Voices Amplified
An insight into the damage and hurt caused to those on the receiving end of covert and subtle discrimination in the NHS
Covert and subtle discrimination in the NHS, including thoughtless use of language and preconceptions about other people, are threads that run through “Voices Amplified.” The damage and hurt caused to those on the receiving end of thoughtlessness and micro-aggressions can affect those providing care as well as those receiving it.
The play is inspired by real experiences and takes place in an NHS hospital in the UK. The stage is set from the start with a hard-hitting reference to the murder of George Floyd in 2020 – “the policeman knelt on his neck for over 9 minutes while the poor man was lying down in the street” as “Miriam,” a doctor, says to a nurse.
Actors on stage during a performance of Voices Amplified
The main professional staff characters are “Miriam,” a female senior doctor; “Martin,” a male charge nurse, “Phyl,” a female older nurse and “Selina,” a female exchange nurse. The patient characters are “Elizabeth,” a black woman with dizziness and nausea and “Awat,” a refugee from Kurdistan who has anal pain.
Conversations amongst the professionals about patients, about their roles and life experiences are put forward during the play and provide some explanation as to why they may think and behave as they do. “Miriam” is a senior doctor who has worked hard to get to her current position. And yet, as she explains to “Martin,” she still experiences subtle ostracising due to her skin colour having to deal with sideways looks and not receiving invitations to events. “Martin,” as a white male, says he finds this difficult to believe but then experiences a form of marginalising himself because of being male after “Elizabeth” requests that he leaves the cubicle while she is being examined by “Miriam.”
The life stories of “Miriam” and “Martin” are presented in monologues spoken directly to the audience that highlight the differences in their respective upbringings but also highlight the marginalising and discrimination they had both received during their lives so far. As “Martin” and “Miriam” talk further with each other, “Martin” starts to realise that he has put up with discriminatory comments towards himself for being gay and Jewish but always laughed them off and thinking that now, maybe he shouldn’t do so.
The difficulties in comprehending and using the English Language is also highlighted, particularly when English is a second language, and the misunderstandings that can arise even when the person using it, when trying to be kind, is not aware that they may actually have caused offence. The background of “Selina” and being homesick for her own country and family, plus her efforts to get to grips with the English language, emerges from conversations with “Martin.”
Audience at Birmingham Medical School during a performance
The stresses and strains that a professional working in a hospital over many years can experience and start to take their toll are presented in the character of “Phyl.” Her approach towards “Awat” and his insistence in needing to see a doctor immediately due to great pain while there is a packed A&E waiting room, appears to be brusque and dismissive. She is overheard in her discussions with him that leads to the possible reporting of her to the hospital disciplinary procedure. As the senior doctor and bearing in mind “Phyl’s” 30-year nursing experience that the hospital can ill afford to lose, “Miriam” decides to talk with her confidentially to find out why she is behaving so out of character that leads to a change in “Phyl’s” approach towards “Awat.”
At the end of the play, “Miriam” addresses the audience directly and asks that they reflect on their own behaviours whether as professional staff in a hospital or as patients and the impact that subtle discrimination and micro-aggressions can have on others.
After the performance, the audience is invited to take part in discussions about the content of the play and contribute experiences from their own lives if they wish.
Pluto Play Productions worked closely with Dr Sabena Y Jameel on Voices Amplified. Dr Jameel is Associate Clinical Professor in Medical Professionalism and Academic Quality Lead, University of Birmingham Medical School.
Dr Jameel says…
“It has been a huge pleasure working with Brian Daniels and Pluto Play Productions.
“He managed to pack a myriad of equality, diversity and inclusion issues into a 30-minute play set in an NHS emergency department.
“There were six separate performances of the play between July and October 2022 at the University of Birmingham Medical School that acted as catalysts for open conversations with our medical students. These are conversations we may not have had without the play stimulating thoughts and reflections.
“The Q&A sessions after the performances were very important in aiding students to develop their professional identities, to courageously and candidly share their experiences and hopefully engender greater understanding and empathy amongst the cohorts.”
Dr Sabena Y Jameel
Dr Jameel addressing the audience during an after-performance Q&A
