“Menopause, Menopause, Menopause”. Recently Andrea Davies at the University of Leicester encouraged us to say the word three times a day in the work place, to break taboos around the subject. At around the same time, I was cooking up a concept of my own. As a woman (coughs) in the menopause, I wanted to incorporate the phenomena within a show and blog. I can laugh about it now when I tell others, It took me so long to write this because I couldn’t find anything funny. I wanted to find a way to communicate and entertain with it, we talk about pregnancy and puberty openly, why not this? When it affects half the people in the world.
In my one-woman show, Her and the Change in Me topics are presented through four very different characters. I welcome you into my brain and introduce my alter egos as ‘Me, a doctor, a judge and an alter ego called Dolly Slatemen”. As Debbie I talk about my own menopause and situations, I’ve found myself in and my relationship with Dolly. The Judge and Doctor discuss other areas of the menopause from a social perspective. As a stand-up virgin, Dolly came to light in a Funny Women workshop at Leicester Comedy Festival seven years ago. I share this story, pondering whether Dolly was actually conceived in a bar, on a football pitch in Dagenham or is she a symptom of my own menopause. I also share this to try and encourage others to find something they feel passionate about. It hasn’t been easy getting to this stage, but I am really happy I am here now.
Her and The Change in Me is not only a live performance told in a comical and positive manner. It also educates and asks the audience to participate. Alongside the show the blog, www.herandthechangeinme.com is a collaboration with the University of Leicester. Enabling the principles of the show to extend to a wider public. By providing a platform to create a collective voice, this forms part of a research programme. I have built the blog to encourage stories of the menopause or offer comments on the show. The stories can be anonymous or in your own alter ego.
As expressed in the Leicester Comedy Festival programme, whether you or you know someone who is in their peri menopause, menopause or post menopause go and see the show. You will definitely laugh, maybe learn something or even create your own alter ego.
Her and The Change in Me is showing at Upstairs at the Western 10.30 pm Friday 22nd February & 23rd February as part of Leicester Comedy Festival. For tickets and more information click here!
