Tuesday 15th February and Wednesday 2nd March 2005
Directed by Paul Millington and Robin Hall
The Vagina Monologues is a feisty, sensitive, touching, funny and sad piece of theatre, quite unlike anything else.
This is a joint production with Portsmouth Rape Crisis Centre as part of VDAY 2005. The aims of VDAY are to raise awareness of the violence faced by women and girls, and to raise funds to stop it. Our production will raise funds for this year’s nominated VDAY charity – this year ‘Women of Iraq Under Seige’ – and primarily for the Portsmouth Area Rape Crisis Service (PARCS)
EVE ENSLER is the Obie-Award-winning author of THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, translated into over 35 languages and running in theaters all over the world. Her experience performing The Vagina Monologues inspired her to create V-Day, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. Ms. Ensler’s performance in THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES can be seen in the HBO original documentary of the play (2002).
Ms. Ensler has devoted her life to stopping violence, envisioning a planet in which women and girls will be free to thrive, rather than merely survive. THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES is based on Ensler's interviews with more than 200 women. With humour and grace the piece celebrates womens’ sexuality and strength.
Ms. Ensler opened her newest work, THE GOOD BODY at the Booth Theatre on Broadway in November 2004. The play was presented this summer in a very successful engagement at ACT in San Francisco, following a workshop production at Seattle Repertory Theatre. Other plays include Necessary Targets, Conviction, Lemonade, The Depot, Floating Rhoda and the Glue Man, and EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES. THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, THE GOOD BODY, NECESSARY TARGETS have both been published by Villard/Random House, as will Ms. Ensler’s upcoming two new works, V-WORLD and I AM AN EMOTIONAL CREATURE.
Ms. Ensler is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship Award in Playwriting, the Berrilla-Kerr Award for Playwriting, the Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Solo Performance, and the Jury Award for Theater at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, as well as the 2002 Amnesty International Media Spotlight Award for Leadership and The Matrix Award (2002). She is Chair of the Women's Committee of PEN American Center and is an Executive Producer of WHAT I WANT MY WORDS TO DO TO YOU, a documentary about the writing group she has led since 1998 at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women. The film had its world premiere at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival where it received the "Freedom Of Expression" award and premiered nationally on PBS’s "P.O.V." in December 2003. In May 2003, she received an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree from her alma mater, Middlebury College.
V–Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V–Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalize the spirit of existing anti–violence organizations. V–Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual slavery.
Through V–Day campaigns, local volunteers and college students produce annual benefit performances of The Vagina Monologues to raise awareness and funds for anti-violence groups within their own communities. In 2004, over 2000 V–Day benefit events were presented by volunteer activists in the U.S. and around the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls.
Performance is just the beginning. V–Day stages large–scale benefits and produces innovative gatherings, films and campaigns to educate and change social attitudes towards violence against women including the documentary Until the Violence Stops; community briefings on the missing and murdered women of Juárez, Mexico; the December 2003 V–Day delegation trip to Israel, Palestine, Egypt and Jordan; the Afghan Women's Summit; the March 2004 delegation to India; the Stop Rape Contest, the Indian Country Project, and Love Your Tree.
In Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, V–Day commits ongoing support to build movements and anti-violence networks. Working with local organizations, V–Day provided hard-won funding that helped open the first shelters for women in Egypt and Iraq, sponsored annual workshops and three national campaigns in Afghanistan, convened the "Confronting Violence" conference of South Asian women leaders, and donated satellite–phones to Afghan women to keep lines of communication open and action plans moving forward. Beginning Fall 2004 from Cairo, V-Day will work in–depth to build networks ending violence against women and girls in Egypt, Sudan, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.
The V–Day movement is growing at a rapid pace throughout the world, in 76 countries from Europe to Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, and all of North America. V-Day, a non-profit corporation, distributes funds to grassroots, national and international organizations and programs that work to stop violence against women and girls. In its first year of incorporation (2001), V–Day was named one of Worth Magazine's "100 Best Charities." In seven years, the V–Day movement has raised over $25 million.
The 'V' in V–Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina.
For more information and inspiration, see the V–Day Website
PARCS is V–Day Portsmouth 2005’s main beneficiary. Diana Warren–Holland, Chief Executive of PARCS writes:
Welcome to "The Vagina Monologues" and thank you for supporting V–Day Portsmouth 2005. I would like also to say some specific thank yous. First, my warm and sincere thanks to Zoe Lodrick, V–Day Portsmouth 2005 Organizer. Zoe is a Senior Practitioner at PARCS and has skilfully balanced her therapeutic work with survivors of sexual violation with the role of V–Day organizer. She has carried out this with her usual creativity and flair — thanks Zoe.
I would also like to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to Amanda Eels, Havant Arts Centre Director, and to Robin Hall and Paul Millington, production Directors, and to all the cast and crew. Everyone has worked incredibly hard and with great enthusiasm and dedication to make V–Day Portsmouth 2005 a huge success. My admiration and appreciation to them all.
PARCS works therapeutically with women, men and young people who have been sexually violated. Those who use this service are not from one discrete social group. Sexual violation can affect anyone at any time, age, social class, gender, ethnicity, affluence or poverty do not of necessity protect. Such is the legacy of rape and sexual violation, many people experience a range of mental health problems following rape/sexual violation. These may include a lack of self–esteem and confidence, depression, self–harm, attempted suicide, eating distress, drug and alcohol misuse and a general feeling of ‘being out of control’. Frequently relationships are difficult to maintain and sexual relationships are adversely affected. Marriages/partnerships may break under the strain. Parenting skills may also be affected and the family dynamic may change dramatically. Young people may opt out of the education system or underachieve academically. Trusting people may become nigh on impossible and a sense of ‘being alone’ and loneliness may compound existing negative feelings.
PARCS provides a face to face counselling and psychotherapy service, a telephone helpline service, and a range of groups in response to need and staff availability. Services are delivered by a qualified staff team and trained volunteers. All staff and volunteers receive professional supervision for their work with survivors of sexual violation.
The service is free of charge at the point of delivery and is supported primarily by Portsmouth City Council. Others who support PARCS include Health, Hampshire County Council, Hampshire Police Authority and Havant Borough Council. The Service also receives donations from a range of individuals and organizations.
However, there is always much to be done in terms of enhanced service provision and the money raised from V–Day Portsmouth 2005 will enable us to better respond to those who require our Services.
On behalf of myself, my Chairman and Board of Trustees, my staff and volunteer team and of course our Service Users, thank you for your interest, support and generosity.
1 in 4 women suffer rape, at least once, in their lifetime (Rape Crisis Federation Wales and England).
Although domestic violence is chronically under reported, research shows that:
6-10% of women suffer domestic violence in any given year. 25% of women experience domestic violence in their lifetime.
(Council of Europe, 2002)
47% of female homicide victims, compared with 4% of male homicide victims, were killed by their current or former partners in England and Wales in the year 2000/2001.
(Women’s Aid)
It is estimated that 100 women every day are raped in the UK
(UK Crime Survey, 2002)
The most common cause of death amongst pregnant women in the US is homicide, which accounts for more deaths than complications with the pregnancy. The vast majority of these women are killed by the father of their unborn baby.
Every minute in the United Kingdom, the police receive a call from the public for assistance for domestic violence.
(Women’s Aid)
36% of the people who attended PARCS for counselling in 2003/2004 had reported the rape/abuse to the police. Of those, 79% had been unsuccessful in securing a conviction.
Overall, of the 443 offenders involved in the rapes and abuses disclosed to PARCS counsellors in 2003/2004 only 2% were found guilty of the crimes they committed.
(PARCS annual report 2003/2004)
| Introduction | Amanda Eels, Jo Bone, Steph Chaplin |
| Hair | Sally Hartley |
| Wear and Say | Joy Kelsey, Laura Bradshaw and Sarah MacLaughlin |
| The Flood | Ingrid Corrigan |
| The Vagina Workshop | Sue Dawes |
| Because He Liked To Look At It | Sharman Callam |
| Vagina Happy Fact | Lorraine Galliers |
| I Was Twelve. My Mother Slapped Me | Elizabeth Williams, Karen Polley, Steph Chaplen, Zoë Chapman |
| Not So Happy Fact | Lorraine Galliers |
| They Beat The Girl Out Of Me | Helen Murfin, Kim Hosier, Sal Swann |
| My Angry Vagina | Jo Bone |
| INTERVAL | |
| My Vagina Was My Village | Lorraine Galliers |
| The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could | Lynda Fleming |
| Smell | Joy Kelsey, Laura Bradshaw, Sarah MacLaughlin |
| My Short Skirt | Andrea Summers |
| Reclaiming Cunt | Sally Hartley |
| A Six Year Old Girl Was Asked ... | Gina Farmer |
| The Woman Who Loved To Make Vaginas Happy | Zoe Lodrick |
| I Was There In The Room | Amanda Eels |
The production owes a debt of gratitude to Tim Taylor and Andrew Caple from the Bench for invaluable technical assistance. We must also acknowledge the support of Amanda and her team at HAC (particularly Simon).
We have both directed before, and wanted to again, and when PARCS approached the Bench to ask if anyone would like to be involved in a fundraising production we didn’t hesitate to say "yes".
There are lots of things that appeal; plenty of challenging parts for women for one (there never seem to be enough to go around). The show has everything — it is funny, sad, moving, easy to relate to, real and both profound and intelligent. It will make you laugh and cry in the same evening and give you things to think about for a few weeks and beyond.
It is refreshing to be able to talk about vaginas without having to be embarrassed, to accept that a vagina is no more shameful than ones knee or hand. (After all, more than 50% of us have one, and most of the rest of the population seem to be quite keen on them.) This show has received a lot of attention, but much of that has been ‘tabloid’ in nature, cries of outrage at the rude language, prudish fascination at who has dared to perform it, but not (that we have seen) a lot of sensible discussion.
These pieces have a lot to say about vaginas. They also have a lot to say about women and how they see themselves, and how that is affected by the attitudes they encounter towards themselves and their bodies. They are as much of interest to men as to women, and we’re sure that everyone will find something here that they can relate to.
Performing a monologue, or in a very small group, can be an unnerving experience, and directing such a piece daunting. We have been very fortunate to work with such a lovely, adventurous, easygoing group of women (and so many of them) who have made this a joy. Some of the performers you see tonight are already famed for their talents; some are completely new to the stage and all have been willing to offer something of themselves through their acting.
Many people have worked very hard to make tonight happen in order to raise money for an excellent cause. If we have done any hard work we were having too much fun to notice. We hope you find it as rewarding to watch in performance as we did in rehearsal.
Paul Millington and Robin Hall