Opening things up: Sarasvàti Productions' cabaret of monologues puts women's stories centre stage

Women and their stories took centre stage Saturday night for Sarasvàti Productions' annual International Women's Week cabaret of monologues.

And this year's show — which featured 10 different 10-minute long monologues and performance pieces — took on special meaning after the emergence of the #metoo movement, says artistic director, Hope McIntyre.

"I think there's a real hunger as a result of all the discussion and advocacy work that's happening for us to have more opportunities for women to share their stories and their voices," she said. "It was important for us… to allow those who might have been silenced in the past or those who might not usually get their stories on the stage to participate.

"It's resulted in a trans experience, artist with disability experience, so for us it was about opening things up to all everybody to tell their story."

The theme for this this year's show, held at the Asper Centre for Theatre and Film, was "I am unstoppable" and McIntyre says the pieces featured "an array of women who may have faced obstacles or challenges but have overcome them and have lived life to the fullest."

In the week leading up to Saturday's performances, the artists took their monologues out into the community to women's centres, schools, and even shopping centres, which McIntyre says helped them to subsidize the costs and allow a broader audience to experience the productions.

"There's humourous work, there's dance and movement-based work, there's mime by an artists whose deaf — so there's really a smorgasbord of stories and styles of presenting those stories," said McIntyre. "There's really something for everyone."

Sarasvàti Productions has been holding the event since 2003 and it has featured over a hundred monologues from playwrights across Canada over the years, says McIntyre.