Julian Bird and Stephanie Okoye are appearing in this new two-hander that is making its premiere at the White Bear Theatre from the 8th to the 26th of April and they couldn’t be any more excited to start the run. Based on Julian’s real experiences, it tells the story of a psychiatrist’s struggles with poor resources and personal troubles while trying to achieve a better life for his patients.
This leads the psychiatrist into finding help himself as a patient while continuing his work as a therapist and this juxtaposition sets the scene for the action in the play.
Congratulations on your new play The Psychiatrist opening at The White Bear Theatre in Kennington. Can you tell me what it is about and who you play?
Julian:
The central character to some degree is like me, although he’s also very different in certain important ways. The Psychiatrist is about how he decided to put himself into therapy, so you see him talking to his therapist, while also continuing his work with his own patients. You get an insight into different aspects of his personality, and this becomes the spine of the play.
Stephanie:
I play the two female characters in the play, one of which is a 22-year-old girl who is very mentally unwell and is struggling with severe body dysmorphia.
So, there’s that relationship that she builds with Andrew, who is her psychiatrist and then I also concurrently play Zara, who is a middle-aged therapist specializing in psychodynamic therapy. I then get to do the inverse where I’m the one doing the therapizing with Andrew as a patient.
I think these two female characters offer insight into Andrew’s personality in a very interesting way because you get to see how he relates to both when he’s in the role of psychiatrist and when he is in the role of patient. Through this overlap and how they engage with one another you get to see different ends of the spectrum.
What attracted you to this production?
Stephanie:
When Julian approached me about it, I thought this would be an exciting production for multiple reasons. For one, on a personal level for me it’s very interesting to be able to play two very different characters in one production.
It’s a challenge, but one I’m very happy to accept! The subject matter of the play is something that’s important because a lot of young women can relate to the experience of having body dysmorphia and the dark places your mind can get to.
Although this is a very severe case, I think it’s very important to be demonstrating to people just how severe these things can be and how deeply they can affect people’s lives. The topic of mental health in general and the issues that are experienced by psychiatrists when it comes to resources to help the people who need it are vital concerns for everyone. For me personally, I think it’s important to continue to talk about mental health and this play is an interesting way to do it.
Was it quite easy to write the script or did it take a long time to create?
Julian:
It took 10 years and was a pain in the ass! I had to change the script several times to make the play better constructed for the audience, rather than just an account of real-life events, because real life is hard to communicate theatrically. An awful lot of people contributed their thoughts to it.
When you auditioned did you audition together and was it nerve-racking?
Julian:
I had all auditions planned and then I met Stephanie out of the blue at a workshop.
There was a scene where I was an elderly father dying of a brain tumour and Stephanie is his rebellious daughter, who amongst other things is determined that her dad should have more surgery. Her dad doesn’t want it and in an emotionally powerful scene her acting skills blew me away and I decided I’ve got to work with this person.
I scrapped the arrangements for the auditions and asked her if she would be part of the team.
Stephanie:
That’s how it happened, at a workshop, we did the scene together as Julian described and it was very emotional.
We connected well and when Julian approached me, I was immensely flattered. I was very nervous because it would be my first real role, but once I had read the script, I thought this is absolutely something I wanted to be a part of. Julian’s such a generous actor and it’s wonderful to work with him. I do think that we vibe with each other very well.
I think when you are trying to deliver such an important subject matter, which requires a lot of sensitivity, you need to be able to connect and feel comfortable with each other because it is quite an emotionally turbulent piece for all characters.
It’s nice that we feel so comfortable with each other, and I’ve learned a lot already from him. It’s been a great process so far.
Did you speak to any psychiatrists to prepare you for the role?
Stephanie:
I haven’t spoken to any, but I’m happy to share that I’ve been in therapy quite a lot in my life, so I drew on those experiences. It was quite interesting to be able to do the opposite with the therapist role and it helped that her character is a very warm, genuine person.
In terms of being a patient of therapy I’ve experienced what it’s like to be on the other side, feeling anxious and having to seek help.
I think that’s going to inform my performance. You draw on your own personal experiences in whichever way you can.
How is Kenneth Michaels as a director?
Julian:
He’s very experienced as a director. He prefers to go into very detailed analysis of the script and of the ideas and emotions that go with each scene. Kenneth has been concentrating on my soliloquies.
There is a series of soliloquies which are partly due to coping with the switching that Stephanie must do between roles of a very disturbed young woman and therapist. Structurally, that gets covered by mostly small soliloquies which we’ve been considering in detail, line by line.
Is there one piece of direction that has helped you get into your roles?
Julian:
No, I don’t think there’s anything specific. Part of my concern is quite a lot of the experiences that are portrayed in the play are real experiences that I’ve had. I must concentrate on the differences, as the psychiatrist is another personality with similar experiences, but a different person.
Are you excited for your first major part and has Julian helped you along with the process?
Stephanie:
Oh, yes!
I’m excited and nervous which a hundred percent go hand in hand. I don’t really know what to expect. Julian is a professional and he has done this before, so it’s been helpful having both him and Kenneth.
We give each other feedback and ultimately, we are all working towards something that we’re all passionate about which makes everything easier.
Julian’s been great. I couldn’t think of a better person to be starring alongside for my debut. I feel very privileged to be able to act alongside him and to be in something that he has written too!
It’s a special thing to be able to bring his experiences to life.
Julian:
It’ll be fun. I am also getting increasingly nervous about it as I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ve done plenty of acting in all kinds of roles, but this is different.
I’ve never written a play before and it’s all new.
Was it rewarding, Julian, to write something completely different because you’ve been an actor?
Julian:
I felt I had to write it and was encouraged by colleagues to give it a go. People need to know what real psychiatry is because most of the presentations in film and on stage have been unrealistic.
My colleagues all shared the fact they get irritated by the unreality of most film and stage presentations that are supposedly about psychiatric treatment. I suppose that’s probably true with other portrayed trades too.
What is your dream role to play in the theatre or TV?
Julian:
I’m a bit old for Hamlet, aren’t I?
I’ve played King Lear and I’m particularly fond of Chekov, so I would love to be in anything by him.
Stephanie:
Oh, that’s a great question. I don’t know that I could say I have a dream role because I think I’m still exploring the kind of characters that I like to play and enjoying the opportunity to play a range of parts.
I really enjoy the diversity from playing very emotional characters to comedic characters. That’s why it’s fun to be able to play two different roles concurrently in this production.
It’s just nice to flex that muscle and that’s what I enjoy.
I would love to do some film and tv work in the future. It would be fun to do both! Let’s see what happens.
It is so refreshing to see original plays being produced and getting a run at theatres.
Julian and Stephanie are fine examples of the talent out there, bursting with ideas and enthusiasm to tell their stories.
The Psychiatrist deserves to be seen by as many people as possible because it highlights the importance of mental health for patients and practitioners alike.
Over the Shoulder can’t wait for opening night.
After reading the interview above, I cannot wait for opening night either.