The charity behind Wednesday's Gatehouse play says 1,500 people joined its PMDD groups since January. None is in Staffordshire, and Birmingham is the nearest.
The charity that consulted on the play coming to Stafford Gatehouse on Wednesday has answered our questions in writing. Three things in the answers matter to anyone in Stafford who watches Tell Me Where It Hurts and recognises themselves in it.
There is no PMDD support group in Staffordshire. The nearest on the charity’s own list is Birmingham. And the post-show question and answer session with the charity is not in Stafford at all: it is the following night in Wolverhampton, roughly 17 miles south.
The answers come from Kim Cormack, Head of Community at The PMDD Project, sent through the charity’s media team. We publish them here in her words.
“A gross underestimate”
We asked how many people in the UK live with premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and how many of them the charity believes are undiagnosed. Cormack said:
Approximately 824,000 people in the UK have PMDD. However, this number is widely accepted to be a gross underestimate due to generations of medical misogyny, lack of research, misdiagnosis and societal attitudes towards women’s health.
The 824,000 is the figure the charity publishes on its own home page, credited there to the University of the West of Scotland. The charity did not put a number on how many go undiagnosed, and neither will we. It is worth being plain about what that means: nobody knows.
1,500 people have joined its groups since January
On what the charity itself does, Cormack said:
It’s hard to quantify how many people we have supported as a charity in our first few years; we run so many different projects. But, for example, we started our PMDD support groups initiative in January and have approximately 1500 PMDD warriors signed up to a support group either online or in their local area, with our Central London group having over 200 members.
The charity sent us the link to its group sign-up form. We read it. The form asks which city or county you are local to, then lists around 30 current and upcoming groups to pick from. Staffordshire is not one of them.
The closest options on that list to Stafford are:
- Birmingham, roughly 30 miles away, and running now
- Cheshire (Macclesfield), running now
- Nantwich, listed as soon to be active
- East Midlands, currently online meet-ups, with in-person “starting again soon”
- Leicester and Nottingham, both listed as soon to be active
Two conditions are set out on the form. Groups are for people aged 18 and over, and for people with diagnosed or suspected PMDD. Groups are peer-led, run by trained volunteers with lived experience, and meet in cafes, libraries, community centres or online, according to the charity’s support groups page.
Something else is coming, Cormack said:
We will soon be launching groups for Loved Ones too, so that parents, partners, friends, siblings etc can access information, advice and community.
No date was given for that.
What the charity did to the script
We asked what The PMDD Project changed in the play once it was consulted. The answer is that changing it was never the point:
The PMDD Project supported and consulted on the script, not to necessarily change anything as the plot is based on someone’s life experience. Our role was to suggest areas to highlight, offer research for the dramaturgical research behind the writing process and provide emotional and practical support.
The Q&A is in Wolverhampton, not Stafford
When we published the listing this morning, the Gatehouse had no post-show talk and the charity had not confirmed one. It has now. Cormack said:
We are hosting a Q&A after the show in Wolverhampton on Thursday 24th September where people can access support and signposting from the charity. Anyone wanting advice can email us at general@thepmddproject.org.
The Arena Theatre’s own listing, on the University of Wolverhampton’s box office system, confirms it and says the performance “includes a post-show Q&A and discussion with The PMDD Project”. The two nights are not priced the same.
| Stafford | Wolverhampton | |
|---|---|---|
| Venue | Gatehouse Theatre, MET Studio | Arena Theatre |
| Date | Wednesday 23 September | Thursday 24 September |
| Start | 7.30pm | 7.30pm |
| Tickets | £15 | £18, or £14 concessions |
| Post-show Q&A | None listed | Yes, with The PMDD Project |
Sources: the Gatehouse listing and the Arena Theatre listing, both read on 21 September 2026.
The Arena also publishes the detail the Stafford listing leaves out. It puts the running time at about 80 minutes, recommends the show for ages 14 and over, and carries the same trigger warnings: exploration of mental health, references to suicide, a depiction of self-harm and some strong language.
Both are single performances. After that the tour goes to Hemel Hempstead on 27 September, Hereford on 8 October and Nottingham on 15 October, according to the production’s listing in the British Theatre Guide. There is no second Staffordshire date.
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What audiences have said so far
We asked how audiences have reacted on the tour. The charity did not answer that one directly. The Arena Theatre’s listing quotes three previous audience reactions, which are the theatre’s own promotional selection rather than an independent record: “Gripped from start to finish”, “Everyone should see this”, and “Relatable and truthful. Very human”.
Our other questions, put to the writer and performer Tayla Kenyon, have not been answered yet. We also still do not know who is on stage in Stafford. The Arena’s listing says the production uses three actors. If the answers arrive we will publish them.
What it means for you
- The play is at the Gatehouse Theatre, Stafford, on Wednesday 23 September at 7.30pm, tickets £15. There is no Q&A afterwards.
- If you want the Q&A with the charity, it is the Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton, on Thursday 24 September at 7.30pm, tickets £18 or £14 concessions.
- For advice, the charity’s address is general@thepmddproject.org. To be matched to a group, fill in its sign-up form. You have to be 18 or over.
- Expect to travel. The nearest group on the list is Birmingham, and nothing in Staffordshire is listed as running or planned.
- In a crisis the charity signposts to NHS 111, or 999 if you feel suicidal, with Samaritans on 116 123, CALM on 0800 58 58 58, and the SHOUT text service, which you reach by texting SHOUT to 85258.
- Driving to either theatre? Our guide to parking in Stafford has the current tariffs, and there is more in things to do in Stafford.
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