Things That Matter

Fri Aug 11 2023 at 07:00 pm to 09:00 pm

ASB Waterfront Theatre | Auckland

Auckland Theatre Company
Publisher/HostAuckland Theatre Company
Things That Matter
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A tender and articulate account of the compassion and change needed in New Zealand’s health system.
Today, Middlemore Hospital is full, at 107% capacity. Babies are being moved to other hospitals; patients are being treated in corridors. In Emergency, there are already 50 people waiting for beds. Doctors are pulling double shifts, there are nursing shortages and the Gingernuts are being rationed.
Raf Beckman is on the frontline. An intensive care specialist in Aotearoa’s busiest hospital, he’s juggling a bureaucracy determined to exercise efficiencies, a political system wanting to point score and a mum with eroding health. Yes, it’s the perfect through-line to burn-out, but he’s doing what he can to keep his head above water, grabbing for realistic optimism.
Adapted from Dr David Galler’s best-selling memoir, Things That Matter is a love letter to resilience, to our healthcare system, its patients and the essential workers, who treat every life as valuable. Galler’s life as a doctor is artfully contrasted with tender stories about his Polish-Jewish family. Award-winning playwright Gary Henderson and director Anapela Polata’ivao have joined forces for this compassionate, insightful and vividly theatrical new work. It’s a perfect Venn diagram of the emotional, the spiritual, the moral and the physical.
What could a truly healthy Aotearoa look like? How do we want to live? The prognosis is yours to determine.
• Audio-Described & Touch Tour: Wed 23 Aug, 7pm
• NZSL-Interpreted: Sat 26 Aug, 8pm
Access and companion tickets available for blind/low-vision and Deaf/hard-of-hearing patrons.
Things That Matter
by Gary Henderson
11 – 27 Aug
Things That Matter was commissioned and developed by Auckland Theatre Company with generous support from the ATC Patrons Group.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

ASB Waterfront Theatre, 138 Halsey St, Wynyard Quarter,Auckland, New Zealand

Tickets

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