Making her stage debut in ‘The Psychiatrist’, now showing at the White Bear Theatre in Kennington until Saturday 26 April 2025, Stephanie Okoye takes on two emotionally complex roles in a production that delves into the challenges of mental illness and the pressures faced by those working in the mental health profession. Written by former psychiatrist Julian Bird, who also stars in the production, the play draws directly from his 40 years of experience in psychiatric practice. Okoye, a former lawyer turned actor, brings striking contrast to her dual roles: a distressed young woman and a composed psychodynamic therapist. In our conversation, she reflects on the emotional weight of the material, her transition into acting, developing distinction between her characters and what it means to bring such timely and complex stories to the stage.
As this marks your debut as an actor, what initially drew you to the profession and what made you choose this particular play for your first performance?
I had always been interested in acting, I loved performing from a young age, I actually liked being picked on to read in class! I chose to work on this play for many reasons, firstly I had thoroughly enjoyed working with Julian in workshops we’d attended together. Secondly, I was deeply impacted by the subject matter of the play. It tackles a variety of mental health considerations in such an authentic and sensitive way. It is intended to make the audience feel uncomfortable in its effective attempt to draw attention to what are extremely important and pertinent issues in society. One of the characters I play, Alex, suffers with severe body dysmorphia, this is something that many young women and men can relate to in some way or another and drawing attention to how significantly this can impact people’s lives was something I certainly wanted to be a part of. In addition, having the opportunity to play such distinct roles in one production has been an incredible challenge and learning experience as an actor.
I think it is significant that your co-star and the play’s writer Julian Bird similarly came to acting later in life, leaving his work as a psychiatrist. How did your collaboration happen?
Yes, I think it’s a theme for actors that if it’s something you’ve ever wanted to do, at some point you sort of just have to do it…in whatever capacity you can! I met Julian during an acting workshop, we were put up to do an emotional scene together and just connected very well. Shortly after he invited me to work with him on The Psychiatrist and here we are!
Has your legal background influenced the way you approach acting in any unexpected ways?
Honestly, it really has! As a lawyer you have to readily adapt to changing situations swiftly and efficiently to ensure the best results for clients. With acting, you’re constantly having to adapt on your feet, take direction and action it, so really there’s been a wonderful skill set overlap. Additionally, lawyers do a heck of a lot of reading and that has significantly helped with the line learning!
You play two dynamically different roles in the play. How do you approach these characters?
I do indeed, one is that of Alex, a very troubled young woman who is suffering with quite severe mental health issues and the other is that of Zara, a composed middle aged psychodynamic therapist, they are certainly very distinct roles which honestly helps with the approach. Julian’s writing has characterized them very well. I have focused on really distinguishing their physicality, accents, even movement styles. In addition, so much hinges on how they both relate to Andrew, Julian’s character, so just working with him has been an immensely useful springboard in understanding how to characterize them.
What was the most challenging aspect of balancing these roles and how did you overcome it?
Just really ensuring that the tells of each character remain consistent throughout. Alex’s character is very overtly suffering, she is somewhat volatile and erratic whereas Zara is characterized by a certain stillness. I am quite fidgety myself so it’s been a challenge just reminding myself not to fiddle when embodying Zara! Ultimately, once I’m the headspace of each, I can find the right energy for them and it flows quite naturally from there.
In what ways have these roles shaped your craft and would influence the evolution of your performance skills for future projects?
It is a wonderful challenge and opportunity to play such distinct roles. To be able to adapt within one production to a variety of characters is very in keeping with the sort of projects I’d like to be part of in the future. I have always wanted to play differing and diverse roles so, hopefully, this is the start of a very varied acting journey!
The play’s focus on mental health professionals’ struggles is deeply poignant, especially in our current climate. How do you think the audience will react to these themes, and what message do you hope they take away?
Of course, this is a large part of why I wanted to be involved in the production. Mental health is such an important and present issue and continuing to create a dialogue around it is incredibly important. I hope that the audience will be able to experience how greatly some individuals struggle and quite how severe some conditions can be. Hopefully, it can encourage us all to be more considerate and compassionate where we can. In addition, the audience is able to see the toll on mental health professionals themselves trying to navigate both a lack of resources and the strain on their own mental health.
As Stephanie Okoye reflects, ‘The Psychiatrist’ demonstrates the didactic power of theatre to create space for difficult societal conversations, and foster compassion in how we understand and support one another.
Interview by Olivia Kiakides
Featured Image : Stephanie Okoye and Julian Bird in The Psychiatrist
The Psychiatrist
The White Bear Theatre, Kennington Tuesday 8 – Saturday 26 April Performances Tuesday – Saturday at 7.45pm; Saturday matinees at 3pm. Tickets www.whitebeartheatre.co.uk
About:
After working as a psychiatrist and physician for 40 years, Julian Bird started acting in his sixties. The Psychiatrist is based on real events and portrays a psychiatrist’s struggle with poor resources, whilst trying to achieve a better life for his patients. Troubling events and losses in the psychiatrist’s personal life lead him to seek help from a psychotherapist while he continues his work. In alternating scenes, he is shown as a patient and as a therapist.
In The Psychiatrist, Bird plays Dr Andrew Faulkner – an ageing consultant psychiatrist who provides general psychiatry for his district. Stephaine Okoye plays both other roles – Alex Dickens, a distressed and disturbed woman in her twenties, and Dr Zarah Templeton, a middle-aged consultant psychiatrist who specialises in psycho-dynamic therapy. Following his career in psychiatry, Julian Bird trained as an actor at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. His TV credits include East Enders and The Tudors for the BBC. He received critical acclaim for his role as Sigmund Freud in Freud’s Last Session at the King’s Head in 2022.
After training and working as a lawyer, Stephanie Okoye made the decision to pursue acting, drawn to the power of storytelling and human connection. Now making her stage debut, she hopes to bring depth and authenticity to the complex female characters she portrays. Julian Bird said: “Stephanie is hugely talented: she can switch roles in an instant and make both roles real and meaningful: it is a great pleasure to work with her.”
Read Olivia’s latest Review: Four Mothers: A Witty and Deeply Human Look at Identity, Loss and the Strength in Community – in UK and Irish cinemas 4th April – Abundant Art
