Blake Lynch – aka Nurse Blake – will be sharing stories with a comedic twist, of the ins and outs of being a nurse. Bring an AED. . . This is going to get wild.
The shows follow a sold-out tour of the country last year.
Blake worked in trauma centres before his career in comedy. As a way to cope with the stress of his nursing job, he began posting original comedy videos, aimed at his profession. Now, he takes this comedy to stages around the world. His 2022 ‘PTO’ comedy tour began as 14 shows, growing to 55 due to demand.
Blake is also the creator of NurseCon At Sea, one of the largest and most popular nursing conferences, as well as the NurseCon App, providing free, continuing nursing education courses.
We had a chat to Blake ahead of his visit to Australia, to talk all things tour, his start in comedy, and more.
Your story is an interesting one – tell us how you make the transition from nurse to comedian!
One night after driving home from work after a long shift working in the ICU, I had my very first panic attack. I was freaking out and didn't realise that the stress of nursing and burnout was negatively impacting my mental health in such a severe way. I needed an outlet to connect with others and share my stories, so I started creating short comedy videos on Facebook back in 2017 and it just grew from there. It started with videos and then I quickly realised that nurses also want to engage with each other in person so I started doing small comedy shows back in 2019 and that quickly grew into doing over 104 comedy shows in 2023 alone.
You knew you wanted to be a nurse from an early age. What about this particular profession stood out for you?
Both of my parents are both in healthcare, one is a respiratory therapist and the other is a medical device sales rep. Being a gay man from Orlando, becoming a nurse is just destiny! Growing up, I was always helping others so it was a natural pull of gravity that led me to nursing. And after being forced into gay conversion therapy from ages 15-18, I definitely knew I wanted to be a nurse so that I could help others, especially those who are underserved.
What can audiences expect from your shows in Australia?
90 minutes of non-stop laughter. . . They should prepare to be SHOCKED as I share stories from my personal life and the bed side.
What are you most looking forward to about playing here?
I am most excited about playing the ICONIC Sydney Opera House!
Why do you think your videos initially went viral? What drew people to them?
Honestly the relatability is probably the main reason and. . . Well, because I am funny!
What’s the most effective thing about your type of comedy?
Even though someone might not be in healthcare, they either know someone in healthcare (probably an ex) or have been a patient. And I love when there is a non-healthcare person in the front row of my shows because then I use them as an example to break down everything.
Your children’s book 'I Want To Be A Nurse When I Grow Up' is a best-seller on Amazon. What does this kind of reception for the book mean to you?
It means a lot to be able to educate kids about nursing. I realised there really wasn't much out there for this line of work. It's always like, 'Oh here is a doctor's stethoscope' or 'You can buy this doctor kit'. I wanted to put the focus more on nurses while targeting a younger audience.
You’ve even founded what’s known as NurseCon At Sea! Tell us about this.
NurseCon at Sea is the Ultimate Nursing Conference. . . ON A CRUISE SHIP. It's a multi-day event where we take over the whole ship with approx 3,500 nurses. We bring on over 25 nursing educators, drag queens from 'RuPaul's Drag Race', activities teams, dancers, and custom entertainment on top of what the cruise lines already offer. Nurses from all over the world attend from different specialties, backgrounds, and ages. It's definitely the project I'm most proud of.
What’s next on your agenda?!
More comedy to come later in 2024 for sure and even more events for the NurseCon brand. Keep an eye on my social media and website for updates!
Nurse Blake 2024 Australia Tour Dates
22 February – Fortitude Music Hall (Brisbane)
24 February – Hamer Hall (Melbourne)
26 February – Norwood Concert Hall (Adelaide)
27 February – Astor Theatre (Perth)
29 February – Sydney Opera House
