Jamie Boiskin has the ultimate entrance for a cabaret about
periods. Popping her head between a slit in a red curtain she eventually pushes
herself out through the slit, to reveal a matching red coloured dress. Boiskin
is a menstrual activist and in Ovariacting: A Period Drama, she is here
to guide menstrual activist protégé Thomas (and the audience) on how to
successfully graduate to becoming a fully-fledged menstrual activist. It’s a
delightful (and educational) ‘vagourney’ in which the good, the bad and the
bloody aspects of menstruation are discussed in a frank but amusing manner.Boiskin covers many aspects to periods in this cabaret, but she ensures that the flow is paced just right to not overwhelm the audience with hard facts but also not to make the entire cabaret one big period joke. She is incredibly clever at finding the humour in something while making sure that its far-reaching effects are acknowledged. At one time she eulogises about the numerous pairs of underwear lost to menstrual battles; Boiskin may explore the comical side of living with endometriosis but she also makes clear the significant impact it has had on her life. At another point she lists various euphemisms used to describe 'that time of month'. Some are hilarious, some are disturbing, and some are simply offensive, but they highlight the perceptions that periods are something disgusting and gross and should not be talked about in public, particularly to men.