Black Hole Sign

The depressing state of the National Health System is enough to send us all reaching for a pick me up.

But an excellent and thought provoking play is just the tonic for a much needed recovery. Black Hole Sign, currently showing at The Tron Theatre in Glasgow, signifies the dark side of life, from a CT scan which pinpoints a haemorrhage on the brain for a recovering heavy drinker, to a huge gap appearing in the ceiling of a soulless emergency department and causing havoc for patients and staff alike.

All point to an NHS which is sinking fast, partly due to a financial black hole, where profit seems to come before health.

Playwright Uma Nada-Rajah has first-hand experience, through her day job as a critical care nurse and the 90 minute production is slick and well put together.

The story centres on four patients, a recovering alcoholic with hours to live (Beruce Khan), a self-harming young woman who claims to have fallen badly (Betty Valencia), a scatty 80 year-old taking a trip down memory lane (Ann Louise Ross) and an angry man with a spike in his buttocks (Martin Docherty).

All their situations run true to life, and the play has lots of dark humour as well as telling the audience how medics such as the senior nurse Crea (Helen Logan), her loyal side-kick Ani (Dani Heron) and panic stricken student Lina (Betty Valencia) frantically try their best to work in a high pressure atmosphere.

Lighter moments including a shot of love between Crea and Billy the porter (Martin Docherty), a disco dancing pensioner and the removal of the spike, lift the gloom and make the play an enjoyable experience.

Producer Gareth Nicholls has organised a well-structured ward, with set and costume design by Anna Orton, lighting from Lizzie Powell, music and sound by Michael John McCarthy and Emily Jane Boyle as movement director.

All play their roles in ensuring the production’s message that both more cash and compassion are needed in the NHS, is well and truly injected into the audience’s mind.

Black Hole Sign runs at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow until Saturday 4^th October before moving to Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre from 8^th to 18^th October 2025.

For ticket availability, please visit: www.tron.co.uk and www.traverse.co.uk.

Author Bio:

Rebecca Hay is an experienced travel writer and member of The British Guild of Travel Writers. Follow her adventures with her family on Twitter and Instagram @emojiadventurer and on Facebook via EmojiAdventurers2.

Photographs by Mihaela Bodlovic