Period Drama by Olga Kaleta is a surreal, episodic show about mental health, identity and recovery that mixes autobiographical storytelling with bold physicality. The show will be heading to Torch Theatre on Saturday 2 August. Anwen from the marketing team at the Torch asked Olga some questions about the show ...

Where did the idea for Period Drama come from?

Period Drama grew out of reflection on my own mental health journey. As I started to reflect on my experiences living with chronic anxiety, I began to notice dimensions that weren’t just personal, but deeply political. That’s where the idea for the show started to take shape.

Period Dramas a response to the growing mental health crisis we have been witnessing for a while now. We often hear that wellbeing is just about self-care or personal resilience, but that leaves out the bigger picture. This piece pushes back against that narrative. It explores how fear is becoming part of everyday life, and how systems, political, economic, social, shape our mental health in ways we can’t ignore.

What can audience members expect?

Period Drama blends moments of humour, vulnerability, and discomfort, oscillating between complexity and simplicity. The audience can expect to be both challenged and entertained. They might laugh, they might cry. I hope they’ll do both.

Who will Period Drama appeal to?

Period Drama will appeal to circus, physical theatre, comedy, live art, and horror film enthusiasts, elaborate metaphor lovers and anyone with direct or indirect experiences of mental health challenges. While the show explores mental health through a female perspective, it seeks to bridge the gap in understanding of personal experiences across gender, age and economic background. It offers a space to reflect on both the commonalities and differences in our lived experiences. 

Why did you decide to integrate British Sign Language (BSL) into the fabric of the show?

I wanted to challenge the idea that mental health struggles are purely experienced in isolation and detached from external realities. Although the piece comes from a deeply personal place, I knew I wanted someone else present on stage with me to offer an additional dramaturgical dimension to the internal struggles I’m exploring. In the show, BSL provides access, but it also stands as an equitable language of artistic expression, alongside spoken word, circus, and physical theatre techniques. Sherrie’s presence on stage goes far beyond accessibility. It is poignant, virtuosic, and necessary; fully revealing the expressive power and inherent beauty of British Sign Language.

Tell us a bit about the main themes of the production …

Period Drama is about mental health, identity, and recovery. These ideas are explored through personal reflections on slasher films, the menstrual cycle, and the life cycle of caterpillars. It’s a bit of a metaphysical mash-up, using those images to think about what it means to change, to survive, and to grow.

At its heart, the show is about finding peace within perpetual conflict and learning to live with contradictions and ambiguity, both in ourselves and in the world around us. It’s about holding onto hope, even when change feels slow or invisible. And it’s an invitation to see identity as something messy, nuanced, and always evolving.

Is the production based on real experiences?

Yes, it’s rooted in my own experience, but it’s not a literal retelling of specific events. It’s more about how I move through the world as a neurodivergent person with fluctuating mental health, in a society that often values productivity above all else.

While the work is grounded in my personal perspective, the context I’m exploring, and how it shapes my experience, is widely shared. Talking with audience members after the show is by far my favourite parts of the project. Hearing how the themes of the show resonate with them personally is always really moving and deeply encouraging.

Describe the production in three words.

Absurd. Fun. Honest.