Review: For The Best at Arts Centre Washington

Focussing our care

For The Best

Arts Centre Washington

12^th February 2015.

The artistic director of Operating Theatre, Alex Elliott, poses the moral question – What can we do to improve access to healthcare for those with learning disabilities?

Louise Dearden

Louise Dearden performs in an emotional monologue about a care worker whose patient of the last four years has passed away. Whilst her friends and family wonder why she is taking it so hard, she has many questions to ask. Why, on average, do women with learning problems die 20 years younger? Why do they often die of conditions that, according to a recent survey, might have been avoided with a better level of care in 37 % of cases?

The care worker had built up enough of a rapport with Brenda to enable to help her and notice a deterioration in her health. However, she is not permitted to accompany her to the doctors for her health check, which in turn, doesn’t get to the bottom of the problems. Two weeks later Brenda is dead, leaving the care worker mulling over whether or not she could have done more.

The result leaves the audience with many ethical questions about our priorities as a society and our approach to make it an inclusive one, or the lack of such approaches. The evening had two forums to reflect. Firstly the audience questioned Louise in character as the care worker, and then a panel discussion of those involved further explored the issues.

Alex was an excellent chair for the discussions and he was able to use his engaging style to get the best out of both the panel and the audience. Louise gave a convincing, passionate performance and was able to discuss the care workers thoughts with the audience empathetically.

This was both an intriguing and captivating production that asks what do we want from our National Health Service? How do we ensure the service is inclusive and accessible? How do we support the workers on the front line?

A provocative production.

On The Web:

Website:  http://operatingtheatre.org.uk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatingThtr

This review was written by Stephen Oliver for Jowheretogo PR (www.jowheretogo.com). Follow Jo on twitter @jowheretogo, Stephen @panic_c_button or like Jowheretogo on Facebook www.facebook.com/Jowheretogo

Preview: For the Best? at Arts Centre Washington

For the Best?

Arts Centre Washington

Thursday 12th February

The NHS promises equal health care for all. But that’s not the case according to a thought-provoking drama at the Arts Centre Washington.

Operating Theatre actress

Louise  Dearden who plays

the angry careworker

in For the Best

The provocatively titled ‘For the Best’ suggests the NHS demonstrates an uncaring attitude towards people with learning disability, in particular women who die on average 20 years earlier than the rest of the population.

‘It’s a shocking fact that according to a confidential enquiry last year 37 per cent of the deaths of people with learning disability might have been avoided if those people had received the level of health care on offer to the rest of us,’ says ‘For the Best’ director Alex Elliott.

‘Everyone knows there are immense pressures on the NHS which makes it increasingly important that people with learning disability should not be forgotten and treated as somehow less important when it comes to health care.’

The play, is the work of Operating Theatre, a north-east based company which specialises in drama on health and social care issues. It was written after considerable research, talking to people with learning disability, to doctors and other health care professionals involved in the field.  At its heart is the relationship between a woman with learning disability and her care worker who is angry at the poor treatment the woman receives and which is responsible for the tragedy which occurs.

Operating Theatre’s radical way of working means that the audience will be able to have their say on the issue in a facilitated discussion which will form part of the performance. 

On The Web:

Website:  http://operatingtheatre.org.uk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperatingThtr

Tickets:

For The Best is on at Arts Centre Washington on Thursday 12^th February at 7.30pm.

Tickets are £7.50 or £5 for Concessions and are available from www.artscentrewashington.co.uk or by calling 0191 219 3455