Mimi Thompson’s high-concept horror-comedy The Haunting returns to London this October to tell the story of a woman receiving blood-sealed orders from her own period.
We sat down with the creator to discuss the real-world anxieties behind the play, the comedic genius of the pre-menstrual urge to slap someone, and how she uses hyperbolic horror to dismantle deep-seated societal taboos.
Where did the idea of a period that gives its own blood-sealed orders come from, and what made you want to turn that into a comedy?
I was writing a scary story for a horror-themed open mic night and wanted to share something really terrifying… about ghosts, spirits, killers, perhaps? But when I asked myself what truly scares me, I could only think of getting my period in public and not being prepared. I ran with the theme and invented a story about a haunted period who startles people with its presence – it eventually evolved into one that startles the body it’s part of with instructions to complete, or the bleeding won’t stop.
As I read an early version of the piece at the open mic, I couldn’t help but try to act out my words, so I knew the story was meant to be performed live. And the open mic attendees were all laughing (always a good feeling), so I wanted it to be a horror-comedy from the start.
Mimi is being forced to confront a desire she’s spent years repressing. What were you interested in exploring about the difference between what we consciously choose and what our bodies want?
In the show, Mimi gets sent orders from her period, which audiences can suss out as being linked to her desires, repressed over time from societal expectations and shame. I wanted to explore how some of these really deep desires emerge, either in our minds or our body’s reactions, and how the entire period cycle can often stir them up.
Sometimes, when I’m on my period (or right before it starts, during luteal) I feel or think something that is so out of character from who I think I am. Like getting annoyed at someone for simply talking and wishing you could just hit them to shut up (oops). I don’t (often 😉) make the choice to do so, but for a moment, it feels like my mind and body wants me to; like I’ve always wanted to secretly hit them and now is the time to just…SLAP them. I know I’m not the only person who has had an unexpected, unusual, or confusing, desire creep into their minds before or during menstruation.
I wanted to hyperbolically honour this feeling of mismatch between the mind, body, self, and truth by having the character of Mimi confront an extreme, “repressed” desire: wanting to kiss her best friend’s boyfriend.
The show is about control – particularly control over the body. What does Mimi’s struggle say to you about the expectations placed on women to control and regulate themselves?
In “The Haunting”, Mimi and her haunted period take turns trying to control one another: Mimi doesn’t want to carry out the scandalous snogging order, her period tries to force her to. The line then gets blurred between who wants who to do what since Mimi’s period is a part of her… is she controlling herself and using the period as an excuse? Is the period genuinely taking over Mimi against her will? Can both be true?
This struggle might resonate for women who feel like they can’t always “control” themselves, because their period is extra painful that month or their hormones are affecting their mood in a new way. When they aren’t perfectly, painstakingly controlled, our patriarchal society often deems them as “crazy”, “insane”, “too emotional”, “out of control”. Alas, looks like we can’t win!
Your work often explores Thai culture alongside contemporary womanhood. How do those two parts of your identity come together in The Haunting?
My director and dramaturg Nathalee Avery is also one of my best friends from back home. We’re both Thai-British and grew up making theatre together in school in Bangkok. This year, we started working together as a duo, which we call “กลัว (Glua) Theatre” – named after the Thai word for ‘scared’. In short, we make stuff that scares us! Rather, used to scare us or feels like it should because of inherited fear or shame from the patriarchy and Southeast Asian culture. Menstruation is one of these topics that we want to confront, subvert, and feel empowered by.
Overall, we love to blend performance styles to connect with audiences who are at varying comfort levels or familiarity with other ‘scary’ themes, and we can’t wait to develop “The Haunting” and put out more shows in future.
How autobiographical is Mimi – and was there anything about writing or performing her that made you confront something about yourself?
Haha, the Mimi on stage is not meant to be the real Mimi (me). I find to easier to write from first-person perspectives, so a lot of my protagonists end up sharing my name. However, performing “The Haunting” Mimi definitely made me more conscious about my own feelings during the different cycles of my period, and more confident to talk about that with friends and family.
What do you hope audiences are still thinking about when they leave the theatre – beyond the immediate shock or comedy of the premise?
I want audiences to talk more openly about how they feel during all phases of their period cycles, so we can eliminate shame and taboo-ness around the topic. And for audience members who don’t get periods, I still want them to talk about periods! Either by discussing “The Haunting” with their partners, friends, daughters, etc., or trying a little bit harder to step into the mind of someone with a period – you can always scroll through Reddit threads to read these perspectives.
Mimi (in the show) doesn’t have anyone to talk to about her confusing feelings and her seemingly uncontrollable period. She’s ashamed of how she feels when she’s on her period, she’s scared of judgement, and is bitter. I don’t want young girls/young people to feel this way about their periods, so I hope to use a bit of fun, hyperbolic horror-comedy to break down taboos, cut through hard feelings, and bring us all together around MENSTRUATION!!!
The Haunting returns this October – grab your tickets now
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