‘Vagina Monologues’ pledge to end abuse

After hearing women squeal, scream and moan about their vaginas; after listening to stories both heart-wrenching and hilarious; after chanting “cunt” over and over again; the audience stood up and pledged to work against violence toward women and girls.

“The Vagina Monologues” opened to a nearly full house Friday at the IU Fine Arts Auditorium, with performances throughout Valentine’s Day weekend.

The 11 actresses presenting playwright Eve Ensler’s now-classic showcase of vulva-centered performances brought whoops and applause from the audience.

Born out of a series of interviews Ensler conducted with women of all ages and backgrounds, the “Monologues” have been performed as a part of Ensler’s V-Day campaign to end violence against women around the world.

This year in Bloomington, 90 percent of ticket sales from the show went to Middle Way House, a local women’s shelter, and the remaining 10 percent went to the worldwide V-Day cause.

Each performance this weekend ended with a piece about women from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the spotlight issue for V-Day 2010.

Four actresses told the story of Marta, a woman kidnapped by her country’s soldiers, and her subsequent two-year imprisonment. During that time, she was raped and abused.

Marta eventually escaped but was pregnant with her captor’s child.
Friday’s performance ended with the audience literally taking a stand and promising to work for women’s safety worldwide “until the violence stops.”

Carolyn Rhodebeck, a senior who has attended the show the past four years, said the “Monolouges” still made her laugh and moved her.

“Every year it’s different, and every performance that you see repeated you see in a new light,” Rhodebeck said. “You get something out of it each time, and it’s really amazing how each performer makes the story their own and can convey that again to you.”

Junior and actress Lesley Marshall said she felt the audience gave off a good energy for the actresses throughout the show.

“Everyone was just smiling and beaming and laughing,” Marshall said. “I wasn’t nervous at all.”

Two-time “Monologues” actress and junior Kaitlyn Esther said she believes the play holds a message for everyone, even for people with differing opinions.

“I had a hard time accepting ‘The Vagina Monologues’ last year because I come from a really conservative background,” Esther said. “But I think even if you don’t agree with every monologue, there are certain monologues and certain messages that I think are really pertinent to everybody. You might not love all of it, but you’ll definitely get a good message from some of it.”

Director and sophomore Caitlyn Schwimmer said she was pleased with how the show turned out.

“I think people responded really well,” Schwimmer said. “The cast is wonderful, and they worked so hard. I’m beyond proud of them.”