Stephanie Okoye Joins THE PSYCHIATRIST at the White Bear Theatre
Performances run Tuesday 8 – Saturday 26 April.
Stephanie Okoye joins the cast of The Psychiatrist, a play by psychiatrist and physician Julian Bird based on his experience in practice. The play receives its world premiere at The White Bear Theatre in Kennington from Tuesday 8 – Saturday 26 April 2025.
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. She said: “I am incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of this production which tackles such an important and relevant issue in today’s society. Julian is an extremely generous actor and I’m honoured to be a part of bringing his experiences to life.”
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.”
The Psychiatrist is directed by Kenneth Michaels, returning to the White Bear after directing The Dedication in October 2024, and produced by Alistair Brown.
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