The NHS is on its knees, yet no one has thought to call a theatre company... until now. Can actors Adam and Kemi single-handedly save the UK healthcare system, before it’s too late?

Wake The Beast unleashes "In The Sick Of It": a hilarious and urgent call to arms in support of the people at the heart of our NHS!

Buckle up for a side-splitting, deeply moving experience unlike any other at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Join us at Wake The Beast Theatre's "In The Sick Of It", where we are throwing open the doors to our hilarious and thought-provoking Emergency Department, staffed by two exhausted but defiant heroes of the NHS and Social Care.

Fresh from a performance at the Houses of Parliament, “In The Sick Of It” draws on the real life stories of over 500 NHS and Social Care staff collected since April 2020.

Verbatim theatre, movement and interactive elements take the audience on a whirlwind tour of the NHS and Social Care via a chaotic and darkly humorous NHS Emergency Department.

A playful and irreverent exploration of the unspoken toll on healthcare workers, sparking a much-needed conversation about who cares for the nation’s carer

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to peep behind the cubicle curtains of the NHS...? For the last four years actors Adam and Kemi have had unprecedented access to the people behind the scenes of our Hospitals and Care Homes, and now they’re willing to share what they’ve seen.

500 stories. 4 years in the making. 2 actors. 1 healthcare system. YOU!
Join the A&E waiting list, take a seat and prepare to be thrown... “In the Sick of It", at Assembly this summer.

In The Sick Of It” is the latest iteration of “In Our Own Words”, an innovative NHS & Social Care staff support project led by Wake The Beast Theatre in collaboration with NHS and Social Care partners.

Wake The Beast have been working with Clinical Psychologists in three NHS Trusts and four Care Homes since 2020, to support healthcare staff exhausted by the pandemic. The project uses creative activities and verbatim theatre to propel unheard voices into the national conversation on NHS staff mental health. It has been a source of healing for staff with performances supported by psychologist- led reflective sessions, serving as a crucial tool to support staff mental health and wellbeing.

Wake The Beast were invited by Emily Thornberry MP to perform for policy-makers at the Houses of Parliament in April 2023, and in April 2024 toured a workshop and performance to 10 NHS Trusts in London and Manchester, and to the Headquarters of NHS Providers and NHS England (London).

For the last four years we have been championing the voices of those who tirelessly care for us within the NHS, and for the first time we are now able to give these voices a platform on the national stage.

‘In The Sick Of It’ at Unity Theatre, Liverpool, July 30th, 19:00 – 20:00