With love in the air, Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” has returned to DU yet again to celebrate the power of women. “The Vagina Monologues” was originally performed by Eve Ensler as a one woman show in 1996, based on interviews she conducted with over 200 women of all races, ages, religions and sexual orientations. The performance was during 2016’s Valentine’s Day weekend on Feb. 13 and 14 at 8:00 p.m.
The performance, directed by Meagan Traver, a member of the Center for Advocacy, Prevention and Empowerment (CAPE), was an intimate and at times hilarious piece that emphasized femininity and the power that all women possess, while also focusing on ending violence against women.
DU presented “The Vagina Monologues” as a part of their “Love, Sex and Health Week.” The proceeds from “The Vagina Monologues” 2016 performance here at DU will benefit Centro Humanitario Para Los Trabajadores (El Centro) in Denver.
Their mission is “to promote the rights and well-being of day laborers in Colorado through education, job skills, leadership development, united action and advocacy.” Thankfully, DU’s performances brought a great turnout, and plenty of money was raised to help El Centro.
The cast of students performed many pieces that discussed these different aspects of life. Monologues and group performances like “My Angry Vagina,” performed by Emma Decker, and “I Was There In The Room,” performed by Lori Scott, were extremely compelling performances that made the audience laugh, cry and reflect upon the power that women have all over the world.
One of the group performances, “They Beat The Girl Out Of My Boy… Or So They Tried,” was a strong performance that discussed the experiences of transgender women. The performance emphasized the personal stories that many transwomen feel while transitioning physically from male to female. This monologue is among the newest added to “The Vagina Monologues.” Transgender people, especially transwomen, experience different forms of harassment and bias, and this group performance showcased these struggles perfectly, creating a powerful, emotional and informative piece on their lives.
Though there have been several revisions since the original production of “The Vagina Monologues,” the issues have relatively stayed the same, up until the most recent productions. The issues have dealt with different aspects of the feminine experience. Ensler originally wrote the monologues in order to “celebrate the vagina”; however, it has changed from more of a celebration of femininity to a movement that raises awareness and help to stop violence against women. Every year, the script is updated, sometimes with new monologues to highlight current issues affecting women around the world.
The show is cornerstone of the V-Day movement, performed to raise money for others and to continue a program that began in 2001 to stop worldwide violence against women and girls, and the DU presentation was a opportunity to work toward that cause.
“The Vagina Monologues,” created by Eve Ensler and directed at DU by Meagan Traver, was a powerful and emotional performance that emphasized women’s empowerment perfectly.
