Hello! I’m a solo performer and I’ve got this new show about women’s health that I’m bringing to university audiences.

What’s the Show?

Our Bodies, Our Shelves demystifies women’s most dreaded doctor’s appointment, by chronicling one young woman’s experience teaching medical students how to give pelvic exams. With the audience as her students, this provocative, awkward, and light-hearted show serves as an inflexion point between Western medicine, American women, and all the men who have them in their lives.

Who would benefit?

• Theater students – this show was devised by the performer, something that is rarely taught in drama school, where the instruction focuses on acting and auditioning skills to perform other people’s works
• Nursing students – for people trained in healthcare, this show provides a useful perspective from the viewpoint of an informed healthy patient, something rare in nursing pedagogy
• Political science students – even though this show is not overtly political, students with an eye toward politics will gain a personal perspective on how every day life is affected by societal conventions and governmental decisions
• Journalism and communications students – this story—and the story of basic gynecologic care—adds another layer of context to what has become public debate in the news cycle
• Student athletes – for folks that use their bodies to their fullest potential, this show flips the script for typical doctor’s visits and reinforces the idea that knowledge of one’s body can yield a significant impact
• All others – because lots of folks care about health and wellness, this event is open to students, faculty, and staff at all levels and across disciplines. It’s also for people who like comedy.

Why now?

• At least 1 in 10 women college students cannot afford menstrual products.¹ Period poverty affects these students’ education, mental health, and graduation rates.
• Aside from healthcare providers, no one knows how pelvic exams are taught. This show shines a light on that process and helps audience members feel more comfortable going to their wellness appointments.²
• Last year's SCOTUS decision³ highlights how Americans need to start the conversation about women’s health at a different place—before pregnancy is even on the table.

How is the event structured?
Our Bodies, Our Shelves itself is only a 10-minute staged monologue. The rest of the event would be a talk-back session to answer questions, facilitate conversation, and frankly, lighten up. Depending on the size of the audience, this can be run from the stage or broken into smaller discussion groups where I’d roam the room and check-in. Depending on the makeup of the audience, the “Ask Me Anything” talk-back could turn medical, sociological, or theatrical.

How political is this show?
It’s not Capital P Political, as in partisan. This show is about opening a conversation, not asserting an agenda. I will admit to a gender bias, because people without a certain anatomy do not get pelvic exams. At its heart, Our Bodies, Our Shelves is primarily a funny story.

Is this show “women-only”?
Not at all. In fact, everyone is welcome. We all have people in our lives who have had pelvic exams, even if we’ve never thought about it.

How can this event help students?
Aside from the knowledge and the conversation exchanged, this could be an opportunity to remedy period poverty on campus. Audience members could bring menstrual products for admission. Those products could then be made available to students who can’t afford them this month, either at the show or through some kind of campus organization.

Does this sound interesting?
If it does, book a time on my calendar and let’s discuss how we can create an event at your school.

Thanks for your interest and I look forward to your response.
Hope Lafferty

Member, The Dramatists Guild of America
Certified Trainer, Association for Talent Development
Faculty, University of California, San Diego
Past President, Board of Editors in the Life Sciences (BELS)
Instructor, The Robert S. Hartmann Institute
Member, American Association of Community Theatres
Creator-Perfomer, Our Bodies, Our Shelves

PO Box 186 ● Blue Lake CA 95525 ● hope@hopelafferty.com

1. Cardoso LF et al. Period poverty and mental health implications among college-aged women in the United States. BMC Womens Health. 2021;21(1):14.
2. Bryan AF et al. Factors influencing young women's preparedness for their first pelvic examination. Obstet Gynecol. 2018;132(2):479-486.
3. Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, 19-1392, 597 US ___ (2022).