Birthday Cards

I got some really cute birthday cards yesterday and today. My favorite is the Spray Tan one, from Bridget. It took me a bit to get the joke, but once I did I laughed until I cried.

Birthday e-Card

HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!!!!

If you are like me at all you just wanna forget that birthdays come and go and we had rather not be reminded that we are another DAY older. Still, it's a nice reminder going back to the years when you could crawl under the coffee table of read the newspaper wearing my big glasses.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY in all it's glory !!
Dad

Pre-Birthday Gifts

This greeted me when I walked into my office this afternoon. Two of my favorite things - colorful flowers and Skittles - for my birthday.

A Night At The Movies, "The Hunger Games"

Chad and I were very excited to plunk down $11.50 at The Grand tonight so we could see The Hunger Games in IMAX.

I enjoyed reading the book, but I do think the movie was even better. Jennifer Lawrence portrayed Katniss and she was fabulous.

I don't think I've ever seen Josh Hutcherson before. He was okay as Peeta. Liam Hemsworth was also okay as Gail.

Elizabeth Banks was a very colorful Effie. I was very impressed with Woody Harrelson's protrayal of Haymitch.

I loved Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman was wonderful. He is such a talented and versatile actor. I also enjoyed seeing Lenny Kravitz as Katniss' costumer, Cinna.

The movie followed the book as closely as it could. I'm already looking forward to the next installment!

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.

An Afternoon At The Theatre, "Tick, Tick Boom"

Sam loves Jonathan Larson as much as I do, so when I heard Triad Stage was producing Tick, Tick Boom I knew I wanted to see it with him.

Sam and I both worked with Meghan Hoffman, who played Susan, a few years ago during The Miss Firecracker Contest. Meghan has a great voice and her performance was very impressive.

Joshua Morgan played Jon. I loved everything he did. He embodied the character so fully! Terrence Johnson played Michael and he was very good too.

The entire production was awesome but the time spent with Sam was priceless.

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.

Don't Judge

In one month I will be going to see Bring It On: The Musical in Charlotte. I am terribly excited for several reasons.

Yes, I've seen the movies. All three of them. And I have the first two on DVD. Don't judge me. These movies are my guilty pleasure. I love them.

Talk about a producer's dream team. I mean, come on. Jeff Whitty, who wrote Avenue Q and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote In The Heights are bringing this musical to life. Yes, please!

Truth be told I just really love cheerleading. The closest I've ever gotten to being a cheerleader was when I played Tammy in Theatre Alliance's Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical. I love the athleticism and the dance choreography. I gladly gave up many afternoon hours watching the high school and college cheerleading championships on TV.

I can't wait to see this show!

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

Tulips

Beautiful tulips grace my dresser. I love that prettiness greets me in the morning.

Last night as I was preparing the Avenue Q playbills for the next show, Ken stood at the door watching me. He asked if there was anything wrong. I looked up, shook my head and replied, "No." He asked again and I asked him why he was asking, "Do I look like something is wrong?" I don't remember his response, but I replied that I was just tired, busy week at work.

On the drive home I couldn't shake his query. Is something wrong? The more I thought about it the more I realized there is something wrong. I just can't put my finger on it.

It started on February 23. Our last group of newhires were graduating. We conduct a graduation ceremony, which I stage manage. My co-trainers and I have our specific responsibilities - Nicky deals with the refreshments, Larry runs the videos and slide presentations and I'm the emcee. The 3 of us work like a well oiled machine we've done so many ceremonies this year. Unfortunately, Larry was sick with bronchitis the day of the graduation and wasn't going to come in. I don't know why, but his absence really threw me. I solved the immediate problem by training someone else, but I was utterly stressed and panicked. In the back of my mind I kept wondering why I was reacting the way I was. I've stage managed many theatre productions! Late entrances, missing props, set issues, costume malfunctions-nothing had thrown me like this before.

Lately during quiet moments, whether I'm at work or home, my face takes on a puzzled expression as my mind wanders. Cade said I looked worried.

Ken noticed something. Cade noticed something. And I can't shake the feel that something is, not necessarily wrong, but I just don't feel right.

Box Office Assistant

I love to bring Cade with me when I am working box office. He is quite the little worker. As patrons were checking in, I would ask Cade to get their numbered program. Cade handed them the programs, then gave them the "house will open at 7:30pm. enjoy the show." spiel.

A Book, A Boy and His Dog

This was definitely one of those Kodak moments. Two things that absolutely warm my heart; Cade is reading and Commander is keeping him company.

First Rehearsal

Tonight was our first night of rehearsals for "The Vagina Monologues." It was mainly a read through. We skipped the opening number, since I haven't assigned parts as of yet. We also skipped the Say, Wear piece. There are two other pieces Sisters and Over It that I can't quite figure out what to do with. As I knew Peg wouldn't make it tonight and with Kofi dropping out, I just told the cast I'd assign those parts when our cast was firmed and together.

The good news is that we do have a woman of color for the Coochi Snorcher piece. Devon and I mentioned to Portia that we needed some African American representation. She made a phone call and Monica showed up. I'm so glad to have her. With the help of the SDJ Foundation, she's a survivor of domestic abuse. She spoke about her experience, which really helped us focus on why we are doing the show.

Portia asked us to don Foundation shirts and pose for a publicity shot for their website. These are my V ladies!

"It's For You, Mom."

When Cade got home from school today, he very gently pulled something out of his backpack. It was wrapped in a paper towel and he was very worried it was broken. As he carefully pulled back the towel, he started smiling.

Here it is hanging in my office.

Cade and Commander

Two weeks and it's still love!

Cages or wings?
Which do you prefer?
Ask the birds.

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.