V-Day Westport 2010 is proud to present its inaugural event, a benefit performance of Eve Ensler's award winning play The Vagina Monologues. This marks the coming together of women from all walks of life, some actors, others activists, some first time performers to raise funds and awareness to end violence against women and girls locally and globally. Guest performers include New York Times best selling author, Jane Green; novelist and screenwriter Dani Shapiro; and the Host of Channel 8's Connecticut Style, Desiree Fontaine, with more luminaries to be announced.
The Vagina Monologues will be directed by Jill Jaysen of the award winning Center Stage Theatre Company and performed at Westport Country Playhouse on Sunday, March 7, 2010 with performances at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Reserved seating tickets are $25.00 and $35.00 and may be purchased through Westport Country Playhouse by calling their Box Office at 203.227.4177 or through their web site at www.westportplayhouse.org.
"It has been both a privilege and an honor to authentically connect with the lives of these women and in so doing, with ourselves. A true collaboration of the heart; one which has resulted in our awareness, strengthening and unification, both on and off the stage. A very powerful dynamic, indeed," said Jill Jaysen, Director of V-Day Westport 2010's production of The Vagina Monologues.
Our local beneficiary, Domestic Violence Crisis Center (DVCC) will receive 90% of the productions net profits The DVCC is the only domestic violence agency serving the communities of Stamford, Norwalk, Westport, Darien, New Canaan, Wilton and Weston. The remaining 10% will go to V-Day's City of Joy, Women of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a campaign to end the rape and torture of women and girls as a weapon of war designed to decimate entire villages.
"The DVCC is thrilled to be a part of this exciting and powerful production and we thank everyone involved for their hours of work toward making this a successful event and for their commitment to ending violence against women and children throughout our local and international communities," said Rachelle Kucera Mehra, Executive Director of the Domestic Violence Crisis Center.
Hailed by The New York Times as "funny" and "poignant" and by the Daily News as "intelligent" and "courageous," The Vagina Monologues, which was first performed in 1998 off-Broadway by Ms. Ensler, dives into the mystery, humor, pain, power, wisdom, outrage and excitement buried in women's experiences. "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 balm and a benediction," Variety.
In 2001, V-Day was named one of Worth Magazine's "100 Best Charities" and in 2006 one of Marie Claire Magazine's Top Ten Charities. In eleven years, the V-Day movement has raised over $70 million. The V-Day movement is growing at a rapid pace throughout the world, in 130 countries from Europe to Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, and all of North America. V-Day Westport 2010 is proud to join over 4200 communities hosting V-Day benefits around the world.
To sponsor or learn more about V-Day Westport 2010 e-mail the organization at vdaywestporttvm@gmail.com To learn more about V-Day and its campaigns visit www.vday.org.
