Lamesha Ruddock
“That’s almost 6 months of the year when I was living as someone I didn’t know”
A visceral confrontation with the monthly battles of body and mind. A Period of Faith pulls the audience into the cyclical turbulence of PMDD, a condition often dismissed by the medical system. Angela King commands the stage with a presence that is at once fragile and magnetic, making every ache and triumph tangible.
A Period of Faith immerses the audience into Faith and ultimately Angela King’s real lived experience that is chaotic, confusing, funny, painful, and ultimately courageous. Angela King’s empathetic lens transforms invisible suffering into something profoundly human and relatable. Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome that affects mood, body, and mind.
Faith has always felt the extremities of her cycle since she was in her 20s discombobulating her sense of self. A self-diagnosis of PMDD brought her clarity, but healing is neither linear nor easy when you know you’ve got 30 years to go before the menopause. Angela King embodies this tension, showing how six months of recurring pain over decades is exhausting, yet still interwoven with moments of unconditional love.
On stage, every element amplifies Faith’s journey. A grey sofa anchors intimate moments; wooden tables hold a laptop and framed family photos, grounding the narrative in her relationship with her family. Costume carries character transformations: Faith in a nightdress marked by traces of blood, Gregory in a grey suit and pipe, oscillating the characters between the appearance of control to the mental anguish they were really facing. The show could’ve done with less telling and more showing, really making use of the space and using physicality more to flesh out and distinguish the characters.
Angela King’s performance is a study in embodiment. She moves from anguished sniffs and heavy inhales to moments of erratic vulnerability and tender care. By the finale, Faith emerges in a smart beige dress, her words poised to be heard, leaving the audience with the courage to speak their own truths.
A Period of Faith is a disruption to the silence expected for menstrual health, and a reminder that the lived reality of PMDD demands visibility. The post-show Q&A extends the intimacy, allowing audiences to ask questions and connect with a story that also spans generations, revealing that this condition affected King’s own mother.
You can catch A Period of Faith until Sunday 24th at Dunedin Theatre at Braw Venues @ Hill Street from 14:15 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Phoebe Bakker
Jasmine Silk
