Q & A with Fionnuala 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. It pulls the audience into the messy, tender inner world of Gabe - a music-obsessed teen whose thoughts are overtaken by two intrusive voices: God and the Devil. Written by Fionnuala Donnelly and shaped by their own lived experience of psychosis, the play mixes humour with difficult, honest moments to explore what it feels like when reality starts to blur and simply understanding yourself becomes a daily challenge. Drawing on experiences from their late teens, Donnelly blends humour with vulnerability and reality with imagination, reshaping their own difficult moments into theatre that speaks to young people trying to make sense of their mental health.

We spoke with Donnelly about how they balance humour with the intensity of psychosis, how their relationship to the story has evolved over time and what it means to bring such a personal experience to the stage as God, The Devil and Me prepares for its 2026 London run.

How did you approach writing scenes that balance humour with something as intense as psychosis?

First, was knowing sensitivity was important. Of course, when tackling a story involving religion, we knew humour needed to be tempered and not gratuitous. Again, with mental health, was a concern for humour to be in-keeping with the tone of the piece- avoiding mocking mental health was a top priority. Humour is playful amongst characters and always driving the story forward. Ultimately, life is funny in both a strange and comedic fashion. The reasons people laugh reveals something and each character’s contribution to the humour is key to understanding them and their arc. We’re also not afraid to test an audience to challenge their attitudes- things that were funny in the first act may not feel funny by the end.  

How has your perspective on the story evolved since first writing it? 

Firstly, confidence in the story’s accuracy. I worried a lot that the way I had written it had watered down my experience to be unrecognisable, but numerous psychiatrists, mental health workers, family and people who experienced psychosis have said it is very accurate to their experience. I have also actually come to love God and the Devil (relatively). To me they were just the bad guys representing my delusions, but I have come to care for them, which has seen progress in my own recovery. They no longer represent delusions, but characters I’m proud of and have enjoyed. Also, feeling less like this is my story and more like it’s the company’s. As more people have worked with these characters, it feels less like a biography and more like a collaborative piece.  

God, the Devil and Me is such a raw and imaginative portrayal of psychosis. What inspired you to turn something so personal into a piece of theatre? 

Firstly, when I was diagnosed there really wasn’t a road map or resource that really offered much guidance. A lot of media was quite negative or hard to connect to. I wanted a resource for all kinds of people to learn about the condition and begin to empathise without being spoken down to. I also had a friend who said that if he could meet my delusions/hallucinations he could understand them and I agreed that was what was missing from most education on psychosis was real-world demonstrations and engagement. It took a while to really narrow down a strong storyline, where my first experiences of psychosis were quite vague and varied, but, once we had the characters, it was just fun to play around and take it places I couldn’t have dreamed. 

Hannah’s arrival in Act Two adds a real-world counterbalance to Gabe’s inner turmoil. What role does she play in his journey towards recovery and why was her character so vital to the narrative? 

Hannah is fab! She’s my favourite character! Hannah is a representation of reality- both a sobering and joyful one. She challenges Gabe’s worst tendencies and forces him to confront them. She is also a manifestation of the strange and twisted way life sends you what you need, when you least expect it- clear when it arrives, but hard to articulate. She’s Gabe’s antithesis largely. For me she represents all the patients I met on psych wards (often bright, brilliant and funny). They helped me see clearly more than anyone. She’s a character to cheer for and remember, reflecting the complexity of the mental health system. She hates the system and why not, it’s brutalised her, but she’s more than the position she’s in.

Is there anything audiences should know before coming in, or anything you would particularly want them to pay attention to? 

Firstly, the show is largely for age 16 and over- we do treat this more as advisory than strict, but there is some very strong language in the show so if you’re bringing someone younger I’d be wary of that. We also have the trigger warnings of strong language, religious themes, mental health themes and discussions and eating disorder reference and portrayal. We also have audience participation in the show, when you enter the Devil will show you to your seats so let him know if you would like to opt out and not be picked on. Oh and after the show God and the Devil stay in character until everyone’s exited so you can garb a conversation with them if you’d like.

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