Vaginas hit Cohen

Vaginas will be taking over Cohen Auditorium this weekend, as Tufts students produce and perform the Vagina Monologues for the third year running.

This year, the show has been significantly changed. Four new monologues have been added, two of which were written by Tufts students: one titled, "Being a Woman," and one, untitled, which was written and will be performed by a group of men.

Co-director Meredith Gilbert pointed out that every year, as the cast changes, the show does, as well. "I've seen it several times, and it's never been the same show," she said.

The 20 performers in this year's performance are extraordinarily diverse: they include women and men, Tufts undergraduates, graduates, faculty, and staff, people of widely varied backgrounds and social groups around campus.

The cast was selected from over 100 people who tried out, almost doubling the number who attended last years' auditions. The production staff attributes the large turnout for auditions to the impact past productions have had on the campus. Zo? Hastings, last year's director and this year's assistant stage manager, said, "Last year, I postered everywhere to reach a wide range of people, but this year everybody came to us."

As the cast and production staff fine-tuned the show at Sunday's rehearsal, it was evident how well the group worked together and how close they had become as they offered comments on each others' performances and participated in an orgasm workshop. Together, they practiced the varying types of moans, from the "combo vaginal-clitoral moan" to the "elegant moan" to the "surprise triple orgasm moan," all of which make their appearance in one particularly memorable monologue.

"The cast is so amazing," said Gilbert. "They make us look so good."

"Rehearsals were so good," added co-director Rebecca McCormick. "The dynamic in the group is super. Every time we all end up in one room, we just start laughing."

As members of the cast and production staff spoke about the Monologues, it became clear that this effort was at once deeply personal and intensely political. While putting on a wonderful evening's entertainment was always a clear motivation for the production, co-producer Jean Manney stressed that part of the show's purpose is "to empower women to come together to work to end violence."

Rather than focusing exclusively on direct physical violence against women, the show also addresses more subtle forms of internalized violence and self-hate. "The whole idea that women can't talk about sex and vaginas is a subtle form of violence against women," said co-producer Caroline Davis.

Christina Hanson, the stage manager, agreed. "Sharing experiences that you usually aren't able to talk about is really important. Whether it's talking about being a victim of violence to learning that you don't have to turn red because you just said the 'o' word in public, this show is all about fighting that silence."

Cast members and production staff also stressed that the show was about celebrating women and their vaginas, rather than degrading men, and voiced their appreciation for the way the Monologues depicted women as sexual beings rather than sexual objects.

McCormick summed up much of the show's message as she spoke about how women have choices. "All these stories open up my eyes to what you can do as a woman who has control of her body," she said.

Manney commented that the event is also geared toward opening up constructive discussions on a lot of issues. To that effect, the organizers are planning an open discussion in Hotung the week after the performances where participants and audience members can discuss issues raised by the show.

Stories told in the monologues cover a wide range of vagina-related experiences, from violence to birth to sex to self-discovery. In "The Vagina Workshop", one woman discovers her own "unique, beautiful, fabulous vagina." In "My Vagina Was My Village," a Bosnian woman raped by opposing army forces tells her chilling story. And in "Reclaiming Cunt," the performer proceeds to do just that, examining, picking apart and eventually shouting the word "cunt" until it is freed from its negative connotations.

In addition to the monologues, ensemble pieces are a large part of the show. One skit answers pressing questions like "If your vagina got dressed, what would it wear?"

As a part of the college initiative "V-Day: Until the Violence Stops," the Monologues, written by Eve Ensler and previously performed as a one-woman show on Broadway, are performed at different universities around Valentine's Day in order to raise funds and awareness around issues of violence against women. This year, proceeds from the Tufts performance will help benefit the Massachusetts Eating Disorder Association, as well as the organizations chosen by the national V-Day group.

In the words of cast member Ilina Chadhuri, "All of us came into this world through a vagina. They were our first connection with the world... so come here them speak!"

The performance will be preceded by Vulvapalooza, a fair celebrating vaginas, which is organized by Sidney McKinney. Booths will include such delights as a "make your own vagina" table by the Crafts House, performances by the Jackson Jills and Essence, a vagina-cookie decorating table by the Feminist Alliance, women's health information from Health Services, a sex toy display by local business Grand Opening, information on sexual abuse and domestic violence, and lots of free Luna Bar samples. Vulvapalooza will be held in Alumnae Lounge for the two hours preceding the performance, and admission is free.

The show will be performed Thursday, Feb. 13 at 9 pm and Friday, Feb. 14th at 8 pm. Tickets are $5 for Tufts students and are on sale at Aidekman Box office.