THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES V-Day Benefit Performance Set for HERE Arts Center, 2/18-19

This February marks the 15th anniversary of V-Day, the global activist movement to end violence against women and girls. On February 18th and 19th, 2013, at 7pm, a V-Day benefit production of Eve Ensler's award winning play The Vagina Monologues will be directed by Andrea Bertola at HERE in New York City, where The Vagina Monologues was first produced in 1996.

This V-Day production is supported by HERE, which provides artists with subsidized space and equipment, as well as technical support. The show will benefit viBe Theater Experience, a non-profit performing arts/ education organization that produces original, free theater, music and videos about real-life issues written and performed by under-served teen girls. Each year community members and artists such as Andrea Bertola, join the V-Day Campaign to produce annual benefit performances of "The Vagina Monologues" and other artistic works by Eve Ensler to raise awareness and funds for anti-violence groups within their own communities.

This production joins activists around the world for ONE BILLION RISING, the largest call of action in the history of V-Day. ONE BILLION RISING began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. This coming February, V-Day's 15th anniversary, we will join activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities, and women and men across the world as we express their outrage, demand change, strike, dance, and RISE in defiance of the injustices women suffer, demanding an end at last to violence against women.

"When we started V-Day 14 years ago, we had the outrageous idea that we could end violence against women," said Ensler. "Now, we are both stunned and thrilled to see that this global action is truly escalating and gaining force, with union workers, parliament members, celebrities, and women of all backgrounds coming forward to join the campaign. When we come together to demand an end to violence against women and girls it will be a truly global voice that will rise up."

One in three women on the planet is raped or beaten in her lifetime. That is ONE BILLION WOMEN violated. One billion daughters, mothers, grandmothers, sisters, lovers and friends. On 14th February 2013, V-Day's 15th Anniversary, we are inviting ONE BILLION women and those who love them to WALK OUT, DANCE, RISE UP, and DEMAND an end to this violence. ONE BILLION RISING will move the earth, activating women and men to dance across every country. V-Day wants the world to see our collective strength, our numbers and our solidarity across borders. Join V-Day and ONE BILLION RISING today and SAY NO to violence against women and girls. To sign up and learn more, visit www.onebillionrising.org.

V-Day is a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler's award winning play The Vagina Monologues and other artistic works. In 2012, over 5,800 V-Day benefit events took place produced by volunteer activists in the U.S. and around the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $90 million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it, crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns, reopened shelters, and funded over 14,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq. Over 300 million people have seen a V-Day benefit event in their community. V-Day has received numerous acknowledgements including Worth Magazine's 100 Best Charities, Marie Claire Magazine's Top Ten Charities, one of the Top-Rated organizations on Philanthropedia/Guidestar and Great Nonprofits. V-Day's newest campaign is ONE BILLION RISING which will culminate on 021413 with a global action worldwide. For more information, go to www.vday.org.

This production will benefit "viBe Theater Experience". viBe Theater Experience (viBe) produces original, free theater, music and videos about real-life issues written and performed by teen girls. We provide a safe, creative space for under-served girls to express their voices, take on challenges and gain the self-confidence necessary to succeed personally, artistically and academically. viBe empowers girls through free programs, which engage and inspire them to write, create, publish, direct and perform personal and truthful collaborative theater and music. Since 2002, over 60 viBe productions have brought free theater, live musical performances, music videos and radio plays to thousands of diverse audience members, changing their perceptions about the kind of art that young women can create.

viBe was founded in 2002 by Dana Edell and Chandra Thomas, while both were graduate students at Columbia University. They noticed the dearth of programs serving young women and felt compelled to fill the void of artistic and mentorship opportunities. That summer, they worked a group of teenage girls to write and perform a play about the issues most important to them. Dana and Chandra's experience led them to co-found viBe, which today serves hundreds of girls and thousands of community audience members each year. For more, visit www.vibetheater.org.

HERE is located at 145 6th Ave. (Enter on Dominick, 1 Block South of Spring). For tickets & information, go to here.org or call 212-352-3101.

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