GRACE UNDER PRESSURE, has been written at a time where there are current media reports of suicides of young doctors and high levels of mental illness in the medical profession. There are frequent cases of ongoing workplace bullying and harassment and overwork.
The Seymour Centre is presenting this important verbatim play as part of The Big Anxiety -festival of arts + science + people; and the Great Ideas Performance Series 2017. Co-writers David Williams and Paul Dwyer in collaboration with the Sydney Arts & Health Collective have developed a harsh rendition of stories from many doctors and nursing staff from hospitals across NSW.
The brutality of some workplace and training cultures in the ‘caring’ medical professions is shown through the stark minimalist staging, the musical score, the actors’ attire and most importantly, the true stories authentically retold. The soundscape varies from an almost machine monitoring sound, through more eerie pieces and appropriate silences. The large overhead circular stage light is reminiscent of a surgical theatre light. The floor lit in clinical white and the actors in white and black, behind scattered black microphones, draws focus to the words and faces.
The tales of humiliation, sexism and harassment are grouped and linked reflecting early career experiences, the structural hierarchy which supports these in ‘the system’, the endemic power differentials which are exploited, and the extreme pressures forcing some to the edge’. Whilst some may find that there are too many stories, the story lengths and the transitioning of actors across the stage makes the play flow effortlessly. The ages of the characters show that the culture is an enduring one spanning several decades.
Co-writer, director and producer David Williams states: “We’ve interviewed over 30 health professionals at various stages in their careers for Grace Under Pressure, and on the one hand I’ve been shocked at the frequency of terrible experiences within training and hospitals. On the other hand, I’ve been amazed by the passion and joy that these nurses and doctors bring to their work, and the grace with which these people face tremendous challenges in the face of life and death. This play does not shy away from dark places and real-life horror stories, but it also reveals its characters to be strong, resilient health professionals who are not simply defined by their struggles with anxiety, stress, and illness.”
After all the dark tales, the audience is given ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’ stories when the characters reflect on what are the good things that keep some of them going. Fittingly the play ends with end of life stories, but we are shown that this is not the end as the last sentence spoken is unfinished.
Four actors play nineteen roles. Only one actor is a practising doctor, but all deliver strong credible performances. The actors are Renee Lim, Rose Maher, Sal Sarah and Wendy Strehlow. The clinical starkness of staging is well designed and executed by Richard Manner, Lighting; Gail Priest, Sound; an Isabel Hudson, Set and Costume.
It is timely that a renewed discussion of the sustainability and worth of such workplace and training cultures be had. Recent reports from Beyond Blue have suggested that the rates of clinical depression, suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviours among doctors and nurses are twice as high as the national average. Hopefully, this play in its development and in its performance will initiate more fruitful discussion.
On the opening night, smirks, chuckles and squirms of recognition from the audience were palpable. The words and stories of the sick cultures in the workplace and training systems as experienced by those who are to care for others resonated among audience members. Afterwards they reflected on how it affects all of us, whether we are current or past members of the professions, or have observed them as they go about their work treating our family and us.