Forget Zoloft and Xanax—local entertainer Michelle Dougherty has a different prescription for navigating perimenopause and beyond: Girlfriend Medicine.
A multidisciplinary storyteller, Michelle uses humor to forge connections, share knowledge, and entertain. Inspired by countless midlife conversations with her women friends, she began to wonder—what if improv could deliver vital information about midlife changes in a way that actually felt joyful? The result is Girlfriend Medicine, a space where women can laugh, learn, and heal together.
“When women get together, that’s hope and healing right there,” Michelle said.
Blending women’s health education with performance, Girlfriend Medicine aims to center, celebrate, and empower midlife women through comedy, technology, and storytelling. Once Michelle had the concept locked in, she brought it to local OB-GYN, Dr. Becky Lynn.
“When I went to my annual appointment, I walked in with a three-page treatment,” Michelle laughed.
Dr. Lynn immediately loved the idea and joined the project. Michelle then built an all-female creative team—local actresses, comedians, and crew members—to bring Girlfriend Medicine to life.
Born from this collaboration between a practicing OB-GYN and a diverse cast of women performers, Girlfriend Medicine tackles subjects too often overlooked in both entertainment and healthcare: menopause, hormone health, and self-care.
“Health and healing through laughter aren’t new,” Michelle said. “But centering women—especially women in midlife—is radical. Midlife is when many of us start to feel invisible. It’s radical to break that silence and say, We are here. The spotlight belongs on us. We deserve to be seen.”
More than a comedy show, Girlfriend Medicine is a creative intervention—a transformative invitation for St. Louis audiences to laugh, learn, and reconnect around the full spectrum of womanhood.
“I hope people experience those ‘aha’ moments,” Michelle said. “I predict everyone will be healed in ways they don’t expect. I want them to leave happier, more informed—and dancing, because we’re all in this together.”
With generous support from the Regional Arts Commission’s Artist Support Grant, Girlfriend Medicine debuts March 28 at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. Michelle invites audiences to join her in this “celebration of the truth of women’s lived experiences and call to take up space with joy and fire.”
Girlfriend Medicine: Breaking the Silence, One Laugh at a Time
Saturday, March 28, 2026, at 7:30 PM at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center
For more information, visit thekpac.org/events.