Press ReleaseHow One Community Group is Fighting Addiction with Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues
V-Day PKB the Vagina Monologues 2020 will present The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler on Saturday, February 15th at 8:00 p.m. at the Actors Guild Annex located at 716 Market Street, Parkersburg, West Virginia. This first annual production of the international hit will be performed as a benefit for the newly opened Hope Recovery Manor on Market Street, a nonprofit organization which aims to provide long-term addiction recovery support for women across the Mid-Ohio Valley by providing safe, supportive housing while working to obtain gainful employment and learn holistic life skills for maintaining long-term sobriety.
Named one of the most important plays of the past 25 years by The New York Times, the award-winning play is based on V-Day Founder/playwright Eve Ensler’s interviews with more than 200 women. With humor and grace, the piece celebrates sexuality and strength. Through this play and the liberation of this one word, countless people throughout the world have taken control of their bodies and their lives. The ‘V’ in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine, and Vagina and the V-Day Vagina Monologues script has developed over the past 21 years as a way of combating gender-based violence, changing and updating each year to maintain relevance to modern issues. It consists of a series of monologues about various women’s experiences, from reveling in their sexuality to sexual assault to, of course, vaginas. It has been performed around the globe in multitudes of languages, empowering whole communities to combat gender-based violence and raise funds for local charities.
This year, there are over 1,000 V-Day events happening worldwide! Each event is individually curated by local teams who strive to make positive changes in their communities. Megan Newbanks, producer and director of V-Day PKB the Vagina Monologues 2020, describes the event as “It’s not just about vaginas, and not even just about fundraising for long-term addiction recovery, but rather it is a celebration of the Mid-Ohio Valley and its people. We have a large cast of women who come from a wide range of ages, backgrounds, experiences, and occupations participating. We will have information available from community organizations before and after the performance to inform the public about resources available to them, including on-site voter registration provided by Wood County Clerk Mark Rhodes.” Cast members are Randi Wilson, Sue Lamp, Corinne Full, Kalina Barton Jones, Megan Newbanks, Meredith Harra, Randi Marshall, Eliza Hyde, Marsha Mueller, Alyssa Gleason, Danielle Thrasher, Katie Rowley, Em Hairl, and Veronica Fields.
The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. to give everyone the opportunity to visit with representatives of organizations ranging from arts and culture to health care resources and more. This local event aims to bring this powerful piece of theater to the MOV while increasing community unity in combating the issues of addiction, abuse, and other gender-based violence.
Entry to the show will be by suggested cash donation of $10 or of equivalent donation of needed items for the New Hope Recovery Manor – hygiene products, toiletries, paper goods, or nonperishable foods for their pantry. This event is not able to process electronic payments. All are welcome, but the show does feature mature themes that may not be suited to everybody. Anyone needing further information or community organization interested in having space at this event can find our Facebook Event page (linked below) or contact the V-Day PKB committee via Facebook. This event is wheelchair accessible.