True Cut: The Surgeon's Blade Cuts Both Ways – Friday 14 June 2024


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02 May 2024

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is pleased to support True Cut, stage play "The Surgeon's Blade Cuts Both Ways" by True Cut.

The play written by ENT Surgeon David Alderson, will be performed on the evening of Friday 14 June in the Symposium Hall and asks the question, “What happens when things go wrong in healthcare?”. The performance brings the hidden world of the operating theatre onto the stage.

When promising, young surgeon, Jo, gets out of his depth, the repercussions are profound — for everyone involved.

In the papers, on TV, on social, medicine’s a pantomime: voyeuristic entertainment masquerading as news. There are really only two stories about surgeons: there’s the Hero’s Journey of unflagging compassion and selfless dedication in the face of overwhelming odds, of miracle cures wrought from challenge and graft; and then there are the evil villains for us to boo at and hiss: incompetent charlatans who should be named, shamed and punished to protect the innocent.

The play presents a dramatic biopsy cored from the hidden heart of surgery in the real words of those who work with our warm, wet flesh: constantly striving for the perfection that their patients deserve but fated, as humans, to sometimes fall short. It’s the story of those who learn to cut — and must learn how to live with the things that they do.

Following the performance there will be refreshments and the opportunity to participate in a Q&A with the creative team.

Watch behind the scenes footage of rehearsals, and comments from the director and contributors to the play here.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE


AGE 18+

True Cut portrays the events surrounding a tragic mistake in clinical practice, which has profound implications for the physical and mental health of all those involved. Audience members who have experienced similar traumas may find aspects of the performance distressing.

Doors Open: 19:00

Start Time: 19:30

Running Time: 45mins


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