Coordinated by Mary Goggin and Johanna Longbotham, the event is designed to allow women literally to “take up space” with their bodies and be safe expressing themselves. Longbotham says, “It’s really exciting to see that the world is waking up… There’s so much on the news about what’s happening with women all over the world. I find it very positive.”
“The way our government and our courts look at violence against women is as isolated incidents that happen to people, rather than as the human rights issue it should be,” adds Goggin, referring to the rape culture that exists. “And the whole concept of dancing, it ignites an energy among women, especially when we dance together. It raises that free spirit and the energy.”
“It doesn’t have to be about anger and rage and freaking out,” says Longbotham. “It can be about hope and joy. We can change things.”
One Billion Rising events are free and open to all. To help or preregister for the Kingston event, please contact [email protected] or call (917) 972-3907. In New Paltz, contact Goggin at (845) 702-4506 or e-mail [email protected]. And in Po-town, contact [email protected] or call (845) 452-7155.
Monologues from Eve Ensler’s anthology A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant and a Prayer: Writings to End Violence against Women & Girls will be performed on Friday and Saturday, February 15 and 16 at BSP Lounge on Wall Street in Kingston, and again on Saturday, February 23 at the Oasis Lounge on Main Street in New Paltz. Unlike the Vagina Monologues, which presents exclusively female voices, this anthology includes the words of men who have also born witness to and endured the effects of violent aggression against women and girls. In Howard Zinn’s piece “The Closet,” for example, a father’s sudden explosion of anger discloses the depth of fear and horror that even a mild version of domestic violence can impose on a household. He writes, “We cannot abide by the violence one miserable person lets loose on another. We must shout and scream, as I and my brothers did, until it stops.”
A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant and a Prayer offers works by an extensive host of writers, all penned to express the equally extensive manner in which interpersonal violence affects us all. These diverse voices rise up in a collective roar to break open, expose and examine the insidiousness of violence at all levels, whether it be brutality, neglect, a punch, even a put-down. “Speaking so that we are in community, in conscience, in concern,” writes Ensler, brings the epidemic of abuse to light. It legitimizes the experiences of women and raises social consciousness, as “The story of women is the story of life itself.”
Actress and activist Jane Fonda, who also contributed to the book, writes about how disassociation from trauma happens – not only on a personal level when one is assaulted, but also on a mass societal level, causing us to avoid seeing violence against women on all levels as an inherent part of male dominance. She writes, “We need to hold in our hearts a bigger vision of a world in which both men and women are able to be full human beings, in control of their bodies and their hearts, respecting others’ bodies and hearts.”
Selected pieces will be done at each of the three performances by Erica Pivko, Rebecca Rich, Noah McGrath, Rosalyn Raponi, Brandy Walters, Teressa Delcampo, Alexandria Medina, Bethany Goldpaugh Brown, Jessica Edelman, Lara Hope – original producer of The Vagina Monologues in the local V-Day group that calls itself “Vagina Warriors” – John Goldpaugh, Sjauna Buttacavoli, Matt Goldpaugh, Rosemay Smith, Elissa Jane Mastel and Emily Carragher. Mastel and Carragher co-direct the production.
“We tried to find a mixture of pieces that were funny and pieces that were hard to handle, to get a well-rounded show,” says Mastel. Of adding male voices to the program, she says, “There was a democratic process in getting to this point… I was a little nervous when I asked the group, ‘How do you feel about men joining the show this year?’ There was a lot of dialogue between us. We relished that we could do this every year with no drama, all getting along, bonding and having this very empowering ‘vagina’ experience. But people were very excited to bring that element in and see what plays out.”
Mastel talks about how many women never think that abuse could happen to them. When asked why she is involved in V-Day, she says, “Abuse is everywhere in many forms. I’ve seen it in my own life, in my friends’ lives. It affects everyone. When we support Family of Woodstock, we’re supporting our neighbor. The money we raise is going to go right there. I believe we all have a rock bottom. For some women, getting hit once is enough. One date-rape moment in college is enough. For some women, it’s more. It might be a bunch of times, or when he hits the kids. When we feel that rock bottom, that desperation: that’s when you ask for help. It’s my hope that we are reaching that one woman who doesn’t know she can ask for help.”
Showtimes are at 8 p.m. Admission costs $10, and the proceeds will go to Family of Woodstock’s Domestic Violence Services. Contact Mastel and the V-Day Hudson Valley crew at (917) 300-8882, or e-mail [email protected] for further information. Items for auction and raffle during intermission and after the performance – and of course, financial donations – are still being accepted. Tax-deductible donations can be made at www.facebook.com/pages/the-washbourne-house/124321594816?fref=ts. All funds raised at local V-Day events are used to support women and families here in the Hudson Valley. Read more about V-Day at www.vday.org.
