Sonoma State Star

Issue date: 3/4/08 Section: Arts and Entertainment

Director Suzanne Vargas addresses the audience alongside the cast of "The Vagina Monologues." [Click to enlarge]

Dylon Helene performs the "The Moaner" to help close out the performance. [Click to enlarge]

There was something distinct about walking into the Sonoma State University Cooperage on Feb., 29. An electricity filled the air, drenching the eager audience members that awaited SSU's production of "The Vagina Monologues."
Low rumblings built from dull whispers, to a clamoring white noise that filled the space with every kind of emotion imaginable. The room hung with people that were frightened, curious, confused, thrilled, and supportive. It seemed that the Cooperage pulsed with life, with the entire audience clapping along in unison to Aretha Franklin's "Respect" before the lights cut out and the show began.
From the first monologue performed, it was clear that the night was about the community coming together.
And it was also clear from the SSU students performing the 25 Eve Ensler penned monologues, that it was a very personal experience despite the mass of people crammed into the space.
These students, clad primarily in black with pink accents of ribbons and head bands, shared stories about real women coming to terms with themselves both physically and emotionally.
Bathed in delicate pinks and blues from the stage lights, they took to a bare stage and alternated telling these stories, bringing awareness to these struggles, revelations, and celebrations of femininity.
The most uproarious performance came from the monologue, "My Angry Vagina," given by junior Natalee Burnett. Protesting against the vaginal tortures of tampons, insensitive gynecologists, and the compulsion to cover up the truth about vaginas, Burnett passionately crusaded for the appreciation of something so true, and so connected to oneself.
"My vagina is PISSED!" she exclaimed.
It was an exercise in procuring freedom rather than lashing out in rage. Burnett's monologue struck a chord through impeccable energy and witty dialogue, making for one of the standout performances of the night.
Elsewhere, Crystal Ptak's uproariously humorous depiction of "The Vagina Workshop" had the audience in stitches. Ptak's portrayal of an extremely proper woman discovering the inner workings of her vagina, kept the audience shifting between her careful analysis and overwhelming wonder.
"It never occurred to me to look at it!" said Ptak through the sea of laughter.
Perhaps this is the key to the production as a whole. These monologues were the result of Ensler interviewing hundreds of women about their personal experiences, and it captures them at their most exposed.
By asking these women questions such as "What would your vagina wear?" or "What would your vagina say?" Ensler's words give names and life to women's struggles everywhere. It's an exercise giving a voice to the voiceless, and a name to the experiences that are far too often looked over.
And while the majority of the monologues have a lighter tone to them, straddling that fine line between coy sarcasm and satirical eloquence, there were a few monologues that delved head first into the graphic oppression women have faced.
"My Vagina Was A Village" embodied this best, telling the story of Kosovo refugees at the mercy of soldiers that raped and tortured them for days on end.
Performers Cristina Valverde and Julia Stein sat at the foot of the stage, and took turns whispering the terrifying events. Their naked words mirrored the vulnerability of those that inspired the monologue, and with somber speech, they compared their subjugation and shame to the loss of their village, their home.
Such monologues tend to surround the production with lots of apprehension, partially because of the taboos built up around rape.
However, the delicacy with which the production deals with such an issue is a testament to its message of social change rather than blame. It raises awareness to the community, to the people that came together for these stories, to the people that have experienced it as well as those who can prevent it.
That's why the "The Vagina Monologues" was such a successful production. The performance's uncompromising honesty deals with being present, connected, and in tune with the ideas of femininity rather than keeping it hidden and ignored. The night's last monologue was "I Was There In The Room," a first hand account of a woman watching another bringing her child into the world. Using the act of creation to bookend the production, showed the importance of love in the world we live in.
"The Vagina Monologues" was about finding love and respect where there was shame or fear, in the hopes to bring about change by speaking about what seemed unspeakable.
And while the plethora of vagina euphemisms, short skirts, orgasmic moans, and masturbation chronicles made for a dizzying performance, the production offered the audience and the performers the opportunity to come together to celebrate these intimate stories and experiences.
It also allowed its audience the opportunity to scream everyone's favorite four letter "c-word."
At the end of the night, it was clear that "The Vagina Monologues" empowered its audience and its "Vagina Warriors" to not only love each other, but love themselves.

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