Overlooked female body part makes for one powerful play

"I was worried about vaginas. I was worried about what we think about vaginas, and even more worried that we don't think about them," Eve Ensler, author of 1996's award-winning "The Vagina Monologues," writes of her motivation to create the play.

Capitalizing upon her concern for the often-overlooked body part, Ensler began writing by interviewing hundreds of women of all ages, races, and careers — from college students to phone-sex operators to corporate professionals. In these interviews, Ensler asked the women candid questions and received a wide range of responses. Ensler then converted her findings into 17 monologues, each exploring a different facet of women's relationships with their vaginas.

Since the play's first production, it has flourished and is now regularly performed to sold-out houses all over the country. Last year, a special production at Madison Square Garden featured Ensler herself, as well as celebrities such as Calista Flockhart, Marisa Tomei, and Kate Winslet. A one-woman performance of the play, starring Ensler, will air this Valentine's Day on HBO.

Those involved with the production of "The Vagina Monologues" here at Princeton hope that it will have the same positive reception as its New York counterpart. This year's performance is part of the wider V-Day 2002 College Campaign. The campaign involves universities performing the show with the main goal of raising money to help prevent violence against women.

To promote maximum fundraising, Ensler gives students rights to the production free of charge. The universities donate profits from ticket sales to local organizations that help to combat violence. In Princeton's case, the benefits go to Womanspace, a domestic violence crisis center, as well as the V-Day Fund, which provides aid for the women of Afghanistan.

In its third year at Princeton, the play has a new director, Jessica Brondo '04, who performed in last year's show and said that she wanted to direct to stay involved because she feels that the play itself has an important message of self-actualization.

"Directing the show allows me to make my contribution — however small — to ending violence against women around the world," said Brondo.

Brondo admits that the controversial content of the play presents some challenges both in direction and in audience perception. She believes, though, that students here are mature enough to embrace the play for its artistic merit and poignant message and are not put off by its taboo subject matter. Although Brondo acknowledges that "some students on campus make fun of it and think it's a joke," she thinks that "if they actually saw the show, they would realize it has one of the most powerful messages out there."

Other members of the cast are so accustomed to performing the material, that oftentimes they forget that it can be racy. Says cast member Anna Evans '03, "I've become desensitized to the potentially shocking nature of the material. It is easy to forget that the vagina is not incorporated into everyday conversation!"

This year, Brondo's main vision for the production is "for the actresses to really connect with the audience." With a very diverse cast, Brondo believes people of all ages, races, and ethnicities will relate to the subject at hand. She also hopes that every member of the audience will take away a different message, whether it is about breaking down the barriers surrounding the vagina or ending violence against women." She is certain that, whatever you take away from the production, "it will be fabulous!"