A play written by a former emergency nurse with hilarious insights on the profession is running at a number of venues across the country this month.
‘Nursey’, a one-woman play written by and starring Aoife Martyn, depicts the life of an idealistic student nurse in 1970s Dublin.
Aoife graduated from nursing in 2011 but has also studied at the Gaiety School of Acting.
The pandemic was partially responsible for the creation of ‘Nursey,’ she says.
“COVID-19 definitely put nurses in the limelight in a good way but it was short lived. A lot of nurses left the profession and didn’t go back. I wanted to show audiences that nurses are human just like everyone else,” she reveals.
The No Desserts Theatre production centres around Nursey, a naïve young woman who moves from Mayo to Dublin to pursue a job in nursing. She navigates the busy world of bedpans with the support of the guiding spirit of Florence Nightingale, who constantly leads her down the wrong path with humorous results.
“She’s very much rooted in the idea that nursing is her vocation and God has asked her to do this when really nurses are just like everyone else. She has to realise that for herself and that’s how it pans out,” Aoife says of her character’s motivations.
Aoife believes that the production has struck a chord with many retired nurses so far who have gone to see the performance. She drew inspiration from the experiences of her mother and godmother, both who were registered nurses during the 70s, to create an authentic and heartfelt portrayal of nursing.
The play recently concluded its run at the Smock Alley Theatre but will perform in other venues later this month, such as Whale Theatre in Wicklow, which is offering frontline workers a 50% discount on tickets for the show.
Aoife herself previously worked in emergency nursing during the pandemic but now is employed in addiction services. She says trying to juggle both the play and her professional life was challenging but wanted to create something that would make nurses laugh following the mental exhaustion of the pandemic.
“I needed to make people laugh. A lot of nurses would agree and most medical professionals have quite a dark sense of humour. It’s a coping mechanism really if you’re dealing with quite stressful situations. You look for the comedy in things,” Aoife adds.
‘Nursey’ is running in venues in Dublin, Wicklow and Mayo over the course of June. You can watch a teaser for the play here.
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