By Michelle Vink
This year, Peace over Violence national spokesperson & celebrated actress, Calista Flockhart helped create a different kind of Valentine’s Day in Santa Monica. With a high profile cast and crew, Calista and her colleagues performed a passionate series of monologues that stirred emotions and brought women’s issues to light in celebration of the global movement, V-Day. This particular event was to benefit both Peace over Violence and The V-day Fund.
Over ten years ago, Eve Ensler, playwright and author of The Vagina Monologues, launched V-Day to raise money and awareness or women’s anti violence groups. The cornerstone of their fundraising is through thousands of performances of Eve’s Obie Award winning play across the globe performed between Feb 1st and March 31st.
These special performances of The Vagina Monologues are updated each year with a new monologue to highlight a current issue with women. The overall theme of the episodic play is to openly discuss topics relating to the female, using the vagina as a recurring symbol to create a feeling of female empowerment and initiate change in women’s oppression and help end violence against women and young girls.
Veteran actress, director and daughter of TV Legend Greg Morris, Iona Morris directed the production. "Women are castrated in Africa, flogged in some Arab countries because they laughed or wore white socks, baby girls killed in China because, with the one child per family law, families want a boy, in Afghanistan a law was just passed that gives a husband the right to rape his wife so sex no longer needs consent from his spouse and on and on and shamefully on.”
Iona continues, “V-Day is important because it brings focus to these things and many other atrocities that are committed against women all over the world. There's another reason why Eve Ensler's play is important - women for the first time are given permission to speak their truths about their vaginas, which has given women freedom,”
This monumental performance at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica began with an opening address by Rosario Dawson and a musical “foreplay” by Chris Pierce. The cast included Calista Flockhart, Oscar-winner Christine Lahti, Emmy-winner Doris Roberts from Everybody Loves Raymond, Penny Johnson Jerald from 24, Fairuza Balk of the indie hit Almost Famous and The Waterboy, Comedian Debra Skelton (formerly known as Debra Wilson), Tricia Leigh Fischer of 7th Heaven, and author/actress Elaine Kagan among others. The cast also featured Zoi Katas, theater artist D’Lo, and V-Day Santa Monica producers Wendy Hammers and Deborah Kagan.
Immediately following the performance was also a silent auction to raise additional funds at the exclusive after-party at Lexus Santa Monica with catering from Chef Sherie Farah and Urth Caffe, music by KCRW’s DJ Jeremy Sole and beverage by O.N.E. Natural Experience.
“Nothing touches my heart more than the message to end violence against women and young girls,” Susan Miller, owner of Pittsburgh Candle Co., comments who is also a survivor of domestic violence.
Many other community partners and sponsors like Susan Miller came on board to be a part of this worthy cause. A gift bag was presented to the celebrity cast that included the following:
- A Gorgeous tote bag supplied by Moonsus (www.moonsus.com)
- Earrings by Nandi Designs (www.nandidesignsjewelry.com)
- Suds N Such Soap-to-Go portable soap (www.sudsnsuch.etsy.com)
- Best-selling book What Would You Do If You Ran The World? by Shelly Rachanow
- Twisted Limb Paperhandmadenotes (www.twistedlimbpaper.com)
- A Membership to Step-Up Women's Network (www.suwn.org),
- Pittsburgh Candle Company Soy Hand Lotion Candles (www.pittsburghcandlecompany.com)
- Carrying case from Portapocket (www.portapocket.com)
- “Here and Now” CD by Katrina Carlson (www.katrinacarlson.com)
- Gift certificate from psychic medium and trainer Megan M. Riley (www.meganmriley.com)
- Amoriss and Chocolean wellness and satiety chocolates from Phytobase (www.phytobase.com)
- Chocolate Body Powder from My Pleasure (www.mypleasure.com)
- Chewable probiotic formulations from Vidazorb (www.vidazorb.com)
- A gift certificate from a complimentary casting for Bronze Mask Project from master sculptor, PeterHarper (www.last3rhinos.com)
- Gourmet Chocolates by Intemperantia (www.intemperantia.com)
- "I'm A Natural" totes from natural and organic beauty emporium Beautorium (www.beautorium.com)
- Tooth Whitening from Pacific Dental Car (www.pacificdentalcare.org)
- Sake liqueur by TY KU (www.trytyku.com)
- The Che Way (www.thecheway.com) and a copy of Hollywood’s own H Magazine (www.hmagazine.com).
Joy Donnell of 720 PR is another supporter of this important cause. "This is my fourth year working on a local V-Day campaign and I continue to be moved by the outpouring of time and passion that the producers, talent, crew, and volunteers put toward this show. Ending violence against women is a world agenda, and V-Day helps bring this issue to the forefront.
If Hollywood continues to use their voice to create powerful change and awareness in the world, maybe women without a voice can finally be heard.
For more information about V-day: www.v-day.org
For more information about Peace Over Violence: www.peaceoverviolence.org
To Contact Michelle Vink: www.mvink.com
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