Writer: Sophia Griffin
Director: Corey Campbell
Mental health has become a more approachable topic in creative spheres over the last few years, and many theatre productions now examine mental health in different ways. After Sunday is a masterclass in the creative examination of mental health and mental health care systems without sensationalising or sterilising the stories and the truth of people’s real, lived experiences.
Corey Campbell’s latest directorial appearance as the Belgrade’s Artistic Director is a co-production with the Bush Theatre, written by West Midlands creative Sophia Griffin. After Sunday is the story of three men and a care worker in a secure hospital who form a Caribbean cooking group every other Sunday. The men are sometimes at odds, and the care worker who runs the sessions, Naomi, faces numerous challenges in keeping the group together, as well as pressures from her management team and her home life. Each character experiences a profound journey over the 100-minute play, and the audience is left with a striking perception of the strengths and weaknesses of our mental health care system.
The first, most striking aspect of this performance is the stage design – Claire Winfield has crafted a functional communal kitchen, complete with a mouldy ceiling and white-labelled cupboards. However, her design adds thematic flavour to the realistic kitchen, featuring characters’ names on archive boxes and various diagnoses on the harder-to-reach cupboards. The kitchen itself is elevated, which separates and isolates the hospital from the rest of the world.
Sound and lighting are used throughout, both to populate the realistic world of the play and in hyper-dramatised moments, elevating the undercurrent of emotion – which at times boils over. This blend of sound (designed by Xana) and lighting (designed by Ali Hunter) is incredibly effective and communicates not only the realistic aspects of the show well, but also brings higher stakes to the dramatic tension of the play.
As an ensemble piece, the four actors work together beautifully. They have clearly found a common care for each other and this piece and, although the characters are in opposition and conflict at times, there is a consistency to their teamwork. Each actor brings a strong independence to their character as well – with high emotion and comedy being easily portrayed by each person. Corey Weekes as Ty stands out for his affability and humour, which he plays in strong juxtaposition to his own brimming anger and impatience. David Webber’s Leroy is empathetic from the start, and his character’s journey takes him to a deeply emotional place. Webber’s performance is evocative and powerful, as is the time he is allowed onstage to be emotional.
This story is so effective because the characters are given time and space to be emotional – something which is usually hidden in our everyday lives, and often not fully explored onstage. There are a few moments in the play that don’t seem to fit the established world, mostly in the use of stylised movement in the transitions, but it does come full circle in the last moments of the play and somewhat justifies itself. Overall, each element of this play is incredibly strong and works together to create an enjoyable, moving, heartfelt, yet challenging piece of theatre.
Despite the difficulty of the themes, After Sunday is an engaging and exciting new show, well worth watching – and the Caribbean food after the show (as well as the mouth-watering smells of the cooking during the show) make it a must-see for any and all theatre and food lovers.
Runs until 18 Oct 2025
