Showing at Coventry Belgrade until Saturday 25 October, After Sunday - a new play by Sophia Griffin - sheds light on untold stories with honesty, authenticity and urgency. A Belgrade Theatre and Bush Theatre production, this frank yet poetic exploration of black men’s experience of mental ill health combines brilliant writing, beautiful performances and live on-stage cooking to make for an original and deeply affective theatrical experience.  

The story unfolds in the claustrophobic confines of an NHS psychiatric secure unit. Naomi - an Occupational therapist - is launching her new project, a Caribbean cookery course specifically designed to engage the black residents of the ward. We meet participants Ty, Daniel and Leroy who, with Naomi’s support and guidance, begin cooking. The dishes they create reflect their individual stories, circumstances, skills, anxieties, memories and hopes for the future.  

The genius of this production is in its authenticity of voice; the characters are individually developed and utterly believable, each equally sympathetic and frustrating. Indeed, the combination of Griffin’s insightful writing, precise naturalistic dialogue - thanks to the dramaturgy of Titilola Dawudu and Grace Barrington - and Corey Campbell’s effective direction make for starkly truthful storytelling.  

The action reaches its crescendo as Naomi tasks her patients with cooking for their friends and family, a pressure which seems insurmountable. Aimee Powell’s deeply sympathetic portrayal of tirelessly optimistic Naomi is both wonderful and heartrending; deeply caring but stretched to breaking point. Corey Weekes provides an excellent foil as the volatile Ty, cheeky and charming yet terrifyingly impulsive. Darrel Bailey as Daniel is a quieter, but equally impactful, presence - a nuanced representation of how anxiety can manifest. Meanwhile David Webber as Leroy is gently paternal, warm and humorous yet deeply sensitive. Indeed, one of the wonderful and most touching parts of this production is the truthful representation of male vulnerability. 

The cooking, which is woven into the action, is hugely effective. The aroma of frying onion, freshly sliced bell peppers and frying dumplings immerses us in the action completely, adding a sensory modality, which is underused in theatre, to great effect. Far from being a tokenistic gimmick, the tantalizing smells which waft over the audience have tangible impact.  

It is important to mention that the play touches on difficult subject matter, with discussion of acute and chronic mental ill health and scenes which some may find distressing - but it is equally important to highlight the empathy and humanity behind this story. Whilst the realities of living with mental ill health are not sanitized, neither are they sensationalized. With heart, truth and compassion at its core, this play lifts the curtain on a hidden world, leveling the playing field between patient and staff, while foregrounding the humanity of both. 

Five Stars

After Sunday was reviewed on Wednesday 15 October by Todd Jennings, at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, where it shows until Saturday 25 October