PERIOD.

(2017-Present)

Touring the North Island July-August 2022

Contact Amy today to book your school in or request our 2022 Schools Information Pack!

Ideal for ages 8-14 years learning about puberty, Yr 12-13 students learning about health promotion, and Yr 9-13 drama students. Suitable for male, female, and gender non-binary students. But, please chat to trans students before bringing them along as the content could be triggering to some trans people.

show synopsis

period. is a 45-minute educational comedy that follows Karla, a young girl, as she experiences her period for the very first time. It’s designed to help people, young and old, understand—and become comfortable talking about—periods, as well as to initiate discussions around period poverty, period shaming, and body awareness.

Described as the show “everyone, of any age and gender, deserves to see” (Theatreview), period. is definitely not just for girls and was devised with the Ministry of Education’s Sexuality Education Guide 2015 and Hauora (taha tinana and taha hinengaro) in mind.

The 2022 version of the period. incorporates physical theatre, puppetry, and videos of people telling their period stories. We, at Ephemeral Theatre, understand not every woman bleeds and not all who bleed are women, which is why our interviews have included women, trans-men, and gender fluid/non-binary people.

Audiences can expect giant vagina pillows, a myriad of menstrual cups, and a tiny tampon puppet! period. is religiously and culturally sensitive, suitable for people aged 8 years and above, and void of strong language that may offend some people.

Audience Reviews:

“[period.] achieves everything. It informs, it’s fun, it’s inclusive and it’s not intimidating. If you hadn’t yet had a period, it would be the perfect insight into what it could be like without having to be told by a parent or teacher.” – She/Her, NZ European

“[My daughter] chatted with her older brothers 15 & 18 all about the various product options available. So they too are now more informed than they were. It sparked quite an in-depth conversation for them with her and I. They commented that they never got this much information in the school health class.”
– Bridget, Mother

“It was educational and influential whilst also taking a serious subject and showing a different side to it. The play also made me think about how I could help as a male. [A highlight were] the puppets and the goofy oversized vaginas.” – Student 16yrs, He/Him, Pākehā

“A highlight for me was the inclusion of people’s own period experiences so it wasn’t just talking about a single experience and showed [how] no periods are the same.” –16, New Zealand European, She/Her

“Very entertaining and very educational. Not just for young women but for the boys too… which is exactly why I dragged some along…. the play made the boys ask me 101 questions lol. The engagement with the audience!!!!! AMAZING.” – Student 17yrs, She/Her, Māori

“I enjoyed it, but I felt it should be aimed at an age range that are… starting their periods rather than an age range where many of us had been having them for up to 5 years.” – Student 15yrs, They/Them, European