Director and Activist: Morgaine Gooding-Silverwood

Name: Morgaine Gooding-Silverwood
Major: Women and Gender Studies
Year: 2014

What are you currently working on at Barnard?
I am currently working on Columbia/Barnard’s production of The Vagina Monologues!  (Been working on it since October, actually) 
 
What is your position and what does it entail?
I’m the director, which basically entails every aspect of production you could imagine. The main part of the job is working with the cast; working one-on-one, group staging, blocking, and so on.  But we also do outreach because “The Vagina Monologues” is supposed to be about activism, not just acting—so I work with Girls for Gender Equity.  Then there’s all the actual technical stuff for the show lots of planning and stressing.  In the end, however, the best part of the job is getting to watch the show go up!
 
Can you tell us a bit about the show?
 The show has a pretty incredible history, it basically changed the face of 21st century feminist theater, taking a subject matter that would (in 1998 when it was written) be considered pretty radical, and making it nationally known.  The monologues document all of the aspects of what it means to “have a vagina”, from trimming, to violence, to orgasms—all of it.  For me, the show has always been about healing and about empowerment. It is the actors who take on the huge task of performing some very gritty, very real monologue about experiences that are, unfortunately, all too common.  I’ve had actors in previous shows (high school etc.) tell me that performing this was what helped them heal from sexual abuse, assault, relationship violence, low self-esteem…the list goes on and on.  
 
What inspired you to get involved?
I found the Vagina Monologues at a really important moment in my life, and it changed me.  And since then, of course, my opinions on the show have changed, being a Women and gender Studies Major makes it easy to find things I once thought of as funny or just “whatever” as problematic; but still, the actual effect that watching this show has on people, the transformation people go through watching it, and the conversations it sparks, are just so inspiring to me. 
 
What else do you do around campus?
This has been my life for a while, but other than that I am a proud member of the IRC (Intercultural Resource Center) and with that, a Radical C.U.N.T. (College undergrads not tolerating sexism); I also do femsex (go figure), and sometimes, just rarely, I try to do my homework.
 
What do you do on the weekends?
On the weekends? Sleep until 1pm, eat good food, and try to relax.
 
When can someone see the show?
The show opens this Friday, February 17th at 8:00, and on Saturday, February 18th at 3:00 and 8:00.  All of the performances are in Roone Arledge Auditorium in Lerner Hall, and tickets can be purchased for 5$ for CU/BC Students at the TIC in Lerner!