Robin Glynn – General Assignment Reporter –
The Vagina Monologues was performed and scheduled and non-performers came together to present different issues that happen to women.
The Vagina Monologues performance was held on April 9 in the Adanti Student Center Theater. If students planned to read, they were asked come to the theatre early, dressed in black with red accessories, to choose a monologue. Those participating were provided the script for you read.
“It is an annual presentation,” said Jackie Martone, co-producer and Master’s Candidate in Women Studies. “It talks about women’s bodies and experiences.”
According to V-Day.org, The Vagina Monologues is an award-winning play. It is based on V-Day Founder and playwright Ensler’s interviews with more than 200 women. Martone said The Vagina Monologues was a one woman play, performed by Ensler, but has grown over the years.
V-Day.org describes the Vagina Monologues as a piece that celebrates women’s sexuality and strength with humor and grace.
“It is a collection of 18 monologues,” said Martone. “It helps raise awareness for the V-Day campaign.
Each of the monologues deals with an aspect of the feminine experience, touching on matters such as sex, love, rape, menstruation, female genital mutilation, masturbation, birth, orgasm, the various common names for the vagina, or simply as a physical aspect of the body.
Martone said this year’s performance would be different than previous years.
The cast, including Dr. Susan Overton, Chineye Anako, Sam McQueenie, Carolina Polanco, Taylor Shortt, Dr. Tricia Lin and Jackie Martone, performing the final monologue- Spotlight Monologue: Over It.
“It is a different kind of production,” said Martone.
Martone said usually they would have people scheduled to read. This year they wanted to give others the opportunity. People who attended had the opportunity to perform if they wanted, but the event still had others scheduled to perform, such as Martone, Dr. Ilene Crawford, Dr. Susan Overton, Women’s Studies faculty member, and Margaret Okan.
According to V-Day.org, The Vagina Monologues remains V-Day’s most chosen creative vehicle to bring the message forward. V-Day.org says this year, the monologues will be performed over 5,500 times around the world.
Those performing were asked to wear black with red accessories. Martone, Overton and Dr. Tricia Lin, Director of the Women’s Studies Program, said wearing black and red is symbolic for the performance of The Vagina Monologues.
“Black is the color of violence and the red is the color of blood, love,” said Lin.
Some of the monologues read included ‘My Vagina Was My Village,’ a monologue which is compiled from testimonies of Bosnian women subjected to rape camps. ‘I Was There In The Room,’ a monologue which Ensler describes the birth of her granddaughter. ‘I Was Twelve, My Mother Slapped Me,’ a chorus describing many young women’s and girls’ first menstrual period.
“I think it is in an effort to not have individuals be highlighted, but have the cast all looks similar speaking about the same types of issues,” said Overton.
Lin said the monologues was first published in 1998 and has been performed since. Today, the Monologues are performed all over the country.
Students Sam McQueenie, Taylor Shortt and Carolina Polanco volunteered to perform a monologue.
Polanco said reading a monologue was easy because it was a small, intimate setting.
“It was a comfortable setting,” said Shortt.
“I came here not expecting to read anything,” said McQueenie, Shortt and Polanco, “so it was a cool experience. It was something different. I was great we all could be so open.”
