“We’re not heroes or angels. We are ordinary people trying to do our job.”
As COVID-19 sweeps across the UK, four ICU nurses find their lives changed almost overnight.
Frankie, newly qualified and full of hope, is thrown into a high-pressure world she barely recognises. Morgan, a nurse and mother, cuts short her maternity leave, risking her family’s safety to support her colleagues. Sam, a senior nurse and sole carer for her elderly mother, struggles with isolation both at work and at home. Leading them is Alex, an ICU Sister fighting to hold together her team, her family, and herself as the pressure becomes relentless.
When one of their own is admitted as a patient, the boundary between professional duty and personal begins to blur. Behind layers of PPE, these women confront not only a deadly virus, but impossible choices about responsibility, survival, and how much of themselves they can afford to give.
Developed in collaboration with nurses from across the UK between 2021 and 2023, Critical Care brings to the stage the powerful, untold stories of those working on the frontline of the pandemic. Drawing on first-hand testimonies gathered through PhD research, the play reveals the human experience behind the headlines — not just as healthcare professionals, but as people: women, mothers, carers, colleagues and friends pushed to their limits.
Unflinching, compassionate, and deeply human, Critical Care is a moving tribute to those who endured the unimaginable — and a vital reminder of the experiences we must not forget.
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