The Vagina Monologues run Feb. 13-14. $5
Associate Professor Laura Jefferson and students in the National Honor Theater Society have paired to produce The Vagina Monologues an episodic play written by Eve Ensler originally performed in 1996.
This version of the show features nine stories detailing real-life events intended to raise awareness over issues involving sexual abuse. Though the tone and content may offend some, Jefferson, who said she cares deeply for the well-being of her students, is eager to take her stand through the play for a third time.
“Theater is not just for entertainment,” said Jefferson. “It’s almost like we have a social responsibility to make people think and question the status quo.”
The play is meant to acknowledge these problems and propose change, but despite good intentions, The Vagina Monologues’ brow-raising title may prove off-putting to half of its target audience: men.
According to Jefferson, most look at it and assume the worst, envisioning hours of misogynistic trash-talk.
“It doesn’t have anything to do with hate,” she said. “I wish guys would see it. I wish they wouldn’t be so fearful.”
Representative of the NHTS and theater senior Leanne Ottaviano is directing the show and said she shares Jefferson’s goal to widen feminism’s appeal.
“You’re given good and bad because that’s what the world is. You can’t have these lenses on and say, ‘Oh, it’s a feminist piece so it must be man-hating,’ “ Ottaviano said. “It’s an empowering piece for women showing that they can stand on their own. They’re reclaiming themselves, because they’re not anyone else’s property.”
While the cast had their last rehearsal as a full group last Sunday, Ottaviano works one-on-one with the actresses to help them prepare their monologues.
“It’s a super serious issue, and everyone in the cast loves their monologues,” Ottaviano said. “[The girls] will have binders to read from because it’s more about connecting with the audience and getting the message across… You know, [to talk] about vaginas! It’s a weird thing for a lot of people, [but] it’s about the connection rather than just the words… It’ll be eye-opening, [for] guys especially, even girls.”
Both Jefferson and Ottaoviano hope to provoke students to take action, using their craft to positively influence others.
“You’ve got to be passionate about theater because, otherwise, what’s the point. It’s not a lecture class where you do your office hours and then you go home,” Jefferson said. “We’re lucky. There are some universities where the president would say, ‘No, you’re not doing this,’ [but] we’ve always had good support, [from the] community, too…That’s what university’s all about: Get out of your little rut of thinking. Go to CaribFest, go the ensemble, go to the documentary screenings.”
With retirement on the horizon, Jefferson will direct her last show for the university running March 12-14. Equally feminist, In the Next Room—also known as the Vibrator Play—will certainly challenge audience members to think once more.
“It is a comedy. The play is about intimacy, through intimacy. Not sex, not vibrators, not pornography. It’s all done very tastefully,” Jefferson said. “There’s a lot of humor…and the ending. I don’t usually cry during plays because I’m in theater, [but] I had tears running down my face when I watched the end, because [it’s] so beautiful. And, again, it’s not a man-bashing play. It’s a love story.”
