Play explores life with a hidden chronic illness

Actor and playwright Hollie Christian-Brookes alongside fellow co-stars Oliver George, Christopher Irvine

A former student has returned to her university city with a new play about living with a chronic illness.

YAWN, written and performed by Hollie Christian-Brookes, a former Bath University student, charts the emotional and physical toll of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).

The play draws directly from Ms Christian-Brookes' own experience of falling ill in her late 20s and struggling for years to get a diagnosis.

Now 32, the playwright describes ME as "life-altering" and wants to raise awareness of the condition.

"Before I got sick, I was working full-time, running 5k three times a week and had a packed social life," she said.

"Now, everything I do, even getting out of bed, has to be managed carefully."

"This play is about raising awareness, but also making people with ME feel seen. If I can help someone feel understood, I've done my job."

Having played at the The Mission Theatre in Bath, YAWN will now travel to the Golden Goose theatre in London for the Lambeth Fringe on the 8 and 9 October.

Ms Christian-Brookes wrote YAWN about her own experiences with ME.

According to the NHS, ME is a long-term condition that can affect different parts of the body.

The most common symptoms are extreme tiredness, sleep problems and problems with thinking. The cause of the condition is unknown.

Figures from the University of Edinburgh suggested approximately 404,000 people are affected by ME in England in April this year.

The play uses theatrical devices to portray the hidden reality of the illness.

Co-star Christopher Irvine plays 'Brainworm', the inner monologue of the main character, while TikTok creator Oliver George voices 'ME' — the unseen but ever-present antagonist.

Christopher Irvine plays 'Brainworm', the inner monologue of the main character.

Ms Christian-Brookes said she was diagnosed with ME three years ago after feeling unwell in a "different way" to what she was used to.

She told the BBC she'd been unwell on and off in what medical professionals call a 'boom and bust' cycle.

The writer said: "I had this ear infection and literally the infection in my ear physically cleared up. I was left just feeling absolutely exhausted, really off balance and felt really sick.

"So I went to the doctors on and off for a period of about three months where I was initially treated for depression," she added.

'Warm response'

Eventually, Ms Christian-Brookes said she saw a doctor who "joined the dots" of her medical history and told her she may have ME.

The playwright received her ME diagnosis 18 months after a referral to the NHS chronic syndrome service in her area, choosing to go private to avoid a longer wait.

She said YAWN was born out the waiting for a diagnosis and treatment for the condition.

"I wrote this play in my childhood bedroom," the playwright said. "So to put it on, and then to get such a warm response from a crowd of people who have either had it or had an experience of it was really satisfying."

A collection for the ME Association will be held at each performance.