Experience of being a nurse brought to life on stage
A musical featuring the real-life stories and experiences of hospital nurses, and co-produced by nursing academics, is being performed on stage in Newcastle.
The Nurse’s Station follows the ups and downs of two nurses, one a newly qualified nurse and the other an experienced night shift nurse, over the course of a 12-hour shift.
“We’ve worked hard to provide a play that is based on the real-life experiences of those who’ve worked in hospitals at a nurse’s station”
Dominic Simpson
Written by Ruth Lyon and Ali Pritchard, the musical features original songs from a variety of genres and has been described in a four-star review in The Stage as a “big hearted show laced with humour and charm” which “feels steeped in veracity”.
The real-life stories and nursing experience represented in the show come from the involvement in the production of research partners Dominic Simpson, assistant professor, and Dr Sasha Ban, deputy head, both from the department of nursing, midwifery and health at Northumbria University.
Mr Simpson said: “Together with the team at Alphabetti Theatre we’ve worked hard to provide a play that is based on the real-life experiences of those who’ve worked in hospitals at a nurse’s station and bring to life all the highs and lows that go with that.”
He added: “It’s been a great experience working on The Nurse’s Station and it’s been amazing to hear all the positive feedback we’ve had so far.”
Attendees at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) international nursing research conference 2024, which was hosted at Northumbria University earlier this month, had the opportunity to attend a performance of the musical on 10 September.
The Nurse’s Station, at the Alphabetti Theatre, has its last showing tomorrow.
