February is a month of celebration, from Black History, to Valentine’s Day, to 121 men and women all over the Commonwealth joining together to empower women, promote self love, and accept each other.

February 23-25 is a busy but exciting weekend at Woodford Theatre. The theatre is hosting their second year of Voices Heard, but this year, they are making it bigger and better. If you have seen The Girl Project (TGP), this is the event for you, because select pieces from each year of TGP will be shown in this event.

But, what makes Voices Heard different from The Girl Project? Along with pieces from previous years of TGP, Voices Heard also involves adult men and women from across the state to perform songs and poems, dance companies perform pieces, and a special guest artist joins. This year, middle school girls from three different counties in Girl Project Next Generation (GPNG) will be the opening act on the 24th.

And, if you are a musical theatre fan, you will love this year’s special guest artist. This year, Broadway rising star Colton Ryan will be joining the cast and performing a song from the current Broadway hit musical, Dear Evan Hansen. A piece that is specifically meant to empower women is a piece written by Transylvania student, Madison Plucknett, A Poem by a Nasty Woman. “It is a response to the election of a sexual predator to highest office in the country. I wrote it to promote unity and sisterhood. It is a personal refusal to allow the progress of the feminist movement to be destroyed,” said Plucknett.

As a teen who will also be performing in this event, I can say that this year’s lineup is excellent and will surely give you chills as we touch on deep subjects, such as: sexual assault, conforming to society, movement pieces and monologues dedicated to women who have risen above assault, labor, and persecution. This coming weekend is extremely busy, as Voices Heard is not the only event being hosted by The Girl Project. If you are someone who likes music, poetry, or dance, this weekend is for you!

See below for a full lineup of exciting events.

https://www.thegirlprojectky.org/copy-of-community-1

Friday, February 23 (6:30p.m)- (FREE) Spoken word at the Chocolate Holler– Featuring: Donna Ison, Matthew Hutchins, Kaitlyn Rucker, Tara Wilkinson, and pieces from The Girl Project Alumni

Saturday, February 24 (11:00a.m- 2:00p.m)- ($15) Bodies Heard Community Movement Workshop with Lora Wilson Mau at Woodford Theatre

Saturday, February 24 (2:00p.m-4:00p.m)- ($10/ pay what you can) Premiere screening of the JUMP documentary by Julie Edwards Fauxe– JUMP is an organization created to give voices to young single mothers.

Saturday, February 24 (5:00p.m- 7:00p.m)- ($10/ pay what you can) Teen Voices Heard, featuring GPNG and TGP Alumni at Woodford Theatre

Saturday, February 24 (7:00p.m- 10:00p.m)- ($15- students/ $20- adults) Voices Heard Mainstage performance, featuring pieces from TGP Alumni, all adult men and women pieces, NKU Dance Theatre, UK Dance Theatre, dance company Movement Continuum, and Colton Ryan (via video).

Sunday, February 25 (11:00a.m- 1:00p.m)- ($10) Gender Equity Panel Discussion and Brunch at the Davis Marksbury Building, Lexington

Sunday, February 25 (2:00p.m-4:00p.m)-  ($15- students/ $20- adults) Voices Heard Mainstage performance, featuring pieces from TGP Alumni, all adult men and women pieces, NKU Dance Theatre, UK Dance Theatre, dance company Movement Continuum, and Colton Ryan (via video).