Friday, March 30th and Saturday, March 31st Suffolk University students and faculty joined forces to put on a series of plays called “A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer” written by Eve Ensler for V-Day 2012. The play, which was directed by talented students Stephen Mraz and Lorelei-Amber Meuse, was created to raise awareness to violence against women. Numerous performances were done across the world in the name of the V-Day campaign to raise funds for local community shelters. Every year, Eve Ensler, sole creator and coordinator of the V-Day campaign, chooses one main cause to receive 10% of profits gathered from performances. This year Ensler chose to send the proceeds to the women and girls of Haiti. These girls are victims of violent acts every day due to their lack of homes and security stemming from the destruction that the earthquake created. In the creation of “A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer,” Ensler was sure to encode direct spotlight to the women and girls of Port Au Prince, Bukavu.
The charity spotlight for V-Day Campaign 2012 was DOVE (Domestic Violence Ended), a charity that deserves all the funding they can get, for they are they aim to save anyone from abusive relationships whether it’s physical, emotional, verbal, or mental.
The following is my review on Suffolk University’s V-Day Campaign for 2012:
Promotion: 3/5
If you didn’t know anyone who was either in the show itself or helped work on the show you really didn’t know what the show was about, for, and when it being put on. For a show that is put on specifically to gather funds for these organizations, you want to get the word out there as much as possible, to increase attendance and revenue. Still, somehow the audience was nearly filled opening night with attentive listeners eager to see what this “V-Day Campaign” had in store for them.
Timing: 5/5
The show started on time at 7 o’clock, and finished within an hour and a half, in a manner that didn’t seem rushed.
Ticketing: 7/10
The tickets for the show were five dollars each. To every college student who is struggling to pay for food, courses, and other necessities, this price seems pretty high. I think that more people would have gone if they had known that a portion of the five dollars was going to charity.
Location: 5/5
The location of the show was perfect. The decision to do it in a quaint place like the Donahue Café made the show seem more personal and simple. The location definitely worked for the play, actors, directing style, and message.
Acting: 20/20
The cast was phenomenal. Point. Blank. Period.
Script: 20/20
Since the play had one overarching theme, the separate pieces weren’t too similar or too different from one another. They managed to touch on many different aspects of the V-Day Campaign in sometimes funny, sometimes serious, and sometimes depressing ways. The script made you feel empathy, understanding, and sadness for the women who undergo these issues around the world.
Information: 20/20
After the show they had a DOVE Correspondent give information about their charity organization, how to get help if you are facing any of these issues, and what the audience members could do to help. Also, after her speech, the correspondent stayed in the back of the room at a booth, ready to answer any questions audience members had. At the V-Day Campaign you not only received a show, you received knowledge.
Overall: 80/85 A!
If you didn’t get to see the V-Day Campaign shows put on this year, you are definitely missing out. But don’t worry! A new amazing cast will perform a new script next year! Be on the look out, and become aware.