Friday February 21st at 7:00 p.m. the opening night of Vagina Monologues started. As a cast member, I was fixing my makeup–going over my small number of lines and waiting impatiently for the show to start.
For the last three weeks, I and 29 other girls have been practicing monologues from Eve Ensler’s famous play “The Vagina Monologues”. We’ve been standing on the Green-Room Theatre stage from 4 to 9 every day of this past week perfecting our art.
The bonds we have created are some that we will probably hold for the rest of the semester, maybe even college year.
I can’t speak on the experience of my fellow artists, but I remember getting extremely nervous that I would miss my cue to enter the stage. I snuck down about three acts before mine, and heard the monologues I was all too familiar with, repeating the lines along with her (the actress on stage) in my head.
When I finally hit the stage, the lights hit my face and I felt this strong urge to share my message. I looked directly ahead of me, even though I could slightly make out figures in the seats. I hesitated once, but made sure that the audience didn’t catch it. When I finished, it felt odd–as if i had more to say, but I really didn’t. Once off-stage, I wondered if I had messed up any words or had left the stage too early. My co-stars congratulated me on a job well done.
In the back we shared stories of our first times, the awkwardness of our parents when trying to say Vagina and the monologues themselves.
Who were these women that Eve sat down with and listened to? Where are they now? Are they still going to productions of the shows, are their children or friends or family?
Tonight we hit the stage again, and this time I’m even more prepared to share Ensler’s masterpiece
A show about Vaginas
V-A-G-I-N-A-S