Welcome to Theatre of NOTE!

…a non-profit democratic company that stagedives the arena of theatre arts.

Founded in 1981, our ensemble-based organization is dedicated to providing a creative environment in which to collaborate and develop maverick theater.

Enjoy the show!

Cast and Crew

(in order of appearance)

  • A woman with long, wavy, light brown hair, smiling, wearing a black top with lace detail, and standing in front of a brick wall.

    Beverly Jane Peatross

    The Ovaryture, creator

  • A smiling elderly woman with gray, curly hair, wearing a blue top and silver earrings, against a black background.

    Jayne Taini

    Wise Woman #1, #2, #3, performer. Edited from interviews conducted by Carrie Vanhouten

  • Close-up portrait of a woman with shoulder-length light brown hair, blue eyes, and a friendly smile, wearing a black sleeveless top, outdoors with blurred green trees in the background.

    Leslie Shafton

    I Used to be Nice, writer and performer

  • Close-up of a woman with blonde hair, wearing a green blouse, looking at the camera with a slight smile, against a gray background.

    Elyse Mirto

    The Replacement, performer. Written by Jennifer McLean. Stages camper.

  • A close-up portrait of a woman with short, curly hair, wearing large silver earrings and a colorful patterned top. She is resting her chin on her clasped hands and looking directly at the camera.

    June Carryl

    Hot Flash, Fanny, performer. Written by Andi Berlin

  • Close-up of a smiling woman with curly hair wearing colorful earrings and a yellow sweater.

    Cherish Monique Duke

    Is it Life, or is it Perimenopause? performer. Written by Brooke Aston Harper

  • Close-up portrait of a smiling woman with long black hair, wearing a royal blue blouse, against a white background.

    Hiwa Chow Elms

    Pule, writer and performer. Stages camper.

  • A young woman with long dark brown hair, light skin, and a subtle smile, wearing a light-colored hoodie, standing indoors with a blurred background.

    Chloe Madriaga

    Pule, accompaniment

  • A smiling woman with shoulder-length wavy brown hair, wearing a black top and a necklace, in front of a window showing a partly cloudy sky.

    Jennifer Klein

    WTF, Menopause?, writer and performer

  • A woman with short curly gray hair smiling at the camera, wearing a black top, against a plain light-colored wall.

    Amy Keating Rogers

    Stages, writer and performer

  • Close-up of a smiling woman with blonde hair, wearing hoop earrings and a white, textured sweater, in a kitchen setting.

    Julie Morgan

    Nobody Told Me, writer and performer

  • Close-up portrait of a woman with curly red hair and blue eyes, wearing a green shirt.

    Julia Prud'Homme

    Swag Bag, writer and performer. Embodiment of Now, Artist’s Model

  • Back of a person's head with short, layered hair, with blonde highlights and darker roots, wearing a black turtleneck and standing in front of a plain light-colored wall.

    Lana Fly

    Embodiment of Now, Artist

  • A woman with short black hair wearing a black blazer and a white T-shirt with text, standing against a plain white background.

    Keiko Elizabeth

    NOTE Producer. All or Nothing, writer and performer

  • A woman with blonde, curly hair smiling at the camera, wearing a beige sweater and a teal scarf with pink polka dots, against a plain green background.

    Krista Conti

    On I Go, choreographer and dancer

  • A woman with short, curly brown hair wearing a blue top and layered necklaces, taking a selfie against a plain background.

    Lulu Braunstein

    Producer. Estie (My Bestie), writer and performer. Stages camper.

  • A woman with blonde, wavy hair wearing red lipstick, glasses, and a red dress with puffed sleeves, smiling at the camera.

    Kirsten Vangsness

    Peri of the Pause of Meno, writer and performer

  • A woman with curly blonde hair smiling, wearing a denim jacket and earrings.

    Carrie Vanhouten

    Creator. Caroline’s Vagina Has Something to Say, writer and performer

  • A woman with long, wavy brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a black blazer with gold accents over a white top, and blue jeans.

    Lisa Anne Morrison

    Director

  • A woman with shoulder-length dark brown hair, wearing a sleeveless navy blue top with a small white pattern, smiling with a light purple background.

    Alina Phelan Ballou

    NOTE Producer. Swag Bag, voice over

  • A woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a floral patterned top, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression, against a plain background.

    Lisa Clifton

    NOTE Producer. Stages camper.

  • Kayla Peterson

    NOTE Stage Manager

  • A person with curly red hair wearing sunglasses, silver hoop earrings, a denim jacket with a sunflower patch, and a gold heart necklace. They are indoors with framed art and a fish decoration in the background.

    Niall Sulcer

    NOTE Lighting Designer

  • A man with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and some facial stubble, wearing a black shirt and a blue denim jacket, looking at the camera with a neutral expression against a gray background.

    Bill Voorhees

    NOTE Set/Tech Advisor

THE FOUNDERS OF THE MENOPAUSE MONOLOGUES

Black and white photo of three women sitting on the wooden floor, smiling at the camera. They are dressed casually in jeans and tops, with the woman in the middle wearing a denim jacket and sneakers.

Lulu Braunstein, Producer Carrie Vanhouten, Creator Lisa Anne Morrison, Director

A single pink tulip flower with a green stem against a soft pink background.

Special Thanks

Patsy Mickens

Alexis DeLaRosa

Julie Lanctot

Chloe Madriaga

Beverly Jane Peatross

Kristina Williams (YAY)

Jennifer Fish

Regan Scovic

Alex Stump

Virginia Steuber

Jen Grossi

Madeline Fleischmann

Sherry Quinn

Lara Dutton

Amy Aines

Raphaelle Wirstrom

Julie Del Santo

Thank you to our incredible Q & A experts!

Schedule:

  • 2/5 Rajita Patil, MD

  • 2/6 Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, MD

  • 2/7 Stephanie Wolff, PA-C

  • 2/8 2pm Sharon A. Winer, MD, MPH, MSCP

  • 2/8 8pm Heather Jeffcoat, DPT

A woman with long black hair smiling, wearing a white medical coat with an UCLA Health badge, against a blue background.
Poster introducing Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz with her portrait on the left, and details about her background, expertise, and her book 'Menopause Bootcamp' on the right.
Business card for Novus Anti-Aging Center featuring a woman in a white coat, the company logo, and contact information including a QR code, website, Instagram, and YouTube. The background is purple with text describing the center's focus on wellness, therapies, and the CEO Stephanie Wolff.
A professional presentation slide with text about Dr. Sharon A. Winer, a reproductive endocrinologist, featuring orange and green texts, a central orange flower illustration, and green leaf graphics at the top and bottom.
Informational poster for Heather Jeffcoat, DPT, about her background, expertise, and book 'Sex Without Pain'. The poster features her photo, a biography, and details about her book, with a pink and purple color scheme and the book cover on the right.
Close-up of a pink flowering daisy with a purple and yellow center, set against a black background.
Close-up of a white magnolia flower with petals and a central pistil against a black background.

We couldn’t do this

without EVE ENSLER and The Vagina Monologues. We honor Eve Ensler for her revolutionary piece of work and the thousands of women who were a part of the V Day movement. We continue to be inspired by her and will model her philanthropy by donating proceeds of our earnings to advocate for women’s health.

We want to acknowledge

that not all women have ovaries and not everyone with ovaries identifies as a woman. Gender diversity is expansive, and no single term (such as menopause) can encompass everyone's experience.

Close-up of a colorful water lily flower with purple and yellow petals on a black background.

Who are the Wise Women?

We knew that bringing varied perspectives from across different age groups was essential to the show. When Carrie reached out to three women all in their 70s and 80s with the question “What was menopause like for you?”, she had no idea that their words would end up being the “why” of the entire production.

From California to New York to Florida, all three shared the common thread of shame, guilt, embarrassment, and secrecy surrounding their experiences. This is the first time they have ever really spoken to anyone about this subject.

We are deeply grateful and honored to give these women a voice here tonight. Let this be the last generation who were silenced and shamed.

Close-up of a pink lily flower against a black background.

messages from the founders

CARRIE:

When I finally learned I was in perimenopause after months of debilitating and confusing symptoms, I felt a deep need to share what I learned with as many women as possible. I wanted every woman to be empowered and educated to advocate for her own health. This desire gave birth to The Menopause Monologues, and with the support of my incredible friends, Lisa and Lulu, we turned a wild idea into a reality. We launched a website, invited women to submit their stories, and were quickly (and happily!) overwhelmed by the response. Since February 2024, we’ve been meeting weekly to curate and edit submissions, making room for diverse forms of storytelling—poems, art, dance, spoken word, and more. Our shows in the Bay Area and LA are just the beginning; we plan to take it nationwide, inviting local contributors at each stop. The voices of our Wise Women are the heart of our mission: to break the silence around menopause and liberate future generations from harmful taboos and stigmas. It has been thrilling to witness the talent of our community, thank you to everyone who submitted material. I am deeply grateful to the magical creative collaboration amongst Lisa, Lulu, and myself. Working with them has been utter joy. Heartfelt thanks to my husband and life-improv partner, Matt, who has been yes-anding me since 2003. I’d like to thank my mom, Jean Fredericks, for always being positive and encouraging, no matter what chaotic things I’m currently up to. I love you, mom.

LISA:

Carrie reached out to me with the idea about putting on a show called The Menopause Monologues and creating a space for women to tell their menopause stories. I think I said yes before she finished her first sentence. This is all that my friends and I had been talking about! We had questions and concerns and were yearning for relief and enlightenment since we all had mothers who never even mentioned their menopause experiences. As a theater student at Cal Arts in the 90s, I was enamored with theater companies like Bread & Puppet, The Living Theatre and L.A.’s Cornerstone Theater Company. The Menopause Monologues aims to be like these historic companies as we put out a call to gather our material from our community, and the communities in which we perform. We have first time writers who are performing for you onstage for the first time ever mixed with seasoned theater professionals. Our hope is to bring The Menopause Monologues to many cities, promoting a cooperative and communal expression from women in the cities that we visit. Therefore making this not just a show, but a movement to give women the space and creative platform to tell their stories. Thanks to my husband, Mark, for knowing before I did how meaningful this whole endeavor would be.

LULU:

Working on this show has been absolutely delightful. Our ideas grew on long walks in the hills discussing our symptoms, marveling at the value found in sharing, and deciding to share our stories more broadly. The most compelling lesson I have learned is, like most things in life, there is no one "right" way to navigate the wide range of menopause symptoms, as every individual's experience is unique. The stories you'll hear tonight are the authentic, lived experiences of our contributors. Each one reflects personal truths and diverse perspectives on how they’ve faced and managed the physical, emotional, and mental challenges of menopause. We encourage everyone to honor their own journey and explore what feels best for their body. and... do push back if you are told you are “just tired, just depressed, just aging, or just going through menopause!” - though we are having fun putting on a show, this menopause thing “just ain’t no joke.” Thanks to you all for being brave - either by submitting pieces, acting, or just coming to the show.

Close-up of a vibrant pink rose with layered petals on a black background.

Thank you to our Artists who made the lobby beautiful!

An artist creates a large abstract black ink drawing on a white canvas, standing on a white cloth with a black background.

for not only creating a jaw-dropping, mind-blowing performance piece for the show, but for creating an immersive experience by sharing her art in the lobby. Check out her art here, and more on Instagram here.

Thank you to Artist Lana Fly

A collage of four black and white portrait photos of a woman, showing different facial expressions and gestures, with text that reads "Portraits of Change: Stories and Faces of Menopause" and "Juleen Laporte | Photographer"

Thank you to photographer Juleen Lapporte

for her intimate and touching visual contribution called “Portraits of Change, Stories and Faces of Menopause”. Explore this project here, and her other offerings here.

A single pale pink rosebud against a black background.

Medical Disclaimer

The creators of The Menopause Monologues are not medical experts, they are theater geeks. Any medically related content, in the show or the Q & A, is not intended to be medical advice or instructions for medical diagnosis or treatment, and no physician-patient or psychotherapist-patient relationship is, or is intended to be, created. The Menopause Monologues is not a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment. You should not delay or forego seeking treatment for a medical condition or disregard professional medical advice based on any show content. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare professional before starting or changing treatment. The show should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease or medical conditions without supervision of a doctor or qualified healthcare provider. The show does not recommend or endorse any tests, physicians, products, treatments (such as HRT), procedures, opinions, or other information presented in the show.