This Saturday and Sunday the Union Theatre played host to The Vagina Monologues,"" a play by Eve Ensler. The participants stage benefit performances of the show worldwide each year between Feb. 1 and March 31. The play is also the cornerstone of Ensler's ""V-Day"" movement. The V stands for Valentine, Vagina and Victory, and is ""a global movement to stop violence against women and girls."" I had heard of ""The Vagina Monologues"" before, and naively thought them to be a play about orgasms and vaginas. What I came to learn is the author, the play and the cause are much more incredible than a mere orgasm, though there is a whole monologue devoted to just that (my personal favorite was the unexpected triple orgasm).
I felt somewhat uncomfortable trying to adequately capture what exactly it is about the experience that left such a unique mark upon me and the many others who have seen it. Instead, I asked a cast member to try to help explain it. The following is what she had to say:
""A few months ago I would not have recognized the name Eve Ensler. I had never seen 'The Vagina Monologues,' though I found the play's title both curious and catchy. What I have come to know over my past four weeks of vagina research, dialogue and rehearsal has led to deeper understanding of what it means to be a woman.
""The Vagina Monologues"" is not only a play featuring women talking about their vaginas' experiences. It is part of a broader campaign to stop violence against women; a movement that is reaching some of the most impoverished and politically disenfranchised people in the world today. This year's spotlight is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the rampant systematic rape of women and girls by armed forces there.
""The UW-Madison's production of 'The Vagina Monologues,' sponsored by the Campus Women's Center, donated 10 percent of its proceeds to Eve Ensler's work in the DRC. The other 90 percent was given to the Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) and the Rape Crisis Center, local organizations working to help victims of violence in the Madison community. As Ensler stated in an interview with Democracy Now host Amy Goodman, 'violence against women is not a particular African thing or a Congolese thing; we know it's happening in every country in the world. One out of every three women is violated.' By allowing local universities and organizations to produce 'The Vagina Monologues' as part of a larger, global movement to stop all violence against women, Ensler promotes a focus on both the local and international issues, creating solidarity amongst women around the world.
""As a member of this year's UW-Madison cast, I can attest to the positive impact Ensler has had on a group of 18 women. During our limited rehearsal schedule, time was made for individual presentations on issues afflicting women in the United States and around the world. Our director, Sara Lyons, facilitated thoughtful, respectful discussion for two hours every Saturday. We discussed topics such as female genital mutilation, sexual identity, the sexual violence afflicted on Bosnian refugees and childbirth (to name a few). We cried, laughed, got angry, offended and occasionally felt proud. As time wore on, our work was affected by these dialogues. Each individual monologue became its own unique cry for activism.""
The experience led me to a deeper understanding of what it means to be a human being. It wasn't a call for feminists to unite, it wasn't about orgasms or vulgar language, but rather a condemnation of past practices and a call for human rights equality. It just so happens that many of the most horrific crimes against human rights have happened and continue to happen against women. It is a movement that is hard to say no to; it transcends gender, race, religion and politics. The monologues themselves represent individual females' struggles with their identity, their bodies and how they come to view themselves as women in the disparate places we call home. The play represents something greater, something much bigger: It overtly represents a global movement to end the most grotesque and morally obnoxious acts of violence against women, but transcendentally it is about human beings in all corners of the world. As Eve wrote recently, ""I think if we learn anything in the work we do it is that being able to stand in the center of opposites is what eventually makes us free and compassionate.""
Joe Koss is a junior majoring in secondary education in social studies. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com
