In many ways, Period Parrrty is your classic coming-of-age story – full of teenage angst, fumbling romances, and dreams of older, freer years. But Gayathiri Kamalakanthan’s debut play is also a bold study of Tamil history and identity. Set in 2010 and using the celebratory ritual that follows a teenager’s first period as a catalyst, it focuses on the thoughts and feelings of Krish, a 15-year-old who has not yet told their family they are non-binary.
It is a deeply endearing play, with Krish’s inner conflicts about wanting to please their family spilling out across the stage in candid revelations. But the structure of Kamalakanthan’s writing feels haphazard. From naturalistic scenes, the drama clumsily shifts to monologues that address the audience directly – then recorded interviews for a school project about “cultural heritage” are used as transitional snapshots. Despite the creativity, the various techniques prevent the play from coming together as a unified vision.
