Play based on career of UHDB surgeon to be aired for free
A critically acclaimed play based on the role of a member of #TeamUHDB is set to be screened for free this week.
‘Tiger Country’, written by playwright Nina Raine, and stars Indira Varma, who is best known for her role as Ellaria Sand in Game of Thrones.
The play is based on the role of Miss Jyoti Shah, who is now Macmillan Consultant Urological Surgeon at Queen’s Hospital Burton.
The main character, Vashti, is based on Miss Shah, and the play follows her career in the NHS and what it is like to work in a hospital on a day-to-day basis and the difficulties she encounters when a family member falls ill.
Miss Shah said: “The play is based on my experiences when I was working as a Registrar in Kingston Hospital and it shows how fast-paced a career in the NHS is.
“‘Tiger Country’ is a term we use in surgery. When you operate near a big blood vessel, you’re in dangerous territory and we’d say: ‘Careful, you’re approaching tiger country!’”
Originally released in 2011, the play was revived in 2014 at Hampstead Theatre, with Varma playing the role of Vashti, for which she undertook extensive first-hand research. Now, the play has been made available for everyone to watch online.
Miss Shah explained that everyone involved in the production prepared meticulously for performance: “I was shadowed by Nina herself and then by Indira and a number of other actors for quite some time so that they could really get a feel as to what it was like to work in a busy NHS hospital. The play is acutely observed, down to the music that we play during surgery.”
Watch the play on the Guardian's website (opens in new window) >