ER Nurse and Dancer Tara Rynders Brings One-Woman Show to Denver's Newman Center

After two decades on the front lines of emergency medicine and one transformative night as a patient herself, nurse, dancer, and storyteller Tara Rynders, RN brings her deeply personal, multidisciplinary solo performance A Nurse is Calling to the Newman Center for the Performing Arts from June 19 to 21.

Blending improvisational dance, live piano by Ryan Marvel, and raw storytelling, A Nurse is Calling offers an unflinching and tender exploration of caregiving, loss, burnout, and the radical act of receiving care. The performance takes place at 7:00pm each evening in the Byron Theater.

Directed by Dr. Clare Hammoor, the work draws from Rynders’ real-life experiences in the ER and her own journey through medical trauma. Six months after giving birth, she nearly died from an ectopic pregnancy. In the show, she revisits that moment—along with the death of her brother and the long process of supporting her sister’s recovery from a coma. What emerges is not only a personal story, but also a poetic indictment of a healthcare system that often neglects the very people who uphold it.

“When I nearly died from an ectopic pregnancy, I remember a nurse grabbing my hand and telling me I was going to be okay,” Rynders shares. “It was such a simple gesture—but it cracked something open in me.” She continues, “We’re taught to always give as caregivers. This show is about learning that we are worthy of care too.”

A Nurse is Calling is part of Rynders’ wider mission to reimagine healthcare culture through the arts. She is the founder and CEO of The Art and Heart of Healthcare Institute, which combines storytelling, movement, music, and caring science to support nurses and frontline providers. Her nationally recognized Courageous Care framework equips healthcare workers to process trauma, prevent burnout, and foster empathy. Backed by research, Rynders' workshops have been shown to reduce secondary traumatic stress and increase joy, resilience, and self-kindness among care professionals.

Rynders' performance is both a love letter and a call to action—a reminder that those who care for others deserve the same compassion, space, and healing they so often give.

Performance and Ticket Information

A Nurse is Calling
June 19–21, 2025 | 7:00pm
Byron Theater, Newman Center for the Performing Arts
2344 East Iliff Avenue, Denver, CO