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Eve Ensler

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V (formerly Eve Ensler)
V (formerly Eve Ensler) in March 2011
Born
Eve Ensler

(1953-05-25)May 25, 1953(age 71)
New York City,U.S.
Occupations
  • Playwright
  • Author
  • Performer
  • Activist
Spouse
Richard McDermott
​
​
(m.1978;div.1988)​
Websiteeveensler.org

V,formerlyEve Ensler(/ˈɛnslər/;born May 25, 1953), is an American playwright, author, performer, feminist, and activist. V is best known for her playThe Vagina Monologues.[1][2][3]In 2006Charles IsherwoodofThe New York TimescalledThe Vagina Monologues"probably the most important piece of political theater of the last decade."[4]

In 2011, V was awarded theIsabelle Stevenson Awardat the65th Tony Awards,which recognizes an individual from the theater community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of humanitarian, social service, or charitable organizations. V was given this award for her creation of the non-profit V-Day movement which raises money and educates the public about violence against women and efforts to stop it.

She writes forThe Guardianand has been featured in films including V-Day'sUntil the Violence Stops,thePBSdocumentaryWhat I Want My Words to Do to You,and the Netflix documentary City of Joy, among others. She regularly appears in print, radio, podcast, and television interviews including on CNN,[5]Democracy Now,[6]TODAY,[7]Real Time with Bill MaherandRussell SimmonsPresents Def Poetry.

Personal life[edit]

V was born inNew York City,the second of three children of Arthur Ensler, an executive in the food industry, and Chris Ensler.[8][9][10]She was raised in the northern suburb ofScarsdale.[10]Her father wasJewishand her mother Christian,[11]and she grew up in a predominantly Jewish community;[12]however, V identifies herself as aNichiren Buddhistand says that her spiritual practice includes chantingNamu Myōhō Renge Kyōand doingyoga.[13][14][15]

V says that from the ages of five to ten, she was sexually and physically abused by her father. Growing up, she has said she was "very sad, very angry, very defiant. I was the girl with the dirty hair. I didn't fit anywhere."[10]

V attendedMiddlebury CollegeinVermont,where she became known as a militant feminist.[10]After graduating in 1975, she had a string of abusive relationships and became dependent on drugs and alcohol.[10]In 1978, she married Richard Dylan McDermott, a 34-year-old bartender, who convinced her to enterrehab.[10]When she was 23, she adoptedMark Anthony McDermott,her husband's 16-year-old son from his first marriage.[16]Their relationship came to be a close one, and V said that it taught her "how to be a loving human being".[10]After V suffered a miscarriage, Mark took the name she had planned for her baby, Dylan.[10]V and Dylan's father separated in 1988, the former citing that she "needed the independence, the freedom". According to a 2012 article in theSydney Morning Herald,"After her marriage ended, she had a long relationship with the artist and psychotherapist Ariel Orr Jordan but is single now, which seems to suit her nomadic lifestyle – she has homes in New York and Paris but travels much of the year."[17]

A June 2010 article by V inThe Guardiansaid that she was receiving treatment foruterine cancer.[18]V wrote about her experience with cancer in her memoir,In The Body of the World.[19]In an interview with Democracy Now! in 2012Democracy Now!,[20]V stated that she was 2 and a half years cancer free.

Name change[edit]

After publishing her bookThe Apologyin 2019, where she described sexual and physical abuse by her late father, the author stated she wished to distance herself from the surname he used and expressed her preference to be called by themononymV. [21][22][23]

The Vagina Monologues[edit]

V wroteThe Vagina Monologuesin 1996.[24]First performed in the basement of the Cornelia Street Café inGreenwich Village,the play premiered at HERE Arts Center, Off-Off-Broadway in New York and was followed by an Off-Broadway run in at Westside Theatre. Subsequently, the play has been translated into 48 languages and performed in over 140 countries. Celebrities who have starred in it includeJane Fonda,Whoopi Goldberg,Idina Menzel,Glenn Close,Susan Sarandon,Marin Mazzie,Cyndi Lauper,Mary Testa,Sandra OhandOprah Winfrey.V was awarded theObie Awardin 1996 for 'Best New Play' and in 1999 was awarded aGuggenheim FellowshipAward in Playwriting. She has also received the Berrilla-Kerr Award for Playwriting, the Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Solo Performance, and the Jury Award for Theater at theU.S. Comedy Arts Festival.[25][26]

Subsequent work[edit]

V's memoirIn the Body of the Worldwas released on April 30, 2013.Booklistreviewed the book, saying, "This is a ravishing book of revelation and healing, lashing truths and deep emotion, courage and perseverance, compassion and generosity. Warm, funny, furious, and astute, as well as poetic, passionate, and heroic, Ensler harnesses all that she lost and learned to articulate a galvanizing vision of the essence of life: 'The only salvation is kindness.'".[27]On February 6, 2018, she premiered a theatrical version of her memoir, which she performs as a solo monologue, directed byDiane Paulus,at theManhattan Theatre Clubin New York City.[28]

She contributed the piece "Theater: A Sacred Home for Women" to the 2003 anthologySisterhood Is Forever: The Women's Anthology for a New Millennium,edited byRobin Morgan.[29]

V provided uncredited contributions to the book forWicked,the fourth-longest running Broadway show in history.[30]

From October 2005 to April 2006, V toured twenty North American cities with her playThe Good Body,following engagements on Broadway, atACTin San Francisco, and in a workshop production atSeattle Repertory Theatre.[31]The Good Bodyaddresses why women of many cultures and backgrounds perceive pressure to change the way they look in order to be accepted in the eyes of society.[citation needed]

V's play,The Treatmentdebuted on September 12, 2006, at the Culture Project in New York City.[citation needed]This play explores the moral and psychological trauma that are the result of participation in military conflicts.[citation needed]It stars her adoptive son,Dylan McDermott.[citation needed]

In 2006, V released her first major work written exclusively for the printed page.Insecure at Last: Losing It In Our Security-Obsessed World(Villard;Hardcover; October 3, 2006).[citation needed]InInsecure at Last,she explores how people live today, the measures people take to keep themselves safe, and how people can experience freedom by letting go of the deceptive notion of "protection".[citation needed]In 2006 V also co-editedA Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer,an anthology of writings aboutviolence against women.[citation needed]

V's workI Am An Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around The World,a collection of original monologues about and for girls that aims to inspire girls to take agency over their minds, bodies, hearts and curiosities, was released February 2010 in book form byVillard/Random Houseand madeThe New York TimesBest Seller list.[citation needed]The book was workshopped in July 2010 at New York Stage and Film andVassar College,moving toward anOff-Broadwayproduction.[citation needed]The theatrical production of the piece, titledEmotional Creature,had its United States debut at theBerkeley Repertory TheaterinBerkeley, CAin June 2012.[32]In February 2012, The South African production ofEmotional Creaturewas nominated for a 2011Naledi Theatre Awardfor Best Ensemble Production/Cutting Edge Production.

V was a consultant on feminism and women's issues for the 2015 action filmMad Max: Fury Road.[33]

In 2019, V published the bookThe Apology,where she imagines what her now dead father would say if he was able to apologize for the sexual and physical abuse he inflicted on her as a child. After completing the work, V said that she had ceased to feel any bitterness towards her father, but that she no longer wished to carry his name, inviting people to call her V.[21][22][23]

Activism[edit]

V is an activist addressing issues of violence against women and girls. In 1998, her experience performingThe Vagina Monologuesinspired her to createV-Day,a global activist movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day raises funds and awareness through annual benefit productions ofThe Vagina Monologues.In 2010, more than 5,400 V-Day events took place in over 1,500 locations in the U.S. and around the world. As of 2014, the V-Day movement had raised over $100[34]million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it, crafted international educational, media andPSAcampaigns, launched the Karama program in the Middle East, reopened shelters, and funded over 12,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses inDemocratic Republic of Congo,Haiti,Kenya,South Dakota,EgyptandIraq.These safe houses provide women sanctuary from abuse,female genital mutilationand 'honor' killing.[35]The 'V' in V-Day stands forVictory,Valentine andVagina.

In February 2004, V, alongsideSally Field,Jane Fonda andChristine Lahti,protested to have the Mexican government re-investigate theslayings of hundreds of womeninCiudad Juárez,a city along the Texas border.[citation needed]

V is a supporter of theRevolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan(RAWA) and went to Afghanistan under the rule of theTaliban.She supports Afghan women and has organized many programs for them.[36]She organized one event named the "Afghani Women's Summit For Democracy".[citation needed]

V has led a writing group since 1998 at theBedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women,which was portrayed inWhat I Want My Words To Do To You.[37]Judy Clark,Kathy Boudin,andPamela Smartwere among the writing group's participants featured in the film.

In 2011,V-Dayand the Fondation Panzi (DRC), with support fromUNICEF,opened the City of Joy, a new community for women survivors of gender violence in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). City of Joy provides up to 180 Congolese women a year with an opportunity to benefit from group therapy; self-defense training; comprehensive sexuality education (covering HIV/AIDS, family planning); economic empowerment; storytelling; dance; theater; ecology and horticulture. Created from their vision, Congolese women run, operate and direct City of Joy themselves.[citation needed]The City of Joy celebrated its first graduating class in February 2012.[citation needed]The story of the City of Joy, including V's involvement, is portrayed in the documentaryCity of Joy,screening on Netflix.

In 2012, along with the V-Day movement, V createdOne Billion Rising,a global protest campaign to end violence, and promote justice and gender equality for women. On February 14, 2013, V-Day's 15th anniversary, women and men in countries around the world held dance actions to demand an end to violence against women and girls.[38][39][40]

In 2016, V co-signed a letter toBan Ki-mooncalling for a more humane drug policy, along withWarren Buffett,John LegendandElizabeth Warren.[41]

In 2017 in an opinion piece inThe GuardianV voiced criticism of the newly inaugurated president of the United States,Donald Trump,referring to him as a "self-confessed sexual assaulter" and "our predator-in-chief".[42]

In 2020, V endorsed SenatorBernie SandersforPresident of the United Statesin the2020 election.[43]

Selected awards and honors[edit]

Ensler has received numerous awards for her artistic and humanitarian work:

  • Tony Award – In 2011, V was awarded theIsabelle Stevenson Awardat the65th Tony Awards,which recognizes an individual from the theater community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of humanitarian, social service, or charitable organizations.[44]
  • Guggenheim Fellowship Award in Playwriting, 1999[45]
  • OBIE award for The Vagina Monologues in 1997[46]
  • Olivier Award nomination for West End Production of The Vagina Monologues[47]
  • Lion of Judah by theUnited Jewish Communities,2002[48][49]

Selected works[edit]

Plays[edit]

Books[edit]

  • The Vagina MonologuesNew York: Villard, 1998.ISBN9780375750526,OCLC37492271
  • Necessary TargetsNew York, NY: Dramatists Play Service, 2003.ISBN9780822218951,OCLC54060045
  • The Good BodyNew York: Villard, 2004.ISBN9780375502842,OCLC56096678
  • Vagina WarriorsNew York: Bulfinch Press, 2004.ISBN9780821261842,OCLC474721443
  • Insecure at Last: Losing It in Our Security Obsessed WorldNew York: Villard, 2006.ISBN9781400063345,OCLC70129196
  • The treatment,New York: Dramatists Play Service, 2007.ISBN9780822222026,OCLC163587396
  • A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a PrayerNew York: Villard, 2007.ISBN9780345497918,OCLC862089179
  • I Am an Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around the WorldNew York: Villard Trade Paperbacks, 2010.ISBN9780812970166,OCLC958697162
  • In the Body of the World: A MemoirNew York: Metropolitan Books, 2013.ISBN9780805095180,OCLC811597425
  • The ApologyBloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2019.ISBN9781635574388,OCLC1100557521
  • ReckoningBloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2023.Parameter error in{{ISBN}}:MissingISBN.

Filmography[edit]

  • City of Joy(2016)
  • Until the Violence Stops(2004)
  • What I Want My Words to Do to You: Voices From Inside a Women's Maximum Security Prison(2003)
  • The Vagina Monologues(2002)
  • Fear No More: Stop Violence Against Women(2002) – interviewee

References[edit]

  1. ^Dominus, Susan (February 10, 2002)."Eve Ensler wants to save the world".The New York Times Magazine.RetrievedMarch 24,2016.
  2. ^Klein, Alvin (December 9, 2001)."Melding drama with politics".The New York Times.RetrievedMarch 24,2016.
  3. ^"Politics, Power and Passion",The New York Times Magazine,December 2, 2011. Please see the fifth segment by Eve Ensler.
  4. ^"The Culture Project and Plays that Make a Difference",The New York Times,September 3, 2006.
  5. ^"CNN Video – Breaking News Videos from".CNN.com.RetrievedMay 16,2013.
  6. ^"One Billion Rising: Eve Ensler, Activists Worldwide Plan Global Strike to End Violence Against Women".Democracy Now!.RetrievedMay 16,2013.
  7. ^"Students: 'Vagina' suspensions unwarranted – today > news".TODAY.com. Archived fromthe originalon June 6, 2014.RetrievedMay 16,2013.
  8. ^"Eve Ensler".The L Word Art. 2012. Archived fromthe originalon June 29, 2012.RetrievedMarch 24,2016.
  9. ^Ensler, Eve (2008).Insecure at Last: A Political Memoir – Eve Ensler – Google Books.Random House Publishing.ISBN9780812973662.RetrievedMay 16,2013.
  10. ^abcdefghPlummer, William."V for Victory – Real People Stories, Eve Ensler".People.com. Archived fromthe originalon April 15, 2016.RetrievedMay 16,2013.
  11. ^Pfefferman, Naomi (December 8, 2005)."Navel Gazing with Eve Ensler".Jewish Journal.RetrievedMarch 24,2016.
  12. ^"Eve Ensler – The Body After Cancer".On Being with Krista Tippett.RetrievedMay 31,2019.
  13. ^Swick, David (May 1, 2009)."Q&A with Eve Ensler:" Just Tell the Truth "".Lion's Roar.Lion's Roar Foundation.RetrievedMay 31,2019.
  14. ^"Eve Ensler Feature Interview".NewSun.com. May 3, 2001.RetrievedOctober 13,2013.
  15. ^Kelmenson, Kalia (May 1, 2013)."Two Minutes With Eve Ensler".Spirituality & Health.RetrievedOctober 13,2013.
  16. ^McDermott, Shiva Rose. "V-Day Activist Spotlights: Shiva Rose McDermott"Vday.orgArchivedJune 3, 2009, at theWayback MachineRetrieved October 26, 2009
  17. ^Saner, Emine (January 14, 2012)."Interview: Eve Ensler".Sydney Morning Herald.RetrievedMarch 24,2016.
  18. ^Ensler, Eve (June 10, 2010)."My cancer is arbitrary. Congo's atrocities are very deliberate".The Guardian.RetrievedMarch 24,2016.
  19. ^Ensler, Eve (March 5, 2015)."The body after cancer".Archived fromthe originalon June 12, 2015.RetrievedMarch 24,2016.
  20. ^Ensler, Eve (September 24, 2012)."Eve Ensler on Her Battle with Cancer:" We Can Use Sickness as a Tool for Transformation "".Democracy Now!.RetrievedSeptember 24,2012.
  21. ^ab "The profound power of an authentic apology".TED.December 2019.RetrievedApril 22,2020.
  22. ^ab "Eve Ensler: What's New".Eve Ensler. 2020.RetrievedApril 22,2020.
  23. ^abAfrifa_Akbar (June 12, 2019)."The Apology by Eve Ensler review – my father, who abused me".The Guardian.RetrievedApril 22,2020.
  24. ^Bruckner, D. J. R. (October 23, 1996)."Theater in Review".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedMarch 2,2019.
  25. ^Gates, Anita (October 4, 1999)."A body part returns as the leading lady".The New York Times.RetrievedMarch 24,2016.
  26. ^Rizzo, Frank (February 6, 2018)."Variety Off Broadway Review".Variety.
  27. ^In the Body of the World, by Eve Ensler.March 1, 2013.RetrievedMay 16,2013– viaBooklist.
  28. ^Green, Jesse (February 6, 2018)."Review: Eve Ensler Goes Deep 'In the Body of the World'".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedFebruary 18,2018.
  29. ^"Library Resource Finder: Table of Contents for: Sisterhood is forever: the women's anth".Vufind.carli.illinois.edu.RetrievedOctober 15,2015.
  30. ^"Witches of Wicked Q&A: Flying and feminism".
  31. ^HERNANDEZ, ERNIO (April 15, 2004)."Eve Ensler Workshops Her NY-Bound Good Body at Seattle Rep".PLAYBILL.
  32. ^"Eve Ensler biography".Steven Barclay Agency. 2016.RetrievedMarch 24,2016.
  33. ^Dockterman, Eliana (May 14, 2015)."Mad Max and the Stronger Sex".Time.RetrievedMay 22,2015.
  34. ^Moscatello, Caitlin (February 13, 2014)."Here are one billion reasons to get up and dance on Valentine's Day".Glamour.RetrievedMarch 24,2016.
  35. ^"Women Rising XIX: Masters of the Spoken Word"Making Contact, produced by National Radio Project. March 11, 2009.
  36. ^Brown, Janelle (November 26, 2001)."Eve Ensler:" Afghanistan is everywhere "".RAWA.RetrievedMarch 24,2016.
  37. ^What I Want My Words To Do To You,PBS,premiered December 16, 2003
  38. ^"One Billion Rising: An End to Violence Against Women".Time.February 14, 2013.RetrievedMay 16,2013.
  39. ^Malhotra, Aditi (February 14, 2013)."In Delhi, 'One Billion Rising' Organize a Flash Mob of Dancers for Women's Rights".India Real Time blog.The Wall Street Journal.RetrievedMay 16,2013.
  40. ^Cohen, Sandy."Ensler's Billion Rising movement spans the globe".Bigstory.ap.org.RetrievedMay 16,2013.
  41. ^"A Public Letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon".Drug Policy Alliance.Archived fromthe originalon August 4, 2021.RetrievedAugust 30,2021.
  42. ^Ensler, Eve (January 21, 2017)."The Women's March heralds a renaissance of resistance".The Guardian.RetrievedJanuary 21,2017.
  43. ^"2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders holds rally in San Jose ahead of California primary".abc7news.com.ABC7 News. March 1, 2020.RetrievedMarch 1,2020.
  44. ^"Ensler, Fugard to receive special Tony awards".CBC News. April 7, 2011.RetrievedMarch 24,2016.
  45. ^"Guggenheim award entry".John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.RetrievedMarch 24,2016.
  46. ^"97".Obie Awards.
  47. ^"Eve Ensler Returns toThe Vagina Monologues".TheaterMania.December 16, 2002.
  48. ^"International Lion of Judah Conference (Page 3)".RetrievedFebruary 11,2010.
  49. ^"2002 international lion of judah conference of united jewish communities opens today in nation's capital".RetrievedFebruary 11,2010.
  50. ^"Library of Congress Online Catalog".
  51. ^Ensler, Eve (August 30, 2001)."Necessary targets: a story of women and war: [a play]".Villard – via catalog.loc.gov Library Catalog.
  52. ^Collins-Hughes, Laura (December 14, 2021)."Review: 'Wild: A Musical Becoming' Is Finding Its Footing".The New York Times.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eve_Ensler&oldid=1223286555"