Black Hole Sign, a new play by nurse and playwright Uma Nada-Rajah, is examining the NHS's critical condition with dark humour at Glasgow's Tron Theatre. The play, which runs until 4 October before moving to Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre, draws on Nada-Rajah's firsthand experience as a staff nurse in critical care.
The title refers to the dark area on a CT scan indicating a brain haemorrhage, but also symbolises the gap in a crumbling A&E ceiling and what Nada-Rajah calls a 'black hole of greed' in a system prioritising profit over health. Characters include a recovering alcoholic with hours to live, a self-harming young woman, a delirious octogenarian, and a man with a spike in his buttocks, all portrayed with messy truth.
Directed by Gareth Nicholls, the play unfolds like a Brechtian parable of cause and effect, showing how pressure on nurses leads to fatal errors. Senior charge nurse Crea, her over-committed acolyte Ani, and clueless student Lina form an accident waiting to happen. The production blends pathos, comedy, polemic, and drug-induced dream sequences, creating uneven pace but a clear-eyed plea for cash and compassion.
