“The Vagina Monologues”
7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12
UCO’s Radke Fine Arts Theatre | Edmond
The group of women chattered under dimming lights before rehearsal began at Radke Fine Arts Theatre. Rachel Glass Fairchild, director for University of Central Oklahoma Women’s Outreach Center (WOC), fluttered between raised seating, giving cues to adjust light and sound on stage. The UCO WOC hosts events through March in celebration of Women’s History Month, including a final performance of “The Vagina Monologues” at 7:30 p.m. this evening.
“We are going to have great fun with this performance, but the true goal is to reclaim the beauty and power of women’s bodies and help [survivors of] sexual violence,” said Rachel Fairchild, graduate assistant for Central’s Women’s Outreach Center.
When the run-through began, a performer stifled a giggle on stage before settling into her reading. Any kind of stage performance takes focus in a creative space, and the “The Vagina Monologues” is no different. Within the first few paragraphs, the word “vagina” abounds, and the concept of female empowerment quickly emerges.
The monologues were originally penned by Eve Ensler in 1996 and are now performed all over the world in an effort to promote global women’s issues. Ensler began the project by simply asking women about their vaginas, and the varied responses she received prompted her to launch a wide-reaching survey of women from many races, backgrounds, and cultures. She asked them all to talk about their vaginas, and she shared experiences from women who had never experienced an orgasm to women who had been raped and mutilated. The result was “The Vagina Monologues.”
The performances began small, but the appeal ballooned, and in 1998 Ensler used the platform to create V-Day, a national awareness campaign for women’s rights and the eradication of violence, gender injustice, and racism toward women.
The monologues have a playful side, too. They celebrate sexuality and explore society’s view of the female organ. The set for the show includes monologues titled “The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could” and “Reclaiming Cunt,” and words like “orgasm” and “pussy” can be expected.
At times the performance is funny, uncomfortable, sexy even. At other times, the sobering words on stage represent the prevalent violence toward women, including rape and oppression.
“The Vagina Monologues’ … present women in different perspectives, not just the boxed-in standards forced upon women throughout the world,” President of UCO W.O.M.E.N and performer in the show Tiara Wright said. “It shows women as the people they are.”
The V-Day campaign educates people on the fact one in three women will be raped in her life. It is a call to action for all to put an end to the abuse and actively stand up in the fight for equality. This year, the campaign’s theme is “Rising for Revolution,” and all across the globe communities rise up and speak out about women’s issues to foster hope and strength.
The show ends with “My Revolution,” a poignant monologue rooted in healing and acceptance. The last performer climbed the steps to the dimly lit stage and empty, echoing theater and boldly spoke words of courage and education. “Go ahead. Love,” she read. Then she smiled and walked off the stage.
The show is free to attend and donations are welcome. They will benefit the YWCA in Oklahoma City.
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Jenn Scott is a volunteer and organizer for UCO’s “The Vagina Monologues”
