“Women secretly like to talk about vaginas,” that was the introduction the audience received during the Friday opening of “The Vagina Monologues.” What’s often seen as taboo became the center of a raw and honest conversation about womanhood, drawing the audience out of their comfort zone with an open dialogue.
“The Vagina Monologues” is a play written by activist and feminist Eve Ensler, based on a collection of real-life interviews with women from around the world. The monologues discuss women at different stages of their lives, ranging from awkward, first experiences to painful accounts of violence.
The play discusses mature and potentially triggering themes, such as trauma, sexuality, cultural silence and women’s relationships with their own bodies; all while encouraging the audience to place themselves in the speaker’s shoes.
Charley Hrehor, a double-major in theatre arts and multicultural and gender studies, directed the show. For her, it was watching the actors find their own way throughout these monologues and discover their own personal connections that she enjoyed the most.
“I’ve always been really into using theatre as a form of activism and to portray political messaging … to give a message to the world,” Hrehor said. “I think it is a good way for people to understand things that maybe they haven’t personally experienced and are able to gain empathy by watching through a show.”
The staging was simple with minimal props, with only a clipboard, a hand mirror, a hand fan and a row of chairs. The main focus was on the words and stories being delivered. What stood out the most was the courage these actors displayed while delivering such emotional depth.
Biology student Emma Whitfield walked into the audition believing the show was a “woman-centered, poetry night.”
“Seeing how I can highlight this woman’s voice and highlight my own in a way that I’m not re-experiencing any trauma,” Whitfield said. “I am using it as an outlet for myself, hopefully, as a way that other women can relate and feel the weight and kind of go through that emotional process with me.”
The emotional weight she referred to felt heavy in the crown as she recounted the stories of women who experienced sexual violence during the Bosnian war.
By the end of the night, a shared sense of understanding and empowerment was felt amongst the audience, cheers and applause bouncing off the walls. Each real-life story from women, ranging in ages and backgrounds, delivered a unique, fearless voice.
Snehitha Gorantla, a women’s program coordinator for the Gender and Sexuality Equity Coalition, said this event has been produced for the past two decades and remains a relevant show everyone should experience.
“Even as a woman, or even as a woman-identifying individual, I think there are a few things that we don’t understand, or we have never experienced,” Gorantla said. “The play talks about such intricate and intimate details that it makes you think for a minute.”
Alexa Lima can be reached at [email protected].
