Support our Fringe show about nurses in the NHS!

Hello!

There are over 800,000 nurses employed by the NHS today. Every day these nurses go to work and change lives.

Premiering at Edinburgh in 2023, Tending is a look inside the inner lives of these nurses. It takes audiences on a journey to the heart of the healthcare system, and exposes the true experiences of those working on its front-line. Drawing on over fifty interviews with nurses of all ages, backgrounds, and nationalities, this is the story of those workers who so often go overlooked.

The nurse who plans a wedding on the ward.

The nurse who learns how to keep a baby breathing.

The nurse who is holding on, just.

However, to bring these stories to life, we need your help. That’s why we’re launching a GoFundMe. With your generous support, we will be able to reach more nurses from across the country to share their experiences and have their voice amplified.

We are already working with our generous charity partner, The Burdett Trust, and have been awarded runner up at the SIT-UP awards for socially impactful theatre. However, in order to make the final push to ensure that we can make it to Edinburgh and continue developing this project, every penny you can donate will make a big difference.

The process of collecting these interviews has already made its impact on us. The generosity and care of the nurses that we've spoken to, is something none of us will ever forget. And we want to share this experience with a new audience. We cannot emphasise enough how much your support is appreciated. See you in Edinburgh!

Tickets are available here.

Prize tiers:

1st Tier (£5 - £14):

2nd Tier (£15 - £25):

3rd Tier (£25 - £35):

4th Tier (£35+):

Thank you so much,

The Tending Team

Who are the Tending Team?

El Blackwood, Writer

‘Tending’ is the first play brought to you by El Blackwood Productions. El Blackwood (she/her) is an actor, writer and producer. El trained as a playwright with John Burgess (2021-2022) and as an actor with Identity School of Acting (2021-2023). El is also the co-founder of Offshoots Theatre, a company which hosts a regular scratch night to platform emerging writers whilst also raising money for The Trussell Trust. In 2022, she was invited to become a member of the Orange Tree Theatre Young Company. In 2023, she wrote ‘Tending’.

John Livesey, Director

John Livesey (he/him) is a writer and director. He has directed multiple shows including random (Actor’s Centre, 2020), Heather (Southwark Playhouse, 2021), and Amphibian (King’s Head Theatre, Hannah Barry Gallery; 2022). random was selected for the National Student Drama Festival in 2020. John has also trained on the StoneCrabs Young Directors Programme, and was invited to join The North Wall ArtsLab programme in 2022. In 2023, John took part in the Independent Film Trust’s Talent Led: Next Generation programme. He is currently working on his first short film.

Izzy Howes, Assistant Producer

Izzy Howes (she/her) is a registered Paediatric ICU nurse, having qualified in 2019. From 2020 to 2022, Izzy worked as an Intensive Care Nurse in Adult ICU at The Royal London Hospital, throughout three waves of Covid. She is passionate about the mental health and well-being of young people and has also played a vital role in the charity StreetDoctors, where she started the first team of student nurses and volunteered to teach at-risk youth essential first aid practices to be used in the event of a knife-crime related incident.