Five original songs fuel an irreverent comedy about menopause, identity, and the freedom to stop pretending everything is fine
Ramelle Carter
Hot flashes, ’90s hip-hop, and midlife reinvention take center stage in Menopause After Dark: A Musical Comedy, making its world premiere at the 2026 LA Femme International Film Festival on Saturday, October 24, at noon at Regal Cinemas Sherman Oaks Galleria. Written and produced by, and starring Audrey Walters, the short film is directed by Rebekah Wiggins, who also serves as executive producer.
Menopause After Dark plunges a woman in the middle of a hot flash into a full-blown ’90s hip-hop fever dream. Across five original songs, her buttoned-up life unravels amid sweat, sarcasm, and a relentless chorus of wellness advice. As the noise builds, she stops performing “fine” and starts telling the truth. Funny, loud, and unapologetically over 50, the film explores what happens when the identity we’ve built no longer fits—and we begin creating a new one.
“I wanted to create something that says clearly, you are not alone. I see you. I am you. We are in this together,” says Walters.
The ensemble cast includes Jeanette Aguilar, Maria Berthke, Mickey Bond, Gina Hyams, Polly Wood, and Elle McKnight. Dorathea Deforest and Colemar Nichols served as cinematographers, with choreography by Madeline Walters and original music composed by Shaun Hettinger.
The fair ladies of the Menopause galaxy have taken flight into the skies of the heart, mind, and body of womanhood. I was immersed in the classy musical comedy. The film short deliberately spoke to me in awesome ways. The wondrous menopause journey is portrayed as stable for me, now. The pause, as stated in the short film, proportionately gives a glimpse of the shaky roller coaster ride of menopause with creative dance and purposeful singing; comfortably acknowledging the battle of womanhood and the sacrifices of our body. I among women can relate to the body clock drop, or as the short film states, “your body is like pause,” or the libido being “MIA.”
The unique obstacles of the film are elegantly disguised with eventful dance sequences.
The body popping and everything knocking evokes the realization that womanhood stops, then starts the turn again. The beginning of the film sets the tone of the 1980s Jane Fonda workout tape craze. Generation Xers are older and now affected by this menopause journey and can remember our mothers processing “the change.” Today it is called what it is; no more hiding because no woman is immune from the womanhood experience.
The film explores the change boldly, respectfully, and comically. The film will make you laugh and think. The motto of everyday life should be danced when all else fails.
Screening and TicketsMenopause After Dark: A Musical Comedy screens Saturday, October 24, 2026, at noon at Regal Cinemas Sherman Oaks Galleria, 15301 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91403. Tickets and festival information: lafemme.org/film-festival/film-program/
About Audrey Walters
Audrey Walters is an actor, writer, producer, and co-founder of Quick Wit Studios, an independent production company developing original content across film, television, and digital platforms. Her screen credits include Euphoria, Better Call Saul, Our Souls at Night, and Big Kill. A longtime advocate for women in the arts, she also co-founded Talk to the Camera, an award-winning nationwide program that uses filmmaking to teach children empathy, collaboration, and communication.
