Fall River joined the global effort to stop violence against women and girls with a V-Day event held at the Eagle Performing Arts Center on February 25th, 26th and 27th, 2011. The event featured a presentation of "A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer" by Eve Ensler, author of "The Vagina Monologues". Fourteen cast members took turns interpreting monologues by world-renowned authors and playwrights including Carol Gilligan on a daughter witnessing her mother being hit, Maya Angelou on women's work, and Susan Miller on raising a son as a single mother. 'These diverse voices rise up in a collective roar to break open, expose, and examine the insidiousness of violence at all levels: brutality, neglect, a punch, even a put-down." (V-Day web page) The event will benefit the Katie Brown Educational Program whose curriculum teaches students to identify the many types of violence, and empowers them to develop the skills necessary to prevent violence from becoming a factor in their relationships. Click here for the Fall River Herald News article. Click here for the video. For more information, contact Wendy Garf-Lipp of United Neighbors of Fall River at 508-324-7900.

(Top row) Directors Annemarie Sharkey, Deborah Orlando and Ruth Zakarin introduce the event before the audience at the Eagle Performing Arts Center. (Second row, left) Bethany Toure reads from "In Memory of Imette" by Periel Aschenbrand. (Second row, center) James Lawrence reads from "1600 Elmwood Avenue" by Monica Szlekovics. (Second row, right) Annemarie Sharkey reads from "Blueberry Hill" by Christine House. (Third row, left) Cathy Ann Viveiros reads from "Club" by Nicole Burdette. (Third row, center) Annemarie and Derek Rossi read from "True" by Carol Michele Kaplan. (Third row, right) Deborah Orlando reads from "Maurice" by Kathy Najimy. (Bottom row, left) The group, including Paul Santos and Syed Zaman, reads from "Conversations with My Son" by Susan Miller. (Bottom row, right) Wendy Garf-Lipp, Cathy Ann Viveiros and Lindiwe Nkiwane read from "Sportlight Monologue 2011: Myriam" by Eve Ensler.