Scottish comedian Karen Dunbar has admitted she's turned down work due to suffering with memory problems triggered by menopause. Dunbar, 55, best known for her work in the BBC Scotland sketch comedy series Chewin' the Fat, revealed that going through menopause has made it difficult for her to remember lines and forced her to withdraw from performing scripted theatre.
Memory struggles since menopause
The BAFTA-award winning star, who hails from Ayrshire, opened up about her memory struggle on STV Radio's Ewen and Cat at Breakfast this morning while discussing her Edinburgh Fringe stand-up show, Chirpy. Dunbar revealed: "I've had quite a lot of problems with my memory since the menopause. The less I have to learn [that's] scripted - like, absolutely scripted - the better."
When asked by Cat if she is being selective with the work she chooses going forward due to worrying about her memory, Karen replied: "Yes and I'm not even going to dress that up because there's a bit [of me] that goes, 'don't tell anybody that', but I'd rather just tell the truth."
Stress of scripted theatre
Dunbar recounted her experience performing in The Importance of Being Ernest, where she played Lady Bracknell, a massive part. "My memory was like a superpower before. I learned an hour and a half monologue called Happy Days by Samuel Beckett, darling. But learning new stuff? I couldn't do it, and the stress in me was far too much. That was the start of it, when I was doing The Importance of Being Ernest. Now that's a hard play, but I'd learned harder stuff, so I was a bit confused about that."
After a year-long break during lockdown, she returned to two other plays, but the stress was overwhelming. "I thought, 'I can't do this', and actually that's partly why I've ended up doing much more stand-up."
Turning to stand-up
Stand-up offers a different experience, as she explained: "It's mine, and people aren't waiting for me to give them their cue so they can do their lines, and I'm not standing there in absolute panic." She joked: "I can just tell people on stage, 'I'm on the menopause and I can't remember what I'm saying now', and they laugh!"
Karen, who's been a household name in Scotland since 1999, is recognised as one of the country's best comedy actors. After appearing in Chewin' The Fat alongside Greg Hemphill and Ford Kiernan, she went on to star in her own show, The Karen Dunbar Show, which received four nominations for the Golden Rose European TV Awards.
Karen is returning to the Edinburgh Fringe this month with her stand-up show, Chirpy. She will perform three weekend shows on Friday August 21, Saturday August 22 and Sunday August 23 at Just The Tonic nucleus, which is nestled away in Edinburgh's historic old town. Tickets are £20 each and the show lasts an hour. More information on how to book can be found here.
