NEW YORK — V, the acclaimed playwright known previously as Eve Ensler, is launching a new theatrical work aimed at addressing climate change, drawing inspiration from her iconic play “The Vagina Monologues” which significantly impacted women’s rights.
“We’re in an era marked by a profound sense of disconnection,” she states, emphasizing the necessity for individuals to forge connections with both the Earth and one another.
Set for a special performance on January 30 at Manhattan’s Terminal 5, “Dear Everything” will feature not just her narrative but also contributions from notable figures like Jane Fonda and Rosario Dawson, who will engage with the audience directly.
Fonda described the performance via email as a compelling musical call to action against the dire consequences of climate change, saying, “At a time when our planet is burning from the impact of global warming and human-made climate catastrophe, ‘Dear Everything’ is a powerful musical uprising.”
This blend of concert and musical includes contributions from artists such as Justin Tranter, Caroline Pennell, and Eren Cannata, with choreography by Christiana Hunte and direction led by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus.
V will serve as the narrator, leading 10 singers alongside a youth choir. Rather than delineating a specific solution to climate change, the show aims to motivate audiences towards collective action. “It’s not necessarily about the politics of solution. It’s about the politics of connection,” V explains. “I believe it’s imaginative and calls on all of us to utilize our creativity, which is our most potent asset in visualizing pathways from our current situation.”
This production had its initial performance under the title “WILD” at Harvard University’s American Repertory Theater, but was cut short due to the pandemic.
V pointed out her intentions to generate an awakening through storytelling and pop music, aiming to listen to the youth and their visions for the future. “Listen to the kids. They really have a vision of what’s coming because they can feel it in their bodies, and they want a life,” she asserts.
She envisions “Dear Everything” being staged in other venues, noting its affordability and minimal stage requirements, reminiscent of “The Vagina Monologues,” which featured a series of impactful vignettes based on her interviews with countless women.
V characterizes the Earth as a woman and believes her efforts against climate change intertwine with her broader mission to honor and protect women. “We made the mission to end violence against women, girls, and trans and non-binary people and the Earth because it was all part of the same story,” she concludes. “We’re still going.”
