Under the Mask

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 rhythmic hiss of ventilators, the screech of alarms indicating abnormal vital signs, the constant rolling of paralysed bodies to prevent bed sores, the pain and blisters of wearing full PPE for 12 hour shifts, and the crying relatives saying goodbye via Skype… Under the Mask is recorded on location using sound gathered in real Covid wards, using fully immersive, 360-degree binaural sound. Whilst listening through headphones onstage, it makes the audience feel right there in the moment. A doctor’s perspective on the Coronavirus pandemic in British hospitals, Under the Mask puts you into Jaskaran’s shoes, uncovering a remarkable story of fortitude, hope and strength.