In March 2020, hundreds of final year medical students finished their studies early, and started work on the frontline of the Coronavirus pandemic. This is the story of one of them, a newly qualified doctor, Jaskaran.
On her first day at work, Jaskaran is deployed to her hospital’s Covid Intensive Care Unit. Nothing prepares her for what she finds. Rows of intubated patients, the blisters of wearing full PPE for 12 hour shifts, and the crying relatives saying goodbye via Skype.
Under The Mask is Shaan Sahota's extraordinary debut was recorded on location using sound gathered in real Covid wards, using fully immersive, 360-degree binaural sound. Audiences listen through headphones, whilst seated on stage, giving a doctor’s perspective on the pandemic and putting you, the listener, into their shoes uncovering a remarkable story of fortitude, hope and strength.
A Tamasha and Oxford Playhouse co-production. Supported by Sennheiser
Portrait by paper collage artist Rosalind Freeborn www.paperface.co.uk
Company
Written by Shaan Sahota
Directed by Sita Thomas
Sound Designer Farokh Soltani
Dramaturgy Fin Kennedy
Cast Aysha Kala, Stacy Abalogun, Neil D’Souza, Amerjit Deu, Lourdes Faberes & Balvinder Sopal
