The Seahawk

Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: Lifestyles

Media Credit: Autumn Beam | THE SEAHAWK

No matter what may have been on the minds of the students, faculty and community members filing into Lumina Theater Sunday night; there was only one thing they could talk about on the way out - vaginas. The UNCW Women's Resource Center and Out Impact Inc. production of The Vagina Monologues played a four show run in Lumina Theater on campus this past Saturday and Sunday. The 18 monologues brought hoots of laughter, tears of sympathy, and shouts of "Amen, Sister!" from the packed house. Ultimately, at the end of the night, the play brought them to their feet accompanied by a thunderous applause that echoed from the high ceilings.

The Vagina Monologues is a series of monologues written by Eve Ensler based on interview she conducted with 200 women about their views on sex, relationships, and violence against women. Every year a new monologue is added to highlight a current issue affecting women around the world. Ensler has said that her purpose in writing the piece is was to "celebrate the vagina." In 1998 the purpose behind the play changed when Ensler launched V-Day, a global non profit that raises money for local anti-violence groups through benefits of The Vagina Monologues. These productions have raised over $50 million.

The production at UNCW included 18 monologues. One monologue about a woman who participated in a Vagina Workshop had people laughing so hard actress Carrie Malabre had to pause several times to wait until she could be heard over the laughter.

Sarah Aimone's portrayal of the different classifications of moans brought the audience together in hilarious empathy as they recognized their own bedroom noises being catalogued.

Not all the monologues were so lighthearted. One very serious performance by Kindra Steenerson told the story of a Bosnian rape victim and touched the hearts of the audience members, reminding us all of the purpose behind the production.

At the end of the production Melissa Ennis extended an invitation from author Eve Ensler to the 2008 "V to the 10" celebration which is will be in New Orleans and focuses on the "Katrina Warriors" of the community.

As the lights came up and the cast exited through the stage doors to wait to greet the adoring public, the audience filed out of the auditorium and, as if liberated from the social faux pas of the stigma, couldn't stop saying the word "Vagina."

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools