Marking International Sign Language Day 2023, Deafinitely Theatre presents a special charity fundraising performance of V’s acclaimed The Vagina Monologues in British Sign Language (BSL) and Spoken English directed by Paula Garfield.
Performed by a mix of 20 deaf and hearing women and non-binary people from all walks of life, the one-off performance will raise much-needed money for the charity Deaf-initely Women, which provides essential services to make sure all deaf women are able to live free from abuse. This performance takes place on Saturday 23 September at 7:30pm, at Hackney Empire.
Artistic Director of Deafinitely Theatre, Paula Garfield said today: “I am thrilled that we are staging a one night only performance of The Vagina Monologues to raise funds for Deaf-initely Women. For our 20th anniversary production, Everyday in 2022, I was grateful to work with and learn from many domestic abuse survivors and field leaders, including several IDVAs (Independent Domestic Violence Advocates) who work in a professional capacity to help rebuild the lives impacted by domestic abuse. We know that organisations that support domestic abuse survivors face unprecedented pressures and by raising funds during this special performance, Deaf-initely Women will be able to provide accessible training opportunities and create more qualified deaf IDVAs. The Vagina Monologues is a play that celebrates women and gives us back our voices in places where they are being silenced. The play famously draws on the experiences of women and girls over the world, bringing us together. No matter your age, race, religion, gender, deafness, disability, education level, no matter where you are from, there is something in this performance for you.”
Teresa Waldron, CEO of Deaf-initely Women said today, “We are delighted that Deafinitely Theatre is staging a one-night performance of The Vagina Monologues from deaf women’s perspectives, highlighting the struggles that deaf and deafblind women endure in silence. Their fundraising efforts will help us to recruit more deaf and deafblind women to become fully trained Independent Domestic Violence Advocates. This will help us to support more deaf and deafblind survivors of abuse”.
