The Vagina Monologues: 10 years of a global effort at GV

GVL Archive / Andrew Millls 
The Vagina Monologues performed last year

Andrew Mills

GVL Archive / Andrew Millls The Vagina Monologues performed last year

Rebekah Young

What do you think about your vagina?

This is the question playwright and activist Eve Ensler poses at the beginning of her provocative 1994 production, “The Vagina Monologues,” which explores various stories about the female experience.

Grand Valley State University celebrates its 10th production of the monologues with V-Week, aimed to bring light to women’s sexuality and issues such as rape, battery and incest. The Women’s Center has placed tables in Kirkhof Center to raise awareness and funds to combat violence against women and girls.

V-Week leads up to GVSU’s student and volunteer-organized production of the monologues. This year’s performances, backed by a team of 75 activists including students, staff and community members, will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday in the Fieldhouse.

“Half of the world’s population has a vagina,” said Anna Bennett, administrative chair for the event. “These stories aren’t really all that ‘out there’ when you stop to think about it. They just focus on topics that people usually don’t talk about.”

The monologues, which Ensler compiled from the stories of more than 200 women she interviewed, cover a broad range of topics including sexuality, abuse and female empowerment.

“There isn’t one general theme or story line – it’s just women sharing their stories,” Bennett said. “Some are funny, and some are very hard to hear. It’s really the full range of emotions and experiences.”

Since its first run in New York theaters, the play has sparked the global effort of the non-profit V-Day charity to support victims of violence and sexual abuse.

Kirsten Zeiter, special projects chair, described the monologues as a collection of stories to change the overall story of women, which she said has been mostly silent so far. The purpose of the show is to give women a voice.

“Issues facing women worldwide are diverse, but the silence is almost universal,” Zeiter said. “For different cultural reasons, these issues aren’t talked about it a lot of places. This gives women a moment to shout, metaphorically and literally, to get people aware. It’s uncomfortable for people at first, but we’re raising the awareness needed to break the silence and bring real solutions.”

The V-Day spotlight piece is “Myriam Merlet,” which pays tribute to Merlet and other activists in Haiti. The spotlight piece selected for GVSU’s production is “They Beat the Girl Out of My Boy… Or So They Tried,” which recognizes the transgender community.

Tickets for the show are $10 for students and $20 for non-students. Tickets can be purchased at the GVSU 20/20 Information Desk or online at startickets.com.

Proceeds from V-Week and “The Vagina Monologues” will go to the GVSU Women’s Center, the YWCA of West Central Michigan and the Center for Women in Transition. They will also support the V-Day Spotlight cause, the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Despite its title and subject matter, Ensler’s play is not just for female audiences.

“I really feel like ‘The Vagina Monologues’ has something for everybody,” Bennett said. “Not everyone will relate to every monologue, but the show definitely opens your eyes to different issues women face and is very educational and empowering.”

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