Q & A with Fionn Donnelly for God, The Devil and Me

God, The Devil and Me is a bold, darkly imaginative new play arriving at The Lion and Unicorn Theatre, London, from 6-10 January 2026, plunging audiences into the chaotic, tender inner world of Gabe - a music-obsessed teenager whose mind becomes a battleground for two intrusive voices: God and the Devil. Written by Fionnuala Donnelly and inspired by their own lived experience of psychosis, the play blends humour, discomfort and raw honesty to explore what it feels like when reality begins to slip, and self-understanding becomes a daily act of survival. Drawing on experiences from their late teens, Donnelly navigates the fragile space between humour and pain, truth and theatricality, transforming lived experience into a striking piece of theatre that gives voice to young people grappling with their mental health. 

We speak to Donnelley ahead of the shows 2026 London run about turning lived experience into storytelling, finding humour even in the darkest moments, and why authentic visibility for people with psychosis matters ahead of the play’s London run.

How much of Gabe’s story is inspired by your own, and how did you navigate turning something so personal into art?

I had a psychotic episode at 17 involving God and the Devil and, through therapy, understood my episode to reflect my experiences, like being a Christian, that created those particular delusions. Beyond that, our stories diverge a lot. My episode at 17 was not my first and God and the Devil are not my only delusions- though the most notable and persistent. I grew up with married parents, they weren’t Christian (I attended church separately), I wasn’t an easy patient at all and myself and Gabe differ in approach. When translating it into theatre, I tried to observe myself through an outside perspective to streamline the story into what’s helpful to an audience. I’ve lived with my condition for nearly a decade, so viewing it externally was refreshing and cathartic.

The play uses surrealism and humour to explore mental health why did you choose that approach rather than a purely dramatic one? 

Honestly, because that felt accurate. There was humour even in my darkest time. Other patients that would joke around, or my mum, even psychiatrists and nurses used humour to connect with me. Humour is a kindness and medicinal when used well. Even my hallucinations can be funny sometimes- they say things that feel like a bit of an inside joke, it’s why I found it hard to let them go. People’s hallucinations are very real to them and humour is a way we bond with anyone. God and the Devil have to be likeable to the audience, otherwise how could anyone understand why Gabe likes them/ wants them around, even when its hard? Psychosis is surreal, but so‘s life, that’s where they converge- if the world is strange, delusions make sense. 

God and the Devil act as literal voices in Gabe’s head, how did you develop their personalities and dynamic? 

Well, there’s already a hefty backstory. We used biblical interpretation as well as popular culture tropes and tried our best to find real, grounded interpretations of who they are mythically and how they might feel about each other. Then we had to create clear motivations for why they need Gabe and why they need each other (its rare you see God and the Devil together in any context). Then translating them into the modern world- are they up to date or a bit behind? We settled for a mixture- a bit like weird uncles. Then some nifty suits and top hats. They’re overdressed, stick out, with traditional white, gold, red and black- I’m jealous of the top hats. We want to both meet and subvert your expectations with them.

Many people with lived experience of psychosis rarely see their stories represented on stage. What does it mean to you to bring that visibility to theatre? 

Oh, it truly means everything. There really aren’t many accurate portrayals in most media. With God, the Devil and me, we have really tried to make this an empathetic, humanist, accurate portrayal, that will hopefully also help people understand psychosis better and destigmatise the condition. We also really want it to be an entertaining, creative, thought-provoking piece of theatre and we try to utilise the medium of the stage to our full advantage. I hope this is a show that will do good for anyone who comes, but I especially hope, for people with psychosis, it will help to heal the shame we can feel and make them feel seen.

What conversations do you hope God, the Devil and me will spark about mental health, especially among young audiences? 

I hope the show will allow people with psychosis to feel better able to share their experiences and might create a platform for them to feel better understood. I also hope, that people generally might feel more literate on mental health when they leave the show and that this might help people feel better able to be there for someone with a mental health condition. I would hope overall, that there may be more compassion for mental health and that people will be less frightened of people with psychosis or think them dangerous. I might also dream that people with psychosis may gain confidence from this show and that in a few years’ time I may see more shows on the subject that we have inspired.

God, The Devil and Me will run at The Lion and Unicorn Theatre, 42-44 Gaisford St, London NW5 2ED on 6th-10th January 2026. For more information visit https://www.thelionandunicorntheatre.com/whats-on