A Tamil teenager is preparing for their period party – a traditional ritual meant to mark womanhood. But Krish isn’t a girl. And this ‘celebration’ feels more like the opening act of a never-ending performance. As expectations mount, Krish decides to take control. With help from their best friend Brenavee and a growing chosen family, Krish flips the script to throw the degendered party of their dreams.

Set in 2010, in the aftermath of genocide, Period Parrrty is an ode to Tamil survival and self-determination. This is no ordinary coming-of-age story. This is a trans Tamil party. And you’re invited.

Initially developed in a Soho Lab, Kali Theatre first presented Period Parrrty as a short play in our Discovery Programme at Hampstead Theatre where it won the audience vote. It was then presented as a script-in-hand performance in our International Plays Festival.

“A few years ago a friend asked me how I felt about period parties. At the time, this ‘puberty ceremony’ felt like a patriarchal ritual, a signal to our community that this person was a functioning ‘woman’ who would eventually become a bride and a mother. Then my friend asked me what queering a period party might look like. I’d never imagined that before. And that curiosity is what sparked this play. Period Parrrty is a trans, Tamil play. It’s about self-determination, young love and a parent and child really seeing each other for the first time. It’s also about the ritual of coming together and building community in the aftermath of genocide – something which will always shape my family and stories. It is about the lightness we have to hold onto in order to survive.”
Gayathiri Kamalakanthan

*Content warnings: Depiction and discussion of gender dysphoria. Discussion of transphobia, homophobia and the Tamil genocide.

Krish                               Elizabeth Green
Brenavee                        Tanvi Virmani
Brintha                           Rani Moorthy

Director                       Gitika Buttoo
Writer                         Gayathiri Kamalakanthan
Movement Director      Sundeep Saini
Designer                         Katie Scott
Lighting Designer         Jahmiko Marshall
Sound Designer
& Original Music         Niroshini Thambar
Casting Director            Olivia Barr
Dramaturg                      Pooja Sivaraman
Assistant Director          Annice Boparai

Production Manager     Crin Claxton
Stage Manager               Bethany Fulcher
ASM                                 Kiara Atkinson
Costume Supervisor     Eve Oakley
Marketing Content       Michael Boffey

Elizabeth Green  Krish 

Training: ALRA South/Rose Bruford.  Recent credits include: EastEnders (BBC), Doctors (BBC), Peach – BBC Young Writers’ Award (BBC), Thanks For Having Me (Kings Head Theatre), The Jungle Book (Theatre By The Lake) and Deepa and Anoop (Netflix)

Rani Moorthy  Brintha
Rani Moorthy is a writer-performer and Artistic Director of Rasa. She has written and produced 12 critically acclaimed shows that have toured nationally and internationally. TV credits include Cold Feet, Prisoners Wives, Coronation Street. Film credits include All in Good Time, Twenty8K, Throw of a Dice.

Tanvi Virmani  Brenavee
Tanvi made her professional stage debut playing Miranda in the acclaimed production of The Tempest at Bath Theatre Royal. Her recent theatre credits include Gigi & Dar (Arcola), Minority Report (Lyric Hammersmith), Life of Pi and The Crown Jewels (West End).  TV credits include the BBC series Not Going Out.

Gayathiri Kamalakanthan  Writer
Gayathiri Kamalakanthan is a Tamil writer and producer. Gayathiri is a recipient of the Disabled Poets Prize, the Faber & Andlyn Publisher’s Prize and the RSL Literature Matters Award. Their debut novel-in-verse, Bad Queer, is forthcoming with Faber.  gayathiri.co.uk | @unembarrassable. 

Gitika Buttoo  Director

Gitika is a critically acclaimed, award-winning director working across theatre, film, and radio nationally and internationally. Recent highlights include her BFI-commissioned film Before I Do, staff director role at the National Theatre, and most recent directing credits at Leeds Playhouse, Liverpool Everyman, Oldham Coliseum, Sheffield Theatres, and Storyhouse Chester.

Sundeep Saini Movement Director   

Sundeep is a critically acclaimed Movement Director & Choreographer, passionate about driving narrative through physicality.

Katie Scott  Designer   

Katie is an award-winning Designer based in the North West. She is proud to be an Associate Artist at Box of Tricks Theatre Company and dedicates time to championing local and national design talent as a Co-Founder of the North West Design Allotment and a Director of the Society of British Theatre Designers,  

Jahmiko Marshall  Lighting Designer 

Jahmiko is a Lighting and Sound Designer from Bermuda. He obtained his Lighting Technology Certificate from Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas. He was a student at LAMDA studying towards his BA Hons in Production and Technical Arts. Before arriving in London, Jahmiko was heavily involved in light design for all the productions at his High School in Bermuda which is where he developed his passion for theatre. 

Niroshini Thambar  Sound Designer & Composer  

Niroshini is a musician, composer and sound designer working across theatre, audio-visual installation, film and participatory arts. 

Olivia Barr Casting Director       

Olivia (Liv) Barr is a Casting Director based in the North West. She was recently appointed Casting Director (Consultant) at Royal Exchange Theatre and regularly works with other northern producing theatres. She previously worked in the BBC’s casting department. She won the 2023 CDG Award for Best Casting in the Regional Theatre for her work as a Casting Associate for Stuart Burt CDG on East is East (Birmingham Rep, The National Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre).

Pooja Sivaraman  Dramaturg

Pooja is a Bombay-born, London-based theatre-maker. As Creative Associate at Soho Theatre, she works on developing shows with a focus on South Asian artists. She’s an alumnus of the Royal Court and Soho Theatre writing programs and has facilitated workshops with companies like Clean Break and Coney.

 
Michael Boffey  Marketing Photo & Videos

Mike Boffey is a Photographer and DoP based in London. Mike has worked on commercial and creative projects for organisations including Fred Perry, tokyobike, Kinto and Raze Collective. 

Annice Boparai  Assistant Director

Annice originally trained as an Actor at The Oxford School of Drama. Performing with The BBC, The RSC & Sonia Friedman Productions. Her artistic practice has expanded working as a Voice coach, participating in Soho Writers Lab and being a movement director for Southwark Playhouse, The Hope Theatre and Riverside Studios.

Wed 29 Oct DJ in the bar after the performance of Period Parrrty  8-11pm

Sat 1 Nov 3.45pm Screening of short film, Ratthum (Blood)
Shanti finds blood in her underwear at the worst possible time. Against the backdrop of a Tamil coming-of-age ceremony where fertility is celebrated, menstruation is shunned and infertility is silenced, Shanti struggles to keep a secret.  @littlestitchproductions

Followed by a Q&A with the Ratthum team and Period Parrrty writer Gayathiri Kamalakanthan.

Free to matinee ticket holders

6 Nov 17.00-18.00 Free Writing Workshop run by Period Parrrty writer Gayathiri Kamalakanthan

Email info@kalitheatre.co.uk to reserve a place   

Free to Period Parrrty ticket holders.

Sat 8 Nov matinee Post Show Discussion with the cast & writer Gayathiri Kamalakanthan

Sat 15 Nov 3.45pm Poetry/Spoken Word +Open Mic
Join the Period Parrrty team for poetry & words from Jasmine Cooray, Jay Mitra and Sheerah Ravindren, hosted by Gayathiri Kamalakanthan. This will include an open mic session. 3mins per performer. Names will be picked out of a hat on the day!

Free to matinee ticket holders.