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“The Magdalene” – A Play on Sexuality, Female Power, and the Bible

THE GREATEST STORY NEVER TOLD: A Thrilling New Musical Inspired by the Gospels of Mary and Thomas

Composed by: James Olm

Book by: J.C. Hanley and James Olm

Creative Consultant: Richard Maltby Jr., the Tony Award®-winning director for Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Tony Award® nominee for Miss Saigon

Directed by: Richard Burk

Theatre at Saint Clement’s – 423 West 46th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenue)

Inspired by the Gnostic Gospels of Mary and Thomas, THE MAGDALENE is a stirring love story that includes information intentionally left out when the Bible was compiled in AD 325.  Told through a powerful and passionate score, it is a story of the real human beings involved in what is commonly called the greatest story of all time.  Mary Magdalene, incorrectly dismissed for almost 2000 years as a “penitent prostitute,” may well have been not only a disciple of Jesus, but placed in a position above the other Apostles.  Why was a powerful female figure downgraded as the church was created? Why was sexuality expunged from the most important Biblical figures?  And what was the real personal connection between Mary and Jesus? These themes, well known to anyone who read The DaVinci Code, have inspired a thrilling new musical that, like Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell, takes a modern look at the world’s greatest story of faith and love.

SPECIAL OFFERS Through SEPTEMBER 4!

Tuesday 7pm, Wednesday 2pm & 7pm, Thursday 8pm, Saturday 2pm, Sunday 3pm – $32 (Reg. $55)

Friday 8pm and Saturday 8pm – $39 (Reg. $65)

SPECIAL ONSTAGE SEATING! ALL PERFORMANCES!

$32 (Reg. $55) – Through SEPTEMBER 4

Performance Schedule:

Tuesday 7pm | Wednesday 2pm & 7pm |Thursday 8pm | Friday 8pm | Saturday 2pm & 8pm| Sunday 3pm

THREE EASY WAYS TO BUY:

ONLINE: Visit and use code MARK611; you can also look here for  more information regarding the special offer

PHONE: Call 212.352.3101 and mention code MARK611

IN PERSON: Print out a copy of this offer and visit the Theatre at Saint Clement’s Box Office – 423 West 46th St (between 9th and 10thAvenue)

[This post has been brought to you by the marketing team for “The Magdalene.”  It has been modified slightly to suit the format of this blog.]

Miss Representation: Film Screening and Discussion on Women in Politics, the Media, and Power

Join fellow feminists and activists on Monday, August 8th for a film screening and discussion of Miss Representation; the event will be held at 6:45 pm at the Hive at 55 (55 Broad Street, 13th Floor). “Written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Miss Representation exposes how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America.  The film challenges the media’s limited and often disparaging portrayals of women and girls, which make it difficult for women to achieve leadership positions and for the average woman to feel powerful herself.”

Miss Representation premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and is now being screened in many different venues across the country, including at corporations and government institutions.  The event organizers promiseto “leave audiences shaken and armed with a new perspective,” so hopefully this will spark positive changes within the previously-mentioned groups.

This film address important issues such as sexism, the glass ceiling, and different conceptions of what it means to be a powerful woman today.    The film also  incorporates statistics and facts alongside interviews with politicians, activists, and more – including Rachel Maddow, Jean Kilbourne, and Condoleezza Rice.  For a sneak peak, watch the trailer here.

This event is free and open to the public, so make sure to invite all of your friends! RSVP today!

“Teeth” by Cristina Dominguez

I watch her
piano fingers
reach up
to touch
ivory keys

Curves of pearls
inside a clam
pried open
chocking
on spiraled sand

She takes
her flesh covered
bone hooks
claws at enamel
digging pink beds, red

I
once
saw
a beautiful animal
go mad

In a looking glass
turning crimson copper
ripping permanence
rinsing and drowning it
in the sink

Why I am a Feminist Today: July 25th, 2011

TW: Rape culture

Today, I am a feminist because:

I am constantly reminded about the fact that I live in a rape culture.  On a personal best college essays level, this happens whenever I get dressed in the morning, walk down the street alone, and experience any type of gender-based harassment.  This also happens whenever I read the news or look at my Tumblr dashboard: stories about six men being freed from prison after gang-raping two twelve-year old girls, reports of anti-rape protestors being escorted out of a sports stadium by police while the rapists played basketball, and the fact that the FBI has not changed it’s definition of rape in eighty years, just to name a few.

I am tired of body policing.  What someone wears, how much they weigh, and what they look like should not be justification for criticism.  An individual’s identity is based on so much more than their physical appearance.  Every body is a “beach body.”

I am continually astonished by the way in which the media and government’s scapegoating.  Just this week,  and Islam has, once again, been [falsely] represented as the reason for all terrorism.  Of course, there are countless other examples that illustrate this same point: shifting the focus away from the true sources of inequality and oppression, such as capitalism, enables those who benefit from these systems to maintain their privilege.

NewFest, NYC’s LGBT Film Festival, starts this weekend!

Newfest, NYC LGBT Film Festival, will be hosting events all around New York City from July 21st to July 28th.

NewFest is dedicated to bringing together filmmakers and audiences in the building of a community that passionately supports giving greater visibility and voice to a wide range of expressions and representations of the LGBT experience.  We are committed to nurturing emerging LGBT and allied filmmakers. We support those artists who are willing to take risks in telling the stories that fully reflect the diversity and complexity of our lives. And we’re committed to bringing our audience stories that transform our vision of who we are and who we can be.

Through the New York LGBT film festival, presented annually since 1988, and year-round programming, NewFest celebrates fine domestic and international film as part of our mission to break through closet doors and glass ceilings everywhere.

For more information on the films that will be shown, check out this great, comprehensive film guide and the corresponding film schedule.  If you are looking for film recommendations, you should read Autostraddle’s “Guide to Movies You’ll Want to See.”

Ticket Prices

  • $14 for Non-Members
  • $12 for Members
  • $8 for Students and Seniors (Only available at Box Office; Valid ID is required)
  • $50 for Opening Night film (WE WERE HERE on July 21) and Closing Night film (GUN HILL ROAD on July 28) at The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater. Price includes After Party.
  • $25 for Centerpiece films (WISH ME AWAY on July 22 and WEEKEND on July 24).
  • Tickets are non-refundable with no refunds or exchanges.

Click here for more information on purchasing tickets, whether online, in-person at a box office, or at the event(s) you choose to attend.

Planned Parenthood’s New Interactive Comic Strip for Teens, by Teens: Making Sex Education Accessible, Relatable, and Entertaining

***July 12, 2011***
PRESS CONTACT: Erica Sackin
(212) 274-7294 / erica.sackin@ppnyc.org

PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF NEW YORK CITY LAUNCHES NEW INTERACTIVE COMIC STRIP FOR TEENS, WRITTEN BY TEENS

Uses Storytelling as a Form of Sex Education

New York, NY – Planned Parenthood of New York City (PPNYC) is launching a new online comic strip aimed at providing young people with information that can make a difference in their lives. Called “CHOICES”, the strip was written by former teen peer educators, and follows a few teenagers through their daily lives as they face tough choices about sex, health care, and life decisions.

“Teaching teens how to make good, healthy decisions is a constant struggle,” said Haydee Morales, Vice President of Education and Training at PPNYC. “This comic strip, written for teens by teens, should help reach young people in a way that facts and statistics can’t.”

“CHOICES” takes a format long popular with teens, the comic book, and presents it online in a way that offers real-time opportunities for direct, personal engagement with the story and the issues it raises. This online comic strip takes the art of storytelling and makes it available digitally to a wide audience. Storytelling has been shown to be the best way to make issues “real” and personally relevant for a teen audience.

The comic strip, which is posted on PPNYC’s website, will have 6 Episodes, with a new Episode going up each month. Readers can also interact digitally with the strip – commenting on the unfolding story, voting to express opinions about choices the characters should or should not make, and taking quizzes about sexual health.

PPNYC will publicize the online comic strip in new media popular with teens, like Facebook and YouTube, and in venues where they hang out. We’ll have electronic avatars that link to “CHOICES” and eye-catching wallet cards and buttons that will be distributed by PPNYC’s peer educators, theTeen Advocates to 5,000-plus teens throughout New York City. Whether through viral communication, real-time encounters, or word of mouth, we expect “Choices” to generate a buzz.

###

Since 1916, Planned Parenthood of New York City (PPNYC) has been an advocate for and provider of reproductive health services and education for New Yorkers. Serving nearly 50,000 clients annually, PPNYC’s health care centers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island offer reproductive health services, including gynecological care, contraception, pregnancy testing, abortion, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and HIV testing and counseling. Through a threefold mission of clinical services, education, and advocacy, PPNYC is bringing better health and more fulfilling lives to each new generation of New Yorkers. As a voice for reproductive freedom, PPNYC supports legislation and policies to ensure that all New Yorkers—and, in fact, people around the world—will have access to the full range of reproductive health care services and information.

“Summer, Sex, and Spirits” – Party to Benefit Planned Parenthood!

NIGHTLIFE LEGENDS JUSTINE D AND DJ AYRES JOIN BURLESQUE PERFORMER CALAMITY CHANG FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF NEW YORK CITY BENEFIT

Seventh Annual “Summer, Sex and Spirits” Benefit at Hudson Terrace Features Burlesque Performances, Open Bar, Entertainment by Mistress B, Silent Auction and more

New York, NY – She helped create some of New York City’s most infamous club nights over the past decade and a half, and now the legendary DJ Justine D, along with her longtime friend DJ Ayres, have joined forces with Planned Parenthood of New York City – spinning music at the organization’s seventh annual “Summer, Sex & Spirits” Fundraiser.

Additionally, noted burlesque artist Calamity Chang , of Room 69 and Nurse Betty will be performing throughout the night, along with her friends Darlinda just Darlinda and Ginger Brown.

Located at the hotspot Hudson Terrace, the event will feature a full night of open bar, a silent auction, naughty balloon art by the critically acclaimed Mistress B, a VIP champagne reception, and views of the sunset from the venue’s garden terrace.

All proceeds go to benefit PPNYC’s healthcare services, education programs, and legislative work.

WHO: Justine D and DJ Ayres
Burlesque performers Calamity Chang, Darlinda just Dalinda and Ginger Brown
Mistress B
Planned Parenthood of New York City

WHAT: Seventh Annual “Summer, Sex & Spirits” Benefit
VIP champagne reception
Open Bar all night
Silent Auction
Music by DJ Justine D and DJ Ayres
Burlesque performances
Naughty balloon art by critically acclaimed Mistress B
and more TBA

WHEN: Monday, July 25, 2011
7:00pm—VIP Champagne Preview Reception
8:00pm—11:00pm

WHERE: Hudson Terrace
621 West 46th Street
Between 11th & 12th Avenues
New York, NY 10036

COST: Tickets are $40 in advance/$50 day of event
VIP Tickets $75

To buy tickets visit www.ppnyc.org

For press inquiries contact Erica Sackin at Erica.sackin@ppnyc.org or (212) 274-7294
For event information contact Stephanie Demmons at Stephanie.Demmons@ppnyc.org or (212) 274-7224

###

Since 1916, Planned Parenthood of New York City (PPNYC) has been an advocate for and provider of reproductive health services and education for New Yorkers.  Serving nearly 50,000 clients annually, PPNYC’s health care centers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island offer reproductive health services, including gynecological care, contraception, pregnancy testing, abortion, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and HIV testing and counseling.  Through a threefold mission of clinical services, education, and advocacy, PPNYC brings better health and more fulfilling lives to each new generation of New Yorkers.   As a voice for reproductive freedom, PPNYC supports legislation and policies to ensure that all New Yorkers—and, in fact, people around the world—will have access to the full range of reproductive health care services and information.

Take part in a state-wide campaign to save benefit programs on July 20th!

From Greater NYC for Change:

Debt Ceiling Negotiations

As the President and Congress work to negotiate a deal to raise the federal debt ceiling, Republicans in Congress are demanding huge funding cuts and radical changes to vital social service programs. Greater NYC for Change opposes these cuts, and urges all lawmakers to reject any deficit reduction proposal which will make harmful benefit reductions to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid programs. Specifically:

• We need Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Do not cut or “adjust” them now, while millions are out of work.
• Social Security did not cause the deficit, and it should not be cut to reduce a deficit it did not cause. Seniors have earned Social Security through a lifetime of hard work.
• Do away with the Bush tax cuts and end tax loopholes for corporations and the wealthy. Make them pay their fair share.

Action Items you can take to save benefit programs:

Call NYS Congress members to oppose benefit cuts

Seventy Congress members have sent a letter to the White House urging the President not to cut Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits in debt ceiling negotiations, but eleven New York State Representatives have not yet signed this letter. Can you call them today? Say:

“I support our nation’s historic and vital social programs and urge YOU to do so too.”

The Representatives from New York State who have not signed the letter are:
Bishop (202-225-3826), Israel (202-225-3335), McCarthy (202-225-5516), Ackerman (718-423-2154), Meeks (202-225-3461), Crowley (202-225-3965), Velazquez (202-225-2361), Serrano (202-225-4361), Lowey (202-225-6506), Owens (518-565-0183), and Higgins (202-225-3306).

Additional information is available through the Strengthen Social Security campaign.

July 20th Events: Take part in a state-wide campaign to save benefit programs

Join a coalition of progressive groups traveling across New York State to urge NY representatives to oppose benefit cuts. Gather in lower Manhattan on Wednesday, July 20 and take the South ferry to Staten Island to tell Rep. Michael Grimm “hands off social security, Medicaid, and Medicare.”

3:45pm: Join our fun “Boat Brigade”!
Gather at the South Ferry Terminal in Lower Manhattan. Together we’ll take the 4 p.m. ferry over to Staten Island. Bring group banners and homemade signs!

5:00pm: Press Conference and Rally
Take the Staten Island ferry to Borough Hall – 10 Richmond Terrace (across the street from the St. George Ferry Terminal – enter on Stuyvesant Place).

Email Hilary Papineau to RSVP or for additional information: hilarina@gmail.com

Events are sponsored by the new “Restore the American Promise” campaign. Partners include 1199 SEIU, Fight for a Fair Economy • Citizen Action of New York • New York State Alliance for Retired Americans • New York State AFL-CIO • New York Statewide Senior Action Council • New York Association on Independent Living

Why I am a Feminist Today: From July 11th, 2011

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a new feature I started on my personal blog called “Why I am a Feminist Today” and promised to share some of these posts on here.  Here is a post I wrote last night that addresses only a few of the facts and recent events that remind me why I identify as a feminist.

Today, I am a feminist because:

– The privatization of drinking water is being taken to the extreme, with people in several states being punished by the criminal “justice” system for catching rainwater on their property and reusing it.  I am a feminist because access to clean water is a human right and the government should not be able to control this natural resource.

– The funding of Planned Parenthood is being attacked across the country.  Although this has been deemed unconstitutional, six states have attempted to pass laws to defund these health care centers.  Countless excuses have been provided in an attempt to justify this gross violation of sexual and reproductive rights, ranging from arguments that this will somehow improve the economic crisis in the United States to the claim that Planned Parenthood “is an independently wealthy entity” that does not need support from the government.  The most openly misogynistic quote, however, comes from Councilor Raymond Wieczorek of Manchester, New Hampshire, who opposes funding for birth control and condoms; he support this by saying: “If they want to have a good time, why not let them pay for it?”

  • I am a feminist because I believe that all individuals deserve access to all of the services offered at Planned Parenthood; the government should never “balance the budget” by turning the health and well-being of individuals into commodities.
  • Because I believe that all individuals have the right to explore and express their sexuality freely and consensually, without having to adhere to a state-sanctioned idea of what constitutes acceptable sexual behavior.
  • Because I believe that access to birth and control in condoms is a human right, as it allows individuals to have control over their own bodies.

– As Poland attempts to completely ban abortion, approximately 47,000 people die each year because of an unsafe abortion.  I am a feminist because I believe that abortion should be made safe, legal, and accessible to all pregnant people around the world.

– Because the odds of a rapist spending time in prison are only 1 in 16.  I am a feminist because sexual violence is an issue that is not taken seriously, especially within the criminal “justice” system.

If you would like to share your own reasons, please submit them here.

POSTPONED, DATE TBA: WeWalk NYC – Scavenger Hunt for Women’s History!

On Sunday, July 24th, Women’s eNews will be hosting a scavenger hunt for women’s history in New York City!

“Join Women’s eNews to celebrate women’s imprint on New York City’s history with a special Scavenger Hunt version of Opening the Way.

Follow clues to compete for a fun packed feminist goody bag while walking through the accomplishments of 21 diverse female leaders, honoring suffragists, abolitionists, journalists, and fierce thinkers who changed both the city and the nation among the streets of downtown New York City.

Discover Elizabeth Jennings’ stand against racial segregation on Park Row, Margaret Sanger’s indictment for her fierce support of reproductive health and Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s publishing of the feminist journal The Revolution.  ”

Prizes for the winners of the scavenger hunt include donations from Ms. Magazine and the Feminist Press.

Participants should plan to meet with their groups outside of the WeNews’ Headquarters (6 Barclay Street, New York NY 10007) at 11:00 am.  Registration costs 50.00 dollars per group; each group may have up to four people.

To register and/or receive more information, email Charlotte Cooper or call (212) 244-1744.

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