"EVE ENSLER, playwright, performer, and activist, is the author of THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, translated into over 45 languages and performed in over 130 countries, including sold-out runs at both Off-Broadway's Westside Theater and on London's West End (2002 Olivier Award nomination, Best Entertainment.) Her experience performing THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES inspired her to create V-Day, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. Ms. Ensler's performance in THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES can be seen in the HBO original documentary of the play (2002).
Ms. Ensler has devoted her life to stopping violence, envisioning a planet in which women and girls will be free to thrive, rather than merely survive. THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES is based on Ensler's interviews with more than 200 women. With humor and grace the piece celebrates women’s' sexuality and strength.
Today, V-Day is a global movement that supports anti-violence organizations throughout the world, helping them to continue and expand their core work on the ground, while drawing public attention to the larger fight to stop worldwide violence (including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM), sexual slavery) against women and girls. V-Day exists for no other reason than to stop violence against women. In ten years, the V-Day movement has raised over $70 million. V-Day was named one of Worth magazine's "100 Best Charities" in 2001 and Marie Claire’s "Top Ten Charities" in 2006.
V-Day stages large-scale benefits and produces innovative gatherings, films and campaigns to educate and change social attitudes towards violence against women. Some of the highlights include the December 2003 V-Day delegation trip to Israel, Palestine, Egypt and Jordan; the Afghan Women's Summit; the V-Day documentary Until the Violence Stops, which premiered at Sundance in 2004; the March for the Missing and Murdered Women of Juarez; the March 2004 delegation to India; the Stop Rape Contest, the Indian Country Project, Love Your Tree, and the V-Day: UNTIL THE VIOLENCE STOPS festivals. In 2008, V-Day celebrated its 10-year anniversary with V TO THE TENTH at the New Orleans Arena and Louisiana Superdome, featuring two days of speakers, art, performances, and wellness programs which were attended by over 30,000 women and men and raised over $700,000 for local efforts in New Orleans to end violence against women and girls.
In 2008, more than 4000 V-Day benefit events - produced by local volunteer activists and performed in theaters, community centers, houses of worship, and college campuses – took place around the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls and raising funds for local groups within their communities.
In 2004, Ms. Ensler’s performed her play THE GOOD BODY on Broadway in NYC and at ACT in San Francisco, and in a workshop production at Seattle Repertory Theatre. This was followed by a 20 city national tour in 2005. Both THE GOOD BODY and THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES are now being performed throughout the world and have been published by Random House.
In 2006, Eve released her first major work written exclusively for the printed page. INSECURE AT LAST, a timely and urgent look at how we live today, the drastic measures taken to keep us safe, and how we can truly experience freedom by letting go of the deceptive notion of vigilant "protection." In 2006 Eve also co-edited A MEMORY, A MONOLOGUE, A RANT AND A PRAYER, an anthology of writings about violence against women.
Eve’s plays include NECESSARY TARGETS, CONVICTION, LEMONADE, THE DEPOT, FLOATING RHODA AND THE GLUE MAN, and EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES. THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, THE GOOD BODY, NECESSARY TARGETS, INSECURE AT LAST and A MEMORY, A MONOLOGUE, A RANT AND A PRAYER have been published by Villard/Random House. VAGINA WARRIORS, words by Eve Ensler and photos by Joyce Tenneson, has been published by Bulfinch Press for V-Day 2005.
Eve’s film credits include an HBO film version of THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES. She also produced the film WHAT I WANT MY WORDS TO DO TO YOU, a documentary about the writing group she has led since 1998 at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women. The film had its world premiere at the 2003 and premiered nationally on PBS’s “P.O.V.” in December 2003.
Eve has written numerous articles for Glamour Magazine, Marie Claire, Huffington Post, Utne Reader, as well as a regular column in O Magazine. She has won many awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship in Playwriting and an Obie, in addition to a number of honorary degrees. "
For more information, please visit www.vday.org
