Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Play Speaks to Women’s Rights

in Feb. 11, 2012, Zoë Lillian (COL ’12), Alex End (SFS ’15) and Emily Bertsche (SFS ’12) successfully directed one of the most entertaining and informative plays of the year, “The Vagina Monologues.” As if the title were not revealing enough, this atypical play featured a series of 12 monologues, each performed by a different actress with a distinct voice, perspective and story to tell surrounding one common theme: their vaginas.

There was occasional humor sprinkled into the play, such as the line, “I’ve got 99 problems but a hymen ain’t one”; however, the main point of this production was to raise awareness about violence against women. Between Feb. 1 and April 30, organizations across the globe are banding together to fight for this important cause. Georgetown joined the movement by donating proceeds from the event to resource centers for women in D.C. and Haiti.

“The Vagina Monologues” was written by Eve Ensler, who interviewed 200 women of all ages, races and backgrounds to produce a play that represented women everywhere and the difficulties they have been silently facing for decades. From these interviews, Ensler compiled several independent yet complementary stories that sought to empower women from all walks of life.

The titles of these monologues ranged from “My Vagina Was My Village” to “My Angry Vagina,” and each one brought a new, exciting atmosphere to the stage. Each actress took on a unique accent or dialect to successfully transition from a young, lesbian rape victim to a woman in the delivery room, walking onto the stage with authority and confidence.

The play was a bit raunchy at times, featuring one monologue by a lawyer whogave up her career to assist other women in “finding their moan.” Whether it was the Georgetown I-should-be-studying moan or another of the wide array of other moans, Amelia Powell (COL ’12) demonstrated phenomenal acting chops and professionalism in performing what was probably the most explicit scene of the play.

“The Vagina Monologues” was performed on a cleared stage with a single projection board featuring the title of each monologue along with occasional dramatic phrases to set the mood. The lighting crew successfully used this simple set to its advantage, ensuring that no props or stage changes took attention away from the play’s message of raising awareness of female genital mutilation and violence against women. And it worked — the audience heard it loud and clear.

Ensler’s play highlighted a wide range of problems women face: transvestites searching for acceptance; young girls shamed for reaching maturity; rape in foreign camps; acceptance of the body. A common theme that united the 12 monologues was the initial shame each woman felt, the journey to acceptance each one found in life and the ultimate empowerment gained through their understanding. “The VaginaMonologues” raised awareness for women around the globe, not only through the acting and storyline, but also by utilizing a narrative voice that projected across the theatre to announce the real statistics on the issue, such as the fact that over one billion women today have been violated.

This play may have been awkward for any parents or family in the audience, but it did a fabulous job of raising awareness about violence against women and young girls. Nothing was suppressed as this team of empowered young actresses stomped onto the stage, shouting that they were “over” the injustice, discrimination, judgment and violence that women around the world face today.

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