About Menopause Mama
Written and performed by Rose Weaver
Directed by Bob Jaffe
Menopause Mama is a compelling, cutting edge and often-hilarious solo performance about menopause and aging. Through a variety of characters, Weaver depicts the struggles, triumphs, tears, and the lighter side of menopause and tackles tough subjects with a take-no-prisoners honesty.
History
The idea for Menopause Mama was conceived when actress/singer Rose Weaver was at Brown University working on her MFA in creative writing (the degree was her 50th birthday present to herself). At the time, she had just begun to experience occasional difficulty remembering names, learning lines, or locating things like her car keys. In talking with friends, she realized she was not alone in her frustration. After some research, she found that her "senior moments" were actually consistent with the beginnings of menopause. Rose’s response, as a writer, was to keep a journal of her "symptoms" and feelings.
She interviewed dozens of friends and women of other cultures on this topic. She combined these personal stories into several short readings as an evening entitled "Menopause Monologues," as a working title until something better came to mind. Ann Dill, a Professor of Psychology at Brown University, gave Rose two students to help with research and as a result, Rose and the students drafted a paper called "The Cultural Significance of Menopause."
By the end of 2000 Weaver had gathered enough menopause and aging stories to read her work in public. The audience greeted Weaver's frank and often humorous forays into the underbelly of menopause with enthusiasm and affection.
In 2001 and through the spring 2002 Weaver continued to develop Menopause Mama. At the suggestion of Jill Jaffe she began to work toward a full theatrical piece in collaboration with Bob Jaffe as director and dramaturge. By the fall of 2002, as a 45-minute work in progress, Menopause Mama had three standing room only matinee performances at Perishable Theatre. Rose then wrote more material so that the final piece was 80 minutes in length. She performed 12 weeks to sold out houses and standing ovations nightly at Perishable and has performed in New England and Bermuda.