My Directorial Debut

Here I am blocking the final lines of "Over It." I'm asking the ladies if they have enough room to strike a final pose. I'm missing an actress so I'm trying to make sure we'll have enough room at the front of the stage. Not only do I want it to look pretty and powerful, my first priority is safety.

Our Article in YES! Weekly

The Vagina Monologues scream ‘No’ to domestic abuse

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By LENISE WILLIS

They say that love is blind, and in some cases it can even be numb. To the one in three women who are subject to domestic violence, V-Day Greensboro says, “Stand up for yourself. Be empowered.”

A non-profit organization, V-Day Greensboro is part of a global movement to end violence against women and girls. By performing Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, the group hopes to not only raise awareness for domestic abuse, but to donate to the cause of the local Sherri Denese Jackson Foundation, a group that works to stop and prevent domestic violence by offering intervention, boosting women’s self-esteem and raising awareness to the community.

“This is activist theater,” said Devon Currie, organizer. Currie herself is a survivor of an abusive relationship and took the movement to heart after hearing about it from a college professor. “It’s really important to me to make women feel empowered and to create a space where women feel safe to talk about their experiences,” Currie said. “The more that we empower women and the more we talk about women, the more likely it is that these types of situations aren’t going to happen again.”

Currie has helped organize a V-Day Greensboro event for the last three years. “Luckily, I had a lot of experience in theater, so it wasn’t that hard to get the word out to some of my actor friends,” Currie said.

“V-day Greensboro came to us a couple of years ago, and I can only say that in the last three years it has made such a huge difference, not only financially, but also in helping to get the word out about women’s abuse and mutilation both locally and globally,” said Portia Shipman, founder of SDJF. “It sends a great message and has given us more exposure to our cause and has opened many more doors for us.”

Currie notes that the monologues are a powerful, intriguing and humorous expression of what it means to be a woman, and though they are targeted more to females, men will also find them entertaining. “There’s a lot of really funny pieces,” Currie says. “There are some that speak in a really endearing way about the relationship between a man and a woman.”

Currie says auditions to be a volunteer actress are always open to the public.

“It’s interesting because we have a number of women each year who have never done any performing,” Currie said. “It makes it really poignant and really special because these monologues are stories of some specific women, but mostly about being a woman in general. So it’s really nice to get people who aren’t actors to come out and tell these stories.”

This year, about a dozen women, including the founder of SDJF, will perform the monologues.

Shipman said she is both excited and nervous to have a larger role in this year’s event, as she will be performing as one of the women in The Vagina Monologues. “It gives me the opportunity to be more a part of the event and have a more significant role,” Shipman said.

The global campaign, V-Day, began in 1994 after Eve Ensler wrote her award-winning The Vagina Monologues, which addressed women’s sexuality and the social stigma surrounding rape and abuse.

The play was more than just a message or an artful expression, it was a conversation catalyst and it inspired many women in the audience to share with Ensler their own stories of survival. It was on Valentine’s Day in 1998 when Ensler and a group of NYC women established V-Day, a 501(c)3 organization with the mission of putting an end to domestic violence.

To do so, once a year, in February, March and April, Ensler allows groups around the world, such as V-Day Greensboro, to produce a performance of the play with the stipulation that the proceeds go to fund local projects and programs with a similar mission. Ten percent of proceeds will go back to fund V-Day’s global interests, such as building shelters for women in Egypt and Iraq, and sponsoring workshops in Afghanistan.

“It’s almost overwhelming, but it’s incredible at the same time,” Currie said. “It’s so special to be a part of something that is helping women both locally and around the world.”

wanna go?

V-Day Greensboro will present The Vagina Monologues at Glenwood Coffee and Books, 1310 Glenwood Ave., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10, $8 for students and seniors. For tickets call 336.687.1319 or emailvdaygreensboro@gmail.com. For more information visit www.vday.org.

Just So You Know

80% of the proceeds from "The Vagina Monologues" will benefit this organization.

To learn more, please visit their website.

Each year V-Day increases awareness by focusing on a specific group of women in the world who are resisting violence with courage and vision. In 2012, V-Day's Spotlight Campaign will be on the Women and Girls of Haiti. 10% of the proceeds will go to this campaign.

And 10% of the proceeds will go to our venue, Glenwood Coffee and Books.

A V-Day 2012 Campaign Event to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls

V DAY GREENSBORO JOINS GLOBAL EFFORT
TO STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

Change the Story of Women!
Join us as we raise funds and awareness to end violence against women and girls

“In the current era, it takes some brain racking to think of anyone else doing anything quite like Ensler. She’s a countercultural consciousness-raiser, an empowering figure, a truth-teller.”
–Chicago Tribune

“Eve Ensler wants to save the world…and don’t even think of getting in her way.”
-New York Times Magazine

V Day is a global activist movement to stop violence against women and girls. Further information about V-Day can be found at www.vday.org

THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES

V-Day Greensboro 2012
Presents a Benefit Production of
Eve Ensler’s
THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES

March 23 and 24 at 8p and March 25 at 2p
Venue: Glenwood Coffee and Books, 1310 Glenwood Ave. Greensboro, NC 27403
Tickets available through: (336) 687-1319, vdaygreensboro@gmail.com
Proceeds Benefit : The Sherri Denese Jackson Foundation

"Spellbinding, funny, and almost unbearably moving . . . it is both a work of art and an incisive piece of cultural history, a poem and a polemic, a performance and a balm and a benediction."
—Variety

The V-Day 2012 Cast!

After beating the bushes and making last minute "will you?!" phone calls, the cast is set. I am looking forward to working with each of these extremely talented ladies!

Intro - Worried About Vaginas	All
Intro - Hair	Laura
Hair	Lee Ann
Vagina Wear, Say	All
Intro - Flood	Kofi
The Flood	Michaeline
The Vagina Workshop	Linda
Vagina Happy Fact	Devon E
Intro - Because He Liked To Look At It	Sonja
Because He Liked To Look At It	Heather
Not-So-Happy Fact	Caitlin
Intro - What If I Told You I Did Not Have A Vagina	Alice
What If I Told You I Did Not Have A Vagina	TBD
My Angry Vagina	Peggie
Intro - My Vagina Was My Village	Lee Ann
My Vagina Was My Village	Sonja
	Heather
Intro - The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could	Michaeline
The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could	TBD
Intro - Reclaiming Cunt	Caitlin
Reclaiming Cunt	Alice
Six Year Old Girl	Linda (reporter)
	Laura (girl)
Intro - The Woman Who Loved To Make Vaginas Happy	Peggie
The Woman Who Loved To Make Vaginas Happy	Devon E
Intro - I Was There In The Room	Laura
I Was There In The Room	Linda
	Peggie
	Michaeline
Intro - Spotlight Monologue	Alice
For My Sisters In PortAuPrinceBukavuNewOrleans	All

Go ahead and mark your calendars now. Performance are Friday and Saturday, March 23 and 24 at 8pm. There's also a matinee on Sunday, March 25 at 2pm. Performance will be at Glenwood Coffee and Books.

Vagina Auditions, Round 2

I'm trying my best not to be discouraged. But I am. A little bit.

Three girls from UNCG showed up for auditions tonight. And while I am so very grateful they showed up, I have 8 ladies for a full scale production. Eight. Ocho. 8.

Yes, I know the script really only calls for 3. But I was really hoping my directorial debut would turn out better than 8 ladies presenting "The Vagina Monologues."

Devon and I are going to make another last ditch effort to beat the bushes.

This time I'm crossing my fingers and my toes!

Vagina Auditions

Based on the response from the Facebook invite, I knew turnout would be minimal. Only 12 responded they would attend. If everyone showed up, I'd be okay.

Linda was the first to walk in. Followed by Lee Ann. I was very excited because I know both of them and know what they each can do. Devon's friend Devon E. and her friend Sonja were the next to show up. I went ahead and auditioned Linda and Lee Ann. I even asked Linda to read "The Vagina Workshop." This piece requires an English accent and I wanted to see if Linda could pull it off. She was fantastic!

Peg was the next to arrive. I was so glad to see her. I was looking forward to her doing the moaning piece again. When she handed in her audition form, she threw me for a loop. Instead of the moaning piece, she wanted to do "My Angry Vagina." I knew she could rock either one. Devon E. and Peg both did the angry piece.

After releasing Devon E., Sonja and Peg Devon and I brainstormed to see who else we could call to audition. We suggested a few names, waited another 30 minutes and decided to call it a day.

I'm excited that I have 5 good women to cast. I'll need more, but at least I have these talented ladies. We're holding another round of auditions on Monday.

I'm crossing my fingers!

Guess who's going to be directing "The Vagina Monologues" for V-Day Greensboro?

ME!

Auditions, V-Day 2010

I've been in 3 productions of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues. I was first introduced to the show when I was part of the Cunt Chorus in the Community Theatre of Greensboro's production back in 2004. Family Services sponsored V-Day Winston-Salem, and I participated in two of their productions. I've reclaimed cunt, spoken about my short skirt and talked about his crooked braid. Last year Family Services sponsored A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer and I was honored to perform two pieces for that production.

Because V-Day is a cause I support I was initially saddened to learn that Family Services would not be producing V-Day Winston-Salem this year. When I received a Facebook notice that Sheri Masters and Jay Smith were going to direct The Vagina Monologues and A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer, respectively, for V-Day Greensboro, I jumped at the chance to be involved.

After requesting more details, I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to audition since they were scheduled on our first night of tech for The Nerd. Luckily both were canceled due to the snow/ice. Auditions were rescheduled for yesterday.

Since we were both auditioning Charis and I rode together. Peg, one of my V-Day W-S castmates also came to audition, as did Liz (who I know from Honk!). The remaining auditionees, a handful of women and one man, were people I'd never met.

Auditions consisted of cold readings from TVM and MMRP. I knew most folks would read "Because He Liked To Look At It" so I went with "I Was There In The Room", a piece about the wonder of child birth. Charis did an outstanding job with her audition, "Blueberry Hill" from MMRP. Peg rocked her audition, as did another lady who finally performed "The Flood" the way it should be.

While I was surprised at the lack of turnout (less than a dozen), Sheri and Jay have a great pool of talent if they use everyone that showed up yesterday. I'm hoping all my conflicts (remaining The Nerd performances, Trials and Tribulations rehearsals and SETC Convention) won't prevent me from being in the cast. I should know something by the end of the week.