tragedies and hilarity within one of our most beloved but besieged institutions.

An exploration of changing attitudes towards an institution once world renowned, the play asks what we want for the future of our National Health Service and, crucially, who will hold it together when it all falls down?

Black Hole Sign is part of the Traverse's £1 Tickets Project.

The Traverse is funded by Creative Scotland and The City of Edinburgh Council.

Reviews

★★★★★ ‘A masterful piece of theatre’ – North West End

★★★★ ‘Achieves a rare and subtle balance between tragedy and comedy, despair and faith, that tastes like reality itself’ - The Scotsman

★★★★ ‘A knowing comment on the state of the UK’s National Health Service’ - The Herald

★★★★ ‘…the energy of the script, which is exciting, tightly constructed and often very funny’ - WhatsOnStage

★★★★ ‘An intelligently complex play that bears often funny, incisive witness to both the remarkable work of NHS staff and the precarious condition of Britain’s most beloved institution.’ – Plays International & Europe

★★★★ ‘A sharp, funny, and thought provoking new play’ – Theatre & Tonic

★★★★ ‘A fast-paced account of one night inside an understaffed NHS ward’ - Corr Blimey

★★★★ ‘Performed by an astonishingly strong ensemble cast, Black Hole Sign is a fine example of powerful, thought-provoking, disturbing dark comedy done well’ – Lisa in the Theatre

★★★★ ‘A powerful show of Scottish humour which offers levity from its bleak message’ - The Spy In The Stalls

Writer's note:

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