Capping off Women’s History Month, a new play about the trials of menopause premieres this week at Parkview Physicians Group ArtsLab Black Box Theater. WBOI’s The play brings together humor and healthcare.
Six years ago, Michelle Chambers was diagnosed with cancer. Over the course of two months, she underwent three major surgeries that saved her life. One of them was a hysterectomy.
“Unbeknownst to me, a year later, after I was having all of these issues as a woman, my oncologist apologized," Chambers said. "She said, ‘Michelle, we have thrown you into full menopause.’”
Chambers called it one of the most challenging seasons of her life. But, she’s turned that pain and sudden change into a piece of art with her play Men-O-Pause: The Vaginates Speak.
“There are seven menopause characters, two perimenopause women, who are like our protagonists, and then there’s the woman in the middle who brings everything together," she said.
The characters represent some of the major side effects that women experience during menopause; such as brain fog, irritability, hot flashes.
Each symptom is introduced in the form of a conversation between two perimenopausal women, learning about what they can expect as they enter menopause. From there, they each give a monologue about what the symptom feels like and how difficult navigating it can be.
Chambers wants to create a space to have difficult or uncomfortable conversations about the changes women go through during peri- and full menopause.
“So many women suffer in silence when it comes to menopause, perimenopause," she said. “But I believe that we are gonna create a safe place, a safe environment for women to be able to ask their doctors.”
Jennifer Bennet plays Achy Breaky Bernice in the play.
"My niche about menopause is pain that, truly menopause isn’t maybe causing it, but because your body is changing so much, you’re more focused on what’s going on,” she said.
Bennet said she was asked by Chambers to be a part of the play and thought it was a wonderful opportunity, as someone who is also currently going through menopause.
“If we're all doing this, we need to be talking about the reality of what’s happening," she said. "So, you do have the pain, the vaginal dryness, emotional mood swings, hot flashes and those are the different characters.”
Chambers also reached out to Aisha Arrington, who plays Sahara D. Dry, and says she jumped at the opportunity right away and was immediately impressed with Chambers’ script.
“I think she’s done a very good job of giving each woman a different part that kind of fits their personality," Arrington said. "And so, through that personality and the woman that’s giving the language, you kind of see it through their eyes, which I think gives it a different perception of what menopause can look like in your daily life.”
Following the play, a panel of doctors will talk about the real-life symptoms and struggles of menopause.
While the play strives for medical accuracy and strikes a very sincere tone about the struggles women face as their bodies begin to change, it also finds some humor along the way.
"We just get together and have a little fun with some of the heaviness that women carry when it comes to our health," Arrington said.
The play isn’t just targeting women. Chambers said she also wants the men who come see it to walk away with a deeper understanding of why they may feel their relationships changing.
“I believe this is gonna help a lot of people, both men and women," she said. "It’s not just about the women.”
Bennet said she hopes the play also encourages those who aren’t going through menopause to offer a bit more grace in their daily life to those who are.
“We need to have that understanding and I think the more we do make it an everyday conversation, maybe that understanding will come with it as well," she said.
As for what Arrington hopes women leave the play with...
"A little bit more inspired and proud of themselves for being a woman and going through all that we go through," she said. "And we survive and we’re amazing people.”
Men-O-Pause: The Vaginates Speak has already sold out it's one time show on Thursday. Chambers said demand has her looking for opportunities to show it again in the future.
