DATE:Tuesday, April 27, 2010

TIME: 7 PM-8 PM (includes a post-performance panel discussion)

WHERE: Waynflete School, Franklin Theater, 360 Spring St., Portland, ME

PRICE: FREE

WHO: Suitable for teens, parents, educators, and community members.*

RSVP: info@addverbproductions.org or call 207-772-1167

*This performance will be ASL interpreted.

The Thin Line uses live theatre to break the silence on eating disorders, reduce the stigma surrounding this mental illness, and pave the way to finding support. The program helps to begin the conversation by illustrating the pain of one young woman’s struggle with an eating disorder and her loved ones’ resolve to understand and to help. A post-performance panel discussion with local experts helps to connect the audience to support and intervention strategies.

“The Thin Line is one of the most accurate examinations of the experience of eating disorders. It shows the insidious hold eating disorders develop on an otherwise rational, resourceful, reliable person. It is invaluable in our attempt to defeat the ‘body wars’ that plague our youth.”

– Dr. Margo Maine, PhD, FAED, and author of “The Body Wars”

PORTLAND, ME — April 5, 2010 — Hardy Girls Healthy Women is celebrating Maine girls during its 3rd annual Girls Rock! Weekend, April 9-11, 2010. Girls Rock! Weekend honors girls’ voices, leadership, and activism all over the state.

The Girls Rock! Weekend will feature a special public performance of “That Takes Ovaries!” on Saturday, April 10 at the North Star Café in Portland, starting at 5PM. Based on the book by Rivka Solomon and directed by Cathy Plourde of Add Verb Productions, “That Takes Ovaries!” honors the real-life stories of women and girls who perform gutsy, outrageous, and courageous acts. Following the performance, HGHW will open the stage to audience members who wish to share their stories of daring. Tickets are $5 for adults and children attend for free.

The Girls Rock! Weekend kicks off on Friday, April 9 in Waterville at the 12th annual Girls Unlimited! Conference, Powered by Girl. Focusing on media literacy, girls’ health, future careers, and strategies for social change, the conference will feature workshops developed and presented by girls, for girls.

The 2nd annual Girls Rock! Awards will be held on Friday April 9 at the Holocaust and Human Rights Center in Augusta. The awards will honor five girls and one woman who are using their voices in bold and powerful ways to make Maine a better place for all girls. The Girls Rock! Awards will be presented to girls ages 12-19 who are making a difference for all girls. “We were in awe of the powerful social change these girls are making. We know that honoring them in this way will inspire other girls to take the lead as well as change attitudes about what girls are capable of doing and what they care about,” said Hardy Girls Healthy Women’s Board President, Tobi Schneider.

Hardy Girls will also honor 2010 Olympian Julia Clukey, an Augusta native on the US luge team, with the Co-Creator Award. The Co-Creator award is given annually to a young woman whose work is advancing the Hardy Girls’ vision. Commenting on why the co-creators chose Julia for the award, Hardy Girls co-creator Karen Heck said, “Julia’s hard work and determination to achieve her goal in spite of overwhelming obstacles gives girls the idea that nothing is impossible if you believe in yourself.”

The Girls Rock! Awards are free and open to the public but an RSVP is required. Five Maine girls will be honored:

Title IX Award winner: Mariah Jones, 17, of Hope

Health Advocacy Award recipient: Stephanie Knight, 17, of Acton

Against the Odds Award winner: Danielle Lorrain, 17, of East Boothbay

Community Organizing Award winner: Winey Ogweta, 16, of Portland

Entrepreneurship Award recipient: Kayla Scheimreif, 16, of Waldoboro

The three-day celebration wraps up with the Poetry Mashup and Open Mic on Sunday, April 11, where girls and women are invited to share their creative work, poetry, music, or spoken word.  The event is at Jorgensen’s Café in Waterville from 12-1:30PM. This event is free and open to the public.

To find out more about the events or to register, visit www.hghw.org or call 207-861-8131.

Hardy Girls Healthy Women is a non-profit located in Waterville, Maine working to ensure all women and girls are independent, safe and equal in their everyday lives.

Add Verb Productions is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Portland, Maine that provides health and wellness education through provocative theatre performances with the goal of building stronger, healthier communities.

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PORTLAND, Maine —March 10, 2010 — Add Verb Productions today announced the launch of its new website, www.addverbproductions.org, in conjunction with a new logo. Add Verb Productions is a Portland, Maine based nonprofit that uses live theatre performances for health and wellness education in schools and colleges nationally.

“Our theatre programs are designed to educate the audience while at the same time providing direct interaction with local advocates, agencies, and health professionals who facilitate meaningful post-performance discussion,” said Add Verb’s executive director and playwright Cathy Plourde. “Our goal for the new logo and website was to reflect that unique approach—an educational tool that helps communities have constructive conversations about, and where to get help with, difficult issues such as eating disorders and dating violence.”

New features of the website include updated booking information; funding ideas; slide shows; a media center; news; and other client-friendly features such as downloadable program poster templates. The navigation system is also simplified in structure to provide a greater ease-of-navigation for visitors.

Educators using theatre to shine a light on domestic violence.

FREEPORT, Maine —January 14, 2010 — In an unprecedented response to the alarming issue of domestic violence in Maine, the Freeport community has banded together in a cross-collaboration of education and dialogue between local schools, teens, business leaders, parents, and nonprofits.

Freeport Community Center will host an interactive forum entitled “A Community against Domestic Violence” on January 27, 2010 beginning at 6:30 PM. Designed to spark meaningful dialogue between parents, teens, and community members to become more educated on the issues, the evening will underline the urgent need for all parents to be aware of dating and domestic violence, what can be done to end the cycle of abuse, how to get involved in prevention, and how and where victims can get help.

Featured will be a free performance of Add Verb Productions’ You the Man, a nationally touring 30-minute play that empowers both males and females to step out of the bystander role when it comes to domestic and dating violence. Following will be a community forum and panel discussion that will feature Freeport High School students who participated in Boys to Men’s Reducing Sexism and Violence Program (RSVP) training, local advocates, school faculty, parents, and community business leaders.  

The community evening on January 27 is designed to augment and open to the community the prevention work currently underway among Freeport High School students. Currently, 40 Freeport students are enrolled in Boys to Men’s RSVP program, a violence prevention project aimed at empowering both male and female students to act as bystanders to effectively respond to and prevent bullying, interpersonal violence, and harassment. In addition to participating in the RSVP program, Freeport High School hosted a closed performance of You the Man on January 7, 2010 for the high school student body. The play was followed by a panel discussion facilitated by faculty and local advocates. Student-led discussions were held the following day.

Last year in Maine, nearly half of the last 24 homicides were a result of domestic violence (Maine Department of Public Safety). And teen dating abuse is increasingly common: one in three teens reporting relationship abuse and the National Teen Dating Abuse helpline has seen a staggering 600 percent increase in calls and chats since 2007 (loveisrespect.org). The Freeport community initiative kicks off National Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Week (February 2-6, 2010).

Freeport’s Community Coalition against Domestic Violence collaborating partners include: Zachau Construction; Bow Street Market; Sevee Maher Engineers; Royal Bank of Canada; Freeport Community Services; Freeport High School; Boys to Men’s Reducing Sexism and Violence Program (RSVP); Family Crisis Services’ Young Adult Abuse Prevention Program (YAAPP); Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine (SARSSM); and Add Verb Productions: Theatre for Health & Wellness Education.

“Domestic violence is prevalent in every community.  Its origins are complex but it is clear that unhealthy relationships and behaviors are developed early,” said Drew Wing, the coalition’s organizer and director of business development for Zachau Construction. “We’ve got to move beyond the stigma and dangerous misconceptions surrounding domestic violence and into a conversation about bystander support and action. This event will allow the community to stand side-by-side in support of our young people and what they face.”

“The combination of these educational programs, community discussions, and dedicated partners will be a powerful impetus for changing attitudes and behavior surrounding dating and domestic violence,” said Wing.

Boys to Men’s Reducing Sexism and Violence Program (RSVP)
www.boystomen.info/RSVP.htm

Family Crisis Services’ Young Adult Abuse Prevention Program (YAAPP)
www.yaapp.org/yaapp

Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine (SARSSM)
www.sarsonline.org