2008 Woodie Awards
'Vagina Monologues' raises more than $3,000
Kim Gailliard
Issue date: 2/25/08 Section: News
|
Using wit to deliver messages of hope, empowerment and love, the nearly sold-out show on Feb. 15 kept the audience on its toes from start to finish.
Jeremy Wright, senior, said attending the play helped him to see women in a different light.
"One of the acts I really enjoyed was when (Dr. Jennifer Kunka, associate professor of English) talked about being raped," Wright said. "As males, sometimes we take the vagina for granted (and) we say it's all about getting a quick orgasm and that's it."
Wright was referring to the monologue "My Vagina is a Village," which is about a Bosnian refugee whose spirit becomes broken after she is repeatedly sodomized and raped at gun point by soldiers. He also said the monologue about Ensler witnessing the birth of her grandchild gave him a new perspective on what it's like to be a woman.
"At the end, the metaphor describing the vagina as a heart was good because we all came out of a vagina," Wright said. "It opened my eyes a little bit more, gave me more insight and made me appreciate women more."
Dr. Dawn Larsen, associate professor of theatre history, directed the show and said reactions such as Wright's were part of the play's objective.
"Sometimes people think it's a women's play, and it's really not," Larsen said. "I feel like men are a little nervous as the play starts out but, as it goes farther along, they aren't."
In addition to the students who attended, many faculty and staff members, including President Dr. Fred Carter, were on hand to support the cast.
Carter, who has attended performances of the play elsewhere, praised the cast and Larsen for a job well done.
Heather Epes, assistant professor of English, performed the monologue "My Angry Vagina." She said she was "impressed" with the number of people who showed up and "the welcome" the cast received.
Be the first to comment on this story