Celebrate Women’s History Month with Women Flip the Script Monologues

To wrap up her month of activities for Women’s History Month, Tatiana (Alex Smith pictured below) created a special performance titled The women return the script monologues. In case you haven’t heard of her (what have you done!?), Tatiana is an active member of Beijing’s literary and artistic community, who also runs her own podcast, “Desperately Tatiana”.

So what is it actually The women return the script monologues?

Well, it’s a one-night performance from an all-female cast performing monologues traditionally led by men. There will be a mix of contemporary and classic monologues (think Hamlet and Othello, etc.) that range from tragedy to comedy.

There will be 21 monologues in total as well as a narrator, for a diverse cast of 22 talented Beijing women. Tatiana will be performing and directing the performance which is bound to be a very fun and unique evening celebrating women. With that in mind, as Tatiana says, “the best way to celebrate women is to protect them,” proceeds from the show will be donated to Project A, a nonprofit that works with women who have been in abusive relationships.

I spoke with Tatiana in more detail before the performance to find out more about the project.

First of all, where did the idea come from? Flip the script comes from?
I really wanted to do something different for Women’s History Month. I’ve always been in love with the characters of Iago from Othello and find it annoying that there’s no way I could ever play him in an actual production. I realized that I wasn’t the only person who felt that way about the other characters. And the rest is history.

Is this the first time you’ve done something like this, or have you done similar projects before?
This is the first time I’ve tried to weave several pieces into a single story. No lie, it was rather complicated. However, it was fun to create. It also helps to have people around who support the random sparks of perceived madness that come to mind because when those sparks are nurtured, who knows what will be created.

What do you hope to achieve with this event?
My main goal is for everyone to have fun! I hope the actors will have fun playing a character they never thought they would play on stage. I hope the audience appreciates all the hard work the actors put into their performances. And I hope we can raise more money and raise awareness for Project A.

Why did you choose Project A as the charity that this event will support?
People who experience domestic violence do not always receive the treatment and support they need, whether because of feelings of shame, public stigma or the high cost of treatment. I believe that any organization that tries to provide resources for people dealing with trauma should be given as much support and recognition as possible.

You’ve already done a whole month of events for Black History Month and this event will wrap up your month of events for Women’s History Month, do you have any other events planned after that?
Yes. The past few months have been busy. I will be taking a break from the calendars, but the events and my podcast episodes will continue. I already have several ideas in the works, so a lot of people want to express themselves creatively. They want a place and a way to show other sides of who they are. One of Hopelessly Tatiana’s goals is to bring this to life as much as possible. So yes, there will definitely be more events.

And finally, why did you decide to create the Hopelessly Tatiana podcast and community?
Like so many people, I felt unwelcome in spaces where I wanted to be included. I let this feeling of inadequacy and other people dictate my presence for a long time. Then one day, I just decided that if people didn’t make room for me, I would create my own and invite other people to join me. The Hopelessly Tatiana community grew out of this mental space, and I couldn’t be more grateful. If you want to participate in anything or just want to make your voice heard, feel free to join the Hopelessly Tatiana community and contact us. We all want the same thing: to be heard, seen and respected.

Women Flip the Script Monologues will take place at 8 p.m. on March 31 at UMU. Tickets are 85 RMB and proceeds will be donated to Project A, scan the QR code on the poster to purchase tickets.

UMU 尤木俱乐部
Ritan Park and Yabao Lu, (South Gate of Ritan Park), Chaoyang District
朝阳区日坛公园雅宝路 (日坛公园南门东侧)

READ: How he went from zero to hero: An interview with comedian Donnie Fan

Images: Kabita, Shadow Song, Tatiana (Alex Smith), Unsplash Marcus Winkler