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

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 Marshal
Sound Designer
& Composer                Niroshini Thambar
Casting Director            Olivia Barr

Production Manager     Crin Claxton
Stage Manager               Bethany Fulcher
ASM                                 Chloe Jones
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   

Credits as Movement Director & Choreographer: POP OFF, MICHAELANGELO! (Underbelly Cow, Underbelly Boulevard Soho, Big Yin, The Other Palace); JACKIE!!! A NEW MUSICAL (Gilded Balloon) BUGSY MALONE (Watford Palace Theatre); A TRYAL OF WITCHES (Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds); ESCAPED ALONE & WHAT IF IF ONLY (Royal Exchange Theatre); JUNGLE BOOK (Octagon Theatre, Bolton); THE ELMER ADVENTURE (The Lowry/South Bank Centre/UK Tour); HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (Theatre by the Lake); THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST (Royal Exchange Theatre); BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL (Pitlochry Festival Theatre); LADIES DOWN UNDER (New Vic Theatre); THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL (Watford Palace Theatre); LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (UK Tour); BRIEF ENCOUNTER (Royal Exchange Theatre); THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ (Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds); MIND THE MONSTERS (Blenheim Palace/Oxford Playhouse); THE BLONDE BOMBSHELLS OF 1943 (Octagon Theatre, Bolton/ Theatre by the Lake/ Stephen Joseph Theatre); THE TRIAL OF JOSIE K (Unicorn Theatre); LADIES DAY (New Vic Theatre/Octagon Theatre); JACK FROST AND THE SEARCH FOR WINTER (UK Tour); GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS (New Wolsey Theatre); BROWN GIRLS DO IT TOO (Soho Theatre/UK Tour); THE SECRET DIARY OF ADRIAN MOLE (Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch); PASSION (Hope Mill Theatre); THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA (UK Tour); ALADDIN (The Capitol Theatre); DICK WHITTINGTON (Watford Palace Theatre); LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES (The Maltings Theatre); BILLY THE KID (National Youth Music Theatre); A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (East London Shakespeare Festival); THE COMEDY OF ERRORS (Roman Theatre of Verulamium); CHRISTMAS ALLSORTS, ROBIN HOOD, JACK AND THE BEANSTALK, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Queens Theatre); DAME TERRY’S VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS (Watford Palace Theatre); SQUAD GOALS AN IMMERSIVE PLAY (Caspa Arts at Dagenham & Redbridge FC); AS YOU LIKE IT (National Theatre Public Acts Production); GRANDMA SAVES THE DAY (New Wolsey Theatre). 

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,  

Katie’s credits include: Shirley Valentine, Tell Me How It Ends (Liverpool Everyman). Work It Out; HOME Manchester. Around The World in 80 Days, Spring & Port Wine, A Christmas Carol, One Man Two Guvnors and Seagulls; Bolton Octagon. Too Much World At Once, Spark Plug and Narvik; Box Of Tricks Theatre Company. Astronauts; Royal Exchange Studio. Here and Curious Caravan; Curious Monkey. A Skull In Connemara and Jungle Book; Oldham Coliseum. Grimms Tales; Williamson Park. Freedom Project, Fairy Poppins and The Naughty Winter Ghost, Searching For The Heart of Leeds; Leeds Playhouse.

Jahmiko Marshal  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. He has since worked on shows such as for Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy at the New Diorama and the Garrick Theatre. He has also worked on numerous other projects, including Is Dat You Yh at Brixton House and Blackbird Hour at The Bush, while also working on shows at London venues and the Edinburgh Fringe including For The Love Of Spam and Tones.

Niroshini Thambar  Sound Designer & Composer  

Niroshini is a musician, composer and sound designer working across theatre, audio-visual installation, film and participatory arts. Theatre credits include: 39 Steps (Pitlochry Festival Theatre), This is a Gift (Pitlochry Festival Theatre), Death of a Salesman (Trafalgar Productions/Raw Material) Snake in the Grass (Dundee Rep), So Young (Traverse Theatre/Citizens’ Theatre/Raw Material), The Brenda Line (Pitlochry Festival Theatre) Sho and the Demons of the Deep (Independent Arts Projects/National Theatre of Scotland), Cyprus Avenue (Tron Theatre/Trafalgar Productions),  Jinnistan (Play Pie Pint), Little Women (Pitlochry Festival Theatre/Watford Palace Theatre/Home MCR), Scent of Roses (Royal Lyceum Edinburgh), The Bookies (Dundee Rep), Ghosts (National Theatre of Scotland), The Tempest (Tron Theatre), Gagarin Way (Dundee Rep). Audio-drama/Radio/Film credits include: Associate Director for Niqabi Ninja (Independent Arts Projects /Hewar Company/EIF), Series Composer for United Kingdoms (Naked Productions/BBC Radio 4), Helping Hands (Pitlochry Festival Theatre/Sound Stage), The One with the Lockdown: Scenes for Survival (National Theatre Scotland /BBC Scotland/Screen Scotland).

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).

 
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. 

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.