Senior psychology major Lacee Jauregui practices her role during Thursday night's rehearsal for this weekend's performance of The Vagina Monologues in the theater in Old Main. (CU Independent/Lee Pruitt)
It’s Valentine’s Day! But this year, instead of candlelit dinners, romantic movies and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, women are opening up about vaginas, sexual experiences and visits to the gynecologist, in the 2010 Vagina Monologues performance.
The Vagina Monologues is an all-female cast play through which the actresses open up about the vagina and other sensitive, female-oriented sexual topics that aren’t regularly addressed. With majors ranging from chemical engineering to sociology to the arts, the cast members are all regular CU students taking the initiative to spread the awareness about the violence against women today.
“I didn’t really understand the cause they made of violence against women and girls,” said Tiya Trent, a 31-year-old senior ethnic studies and theater major, after seeing the production for the first time. “But it’s about being comfortable speaking about your vagina and being able to relate to other women.”
Many of the women in the production said they had seen the play in previous years, which then inspired them to get involved.
“I saw the production my freshman year and really liked the opportunity to be surrounded by women empowering other women,” said Cassandra Collins, a 21-year-old junior psychology major.
The event also brought to light the atrocities that happen to women around the world; the spotlight monologue, for example, informs the audience about the horrors taking place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and was written by a survivor.
Other numbers in the script this year include “Beating the Girl Out of My Boy,” which talks about transsexualism, as well as a monologue based off the experiences of a sex slave survivor.
“This whole thing is about preventing violence against women and making people aware that a woman’s sexuality isn’t a bad thing,” said Alia Zelinskaya, a 23-year-old senior chemical engineering major.
However, there are a variety of different monologues in the play, ranging from little anecdotes about “how the vagina feels,” to vagina interviews, among other topics.
“Some of them are really funny, then there are ones that are more compelling, like rape and the social injustices imposed on women,” said Kenly Brown, a 20-year-old junior sociology major.
The Vagina Monologues are the keystone of the V-Day campaign, an effort founded by Eve Ensler to promote awareness and end the violence against women and children around the world today, according to the official V-Day Web site.
The cast of the 2010 performance of The Vagina Monologues practices during a dress rehearsal Thursday night in the theater in Old Main. (CU Independent/Lee Pruitt)
“It’s a celebration of women and bringing awareness not just in the community, but all over the globe,” said Kristen Laase, a 20-year-old junior creative writing and theater major, and one of the directors of the production.
The performance is meant to keep the audience on their toes, filled with provocative language, sensual gestures and brimming with feminine sexuality. The cast said they hope their performance will be a real eye-opener to the audience.
“I hope they see the plight of women and how multi-faceted they are,” Brown said.
During intermission and after the show, audience reactions ranged from discomfort to amazement at how well the show was produced and performed.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” said Christian Eaton, a 22-year-old senior environmental studies major. “I’m really surprised at how well they tie it in to social injustice issues.”
Lindsey Tillison, a 20-year-old sophomore communications major, said she was shocked by the performance.
“They definitely went further than what I was expecting,” Tillison said.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Stephanie Loots at Stephanie.loots@colorado.edu.
