But this weekend at the College, students attending “The Vagina Monologues” will undoubtedly hear “cunt” among other explicit terms, and there won’t be an apology within earshot. Instead, students involved with the performance hope that their direct and uncensored approach will cause the audience to take the message of female agency seriously. “We hope to empower women to use their voice to make a change,” said Assistant Director Health Education and Sexual Assault Counselor Gretchen Krull, who acts as faculty advisor for the show. “That which is unspoken cannot be changed.”
“The Vagina Monologues” movement began in 1996, when playwright and feminist Eve Ensler compiled true stories from over 200 women into a single play. The play is a series of monologues which cover female-interest topics ranging from orgasm to rape.
Much controversy has surrounded the “Monologues” since they were first performed in 1996. Some audiences feel that the themes addressed are too disturbing. In anticipation of this attitude, this year’s Amherst performance will be a little bit altered from past performances. Director Maryam Khan ’10 and Assistant Director Isabel Mahoney ’09 worked with their cast to rework, or as Mahoney colorfully described, “remix,” the original pieces.
One monologue that will be removed is “Under the Burqa,” which was written in 2003 as an addition to the original “Monologues.” The vignette accounts a female perspective about life under Taliban authority in Afghanistan, but the directors did not feel that the monologue gives a fair interpretation of the situation. Instead, Khan worked with other cast members to write a new monologue that covers the same themes, but with a more dualized view.
Another monologue that has stirred-up controversy in the past is “The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could,” a recounting of a woman’s statutory rape at the age of 13 by an older women who offered her alcohol beforehand. The narrator recalls this incident as her sexual awakening and ends the piece with the line, “If it was rape, it was good rape.” The line has since been cut from the script and the age of the girl has been upped to 16.
When asked if the Amherst performance will be including this piece again this this year, Mahoney confirmed that it would, adding, “We decided to keep it because, even though it is problematic in a lot of ways, it sparks some important discussion.” To address the furor over the monologue, the cast has written a short piece that will follow “Coochie Snorcher,” with the intention of fostering discussion over the issues raised.
The Amherst performances will also be more personal to the Amherst community, as many of the monologues of this weekend’s showings will not be Ensler’s work, but stories submitted anonymously by members of the campus community. In past years, this facet of the performance was seperate from Ensler’s play, and was called “Amherst Women.” This year, the directors opted to integrate the stories of Amherst women into Ensler’s original script. “I’m a little nervous about how the audience will react,” Mahoney admitted.
Ensler initially described the movement as a “celebration of the vagina,” but it has since evolved into a way to raise awareness of violence against women. All proceeds from the Amherst performance will be donated to the New England Learning Center for Women in Transition (NELCWIT). The center provides counseling, safe homes and advocacy for women and children who survive violence or abuse.
After every performance the cast will offer the audience a chance to stay and discuss their feelings about the show. “We’ll stay as long as people want to talk,” Mahoney promised.
Performances will be held in the Cole Assembly Room at Converse Hall this Thursday and Friday, Feb. 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m. Following the shows, Peer Advocates of Sexual Respect will also be available for anyone who wants to talk.