“If your vagina could talk, what would it say?” Those present at the seventh annual production of “The Vagina Monologues” last weekend in the Lindsay Auditorium know that this was one of many questions women were asked about their sexuality.
Produced by the DU Undergraduate Women’s Council and under the direction of first-time director Sandra DiBrito, “The Vagina Monologues” seek to promote a message of anti-violence and gender equality through a series of 18 individual performances dedicated to women’s sexuality. With titles such as “Because He Liked to Look at It,” the monologues are based on responses given by thousands of women in “vaginal” interviews conducted across the country, and are portrayed in blatantly honest performances by a truly phenomenal cast of actors.
Despite the often-intimidating feminist genre of the production, the Lindsay Auditorium was packed with a surprisingly equal numbers of males and females, all of whom seemed to enjoy the show immensely. A particular favorite was “My Angry Vagina” in which junior Danielle Heinert hilariously portrays the societal issues that vaginas face every day. In her performance, Heinert confronts the un-sexiness of tampons, the dreaded PAP smear, the pointlessness of thongs, and how the necessary and immediate installation of vibrators in all cotton underwear would result in the happiness of vaginas worldwide.
Other monologues, such as “The Vagina Workshop,” performed by Meadow Didier, and “Because He Liked To Look At It,” performed by Amanda Schweitzer, tell stories of self-discovery and how different women learned to love their bodies through sexual exploration.
Although highly comical at times, “The Vagina Monologues” addresses more serious gender-based concerns as well, such as female genital mutilation and rape. The monologue, “My Vagina Was My Village,” gives a graphic first-hand account of a rape victim in Bosnia, and is portrayed in a tear-jinducing performance by senior Jenna Plante and freshman Lacey Henderson.
The production also shines a spotlight on the victims of hurricane Katrina with “Welcome to the Wetlands,”, a monologue performed by Safa Samizade`-Yazd. This profound analogy identifies New Orleans as “the vagina of America,” the country’s gem that is desired by all who “crave her sweet taste”, but is cast aside and abandoned “when she has needs.” I was amazed at the beauty and flawless nature of the analogy, as it addressed our nation’s response and ultimate desertion of Katrina victims, as well as the issue of gender-violence.
Over the weekend, the heat generated by the 2008 production of “The Vagina Monologues” spread across the DU campus like wildfire. If you weren’t able to make it to one of the performances, chances are you’ll hear people talking about them, imitating their favorite “moan” (such as the WASP moan, the college moan and the machine gun moan) that were heard in “The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy.” You may even be given a chocolate “vagina pop”, a sexy treat that was distributed in mass quantities outside the theatre doors. I found The Vagina Monologues to be a fabulous production that left the audience giddy in their seats and begging for more!
