2013 Auditions for ‘The Vagina Monologues’!

Auditions for our 2013 production of The Vagina Monologues will be held on Sunday, March 10th from 6-9pm at the offices of UNIDOS Against Domestic Violence in Madison, WI.

This year we will be presenting a bi-lingual, reader’s theatre production to benefit UNIDOS.
We are looking for both Spanish and English speakers for this production!  No previous acting experience is necessary. 

Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script – a prepared audition is not necessary or required.

90% of all proceeds from our 2013 production will benefit UNIDOS Against Domestic Violence, and 10% will benefit the V-Day Organization’s One Billion Rising Campaign. UNIDOS’ mission is to provide a bridge to a safe environment through assessment, direct support, referral, education, training and collaboration to break the cycle of domestic violence in Latino communities, one family at a time.

Rehearsals will begin on March 24th – with a total of ten rehearsals and ending with three performances on Saturday, April 27th at 2pm and 7:30pm, and Sunday, April 28th at 2pm at the Brink Lounge.

For more information you can call Anne Fischer at 314.327.9004, or Heather Pickering at 605.786.4175.  

Also join our Facebook page!

The Vagina Monologues were written and created by Eve Ensler, co-founder of the V-Day Organization, after she interviewed over 200 women from all over the world. This show is a series of monologues based on these interviews and other women’s stories of their sexuality, giving voice to experiences and feelings not previously exposed in public. With humor and grace, each piece celebrates women’s sexuality and strength.

We will be performing in April as it has been designated Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) in the United States; to raise public awareness about sexual violence and to educate communities and individuals on how to prevent sexual violence. The performances will be done in the style of reader’s theatre, and acting experience is not necessary to be a part of this production. 

Sneak Peek of MMRP!

Here is a taste of what ‘A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer’ will be bringing to Madison this Tuesday, April 24th and Wednesday, April 25th.

We are performing at The Brink Lounge (see map) in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.  Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 8pm!

All tickets are sold at the door, first come first serve, for $7 a person.  All proceeds will be donated to non-profits that support women and girls in need.  For more info, please visit our 2012 Beneficiaries page.

Also check out our Facebook event page!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T this Vagina!

In spring 2011, I not only had the great opportunity of organizing A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer (MMRP) in Vienna, Austria, but I also had the wonderful pleasure of working with Jessie Emkic, an extremely creative and inspiring woman.  For our production of MMRP, she created this awesome video based around Aretha Franklin’s ‘RESPECT’, with powerful images of women and girls from all walks of life. Through MMRP and this video, we urge everyone to respect, love and appreciate women and their vaginas.

If you would like to see our 2012 production of MMRP in Madison, WI, please join us on April 24th and 25th at The Brink Lounge (see map) in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.  

Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 8pm!  All tickets are sold at the door, first come first serve, for $7 a person.  

Also check out our Facebook event page!

Rape Culture and MMRP

Rape Culture: Men, Women, and Power — The Good Men Project.  I recently read this article about rape culture in ‘The Good Men Project’, an up-and-coming online magazine that aims to “[foster] a national discussion centered around modern manhood”, and seeks to answer the question, “What does it mean to be a good man?”  With brutal honesty, the author breaks down how all of us, including those who strongly oppose this insidious crime, are a part of this rape culture that is continually passed on throughout the years.

This particular article caught my attention, as well as a similar one just the other day about the myth that Men Are Horny, and Women Are Not, for two reasons: for one, both articles address a multitude of serious, and difficult, issues surrounding rape, gender and sexuality in ways that are progressive, intriguing and almost always on point; and two, both articles, and the whole magazine for that matter, are written by men.

Now I’m sure there are some feminists out there screaming that men have always had a voice and it’s still the women’s turn until we reach ‘gender equality’, which has so many nuances that few can actually define what this really is.  I agree that women need the world to hear their voices (and I have based much of my life’s work to get those voices heard), but silencing men’s stories and experiences in lieu of women’s will only make the problem worse.  The great thing about ‘The Good Men Project’ is that it not only gives men a space to voice their opinions on these sensitive and difficult matters, it urges men to debunk myths about them, allows them to grow and think and challenge themselves and others, and it ultimately fosters a growing culture of men who want to lead good lives alongside women.  This sure is a great start to challenging the persistent rape culture that exists in essentially every corner of the world.

MMRP (A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer) is another great challenge to rape culture in both the developed and developing world, as well as the myth that ‘all men are rapists’.  MMRP also provides space for local men to have their voices heard alongside women’s, it challenges men to think about who they are and want to be, and it allows them to join in the local and global movement to stop violence against women and girls, and ultimately the whole culture of violence that afflicts so many in the world.

In my many years of women’s rights activism, one of the most important things that I have learned is that men are just as important as women in efforts to eradicate sexual violence and gendered discrimination.  If men are the primary perpetrators of sexual violence and still essentially run the world, then we need to find ways to tap into their minds and power and work with them to eliminate these horrific crimes.  Plus, if we women want men to listen to us and our stories, and really take us seriously, we ought to at least do the same for them by cultivating a culture of open discussion, thought, and mutual respect.  MMRP and ‘The Good Men Project’ are both great steps in this direction.

If you would like to see our local performance of MMRP, join us at The Brink Lounge on April 24th and 25th at 8pm.  The doors open at 7pm, and tickets are first come first serve, for $7/person at the door.  Also check out our Facebook event page.

All proceeds from these shows will be donated to:

UNIDOS Against Domestic Violence (45%). For more info, please visit their website or Facebook page.

Working Capital for Community Needs/Ocho de Marzo (45%). For more information, click here.

V-Day Organization’s Spotlight Campaign in Haiti (10%).  For more information, click here.

All scripts and other materials are provided by the V-Day Organization, a global non-profit that works to stop violence against women and girls.  V-Day Madison 2012 is fiscally sponsored by UNIDOS Against Domestic Violence, and is also supported by Working Capital for Community Needs (WCCN) and Food Fight Restaurant Group.

Missed The Vagina Monologues, or really miss it? Come see MMRP!

V-Day Madison 2012, the local movement to stop violence against women and girls, is putting on TWO shows this year! So if you missed The Vagina Monologues, or you simply love the show and want to see more, then come to our performance of A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer!

A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer (MMRP) is a ground-breaking collection of monologues written by world-renowned authors and playwrights, and edited by Mollie Doyle and Eve Ensler (co-founder of V-Day and author of The Vagina Monologues).  These diverse voices rise up in a collective roar to break open, expose, and examine the insidiousness of violence at all levels: brutality, neglect, a punch, even a put-down.

Our 2012 performances of MMRP in Madison feature 11 of these powerful stories, including several pieces written and performed by men.  These men’s voices are alongside the women’s in moving, and much-needed, solidarity.

We will be performing on April 24th and 25th at The Brink Lounge (see map) in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.  Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 8pm!  All tickets are sold at the door, first come first serve, for $7 a person.  Also check out our Facebook event page!

All proceeds from these shows will be donated to:

UNIDOS Against Domestic Violence (45%). For more info, please visit their website or Facebook page.

Working Capital for Community Needs/Ocho de Marzo (45%). For more information, click here.

V-Day Organization’s Spotlight Campaign in Haiti (10%).  For more information, click here.

All scripts and other materials are provided by the V-Day Organization, a global non-profit that works to stop violence against women and girls.  V-Day Madison 2012 is fiscally sponsored by UNIDOS Against Domestic Violence, and is also supported by Working Capital for Community Needs (WCCN) and Food Fight Restaurant Group.

The Vagina Monologues Are This Week!

Our 2012 performances of The Vagina Monologues are this Tuesday, March 6th and Wednesday, March 7th at 7:30pm.  We are performing at The Brink Lounge (see map) in honor of International Women’s Day. Also visit our Facebook event page.

Doors open at 6:45pm, and the show starts at 7:30pm!  All tickets are sold at the door, first come first serve, for $7 a person.

All proceeds from these shows will be donated to: UNIDOS Against Domestic Violence (45%), Working Capital for Community Needs/Ocho de Marzo (45%), and the V-Day Organization’s Spotlight Campaign in Haiti (10%).

You don’t want to miss this show!!

In order to support our fundraising efforts, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) generously donated a gorgeous, purple, decorative scarf, which is now up for auction on eBay! 100% of the final selling cost of this item will be donated to the beneficiaries of V-Day Madison 2012.  The retail price of this scarf is $150. Hurry, for the auction ends Thursday, March 8th! 

Also join us at Tex Tubb’s Taco Palace on March 8th and April 26th for a PINKARITA!  $2 from each sold will benefit V-Day Madison 2012 and our local movement to stop violence against women and girls.  They will also be accepting donations throughout the months of March and April.  Please support businesses that support our cause! 

The Vagina Monologues Are Coming Soon!

Our performances this year of The Vagina Monologues will be on March 6th and 7th at The Brink Lounge (see map) in honor of International Women’s Day.  Doors open at 6:45pm, and the show starts at 7:30pm!  All tickets are sold at the door, first come first serve, for $7 a person.

All proceeds from these shows will be donated to:

UNIDOS Against Domestic Violence (45%). For more info, please visit their website or Facebook page.

Working Capital for Community Needs/Ocho de Marzo (45%). For more information, click here.

V-Day Organization’s Spotlight Campaign in Haiti (10%).  For more information, click here.

Also visit our Facebook event page!

Auditions for V-Day 2012!

Are you interested in being a part of the movement to stop violence against women and girls?

Audition for V-Day 2012!

This year we will be performing two shows: The Vagina Monologues (TVMs) and A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer (MMRP).

Dates: January 24th and 26th

Time: 5:30-8:30pm

Place: 122 State St. 4th Floor, Rm. 407  (see map)

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ROOM # HAS CHANGED.  AUDITIONS WILL NOW BE ON THE 4TH FLOOR IN ROOM 407.  IF YOU HAVE ANY TROUBLE FINDING US, OR IF THE ELEVATOR IS LOCKED, CALL ANNE FISCHER AT 314.327.9004.

All are welcome to join our cause, on or off stage! Men are also encouraged to participate! No experience necessary!!!

Audition pieces will be provided upon arrival.

Venue and performance dates are TBD.  As of now, we will most likely be performing TVMs the week of March 8th, specifically the 6th, 7th and/or 8th, in honor of International Women’s Day, and MMRP the last week of April, likely the 25th and 26th.  Rehearsals will be at the same location as auditions, and will be held once or twice a week beginning the week following auditions.  There will also be a dress rehearsal during the afternoon of both opening nights.

Also check out our Facebook event page and invite your friends!

If you are not available during these audition times, but would still like to participate, please contact Anne Fischer at 314.327.9004, or via email at anne-fischer@live.com.

For more information about these shows and the V-Day Organization, please visit the About page, as well as vday.org.