“Women love to talk about their vaginas, they do. They really do. Mainly because no one’s ever asked them before.” This is the premise of the Vagina Monologues, written by Eve Ensler and comprised of a series of interviews with women from incredibly diverse backgrounds. On the surface, the play brazenly addresses an issue that is considered socially taboo. Essentially, though, the play is an homage to the female anatomy and to the fortitude of women who struggle through incessant abuse.
The 5-C production of the show was directed by Amy McChesney SC ’10 and produced by Lily Estenson SC ’12 and Shannon McCarthy PI ’12. Performances were Mar. 5 at 7 p.m. and Mar. 6 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Balch Auditorium at Scripps College.
The play succeeded throughout in balancing humor and serious dialogue, and a few performances stood out for me. The first was by Mariana Shtukina SC ’11, who just might be the sexiest woman alive. Her character was a lawyer turned sex worker in “The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy.” She developed her persona very thoroughly, from her costume to her expertly cracked whip to her gorgeous accent. She brought to life a woman who informed the sexual act of moaning with female empowerment.
“I realized that moans were best when they came out of this heathen, mysterious part of you that would speak its own language,” she said. “I realized that moans were in fact that language.”
There were times when some of Shtukina’s fellow actresses stumbled -- such as a comedic bit about moans associated with each of the Claremont Colleges -- but she continued to act smoothly.
Another performance that I particularly enjoyed was that of Ana Thorpe of CGU in “The Flood.” She brought reality and empathy to the character of a 72-year-old woman, whose story sheds light on the range of comfort levels that exist when it comes to talking about sex, especially in terms of a generational gap.
“What’s a nice girl like you going around talking to old ladies about their ‘down-theres’ for?” she asks her interviewer. “We didn’t do this kind of thing when I was your age.”
She describes a traumatic experience that causes her to block out all thoughts and sensations related. Her fear of humiliation had previously prevented her from sharing her story.
“You are the very first person I ever talked to about any of this stuff,” she said. “I feel a little better.”
Ensler certainly values every woman’s story and recognizes their pain. “My Vagina Was My Village” details the experience of one of the many rape victims in Bosnia and Kosovo in 1993. Courtney Roberts and Madden Rowell SC ’11 juxtaposed the thoughts and emotions of the woman with the physical experience of violation to her vagina. The students handled the heavy topic in a respectful and powerful way.
Overall, I think the audience left entertained and inspired by the play’s goals for activism. Proceeds from ticket and merchandise sales went to V-Day, the global movement founded by Eve Ensler to provide support for battered women. The 5-C production benefited four organizations: House of Ruth, Prototypes, Crossroads, and women in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The effort in the Congo is V-Day’s 2010 Spotlight Campaign.
Harrison Chiu CM ’10, a male audience member, described his reaction to the performance.
“It was very good,” he said. “I feel like it makes the issue more complex for me...[I’m] on a personal journey [and] this helps and hurts me.”
The play certainly advocates a more open dialogue surrounding sexual issues. At the same time, the majority of people that attended the Vagina Monologues were probably already aware of its provocative nature; people who consider the topic offensive avoid going, so the impact is limited.
