Theatre

Sara Keating: Humorous one-woman confessional draws us into secret life of a nurse in 1970s

Aoife Martyn’s funny, intimate show Nursey traces her vocation as a healthcare provider, with great help from deft direction and imaginative lighting

During an intimate hour-long confessional with the audience, the protagonist in Nursey narrates her journey into the health service in 1970s Ireland, the self-inflicted pressures of her ambition and the vicarious pleasures of generosity

Nursey, by Aoife Martyn, Smock Alley, Boys’ School, Dublin, on tour

In Aoife Martyn’s Nursey, the eponymous protagonist has pulled the paper curtains on her hospital ward to create a little privacy. The patient she’s diagnosing, however, is herself. During an intimate hour-long confessional with the audience, she narrates her journey into the health service in 1970s Ireland, the self-inflicted pressures of her ambition and the vicarious pleasures of generosity.

Nursey, she tells us early ...