Vagina Monologues cast present cash to Moray Rape Crisis
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The cast of a recent theatrical fundraiser have met up again to present the fruits of their performances to a local charity.
A group of Moray thespian volunteers presented The Vagina Monologues to a near sell-out audience at Elgin Town Hall last month.
Although the series of short monologues were written by American playwright Eve Ensler in 1988, they relay experiences of women that are still held to be relevant today.
Presenting the cheque to Moray Rape Crisis, production team member Lorna Creswell stated it had been a very special event.
She said: “The audience and the Vagina Monologues team have all excelled themselves. The original expectation was to cover our costs and raise a further £1000.
“So it is with gratitude we donate this amount to the charity.
“The cast, including the singers and drummers, have had amazing feedback since the performance – especially the many who had never imagined ever being on a stage.”
Over 450 people attended the show, with ticket proceeds boosted by various fund-raising stalls on the night.
As part of the evening a group of female drummers also invigorated the crowd with a driving percussive display, while singers from Forres performed the song ‘Warrior’.
The performers first came together in 2023 with an idea to repeat the last performance of the monologues at the town hall over 20 years ago.
Ruth Boardman, the show’s director, said: “From a small planning group with no budget and no cast, the team grew larger and became the eleven outstanding women who delivered the monologues on the night.
“I am so proud of the VM Moray members. We are a diverse group of women who bonded to put our message across.
“Today, we gave a cheque for £3728.30 to Moray Rape Crisis. That is the best achievement of all.
“I hope the money will make a difference. I hope that, through the tears and laughter of our performance, we reached out to women everywhere, helping them to regain control of their bodies and their lives.”
Receiving the donation, Caroline Burrell from the charity said: “All donations we receive go towards helping to provide our frontline services for adults and young people in Moray who are affected by sexual violence.
“We sincerely thank the organisers and cast for their support of our work.”
Moray Rape Crisis states that, in the last year alone, it has supported more than 200 local adults and young people who have been affected by sexual violence.
The charity operates an outreach service to secondary schools.
