"The Vagina Monologues" was first performed in February 1996 at a small cafe in downtown New York City. Since its inception nine years ago, colleges and universities across the country have eagerly directed, produced and performed the play. In fact, Amherst High School became the first high school in the United States to perform "The Monologues" last year. The College has had a long tradition of honoring Ensler's vision. For the past eight years, students have performed "The Monologues" to an audience of students, professors, staff and local residents. This year Kate Stayman-London '05 and Ellen Ferrin '07 co-directed "The Monologues." All proceeds from this year's performance will go toward a fund for a new location for the New England Learning Center for Women in Transition.
Ferrin, like many of the women who spent hours preparing for "The Monologues," recognized the significance of the play. "Performing 'The Monologues' is so important despite and because of the varied reactions they receive," she said. "Although the topics are at times controversial and can certainly make some uncomfortable at times, they are very real and too often ignored." After watching the Thursday performance I was struck by the veracity of Ferrin's words.
Many of the pieces on violence against women focused on countries such as Africa, Bosnia, Pakistan, Mexico, Afghanistan and Iraq. However, many of the monologues shied away from discussing violence against women in America.
In fact, "The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could," performed by Katina Hubbard '07 and Scout Durwood '06, was the only piece that spoke of violence against American women. It recounts the rape of a 10 year old girl by her father's drunken best friend. However, not only was this monologue disturbing in that it was the only one which dealt directly with American violence, but it was also unsettling in the way the young girl reclaimed her sexuality: the 13-year-old girl finds her sexuality beautiful after a woman twice her age seduces her with French kisses and vodka. I felt it counter-productive to the message of the production to include this particular monologue. What if the 13-year-old had been seduced by a 26-year-old man who gave her a glass of vodka and then had sex with her?
And yet Ferrin was right. Too often objectors to "The Monologues" focus on the details and miss out on the bigger picture. Durwood sets a song to the music of Steven Schwartz and sings with cast members, "It's not about vaginas but it's all about vaginas."
The program, designed by Maddy Levine '07, is covered with images of vaginas. Women claim that their vaginas smell like ginger, the ocean and somewhere between fish and lilies. Their vaginas say "yum yum" and "slow down." Their vaginas wear glasses, Armani only, a boa and even an electronic shock device to keep strangers away. Orgasms are heard, or not heard (as in the favorite segment "WASP orgasm," performed by Kirby Schell '06) across the Red Room.
"The Monologues" allow Leora Maccabee '05 to reclaim the word "cunt." They allow Maura Klugman '05 and Emily Silberstein '06 to assert that their short skirts are theirs and theirs alone. Stayman-London is an old favorite as the New Yorker granny who discovers "down there." In a gut-wrenchingly funny piece, Patrice Rankine '06 and Lesley Curren '05 express their disgust with tampons, thongs and gynecological equipment in "My Angry Vagina." A very British pair (Ferrin and Associate Director of Alumni and Parent Programs Pamela Stawasz) discuss their experience in a vagina workshop.
However, "The Monologues" also allow us to consider the oppression women feel. The poignant "They Beat the Girl Out of the Boy" performed by Ashley Rose '07, Katherine Carson '05, Arielle Langworthy '07 and Amrita Vijayaraghavan '07 explores transgender issues while the very powerful "Women of Amherst," written and performed by the cast, left me in awe.
In this final piece, Priyanka Jacob '07 asks an invisible male friend a series of questions. "When was the last time you felt afraid to walk alone at night?" "When was the last time you watched a friend starve herself?" "When was the last time you were discriminated against on the basis of gender?" "When was the last time you had to hold a friend who was crying because she had just been raped?" The entire cast answers Jacob in monologues of their own. Their answers were poignant beyond words, and as the tears streamed down my face, I realized that no matter how uncomfortable people might be with "The Monologues," they are important beyond words. They fight a war against misogyny and they give women a voice. Schell expressed it perfectly when she said, "The Vagina Monologues save women."