On February 21st, 2015, a cast of female Connecticut College students premiered a student-written, student-performed, show entitled, “As Told By Vaginas.” All proceeds of the show were donated to Safe Futures, a New London based organization that is “working to rebuild lives shattered by domestic violence or sexual assault.”
“As Told By Vaginas” is a performance featuring monologues written and performed by female students of Connecticut College. Until this year, these women had performed the “Vagina Monologues,” a composition of female-related monologues written by Eve Ensler (and performed all over the world). However, the replacement of “Vagina Monologues” with a Connecticut College original, “As Told By Vaginas”, fosters a particularly intimate experience between the audience, the writers, and the performers.
Some participants in the show only performed, some only wrote, while some did both. However, no writer performed her own monologue, for these stories are anonymous. Nonetheless, knowing that one of the 1,100 or so females on this small campus wrote each story adds a new level of intimacy to the show. When asked about her experience with the show, one cast member answered, “I especially loved that all the monologues were written by actual Conn students. It made it so much more interesting to watch/accessible compared to last year.” The possibility that a fellow classmate, dorm mate, teammate, etc. of an audience member could have experienced the very stories being told makes the show more relevant and impactful on this campus.
The stories shared in “As Told By Vaginas” cover a wide range of subject matter. Some conveyed experiences of sexual assault, while others discussed widespread stigmas regarding female sexuality. In addition to these more serious topics was the comedic relief provided by other monologues. One for example, was a detailed account of a girl’s realization that she is allergic to latex (if you catch my drift). The balance between the serious and comedic monologues was artfully done, with some stories theatrically choreographed, and others more plainly and sincerely stated. No matter what the topic or undertone, each monologue in “As Told By Vaginas” was written and performed in noble taste. One audience member said, “As a first time audience member I was honestly blown away by the professionalism and integrity of the performers in “As Told by Vaginas”. The skits performed covered issues that are relevant and relatable and were done so in a creative fashion.”