Eve Ensler
Eve Ensler, now known as V, is an American playwright and activist best known for writing The Vagina Monologues and co-founding V-Day.
The Vagina Monologues: A play by Eve Ensler built from monologues about women’s experiences, bodies, and sexuality. This is the work that made Ensler internationally known.
One Billion Rising: A global campaign launched in 2012 calling for an end to violence against women and girls. Ensler initiated this campaign as an international extension of V-Day.
Augusto Boal: A Brazilian theatre director and writer who developed Theatre of the Oppressed. Boal provides a contrasting model of theatre as participatory political practice.
Violence against women: Violence directed at women because of gender, including physical, sexual, and psychological harm. This is the broad social problem V-Day campaigns seek to address.
V-Day: A global activist movement that uses benefit performances to help end violence against women and girls. Ensler co-founded this movement to turn performances of her play into activism.
City of Joy: A leadership center in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, for women affected by violence. Ensler co-founded this center with V-Day and Congolese partners.
Gloria Steinem: An American feminist journalist and activist who co-founded Ms. magazine and the Women’s Media Center. Steinem has supported V-Day and collaborated with Ensler in feminist activism.
Me Too movement: A movement against sexual harassment and assault, popularized globally by the hashtag #MeToo in 2017. Both movements brought personal accounts of sexual violence into public debate.
Monologue: A speech by one character, delivered alone or as the dominant voice in a scene. Ensler’s signature play uses this theatrical form throughout.
Vagina Monologues performances: Productions of The Vagina Monologues staged by theaters, schools, and community groups. Local productions have served as fundraising and organizing events for V-Day.