V-Day.org perfectly summarizes The Vagina Monologues when it writes.
“20 years since Eve Ensler’s play The Vagina Monologues shattered taboos, the stakes could not be higher. V-Day is a movement that grew out of the untold stories of women.
The Vagina Monologues gave birth to V-Day, a global activist movement to end violence against all women and girls (cisgender, transgender, and those who hold fluid identities that are subject to gender-based violence). With creativity and determination, V-activists around the world tirelessly work to end harassment, rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation and sex slavery.” (https://www.vday.org/index.html)
The world can be a terrifying place for women. Society tells us that it owns our bodies, our voices, and our opinions. Spaces where women and nonbinary people can feel safe, supported, and empowered are crucially important. Each year, Clark University’s Annual production of The Vagina Monologues uses the original script to recognize the history of feminism and open a dialogue about where we are now.
Personally, I am incredibly grateful to Eve Ensler. I frequently say that I was raised by a series of strong women (and my dad). Grandmothers, karate instructors, teachers, aunts, and my mother’s co-workers all helped create the person that I am today.
My freshman year of college, I experienced a lot of insecurity and feelings of loss surrounding my identity. I wondered where I fit. I auditioned for Vagina Monologues simply because I wanted to get back on stage. I loved Clark’s Vagina Monologues not because of the power that I felt under the spotlight, but because of the sense of community I felt during rehearsals and backstage.
There is a stereotype out there that women cannot be friends (said stereotype also ignores the existence of non-binary people), that we are always undermining eachother or competing with each other. That’s a lie. The people I met through Vagina Monologues were some of the most wonderful, supportive souls in the world.
While I auditioned my freshman year because I desperately needed to be on a stage, I made a different choice this year. This year I’m co-directing, because while the performance helps bring the messages of this wonderful script to the rest of campus, the real magic comes from the people and the process.
The Vagina Monologues gives us the opportunity to take ownership of our bodies, our voices, and our narratives. More importantly, it provides the opportunity to create an inclusive space for all the women and non-binary people who want it. With everything going on in the world today, that feels more important than ever. I hope my co-directors and I can do it justice.