‘Performing with Jane Fonda and company was amazing!’
By Rito Asilo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:07:00 05/16/2008
MANILA, Philippines—The text message we got from Monique Wilson at 11 p.m. last Feb. 29 was not the usual work-related SMS we were used to getting from her: “Rits, guess what? Eve (Ensler) asked me if I’d like to do the ‘Reclaiming’ monologue in Tagalog for VDay’s 10th anniversary show in New Orleans!”
The great news was doubly exciting for us because Monique wasn’t just going to perform with Ensler, author of the groundbreaking “The Vagina Monologues” and “The Good Body,” the invitation also meant that she was going to be performing with other international stars!
Audience impact
Indeed, last April 12, Monique performed alongside Eve with Jane Fonda, Jennifer Hudson, Faith Hill, Rosario Dawson, Jennifer Beals, Christine Lahti, Ali Larter, Doris Roberts, Kerry Washington, Amber Tamblyn and 15 other top actresses in the sold-out event, “V to the Tenth, A Benefit Performance of The Vagina Monologues,” at the New Orleans Arena—in front of 19,000 people! A look at the VDay website reveals how Monique’s participation in the show has been among the performances singled out for their power and audience impact.
After shooting her scenes for Star Cinema’s Sharon Cuneta starrer “Caregiver” (which opens on May 28), Monique will be coming home from London to perform in New Voice’s own VDay show—for the benefit of the Lila Filipina comfort women—at the RCBC Theater on June 1 at 7 p.m.: A back-to-back performance of “A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer” and “The Vagina Monologues.” (Call 896-5497.)
NVC’s VDay show features, among others, Cherie Gil, Joy Virata, Tami Monsod, Juno Henares, Lynn Sherman, Mads Nicolas, Missy Maramara, Lily Chu, Cynthia Alexander, as well as some of the country’s top theater actors, like Jamie Wilson, Michael Williams, Rody Vera and Bart Guingona.
Early this week, we asked Monique to share with us her much-talked-about VDay experience in the US. Excerpts:
What was it like performing with big Hollywood stars like Fonda, Hudson, Hill, Beals and Dawson? It must have been intimidating.
It felt amazing! But, it was more touching to know that they were there not only to perform, but also to lend their name and time to such an important cause. Jane Fonda has been a friend since we met her at the 2002 VDay Summit in Rome. She gave us a big hug when she saw us. Jennifer Hudson and Faith Hill were very sweet and down to earth.
Monologue
Jennifer Beals shared with us her experiences in the Philippines when she shot a film here years ago. When I finished my part, she was one of the first to congratulate me! I guess many people were thrilled to hear a monologue they knew so well in English, but done in another language.
But, my favorite was Rosario Dawson, who was incredibly warm and generous. During the show, Rosario was seated beside me. She clasped my hands when we both realized that there were 19,000 people in the audience! It was so moving we kept crying throughout the show!
You performed “Reclaiming” in Tagalog, which was among the show’s choice performances...
I think people loved “Reclaiming,” which was performed in English, Mexican, Italian and Filipino, because the monologue is such an energizing and empowering piece—as it was really written to reclaim the derogatory meanings attached to the word. It was an honor to do it with Shirley Knight from the US, Lilia Aragon from Mexico, and Lella Costa from Italy.
When we finished our portion, Eve, the other performers, and the audience gave us a standing ovation. I wished more Filipinos were there to experience it with me!
Other than “Reclaiming,” the crowd also cheered Fonda on when she did the monologue about childbirth, “I Was There in the Room,” and Jennifer Beals, who performed the moans with the other cast members of the hit TV show, “The L Word.”
Tribute
The audience loved Liz Mikel, who stepped in for Oprah Winfrey, who was ill. She did the new monologue, “Hey, Miss Pat,” about an incredible woman from New Orleans. Also very moving was the tribute given to Dr. Denis Mukwege for the incredible work he’s done for the abused women of Congo. We all went onstage and danced when Faith Hill, Charmaine Neville and Jennifer Hudson sang “Respect.”
The most prevailing feeling I got was how close I felt to everyone, and how powerful the energy was when women—and the amazing men who supported them—came together for a single cause!
You were also asked to join a panel discussion. And, why New Orleans?
VDay’s spotlight this year is New Orleans, how Hurricane Katrina exposed its people—women, in particular—to physical, emotional, economic and environmental abuse, to highlight the neglect and abandonment they continue to face.
Aside from “V to the Tenth,” there was also the “Superlove” event, attended by 30,000 people at the Superdome, which was the site of many rapes after the calamity hit the area. Eve asked me to join the panel discussion of the two-day event, which discussed “Women in Conflict Zones and Disaster Sites,” with other activists: Carol Bebelle from New Orleans, Rada Boric from Bosnia, Christine Schuler Deschryver from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zoya from Afghanistan and Yanar Mohammed from Iran.
Three questions
Eve asked us three questions: What are the factors that contribute to violence against women in your country? And, what would you change to help stop that violence? And, what projects are we all working on? I learned that the causes that contributed to violence against women in our respective countries were similar:
A failed government, corruption among our leaders, economic dependence on more powerful nations, inequitable laws that don’t protect women, the media’s lack of responsibility and ownership when reporting violence issues, poverty, etc. It was an eye-opener!
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