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?
The NHS has long been a key political issue and faces numerous challenges from limited resources to financial pressures. Recent nursing data shows a 43% rise in those leaving the profession within 10 years of registering between 2021 and 2024* and an International Council of Nurses study in 2021 estimated that due to existing shortages and other factors including the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, up to 13 million would be needed to fill the global shortage gap in the future.
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. The show’s charity partner is The Cavell Trust who provide grants, advice and a listening ear to nurses, midwives, nursing associates and maternity support workers.
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.”
Anther is an award-winning company making bold, original, and politically-driven theatre. Their particular focus is documentary theatre, working with communities to offer new insights on real life stories. Anther is led by El Blackwood and John Livesey. El trained on the prestigious John Burgess Playwriting Course and as an actor with Identity School of Acting and the Orange Tree Theatre Young Company. She is also the co-founder of Offshoots Theatre, which platforms and connects emerging creatives while raising money for the Trussell Trust. John trained on the Stone Crabs Young Directors Programme and with OUDS, the Oxford University Drama Society. He is a member of The North Wall ArtsLab programme and the Punchdrunk Young Talent Network. In 2024, John received a fellowship from the European Theatre Convention to take part in an artist residency at the Deutsches Theater, Berlin.
For over 45 years, Riverside Studios has been the centre of an extraordinary mix of new and innovative theatre, film, comedy, art, dance, music and television. A cultural hub that has attracted some of the world’s best creative talent including Samuel Beckett, David Bowie, Benjamin Zephaniah, Amy Winehouse, Yoko Ono, Lenny Henry and Michael Clark. Now, in their glorious new building, Riverside Studios are beginning their next creative chapter, driven by a belief in the power of creativity to bring people together, unlock potential and spark positive change in the world. The venue is ambitious, curious and audacious, they are for their community, their artists and their audiences.
