Clarksville, TN – “Funny, outrageous, emotionally affecting and occasionally angry,” Eve Ensler’s wildly popular series of monologues about women and performed by women is back for the twentieth year with the Roxy Regional Theatre’s annual presentation of The Vagina Monologues, January 13th – January 21st.
Directed by Melissa Schaffner, chief of the NAF Support Division at Fort Campbell MWR, and produced by Ryan Bowie, this year’s presentation is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Jill Eichhorn, a longtime supporter of and frequent performer in the Roxy’s production of The Vagina Monologues.
Coordinator of the Women’s and Gender Studies program at Austin Peay State University for 20 years, Jill was an educator, activist, advocate for social justice, and a beacon in our community, whose work with The Vagina Monologues at the Roxy and APSU helped to demystify women’s sexuality and raise more than $20,000 for Clarksville’s Sexual Assault Center, the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee, and the Urban Ministries SafeHouse.
An Obie Award-winning whirlwind tour of a forbidden zone, The Vagina Monologues introduces a wildly divergent gathering of female voices, including a six-year-old girl, a septuagenarian New Yorker, a vagina workshop participant, a woman who witnesses the birth of her granddaughter, a Bosnian survivor of rape, and a feminist happy to have found a man who “liked to look at it.”
In an interview with women.com, Ensler said that her fascination with vaginas began because of “growing up in a violent society.” “Women’s empowerment is deeply connected to their sexuality.” She also stated, “I’m obsessed with women being violated and raped, and with incest. All of these things are deeply connected to our vaginas.”
This year, eight local ladies will take the stage of theotherspace, the 50-seat black box theatre located upstairs at the Roxy, in readings of these monologues based on interviews Eve Ensler conducted with 200 women about their views on sex, relationships and violence against women.
The first weekend of performances will feature Juanita Charles, founder of Manifest Magic Black Girl Cooperative; Kate Gauf, director of operations at D&D Companies, Inc.; and Regina Maloney, marketing manager at Fort Campbell MWR; alongside Roxy veteran Faith Konty.
Gracing the stage during the second weekend of performances will be domestic engineer Jennifer Workman, local artist Kris Lee, and Montgomery County Commissioner Dr. Rashidah Leverett, alongside Roxy veteran Emily Ruck.
On Sunday, January 22nd, at 2:00pm, all cast members will participate in a 20th Anniversary Brunch featuring brunch favorites by Nicoletta’s Catering and a mimosa bar, followed by a special mainstage performance of The Vagina Monologues. Tickets (including brunch and the show) are $50.00, and the reservation deadline is Monday, January 16th.
Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues is produced in part through the generous support of Commissioner Rashidah Leverett and is presented through special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York, www.dramatists.com.
The Vagina Monologues is presented in theotherspace, the 50-seat black-box theatre located upstairs at the Roxy, and plays at 7:00pm for five nights only: January 13th, 14th, 19th, 20th, and 21st. Due to language and content, this production is recommended for mature audiences only.
Tickets are $30.00 and may be reserved online at www.roxyregionaltheatre.org, by phone at 931.645.7699, or at the theatre during regular box office hours (9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday, and one hour prior to curtain). In keeping with the theatre’s pay-what-you-can opening night tradition, all tickets not pre-sold at the regular price will go on sale at 6:30pm on Friday, January 13th, for a $5.00 minimum donation. Austin Peay State University students can take advantage of $10.00 APSU Student Rush tickets, available at the door ten minutes prior to all performances.
Health And Safety Precautions
While not required in the 40th Anniversary Season, we welcome and encourage masks for all patrons and visitors. The Roxy Regional Theatre reserves the right to change this COVID-19 policy at any time and will communicate any necessary changes electronically or in person.
About the Roxy Regional Theatre
The Roxy Regional Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to producing professional live theatre and promoting the arts, with emphasis on education, in Clarksville, Middle Tennessee, and the Southeast. The theatre is located at 100 Franklin Street in Historic Downtown Clarksville.
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