'The Vagina Monologues' entertain and educate

The cast of 2008 production of ‘The Vagina Monologues’ performed in front of a packed Marinello Little Theater on Feb. 8 and 9.

"The Vagina Monologues" is a play by feminist, Eve Ensler, that is performed yearly by JCU faculty, staff and students.

Although “The Vagina Monologues” is commonly the cause of controversy, this past weekend it proved to be a hit among students at John Carroll University.
For the seventh year in a row, a group of JCU students took on the bold task of putting on the production for a two night run in the Marinello Little Theater. The audience packed the theater with standing room only on both the Friday and Saturday night performances.  

Having never seen “The Vagina Monologues,” I was not quite sure what to expect. I was honestly quite skeptical about the whole situation. However, by the time intermission came, my skepticism had turned into appreciation. These women did an excellent job portraying characters ranging from a 72-year-old woman who had never experienced an orgasm to the women of Bosnia who are victims of rape.

The play, by womens rights activist, Eve Ensler, has a unique structure.  Made up of various monologues, each one has a short introduction and then is performed by its own character.  

Also, between a few of the monologues, the audience learns a new “vagina fact.” For example, in several states it is illegal to sell vibrators, but the sale of guns is perfectly legal. The punch line to follow this fact–“We have yet to hear of a mass murder committed with a vibrator.”  

Ensler created “The Vagina Monologues” by compiling interviews from women of all ages, all with different personal stories to tell. All of the performances were quite impressive; however, one that I found particularly humorous was senior Beth Wall’s portrayal of, “The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy.” This is the story of a dominatrix who loved to make women moan. Her performance actually included demonstrations of the array of moans she has heard during her many experiences.

On a more serious note, I was impressed with communications professor Karen Gygli’s performance of “I Was There in the Room.” This is Ensler’s own story of how she was present in the room when her granddaughter was born.

Also, junior Georgia Michael did an excellent job telling the story of a woman who was sexually assaulted as a child, but as she grew up, explored her orientation and was eventually “healed” by a sexual encounter with an older woman.

“The Vagina Monologues” is infamous for the controversy it causes. However, it discussed a lot of important issues. That is why many of the cast members feel it is necessary to do a show like this.

Junior Samantha Cocco said, “I know that there is a lot of controversy surrounding what we do and I hope people have come to terms with it and see why we think this production is important.”

The proceeds from the show are also going towards a good cause.  The show is benefitting a certain program at the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center that provides legal support for the women who are victims. Overall, “The Vagina Monologues” provides an evening of quality entertainment and very useful information.