Writer of After Sunday | Meet Sophia Griffin

Next up in our main house is the world-premiere of After Sunday, a searing examination of the intertwining lives of four people as they fight to find hope for a better future.

Set in a Caribbean cooking group inside a medium-security hospital, After Sunday is a tender, complex, and deeply human play that explores healing, memory, and identity within the intersections of mental health and the criminal justice system. Written by Bush Writers’ Group alum, Sophia Griffin, the play follows Occupational Therapist Naomi and the intertwining lives of four men, exploring “the challenges of finding healing within mental health and criminal justice systems” through the smells and flavours of home.

“I’m a character-driven writer,” Sophia explains. “For me, it’s the characters and their journeys that make it special. It’s a play that meets these people where they are – in their messy, funny, tender, complex ways. We approach the storytelling with empathy and truthfulness, giving insight into a world that’s often misunderstood and into people who are rarely heard in wider society.”

Corey Weekes, Darrel Bailey, Aimee Powell, David Webb in rehearsals – Photography by Nicola Young

The inspiration for After Sunday came from a mix of personal experiences and artistic influences. “So many things have inspired the play, personal experiences of people I know who have been in secure hospitals and people who have worked in these systems,” Sophia says. “And also the poem A Portable Paradise by Roger Robinson, which speaks about paradise being an internal refuge.”

Caribbean food is woven throughout the story, both literally and symbolically. “Food is so central to Caribbean culture – it’s home, comfort, love, healing. When your connection to home and culture has been severed, there’s something very powerful but also painful about reconnecting with it. Food allows us to explore the joy and pain that live side by side within these characters.”

Catch Director, Corey Campbell, and his Mum cooking up some Caribbean classics here!

The play delves into themes of memory, trauma, healing, identity, institutional life, and men’s mental health, yet it’s far from bleak. “Listed like that, it looks super heavy,” Sophia jokes, “but I promise there’s light and tenderness in the play too! I don’t think you can set a play in a secure hospital and not delve into these themes; it wouldn’t be doing the world and the characters justice. […] for a lot of people, secure hospitals are relatively unknown places. Portrayals can be sensationalised, so it was important to me that we approached the story of After Sunday with sensitivity. […] also that we didn’t sanitise things either, these are complex places and we haven’t shied away from the reality of them.”

After Sunday, marks Sophia’s first produced play, and it is opening first at The Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, and then at the Bush. “Having my first play on at the Belgrade and the Bush feels like a bold move, and it’s quite exposing as a writer,” she admits. “If you’d asked me a few weeks ago, I would have said I’m running on anxiety and adrenaline, but now that my part is (mainly!) finished, I can breathe out and really enjoy the process. The cast and creative team are making magic in the rehearsal room, and I’m so excited to see it come to life.”

The journey to playwriting wasn’t a straight path! “I thought I wanted to act when I was younger and had got into drama school, but I didn’t end up going. I then took a really long break from anything creative before I started to write as a way to process my own emotions. I properly got into writing through spoken word and development programmes like Birmingham REP’s Foundry and the Bush Writers’ Group. I’ve been really fortunate to have been mentored by some brilliant artists and grown alongside a great group of peers. Corey [Campbell] has been instrumental in my development, too. We worked together on SeaView, and it was during that process that I knew I wanted to write a play for him to direct.”

Adding to the sensory richness of After Sunday, the performance features live cooking on stage. “I don’t want to give too much away,” Sophia teases, “but lots and lots of dumplings! I’m not sure whether the audience will get to taste anything, but they’ll definitely smell a lot of good food […] they might get hungry, but at least they’ll leave artistically nourished!”

When asked what she hopes audiences walk away feeling, Sophia reflects on the words of those with lived experience who have acted as consultants to the production. “We’ve been working with an amazing group of people with lived experience of secure hospitals. When we asked them what they’d like the show to say, one person said: ‘Yes, I have a diagnosis. Yes, I’m under a section. But I am human’ and I don’t think I can put it any better.”

When it comes to Caribbean food, one ingredient reigns supreme. “This might be the hardest question. If we’re talking about a singular food item, it has to be plantain. My love for plantain is unmatched, second only to the love I have for my children. Side dish, main dish, snack – I could eat it all day, every day.”

After Sunday opens in the Holloway Theatre on 10 November 2025.

Tickets start from £15 | Click here to find out more