• St Nicholas
• Dialysis storytelling
• Living Words

'St. Nicholas'

In June 2009, the Performing Arts programme supported a five-date tour of ‘St. Nicholas’, a mesmerizing play about mental illness written by Irish playwright and director Conor McPherson.

In the 90-minute, one-man play, the audience is presented with the story of a drunken Irish theatre critic who becomes mentally unwell. However, his specific illness is unclear: he could have a psychosis, a bipolar disorder, or an alcohol-related condition.

Matt Ward, the lead actor in the play, also had a story to tell. Matt has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic depression) and is taking lithium. His own life story has been as colourful as the character he portrayed in the play.

Dialysis treatment turns a new page through story-telling

Three days a week, Dennis Gander takes the bus to New Cross, where he passes four long hours on dialysis.

Dennis’s visits took on a new vitality thanks to a story-telling project which alleviated his boredom and helped him develop new friends among fellow patients.

Dr Vayu Naidu, a professional story teller, visited the Unit - part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust - several times a week, getting to know patients and telling them her stories.

Over time Vayu gained people’s trust and they began to share their anecdotes, and these were recorded for posterity. Are you coming back? A Storytelling Memoir was created by sound designer Paul Wetton as an audio archive of tales from of a diverse mix of people brought together by a common medical problem.

You can listen to some of the stories by clicking on the links below:

	Brian's story
	Dennis' story
	Yakub's story

“The people I met in the Unit are unsung heroes – they spend up to five days a week in the Centre, resigned to being plugged into machines, which will ultimately keep them alive. These stories are a memory of their history, and shows them not as victims, but as individuals with a soaring imagination,” Vayu explained.

Some recounted London in the Blitz; others coming to London from abroad to study. There were stories entwined with the professional lives that some have had to leave behind, ranging from vicars to chemical engineers.

Yvonne Farquharson, Performing Arts Manager for the Charity said: “We were delighted that Vayu wanted to work with people coming for kidney dialysis. It has enriched their lives; given them something positive from their treatment; as well as helping them to feel more connected with each other. “

Living Words

Actress and writer Susanna Howard undertook a residency on Anne Ward in the Elderly Care Unit at St Thomas’ ,where she visited people suffering from dementia and asked them to share their memories with her.

She carefully recorded their stories and made them into books, the intimate conversations serving as a valuable record of the person’s life.

A summary was also made available to carers and nursing staff to complement medical notes and help them interact more meaningfully with patients.

Even after the residency, the ward is reported to be a completely different place: patients are much calmer and staff have a better understanding of the patients suffering from delirium and dementia symptoms.

Susanna continued her residency at care homes in a local Primary Care Trust, supported by the Charity.