Tag Archives: The Vagina Monologues

10th Anniversary of V-Day Portsmouth!

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Photo by M. Lavigne Photography

Photo by M. Lavigne Photography

Join us for One Night Only of the 10th Anniversary of V-Day Portsmouth at The Music Hall!

We can change the story of women by helping to raise funds and awareness to end violence and be a collective voice as part of One Billion Rising for Revolution!

Back Alley Productions and V-Day Portsmouth 2015 are proud to present their final benefit performance of The Vagina Monologues, with 100% of the proceeds to benefit Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS) and A Safe Place. Featuring special guests Neoteric Dance Collaborative and The Afternotes

This Performance will take place on Saturday February 21st at 8 pm and Tickets are On Sale Now!

The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler, has been hailed by The New York Times as “funny” and “poignant” and by the Daily News as “intelligent” and “courageous”. This groundbreaking show gives voice to a chorus of lusty, outrageous, thoughtful and thoroughly human stories diving into the mystery, humor, pain, power, wisdom, outrage and excitement buried in women’s experiences.

V-Day is a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls. By creating this global community, V-Day strives to empower women to find their collective voices and demand an end to the violence that affects one in three women in the U.S and around the world.

V-Day 2015: The Vagina Monologues is sponsored by Lady Pickwick’s

Meet the Cast: Kolby Hume

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Kolby Hume

Kolby Hume is no stranger to V- Day, however this will be her first V-Day on the Seacoast, and we are thrilled to have her with us! You may have seen her brilliant performances recently in Sam Shepard’s “A Lie of the Mind” and Margaret McAleese’s original play “Black Mayo” this past fall at the Players’ Ring.

Q – How long have you been involved in theater?

“I started dancing when I was three, and was recruited by my dance teacher for my first official production when I was 8. Apparently, my incessant prancing and singing made me a prime candidate for becoming an actor!”

Q – What are some of your favorite recent roles/productions?

“I recently had the opportunity to reprise my role as Beth in Sam Shepard’s ‘A Lie of the Mind’ at the Player’s Ring. This part was the last role that I had the opportunity to play in college, and it was an amazing experience to have the chance to tackle such a complex, damaged character again five years later.”

Q – Have you performed in the Vagina Monologues before?

“I have! I participated in the Vagina Monologues through my student-run theater group in college. I was part of the quartet in ‘When I was 12, my mother slapped me’ and later had to opportunity to perform ‘The Vagina Workshop.'”

Q – What made you want to be involved in V-Day this year?

“I love the idea of getting to support a worthy cause while spending time with a group of talented, passionate women.”

Q – Who is the most influential/important woman in your life?

“My mom. She is my best friend and greatest role model. I marvel at her strength and poise and feel so lucky to have her in my life each and every day.”

Q – What or who inspires you?

“I am constantly inspired by my home here in Portsmouth. I have lived here for a year and half, but am still blown away by the natural surroundings, the history, the arts and the people. I am so grateful to live where I do and to have met the wonderful people I have here on the seacoast.”

Kolby Hume

Seeking Donations from local businesses for our annual Raffle for V-Day!

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Looking to help support both V-Day Portsmouth and V-Day Rochester this year?
One great way to do it is by donating a gift card or item from your local business to our annual raffle. Hundreds of audience members flock to see The Vagina Monologues every year, and this is a great opportunity for you to highlight your business as one of our wonderful sponsors!

It’s super easy to make your tax-deductible donation, just fill out this V-Day 2014 Donation Letter, and contact director & organizer Joi Smith to coordinate a pick up.

All of the proceeds from both productions will go to Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS), A Safe Place and V-Day.

SRT Lobby V-Day 2013

Meet the Cast: Mike Robida

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Mike Robida

Mike Robida is a writer, filmmaker, actor and film critic from South Berwick, ME. You can read about his film Vanilla here. It was chosen for the 2013 New England Film Festival. He will be joining us onstage for his firstV-Day this year, and we are delighted to have him as part of our cast!

Q – How long have you been involved in theater?

“I’ve been involved in various theatrical productions, off and on, since grade school. But I didn’t really take a vested interest in theatre until the 11th grade when I transferred to Marshwood High School and got a taste of what real theatrical production value was like.”

Q – What are some of your favorite recent roles/productions?

“The last play I was in was Abe Burrows’ ‘Cactus Flower’ for the Surrey Little Theatre in British Columbia. I played an unshaven, slacker, writer-type- a role I’d been rehearsing for since puberty.”

Q – Have you performed in the Vagina Monologues before?

“I didn’t even know that there were male roles in the Vagina Monologues until after my girlfriend was cast.”

Q – What made you want to be involved in V-Day this year?

“‘The Vagina Monologues’ contains a lot of important material that should be embraced by both genders. But I think that the material can also be a little intimidating for men. There’s a sort of stigma that surrounds ‘The Vagina Monologues’, labeling it as the kind of play that angry women go to see so that they can be in a room full of other angry women so they can all be angry and seethe and hate men together. This, of course, isn’t the case at all. And I hope that my presence in the cast (as well as the other male cast members) will help alleviate some of the anxieties that male audience members might have walking in.”

Q – Who is the most influential woman in your life?

“It’s impossible to narrow down a single, most important woman in my life. My mom, my sister, my girlfriend, my grandmothers, my aunts, my cousins, my friends… I am surrounded by a great number of women who encourage and inspire me every day.”

Meet the cast: Debra Altschiller

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Debra Altschiller

Debra is stepping back into the spotlight for the first time in twenty years. She has been joyfully back-lighting her children’s theatre and athletic pursuits, and now she is excited to step out of the green room and onto the stage this February. Debra has been a member of the team at Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS) for the past year as their Community Relations Coordinator. She is also a volunteer with the GFWC in Exeter and her children’s schools.

Q: How long have you been involved with theatre?

“More years than I care to enumerate. I have performed, stage managed and been a stage mom for a long time. It feels like home to me.”

Q: What are some of your favorite recent productions?

“Lately my performances have been public speaking telling people about the Safe Kids Strong Teens program run by SASS. Talking about the great prevention education work that SASS does has been a joy. Theatrically this past year I have been a stage mom for ‘RENT’, Miles Burn’s ‘Whimsey the Musical’ both at Seacoast Repertory Theatre and Emerson’s ‘A Cappa-looza’. Seeing my children enjoy the exhilaration of performing is the best!”

Q: Have you performed in The Vagina Monologues before?

“ I have been an audience member for six different versions of The Vagina Monologues, this my first time performing in it. The first time I went to a V-Day show was in Providence Rhode Island with a group of fourteen women, we were so moved, shocked and entertained, it was an incredible experience! I’m excited and nervous to now be a part of this show that has made such an impression on my life and outlook on women. ”

Q: What made you want to be involved in V-Day this year?

“For the past year I have been privileged to be a part of the team at Sexual Assault Support Services. Sexual violence is a plague and blight on our communities. Every word spoken, dollar spent and testimony given to remove this horror from our lives is valuable and well placed. I believe deeply in the power of bearing witness. Being a part of The Vagina Monologues is my chance to honor these stories, let my voice join the chorus of truth, its joyous celebration and horrible pain.”

Q: Who is the most influential/important woman in your life?

“The most influential woman in my life is my daughter, Marina. When you meet her you know you have met someone special and that this next generation has got our backs. She is an extremely talented theatre student at Emerson College. She inspires me. She is driven, sharp, focused and kind. If know Marina you know she is a musical bad ass, fiercely loyal and the best person to have on your side. The experience of being her mother has been positively transformative for me. ”

Q: What or who inspires you?

“My family inspires me, they are a really interesting bunch. We have celebrated some incredible victories and faced some frightening demons together. I will be celebrating my twentieth wedding anniversary this month with my husband Howard. He inspires my love. My son Connell inspires my bravery. My son Brady inspires my good humor. Marina inspires my confidence. My parents, Nancy & Frank inspire my loyalty. For all of this I am grateful.”