ABOUT US

That Takes Ovaries: Mission and Objectives

Summary Of All Things Ovarian

Bios of Our Leaders and Staff

Where We've Held That Takes Ovaries Events

That Takes Ovaries: Mission and Objectives

THAT TAKES OVARIES
A book, play, open mike movement & organizing tool for women & girls' empowerment Celebrating gutsy women around the globe -- because courage is contagious

"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun." Katharine Hepburn

"Well-behaved women rarely make history." Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

MISSION STATEMENT
Based on the belief that courage is contagious and that all females are born leaders, That Takes Ovaries (TTO) celebrates the gutsy, bold, courageous acts of women and girls, both locally and globally. Our empowerment model combines the arts with activism to encourage and guide women to be organizers and all-around strong, risk-taking females. Our TTO grassroots movement is based on a best-selling book, a theatrical play and fun, inspiring, audience-participatory TTO open mikes (story-sharing sessions), which can serve as PR and/or fundraising events local women organize themselves for worthy women and girls' causes. That Takes Ovaries is based in Boston, MA and is under the fiscal sponsorship of ARK Theater, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

OBJECTIVES OF TTO
Through our events, That Takes Ovaries aims to:

• Inspire the local event organizers and audience participants to celebrate being women and girls.
• Motivate women to be bold risk-takers, and thus live more fulfilling, adventurous lives.
• Encourage women to not accept limits imposed on them by a sexist society.
• Empower women to continue taking risks in their lives and be invigorated to keep doing social justice, boundary-breaking work, both personally and politically.
• Give women a place where their voices and experiences are heard and respected.
• Develop women and girls' leadership.
• Foster grassroots activism among women and girls.
• Guide women through the process of learning how to be organizers for women's voices and causes.
• Raise community awareness and funds for local and international women and girls' causes.

THAT TAKES OVARIES
A book, play, open mike movement & organizing tool for women & girls' empowerment Celebrating gutsy women around the globe -- because courage is contagious

"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun." Katharine Hepburn

"Well-behaved women rarely make history." Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

SUMMARY OF ALL THINGS OVARIAN
A book, play, open mike movement & organizing tool for women & girls' empowerment

THE BOOK: THAT TAKES OVARIES!: BOLD FEMALES AND THEIR BRAZEN ACTS (Random House) is an exciting collection of real-life stories from women and girls about the gutsy, outrageous, courageous things they have done. The book is jam-packed with 64 multicultural, fun, sassy, touching true tales of estrogen-powered deeds that range from playful to political, including women fighting for their human rights. The book is coupled with an open mike movement for women and girls' empowerment.

THE OPEN MIKES, FUNDRAISING FOR WOMEN'S CAUSES & PROMOTING ACTIVISM:
That Takes Ovaries is a unique initiative (and a nonprofit organization) that mixes the arts with activism for women and girls' empowerment. Since 2002, hundreds of That Takes Ovaries open mikes have been held around the globe, either led by our TTOvaries professional staff -- or organized and led by local women in the community, like you! At an Ovaries open mike, excerpts of our play are read aloud, then gutsy gals share stories about times they acted boldly. Guys brag about the ovaries in their lives -- their mothers, sisters, daughters. Everyone who shares gets a chocolate egg wrapped in gold foil -- a Golden Ovary award. Many events are fundraisers for local girls' groups and groups working to end human rights abuses against girls. That Takes Ovariesoffers a fun and empowering community relations event or fundraising tool that any individual or women's organization can use to raise community awareness or money for themselves, so that they, in turn, may continue their own good work for women. Those interested in organizing a That Takes Ovaries open mike can easily do it, either as a stand-alone event or as an exciting audience-participatory component to an already scheduled meeting. First time organizers welcome: Learn to be an activist for women's voices and causes! The open mike Guidelines and Registration (registration is required) are found at thattakesovaries.org. To invite TTO professional staff to speak at or lead an event contact Info@thattakesovaries.org.

THE PLAY: Like the book, the play is a collection of gutsy, bold, brazen acts by women. Full productions and staged readings (often including open mikes with the audience after the performance) have been done in theaters and on university campuses across the globe. Interested producers, theaters, campuses, celebrity and community-based actors can contact us for the script.

PRESS COVERAGE: We have generated over 400 press articles and interviews, including Glamour and Jane magazines, the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Detroit Free Press, NY Daily News, Times of India and Telegraph of India. We were a Boston Globe bestseller.

INVITING US TO YOUR COMMUNITY: TTO professional staff are available for speaking and leading open mike events. We offer a talk/workshop titled "That Takes Ovaries: Leading a Bold Life," geared towards women but open to all genders; an exciting reading of women's true stories of boldness and courage; and the highpoint of the event, a fun, audience-participatory That Takes Ovaries open mike. To invite any of our speakers to your community, contact Info@ThatTakesOvaries.org.

At www.thattakesovaries.org
* Buy the book (also available at bookstores) *
* Register to hold an Ovaries Open Mike or Play *
* Invite us to speak in your community *

Bios of Our Leaders and Staff

 Rivka Solomon writes, organizers and rabble-rouses on the East Coast of the U.S. She edited the book That Takes Ovaries (Random House), an exciting collection of real-life stories from women and girls about the gutsy, outrageous, courageous things they have done. The book is jam-packed with 64 multicultural, fun, sassy, touching true tales of estrogen-powered deeds that range from playful to political, including women fighting for their human rights. Rivka co-wrote the play of the same name, and directed two productions in the Boston area. Her play has also been produced by schools and community theaters around the U.S. As Executive Director of the nonprofit organization That Takes Ovaries, she leads TTO workshops, lectures and is coordinating a global initiative of community-oriented That Takes Ovaries open mikes, plays and fundraisers. Her writing has appeared in U.S. magazines, newspapers, anthologies and has aired on radio broadcasts. Since darn near babyhood, she has been a women's rights advocate and activist.

 Bobbi Ausubel is a book contributor to the That Takes Ovaries book, co-playwright of the That Takes Ovaries play and Artistic Director of the organization. She leads TTO women's empowerment events all across the U.S. and globe, including in Latin America, Africa and Asia. In India and along the Nepal-India border, she uses the TTO model of empowerment to help women and girls in prostitution, including those had been forced into the sex slave trade. In addition to working with TTO, Bobbi is also a workshop leader, theater director, playwright, acting teacher, Registered Drama Therapist and consultant in the schools. Bobbi was a leader in the Second Wave of the Women's Movement; She is featured in the book Feminists Who Changed America. She co-wrote and directed the first play inspired by the modern feminist movement in the US in the 1960s and '70s, called How To Make A Woman. Her theater company, Caravan Theater, brought a feminist point of view to the plays she produced. Some of the plays won ‘Best Play of the Year’ award by the Boston press. She brings with her the unique perspective of someone who was active in -- not just witnessing, but taking part in -- the evolution of the U.S. women's movement over the last few decades. She also taught acting for fifteen years at the Boston Conservatory, where she was Chair of the Theater Division.

 Mira Kakkar, our That Takes Ovaries (TTO) Coordinator in India, based in Calcutta/Kolkata, holds TTO dramatic readings and open mikes in a wide variety of venues, from five star hotels, such as the Oberoi Grand, to college campuses to the U.S. Consulate to NGO centers, including centers for women in prostitution. She has organized and anchored TTO events that were co-anchored and/or co-hosted by celebrities and dignitaries, such as George Sibley, U.S. Consul General and his wife Lee Sibley, and by Konkana Sen Sharma, the actress and daughter of well-known director Aparna Sen. Mira's TTO events have been held as part of Int'l Women's Day events and the International Fortnight Protesting Violence Against Women and Girls. They have been co-sponsored by the West Bengal Government and by NGOs, such as Oxfam, Seagull Foundation, Swayam and Mira's very own NGO, Thoughtshop Foundation. The TTO events Mira has led have been attended by women from all walks of life, from students, professionals, and prostituted women who live in the Red light Districts. In addition to working with That Takes Ovaires, Mira Kakkar specializes in writing, storytelling, advertising, publishing, communications and social activism. As helmswoman of an NGO called Thoughtshop Foundation, which she launched in 1993, Mira focuses on the mental and physical health of youth. As an advertising and communications person, her multi-media campaigns have been instrumental in starting mass movements.

 Dr. Cecelia Wambach is a That Takes Ovaries workshop leader in the U.S. and abroad, as well as a That Takes Ovaries book contributor. Cecelia has thirty years of group leading under her belt, facilitating workshops for a range of participants on a variety of topics, including: anti-racism and multiculturalism workshops in urban communities for city personnel (including police and firefighters); seminars for high school and college-aged women, assisting them to become socially active and engaged; and weekends for ministers on how to identify and clarify their roles as community-based leaders. In addition to leading women's empowerment workshops, Cecelia is Professor Emerita of Education at San Francisco State University and a long-time leader in teacher education with a focus on mentoring young teachers of color. In this capacity, she created a professional development program where pre-service teachers were educated in a high-poverty urban school, rather than at a traditional university. Cecelia is a former nun who volunteered with Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Civil Rights movement and the Poor People's Campaign. She is a warm, welcoming and dynamic speaker.

Where We've Held That Takes Ovaries Events

That Takes Ovaries
List of Events Held & Organizations

This is a sample list of some of the places that have hosted That Takes Ovaries (TTO) events and some of the organizations that have organized them. Since 2002 we have held over 600 events around the U.S. and globe, so this below list is only a small sample.

The list of groups who are the recipients of money raised from TTO events is much longer and not included here. It ranges from citywide rape crisis centers and AIDS awareness groups to the U.S. Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to international groups working to end sex trafficking.

In terms of press attention, we have generated well over 400 articles and interviews, including in Glamour and Jane magazines, the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Detroit Free Press, NY Daily News, Times of India and Telegraph of India. Our book was a Boston Globe bestseller. We stopped counting and collecting press clips years ago, but we still get media attention almost everywhere we hold an event when the organizers engage in media outreach.

* * *

In addition to cafes, bookstores and community groups all across the U.S. -- from Los Angeles to Chicago to New York -- our events have also been hosted or organized by:

Women's Organizations (sample only)

YWCA
NARAL
Planned Parenthood
National Organization for Women
Feminist Majority (student groups on U.S. campuses)
Women's Fund chapters in the U.S. (each state has it own chapter)
Third Wave Foundation
Equality Now (EN director attended & spoke at a TTO fundraiser for EN)

Universities (sample only)

Stanford University, CA
Brandeis, MA
MIT, MA
Duke University, SC
Vanderbilt University, TN
Colby College, ME
Case Western Reserve University, OH
Virginia Tech
Indiana University
University of California, Davis
University of North Dakota
University of Alaska
University of New Hampshire
University of Saskatchewan
University of Western Ontario
University of Wisconsin
Truman State University, Kirksville, MO
Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR
Western Conn State University, CT
Western Kentucky University, KY
SUNY -- State University of New York
Spokane Falls Community College, WA
Lancaster University, UK
Women’s Christian College, Calcutta, INDIA

International Events: Organizers/Sponsors (sample only)

Amnesty International, Australia
U.S. Consulate in Calcutta, India, under auspices of U.S. State Dept.
Peace Corps, Nicaragua (in high schools with the local police dept)
YWCA, Australia
West Bengal Government, India
AIDS Orphans group, Thailand
Women's Communal Bank, Costa Rica
Living room TTO events, Italy
School for disabled children, Kenya, Africa
Women's Center of Newfoundland, Canada

Conferences (sample only)

LadyFest (citywide LadyFests all over the country held TTO events)
Women and Power Conference, Omega Institute (Omega & Eve Ensler organized event; 600 women)
N.O.W. (3 N.O.W. conferences, national and individual states)
A.W.I.D. (Association for Women's Rights and Development), Thailand

Teen and Girls Groups (sample only)

Various high schools
Just a Start (shelter for homeless teen moms)
Girls Project
G.I.R.L.S. Conference
Girls II Women

That Takes Ovaries events held in 2009
2/18/09: Menlo College, CA: TTO play excerpts and open mike
2/14/09: Women's And Gender Equity, Univ of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, WI: TTO play excerpts, open mike
2/21-22/09: Int'l Centre for Women in Merseyside & Univ of Liverpool, England, UK: TTO play
2/26/09: Student Life Dept., Univ of Wisconsin, Green Bay, WI: TTO play excerpts, open mike
2/27/09: Women's Resource Center, Univ of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI: TTO play excerpts, open mike
2/27-28/09: Zonta Grandma/Orphan project/Amer Univ Alumni Center: Thailand, Asia: TTO play
3/2/09: Assoc. Women Students, Spokane Falls Community College, WA: TTO play excerpts, open mike
3/4/09: Diversity Dept., Lower Columbia Community College, WA: TTO play excerpts, open mike
3/5/09: Women's Health, Dept of Population, Tasmania, Australia: TTO play excerpts, open mike
3/6/09: Women's Center, Pacific Lutheran Univ, WA: TTO play excerpts, open mike
3/09: Student Life, Central Texas College, TX: TTO play excerpts, open mike
3/20/09: Women's Resource Center, Simpson College, IA: TTO play excerpts, open mike
3/24/09: Student Programming, Ocean County College, NJ: TTO play excerpts, open mike
3/27-28/09: The Latina Monologues: Walkers Point Arts Center, Milwaukee, WI: TTO play excerpts
4/7/09: Campus Women's Organization, Univ of Pittsburgh, PA: TTO play excerpts, open mike
4/17/09: Nat'l Organization for Women, Grand Rapids, MI: TTO play excerpts, open mike
5/2/09: Nat'l Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, UK: TTO play excerpts, open mike
7/14/09: Eau Claire WI, Living room TTO play excerpts, open mike
8/15/09: Whimsy Media & Nat'l Ctr for Lesbian Rights Immigration Project, SF, CA: TTO play excerpts
9/5/09: Port Townsend Shorts, WA: TTO excerpts
11/5/09: Women's Action Network, Univ of Wyoming, WY: TTO play excerpts, open mike
12/09: Partners of Americas: Guyana, South America: Two wks of TTO workshops for girls, social workers
2008-present: Women's Centres around India: TTO open mike for women/girls who'd been sex trafficked