What would your vagina say if it could speak? What would it wear? These are just two of the questions that were asked to Plattsburgh State students during the “The Vagina Monologues” auditions.
“The Vagina Monologues” will be held February 12 and 13 and be hosted and directed by PSUC senior Rimple Bal in Krinovitz auditorium at Hawkins Hall.
In 1994, a play called “The Vagina Monologues,” written by women’s activist Eve Ensler, offered a play based on dozens of interviews with women. Ensler turned those interviews into “The Vagina Monologues”, according to the official V-day website vday.org.
It is a scripted show filled with monologues relating to many female issues like periods, birth, transgender issues and other forms of female empowerment. “The Vagina Monologues” is a nationwide event that takes place on February 14, otherwise known as V-Day.
Vice president of the PSUC Center of Womyn’s Concerns Justine Bonilla said the day was picked because there is a substantial amount of sexual violence that takes place on Valentine’s Day.
“Some people ask me ‘Oh, well why aren’t there ‘The Penis Monologues?’’” CWC President Steffaney Wilcox said.
The annual event has been praised as empowering and eye-opening for women, the performers and the audiences nationwide, according to the Columbia Spectator, a multimedia website.
Bal said that after attending the event for the first time, she was pleasantly surprised by how funny and witty it was.
“My Angry Vagina” is a popular monologue where a woman humorously complains about the struggles of using tampons.
Another monologue “My Vagina Was My Village,” is a group of interviews with Bosnian women who were subjected to rape camps.
One in three women on the planet will be raped or beaten during her lifetime, according to the Huffington Post.
“There are some serious parts too,” Bal said. “So it really cuts into important issues that are overlooked among women.”
Bal said female genital mutilation is another topic brought up during the monologues. An estimated 100 million to 140 million girls and women alive today are believed to have been subjected to these unwanted practices, according to the United Nations Population Fund.
Wilcox said the basis of the event is to bring about awareness to these women’s stories. She also said the content might be scary for some people, but is necessary to understand women’s issues. Wilcox also said the monologues make the stories more personal and can allow females to relate to one another.
During the audition process, Bal said there is paperwork to fill out, which has three to four questions to get an idea of the personality of each participant. Bal also said monologues are tailored to students and their experiences.
“We have all of break to put all the small things together, and then as soon as school starts, we start rehearsing,” Bal said. “We actually had our first practice on Monday.”
“Even though I’ve been to the event two times, it’s different every year,” Bonilla said. “We just try to make it as fun as possible because the name can be off-putting to some people.”
There will be 15 women performing in the Vagina Monologues this year. The campus has been having it for at least 10 years according to Wilcox.
“The focus is a lot on the fact that vaginas are something people are really scared to talk about,” Bal said.
Bal also said the monologues definitely translate to feminism. She said feminism is about equality for everyone and feminism has nothing to do with “man-hating.” She said the club is welcoming to all ages and that no one is excluded from the event.
“It’s something for everyone. Men and women should feel comfortable. We’ve even had kids come to the event,” Bal said. “The community turnout is great to see as well.”
Email Kavita Singh at kavita.singh@cardinalpointsonline.com
