Around 150 students took a seat in Pollak Theatre to see Boom Roasted Productions perform the 10th annual “Vagina Monologues” on Monday, Feb. 10 from 7:30 – 9 pm. The $1,025 in proceeds went to the local charity 180 Turning Lives Around and the national charity One Billion Rising, both of which focus on domestic violence awareness and prevention.
Dr. Carolyn Bradley, an associate professor, attended the performance. She has seen it multiple times and said, “Each time I see the play it evokes something different in me. Student productions are particularly meaningful to me as it reminds how far we have come in acknowledging women’s sexuality and the right to control their own bodies.”
Far from traditional, “The Vagina Monologues” included topics such as shaving, gynecological appointments, rape, and even the language surrounding female sexuality. The play began in 1994 as a one woman show with author Eve Ensler playing every character. Since then, it has been performed in 140 countries and 48 languages, and on college campuses nationwide.
Tickets for the event were $5 in advance and $7 at the door.
Zoe Bulitt, a junior theatre major and student producer for the last two years, said that the awareness of rape and sexual assault in our country, genital mutilation in other countries like Bosnia and Kosovo, and an overall feeling of empowerment to be yourself are just a few of the important messages the audience takes away from the performance.
But the play isn’t all serious. Audience members are left in a fit of giggles during “My Angry Vagina,” a monologue about tampons, gynecological appointments, and thong underwear.
More laughs ensued during the moans, which participating casts edited to fit their own needs. This year’s cast included the Kanye West moan, “Hold up, I’mma let you finish,” and the Harry Potter moan, “Expecto Patro-oh-ohhh-num!” Allie Phillips, a junior communications major and student producer, left the audience in hysterics with her triple orgasm moan.
Phillips said, “My favorite part of ‘The Vagina Monologues’ is that it is more than just an awkward show. It is hope that things are going to get better. It is acceptance of the taboo topic of the vagina that people rarely want to talk about.” If the performance occurs on campus in the future, Phillips said she will definitely be involved again.
According to Bulitt, Boom Roasted Productions chose to produce “The Vagina Monologues” because it was being dropped by Student Activities, so the group was asked by Heather Kelly, Assistant Director of Student Activities for Multicultural and Diversity Initiatives, to take it on as a performance.
Bulitt was happy to be involved with this campus tradition of having an annual “Vagina Monologues” performance.
The cast of “The Vagina Monologues” announced the University’s Vagina Warriors, an award to honor local men and women working or volunteering to end violence against women. Recipients were Alexandra DeVito, a school social worker at Sisters’ Academy, and Louise Bosmans, a nurse practitioner at the University’s Health Services.
The performance, one of over 5,000 nationwide, benefits V-Day. V-Day is a global movement created by “The Vagina Monologues” to end violence against women and girls.
According to One Billion Rising, one billion women around the world will be raped or beaten during her lifetime. Furthermore, according the World Health Organization, over 125 million women worldwide have been affected by female genital mutilation and cutting. These practices mostly take place in Africa. The practice has no health benefits and often causes more harm than good.
Jaclyn Shugard, a sophomore fine arts major, got involved with “The Vagina Monologues” after seeing their performance last April. “My favorite part is watching all these different girls from different parts of the University come together. Watching them all stand up for one thing which is empowerment of women and their vaginas! There are not many other times that something like this can happen on campus,” said Shugard.
The play takes on a serious note to explain that sexual violence is often unreported and can often leave the victim feeling alone and frightened.
University student victims of sexual violence can contact Counseling and Psychological Services or visit the office on the third floor of the Rebecca Stafford Student Center (RSSC) for a private and free consultation.
For more information about V-Day, visit www.vday.org.
PHOTO COURTESY of Amanda Grube
