Derry Girls star Kathy Kiera Clarke will star in Heartsink, a bittersweet medical comedy premiering at Riverside Studios in April 2026.
The actor, whose stage career includes roles in Portia Coughlan, The Dry House and Blood Sunday, plays Cara in the play written by former GP Farine Clarke and directed by Sean Turner.
“After years in practice seeing through a doctors’ eyes, I find myself on a crash-course as the patient, The view isn’t quite so attractive from this side, you’d be surprised to know.”
For GP Jeffrey Longford, a cancer diagnosis turns his faith in the medical fraternity inside out. Crossing the divide from confident clinician to frightened patient, challenges his professional certainties at every turn — from the way individuals are labelled by their conditions, to the ethical faultlines surrounding assisted dying.
The show also features characters including Cara, an Irish patient whose hypochondria conceals a devastating truth; Suzie, a hospital receptionist whose abrasive exterior masks a brilliant philosophical mind; and Dr Roofi, a colleague forced to confront duty, loyalty and conscience.
The creative team includes set designer Matteo Mastrandrea, lighting designer Chuma Lighting Design, sound designer Hattie North, designer Tom Mann and casting director Ellie Collyer-Bristow Casting.
Full casting will be announced shortly.
Heartsink plays Riverside Studios from April 21 – May 10, 2026. Tickets here.
Top image: Heartsink artwork (image supplied)