Mixed Media The #MeToo Monologues
Across the country, women are sharing personal stories about sexual harassment, rape, abuse, and assault. The #MeToo movement that helped spark this outpouring is reflected in Time magazine’s 2017 choice for Person of the Year, “The Silence Breakers.” One of the ways that women are expressing these experiences is through the #MeToo Monologues, a performance that is a culmination of writing workshops organized by story facilitators Mary Rives and Marsha Pincus.
The monologues are set to take place in more than 10 cities this month including Santa Fe, Austin, Seattle, New York, and San Francisco, bringing together women from a wide array of backgrounds to share perspectives and to bear witness. The #MeToo presentation occurs in Santa Fe at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 11, at Teatro Paraguas, where six to 10 women will share their experiences. The facilitators want the event to offer a safe space to cope with potent feelings about sexual violence and to harness the power of storytelling, writing, and performance.
Conceived by Rives and Tanya Taylor Rubinstein and produced with the help of volunteer coordinators across the United States, the approach stems from Rubinstein’s StoryHealers Transformational Monologue process, which emphasizes a supportive and structured environment for such narratives. Rubinstein has worked with veterans, people who have experienced cancer, caregivers, hospice workers, LGBTQ youth, and Israeli and Palestinian young women.
Rives became a certified story coach through Rubinstein’s Global School of Story; now, by way of her local business, Healing Stories (www.thrive andshine.com), Rives helps elders in the early stages of dementia craft their memoirs. After hearing many stories of sexual violation, Rubinstein and Rives decided to promote healing individually and collectively about the difficult subject.
The national event celebrates women-focused organizations, politicians who support women’s rights, and groups that help girls become strong leaders. In Santa Fe, proceeds from the #MeToo Monologues go to Solace Crisis Treatment Center, which serves those who have experienced sexual abuse and other traumas. Tickets to the #MeToo Monologues at Teatro Paraguas (3205 Calle Marie-B, 505-424-1601) are by a suggested donation of $10 at the door. — Patricia Lenihan