An event featuring Greek goddess’ like Artemis, Athena, Demeter and Hara, is taking place at the Algonquin Theatre on March 8 in celebration of International Women’s Day.

With the theme New Day, New Way, Aphrodite and Friends – The Goddesses in Every Woman, Wendy Oke, co-organizer of the event said the theme is loosely based on Jean Shinoda-Bolen’s novel titled Goddesses in Every Woman.

“It’s a variety show,” she said, adding that the event will feature a humourous skit, along with dancing and singing, suitable for people of all ages. “Someone will be doing something on menopause, there will be circle dancing, there are some high school students involved, local musicians, and the Women’s Voices Choir from Carnarvon will also be performing.”

Promising that it will be a “fun, rich, enjoyable night,” Oke went on to say that a group of local women who are helping host the event will be dressed in Greek goddess attire to honour the occasion as well as to represent archetypes of certain Greek goddesses.

As the narrator for the evening, Oke herself will be posing as Gaia the earth goddess.

Aphrodite, the goddess of love and creativity, will not be played by a person, but will be the inspiration for the show.

“She’s the creative goddess overseeing the show,” said Oke. “We’re keeping her in the goddess realm. We want to make sure that we’re interpreting the old Greek myths in a new way. We’re shifting the old stories that’s where the new way, new day comes in.”

Over the course of the evening, when performances are being made, local women’s artwork will be displayed behind on a large projection screen.

“The whole idea is changing the goddess archetypes with a new message, and that is New Day, New Way,” stated Oke. “We’ve never had a time where they’ve been so many strong women in their sixties with the strength, power and wisdom to make changes in the world. “What’s also nice is that we’re involving men. Some will be backing up the singers and some will be joining in on the circle dance.”

According to Oke, International Women’s Day is celebrated all over the world and some countries, like China and Russia, celebrate the day as a national holiday.

In 1994, she helped organize one of the first International Women’s Day celebrations in Huntsville, in which she worked with the now extinct Women’s Teachers Federation and the Muskoka Women’s Advocacy Group to hold a day of workshops, entertainment and revelry for women.

Last year, Sue Kenney’s ‘Las Peregrinas’ about women who walk the Camino Trail and Jeremy Munce’s ‘The Alma Drawings’ were featured at the Algonquin Theatre in celebration of International Women’s Day.

Aphrodite and Friends – The Goddesses in Every Woman begins at 8 p.m. on March 8. Tickets to the event are $15 and $10 for children 10 years old and under and are available by calling the Algonquin Theatre’s box office at 789-4975. Proceeds from Aphrodite and Friends will be directed to the Parry Sound-Muskoka Sexual Assault Services.