Sunday 5 July 2020 at 7pm, YouTube.com/OldVicTheatre One Voice: Monologues funded by the TS Eliot Estate
‘No society can legitimately call itself civilised if a sick person is denied medical aid because of lack of means’ Aneurin Bevan
Today, The Old Vic announces casting for The Greatest Wealth’s newly commissioned monologue First, Do No Harm, written by Booker Prize winning author Bernardine Evaristo and presented as part of Your Old Vic. To complete the series celebrating the NHS, curated by Lolita Chakrabarti, Olivier Award winner Sharon D Clarke will perform this new commission, directed by Adrian Lester, which will air as a special feature on Sunday 5 July, 7pm, to coincide with the NHS’ 72nd birthday.
The Old Vic is a registered charity in receipt of no regular public subsidy and with its doors currently closed is in great financial difficulty. Yet, despite this, the theatre remains committed to staying connected with audiences through the provision of free content and The Greatest Wealth is presented as part of Your Old Vic, a totally free programme of creative events and projects.
Bernardine Evaristo said:
‘I welcomed the challenge of writing about the NHS, hugely enjoyed working with the team behind it, and love the casting of Sharon D Clarke, whose amazing career I have followed for decades. Writing about the NHS made me reflect very deeply on what an incredible asset it is for us in Britain. Long may it look after our health care!’
In 2018, The Old Vic commissioned and presented a series of monologues to mark the 70th anniversary of the NHS, curated by Lolita Chakrabarti and directed by Adrian Lester. This will be a brand new commission in this series for 2020 to mark the dedication of those in the service at this time of national crisis. Spanning each decade since the creation of the NHS, all eight of the existing monologues have been released every Thursday on The Old Vic’s YouTube channel. Writers have included Moira Buffini, Lolita Chakrabarti, Seiriol Davies, Matilda Ibini, Courttia Newland, Meera Syal, Jack Thorne and Paul Unwin.