Women's Initiative presented their fourth annual production of the "Vagina Monologues" this weekend, a production designed to raise awareness about the social issues concerning female sexuality.
The actresses recreated various personal experiences through a series of monologues ranging from a dominatrix who explained her love of moaning to a Native American woman who told how her husband sexually abused her. The monologues were told with the help of a narrator and the V-Squad, which functioned as the witty chorus of the play.
"We were worried about vaginas," the V-Squad said in their introduction to the performance, and ultimately concluded "women love to talk about their vaginas."
Jen Smyers, a former performer in the "Monologues," is now the Women's Initiative director.
"We are proud to sponsor [the show] because it's an advocacy piece that brings to light a lot of serious issues that are not usually discussed," said.
The all female cast, many of whom were first time monologue performers, took the audience through a range of emotions based on he content of the various performers.
"I wasn't expecting there to be as many serious parts," said Jillian Rubino, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs. "It was really funny, and then it was really serious, then funny again."
Smyers said many people have told her the show is too vivid or inappropriate, however she feels that the show is appropriate for a college audience and important because "people learn so much from the show."
"It's shocking and it's supposed to be shocking," Smyers said.
The monologues were originally written in 1996 by Eve Ensler after she interviewed over 200 women about their sexual experiences, according to the Web site www.vaginamonologues.com, with new monologues added periodically.
The monologues provide social commentary by promoting tolerance of women's sexuality and looking at sexual violence against women.
In addition, the play promotes the national grassroots organization V-Day, which is a group dedicated to fighting sexual abuse against women, according to www.vday.org.
All proceeds collected through the sale of the $8 tickets were donated to a variety of women's charities, including the V-Day organization, the D.C. Rape Crisis Center and the Stop Child Sexual Abuse Organization.
"One of the things that hit me hard was the skit about the comfort women," said Rubino in reference to one of the monologues about women who were abused during World War II in the South Pacific region. "I cried during the performance ... that's what I went home talking about."
The "Vagina Monologues" ran three standing room only performances Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the McDowell Formal Lounge.
"I can't stress how much of an amazing show it is," Smyers said. "I'm so proud of the women in the monologues"
