Handle It – A UN Women’s Fundraiser

In recognition of the United Nations Women Beijing+20 campaign – marking the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action established to universally advance women’s rights – as well as to encourage conversation around contemporary issues affecting women is the one night fundraiser, Handle It.

Journalist Tracey Spicer, whose recent TEDx talk The lady stripped bare has received over one million views online where she (literally) deconstructs society’s unrealistic female image, will open the night as one of two guest speakers. Alongside her will be feminist writer, theatre director and performer, August Supple.

After a sell-out season at the Sydney Fringe Festival, the night will also feature a performance of the critically acclaimed piece Handle It – A One Woman Play. Written and performed by Laura Jackson, one of the event’s key organisers, Jackson hopes that through the play’s focus on issues such as domestic violence, rape, and the impacts of social media on women’s privacy, this will spark much needed dialogue a while also supporting an organisation (UN Women) that works towards similar goals of protecting and empowering women.

“It’s going to be a really exciting evening,” says Jackson.

“The two guest speakers are going to give us a lot to think about. The play itself has six different characters and of those six there are three which are very much comedy so there’s a lot of entertainment as well.”

With the night also featuring musical entertainment by Aspiring Musical Theatre Company, Jackson says that overall, she hopes audiences “take away a positive message”.

“There’s issues of course we have to work on but I hope that through all these people coming together and talking about it, that it’s seen that there’s a way forward,” she says. (KR)

Written by Katie Rorison

Dec 11, The Imperial Hotel, 35 Erskineville Rd, Erskineville, $40, trybooking.com

Funds raised from this event will go to support UN Women’s Beijing20 Campaign. 50% of ticket sales revenue will be donated to protect women and girls from violence, provide safe and stable jobs, develop women as leaders, ensure women’s participation in peace processes and advance gender equality