Hi, all! This has been a crazy week in the New York City improv community. Assault charges, bans, Amy Schumer turning out to be not not quite the feminist savior goddess we all thought she was. On the dark side, harassment and assault stories are coming to light that don’t always make the situation seem solvable. On the awesome side, though, women and #allgoodmen have been coming together, meeting up, and supporting each other. For that reason, all these events this week are organized by women and support women.

Fri 19: Legends of the Hidden Tampon

The Annoyance Theater, 367 Bedford Ave, 9:30, $10
There is absolutely no way I’m going to be able to describe this better than the show’s creators. “Legends of the Hidden Tampon is an educational action-adventure game show that challenges a group of comedian contestants to a series of physical and mental games related to women’s health.” It’s a game show about women’s health it’s guaranteed to be hilarious, informative, and action-packed. I mean, just check out the names of the teams: “The Purple Pads” vs “The Silver Speculums” vs “The Orange Oral Contraceptives.” Looks like there are some men playing- hope they’ve done their studying!

Sat 20: Volunteer for the National Organization for Women

Various women’s health clinics, 7:00 AM – 11:00 AM, Free
“How can I support women?” One way is to to help support women exercising their right to choose. You can make a difference in one of the most vulnerable moments in a woman’s life by escorting her past those who would harass and intimidate her and make a difference in her life. Sign up online and, after a brief phone interview, do more than you thought you could on a Saturday morning.

Sat 20: National Scandal at the PIT

People’s Improv Theater, 123 E 24th St, 7:30 PM, $5
If you’ve ever seen a random sketch or improv show, your first thought may have been “Wow, that’s a lot of white dudes.” Groups like National Scandal, consciously formed to be 50% female, 50% male, seek to challenge that norm. Founding member Jennifer Bloodsworth (amazing name) says, “Our core value is to be collaborative. Everyone writes and everyone performs. We decide things like which sketches we will perform and casting as a group. We are always asking things like ‘does this character need to specifically be a man or a woman to make the joke work?'”

Sun 21: Sign Up to Volunteer at Women in Need 

Apx 20 minutes to fill out the application
Knowing how to help a homeless person is a perennial issue for New Yorkers. Money? Food? Fortunately, there’s a way to do actual good through organizations like WIN. For homeless women, particularly homeless mothers, sometimes a step up through things like the Backpack Buddies program, which provides filled backpacks for children in the program, can make all the difference.

Tues 23: Deep Yoga at Bluestockings

Bluestockings, 172 Allen Street, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM, Free
Bluestockings is an entirely volunteer-driven, feminist, radical bookstore that you need to be going to if you haven’t been there already. This free class, taught by certified teacher Sharyn Hahn, is the perfect chance to get in there and check out this community-driven center for female empowerment.

Tues 23: Two Girls, Tall Boys at the PIT Loft 

PIT Loft, 154 W 29th St, 9:00 PM, $5
The “tall boys” in in Libby Zambrano and Mary-Alice McNab’s two-woman show are beers, but that doesn’t guarantee that there won’t be any discussion of human tall boys. As Zambrano told me, “I’ve been doing improv for 12 years, and I know without a doubt that women have to work twice as hard as men do to get the audience on our side. But once we do, we’ve got them for life!” Go laugh twice as hard this Tuesday.

Weds 24: Check out Troll Hole 

Mermaid Laundromat, 226 Knickerbocker Ave, Brooklyn, 1:00 PM – 10:00 PM, Free
Want to do your laundry AND check out a feminist, queer small business? Head on over to Troll Hole! They mostly specialize in zines and other printed material, but they also have merch (see t-shirts and tote bags above) to browse through while you’re washing your delicates. At the very least, they always have free tampons, pads, and panty liners – a sentence I have never written and which makes me supremely happy to have typed.

Thurs 25: Adult Tai-Chi at the Center for Anti-Violence Education

The Center for Anti-Violence Education, 327 Seventh Street, #2, Brooklyn, 6:00 PM, Sliding Scale (contact annie@CAENY.org for specific info)
Come check out a Tai-Chi class taught by Annie Ellman of CAE, which she says “helps relax, strengthen oneself, and let go of stress and tension.” Stick around afterward to find out about all the amazing ways CAE supports women, minority groups, and the LGBTQ community. Readers of this blog may be interested in their 5-week self defense classes which empower women against “physical and verbal violence,” which is offered free-of-charge to victims of assault. Check out their video introduction to find out more!