Rose Kirkup's love letter to caregivers

Rose Kirkup describes her new play Unflattering Smock as a love-letter to underappreciated New Zealand caregivers. Rose worked in rest homes for eight years and her characters are based on women she worked with and experiences they shared: Unflattering Smock is set in the fictional Sunnyvale Resthome and Hospital where women from different backgrounds care for patients and for each other. And it's about to have its first public reading ahead of a full production, as part of New Zealand Theatre Month. Lynn Freeman talks to Rose and to one of her cast, another former caregiver, Moana Ete, about the play. The reading of Unflattering Smock is on Friday at Wellington's Hannah Playhouse then heads to Upper Hutt Primary School on Saturday .