The
      Vagina
      Monologues
      Proves
     
     
      _
      What
      Pve
      Been
      Saying
      All
      Along
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Joel
      MEGGS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Who
      needs
      a
      handgun
      when
     
     
      you’ve
      got
      a
      semi-automatic.”
     
    

    
     
      So
      began
      UPEI’s
      production
     
     
      of
      Eve
      Ensler’s
      The
      Vagina
     
     
      Monologues,
      a
      show
      for
      and
      about
     
     
      women
      and
      their
      sexual
      identity.
     
    

    
     
      The
      show
      was
      filled
      to
      and
     
     
      past
      capacity
      all
      three
      evenings.
      On
     
     
      the
      Saturday
      evening
      performance,
     
     
      people
      were
      seated
      in
      the
      aisles.
      This
     
     
      play
      (or
      collection
      of
      monologues
      or
     
     
      whatever
      it’s
      called)
      attracted
      a
      lot
      of
     
     
      attention,
      and
      the
      people
      who
      turned
     
     
      out
      in
      droves
      responded
      well
      to
      the
     
     
      performances.
      Fifteen
      monologues
     
     
      were
      performed,
      all
      connected
      to
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      y
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ®
     
     
      &
     
     
      £m
      ©
     
     
      am
      ©
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a>
      ©
     
    
   
   
    
     
      MER
     
    
   
   
    
     
      4
     
    

    
     
      ¥
     
     
      ON
      ,
     
    

    
     
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      od
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      Sun.
      Sand.
      Study.
      An
      unlikely
      combination
     
    
   
   
    
     
      course
      at
      Carleton
      University
      in
      Ottawa.
     
     
      Flexible
      and
      convenient.
      Courses
      are
      avail-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      subject
      of
      vaginas
      in
      one
      way
      or
     
     
      another.
     
    

    
     
      Initially,
      audience
      members
     
     
      became
      red
      faced,
      stared
      at
      their
     
     
      shoes,
      shifted
      in
      their
      seats,
      and
      fid-
     
     
      geted.
      These
      monologues
      pulled
      no
     
     
      punches,
      talking
      without
      reserve
      about
     
     
      all
      things.
      vagina-related.
      Eventually,
     
     
      we
      were
      desensitized,
      the
      initial
      shock
     
     
      wore
      off,
      and
      we
      could
      invest
      our
      full
     
     
      attention
      in
      the
      subject
      matter.
     
    

    
     
      Topics
      ranged
      from
      shaved
     
     
      vaginas,
      female-circumcision,
      rape,
     
     
      auto-erotic
      tendencies,
      pregnancy,
     
     
      menstruation,
      and
      puberty.
      The
      can-
     
     
      didness
      of
      the
      subject
      matter
      and
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ottawa
      —
      Canada’
     
     
      National
      Capital
     
    
   
   
    
     
      niversity
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      unless
      you're
      taking
      a
      Summer
      Session
     
    
   
   
    
     
      able
      days
      and
      evenings
      in
      classrooms
      and
     
     
      on
      our
      itv
      channel.
      Whatever
      course
      you
     
     
      choose
      will
      fit
      easily
      into
      your
      schedule,
     
     
      leaving
      time
      for
      the
      beach,
      chores,
      and
     
     
      a
      job.
      Everything
      you
      need
      to
      know
      is
     
     
      on
      our
      Web
      site.
      Just
      log
      on
      and
      follow
     
     
      the
      instructions,
      then
      get
      out
      and
     
     
      enjoy
      the
      sun.
      You're
      already
      on
     
     
      your
      way
      to
      a
      brighter
      future.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      carleton.ca/summer
     
     
      Simple.
      Sensible.
      Smart.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      2
     
     
      ®
     
     
      e
      (613)
      520-3500
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      cast
      of
      The
      Vagina
      Monologues.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      breadth
      of
      the
      discussion
      left
      no
      stone
     
     
      unturned,
      and
      likely
      opened
      a
      lot
      of
     
     
      eyes
      as
      well
      as
      eliciting
      a
      great
      many
     
     
      nods
      of
      assent,
      as
      women
      related
      to
     
     
      what
      was
      being
      said
      on
      stage.
     
    

    
     
      But
      far
      from
      simply
      trumpet-
     
     
      ing
      the
      cause
      of
      women’s
      sexual
      liber-
     
     
      ation,
      The
      Vagina
      Monologues
      was
      an
     
     
      excellent
      opportunity
      to
      showcase
      the
     
     
      twenty
      women
      who
      did
      a
      fantastic
      job
     
     
      delivering
      some
      very
      difficult
      materi-
     
     
      al.
      By
      Saturday
      night,
      the
      performers
     
     
      had
      hit
      a
      real
      groove.
      Despite
      the
     
     
      embarrassing,
      disturbing,
      and
      often
     
     
      hilarious
      subject
      matter,
      the
      perform-
     
     
      ers
      remained
      perfectly
      composed.
      The
     
     
      Vagina
      Monologues
      proved,
      once
      and
     
     
      for
      all,
      that
      this
      University
      has
      a
     
     
      wealth
      of
      talent,
      and
      the
      professional-
     
     
      ism
      that
      these
      women
      displayed
      was
     
     
      worthy
      of
      a
      Tony.
     
    

    
     
      Some
      of
      the
      skits
      were
      truly
     
     
      troubling.
      For
      instance,
      “The
      Coochi
     
     
      Snorcher
      That
      Could”
      evoked
      much
     
     
      discussion
      from
      audience
      members
     
     
      after
      the
      show.
      The
      scene
      involved
      the
     
     
      retelling
      of
      a
      story
      involving
      a
      six-
     
     
      teen-year-old
      girl
      who
      was
      “enlight-
     
     
      ened”
      by
      a
      twenty-four
      year
      old
      les-
     
     
      bian.
      The
      woman
      took
      the
      girl
      to
      her
     
    
   
   
    
     
      apartment,
      gave
      her
      alcohol,
      and
      slept
     
     
      with
      the
      girl.
      Many
      theatre-goers
     
     
      found
      this
      to
      be
      abhorrent
      not
      because
     
     
      of
      the
      homosexuality
      but
      because
      of
     
     
      the
      predatory
      nature
      of
      the
      relation-
     
     
      ship.
     
    

    
     
      “My
      Angry
      Vagina”
      involved
     
     
      Tracy
      Sobey
      screaming
      about
      tampons
     
     
      and
      then
      flinging
      one
      into
      the
      audi-
     
     
      ence.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      Woman
      Who
      Loved
      to
     
     
      Make
      Vaginas
      Happy”
      was
      about
      a
     
     
      self-pleasuring
      clinic
      where
      a
      Vagina-
     
     
      guru
      took
      great
      pleasure
      in
      showing
     
     
      others
      how.
      the
      pleasure
      themselves,
     
     
      and
      hearing
      the
      moans
      that
      accompa-
     
     
      nied
      that
      pleasure.
      Shaye
      Martirano,
     
     
      the
      storyteller,
      then
      proceeded
      to
     
     
      demonstrate
      the
      spectrum
      of
      different
     
     
      moans,
      eliciting
      a
      chorus
      of
      giddy
     
     
      laughter
      from
      the
      audience.
      The
     
     
      women
      sitting
      in
      my
      section
      could
      not
     
     
      contain
      themselves,
      and
      laughter
      con-
     
     
      tinued
      into
      the
      next
      sketch,
      which
      was
     
     
      deadly
      serious.
     
    

    
     
      Comedic
      pieces
      were
      as
      well
     
     
      executed
      as
      the
      serious
      ones,
      and
     
     
      everyone
      left
      with
      a
      greater
      under-
     
     
      standing
      of
      female
      genitalia
      and
      all
      its
     
     
      ins
      and
      outs.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      65]