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F E ATU RE S
Tan plaiis. in pumii:
"The Vagina Monologues" and "A Memgry, a Monologue, a Rant,
AND A Prayer" work to empower through awareness
Story by Abbey Dean
Photos by Cloud Gamble
Junior Alicia Johnson performs
"Darfur Monologue"
Assistant Professor
of Religious Studies
Eric Mortensen
performs
For those
unaware, "The
Vagina Monologues"
is a play, not a lesson in
anatomy.
Moreover, it is not for the
faint of heart. Yes, "The Vagina
Monologues" are raw, deeply sad
at times, and real- But, they are
also bursting with a deeply gratifying
humor that is relatable for both men
and women.
From Feb.29 through March 1, Guilford
College produced a duo of inspiring
plays performed by Guilford students
and faculty; "The Vagina Monologues" and
"A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a
Prayer."
In Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues,"
vaginas serve as the common thread that
binds each unique tale.
Streams of monologues unfold that reveal
tales of women of all ages, backgrounds, and
ethnicities. Yet, these seemingly unrelated
women share the desire to recount events
within their lives about sex, violence, wom
en's rights, and, of course, their vaginas.
Each monologue acts as an adaptation of
real questions posed by Ensler to a range of
women from the tender age of seven to the
wise age of seventy.
Questions like "what would your vagina
wear" and "what would your vagina say"
are posed, then answered with immensely
entertaining and playful responses.
If ever freedom of expression existed, it
was certainly in Ensler's personification of
the vagina.
Angry vaginas, shy vaginas, and horny
vaginas are only a few of the many presented
in "The Vagina Monologues."
Two of the most memorable acts included
one in which a feminist curses the inher
ent evils of thong underwear and femi
nine hygiene, and another where a lawyer-
turned-dominatrix-sex-worker explains
how she delights in giving other women
pleasure.
"The performances were incredibly
well done," said first-year Adrienne
Sibrizzi. "There was a clever balance
of wit, humor, and pure honesty."
However, while many of these
monologues are certainly enter
taining, others speak of the vio
lence, mutilation, and rape of
women. In fact, an entirely new
set of monologues were com
piled to form "A Memory, a
Monologue, a Rant, and a
Prayer" (MMRP),
which specifically
deals with issues of vio
lence against women.
MMRP was another assem
blage of monologues that,
while related to "The Vagina
Monologues," was performed on
separate evenings.
What is most noteworthy about
this set of monologues is the fact that
the actors were both men and women.
"I feel like the most important issue
to take away from these pieces is that
eliminating violence against women is
a concern for everyone, not just women
or men," said co-director Caroline Floyd.
"That is why the MMRP production is
imperative; it brings in the male aspect of
these issues and this needs to be addressed."
Unlike the "Vagina Monologues," MMRP's
scenes are explicitly performed to illustrate
varying depictions of emotional or physical
violence against women.
For instance, while one monologue deals
with the sex life of a married couple, anoth-
Inindt er depicts the story of a young refugee girl
. . who was sexually abused by a group of
would soldiers
Because both plays deal with violence
your against women, the two directors, Caroline
Floyd and Clare Gillen, decided to play
vagina their own role to proliferate awareness of
the reality of this truth.
say? After each showing, a series of talk
backs were hosted by the two directors and
cast to answer questions, lead discussions,
or simply reflect on the performances.
"Every year we talk to a new person, reach
a new person," said Floyd. "The point of the
show is to raise awareness and often times
this awareness is heightened by individual
experiences shared during the talk backs."
Over $1,000 was raised through these
performances to aid in the campaign to
eliminate violence against women in the
Democratic Republic of Congo.
A refreshing range of students and
faculty were involved in both produc
tions, including Assistant Professor of
Religious Studies Eric Mortensen.
"The Vagina Monologues show is
an empowering experience for both
women and men as it explicitly cel
ebrates and highlights so much of
the acute and heartfelt issues sur
rounding women and violence
against women so vibrant
in our culture today," said
Mortensen.
Junior Casey
Thomas performs
"Respect"
Junior Lucas
Campbell performs
"The Destruction
Artist"