Spotlight on female experience and empowerment in provocative play
Lynda Bryans, Olivia Nash and Pamela Ballentine will star in The Vagina Monologues
AMERICAN Eve Esler penned The Vagina Monologues in 1996 both as a celebration of female sexuality and a rallying call against sexual violence. It was about reclaiming ‘down there’ from any sense of shame or embarrassment; inviting women to tell the truth about their sexuality and their bodies, the monologues also bear witness to harrowing experiences of rape and assault, through to the joys of childbirth and fulfilling sexuality.
“I just hope people can see beyond the title,” says Lynda Bryans, who was initially reluctant about accepting the role because of its edgy content.
“We have edited it quite a bit to suit local audiences. Many of the American slang words that are used for that part of a woman’s body didn’t make sense to us and some of the language was gratuitous - we took that out.”
Bryans stars in the play alongside Pamela Ballentine and Larne-born actress Olivia Nash. The collection of monologues - based around women’s real experiences - move from the humorous to the poignant, considering the joys and pitfalls of female sexuality with honesty and without fear.
Bryans delivers the opening monologue: My Angry Vagina.
“It begins with me saying, ‘Let’s start with the word vagina - it’s not even an attractive word, it sounds like an infection or a medical instrument.
“Then it looks at the things that we as women have to go through: internal examinations (those horrible metal stirrups we have to out our feet into - why can’t they fur-line them, make them beautiful? And who came up with tampons? Wouldn’t it be better if they were lubricated and more lovely?
“This is a funny monologue and a lot of women will certainly relate to it.”
We talk, laughing, about how the very word vagina still seems awkward and embarrassing to say, as though a woman’s private parts are too blushingly unspeakable to be named in conversation or on stage, and yet, why so? Women have vaginas. Big deal. Why should we feel strange naming it or talking about it? But we do.
“I thought long and hard about doing this,” Lynda admits, “but then I thought, I can look at this from a Christian angle and by considering the important causes this play has been used to fund and draw attention to.
“I mean, don’t many of these issues affect women who are Christian? We’ve all got the same parts, we all have a sexuality and aren’t Christian women often the victims of rape and sexual abuse? Of course they are.”
In 1998, two years after the play was written, Ensler founded the the V-Day movement; it’s mission was to help end violence against women and today fundraising performances of The Vagina Monolgues are staged all over the world, globally raising millions to aid the work of rape crisis centres and other projects crucial to women’s health and wellbeing.
“We’re using the play as a way of raising support for Women’s Aid and the Rape Crisis Centre, as well as two charities which I think are vitally important - IJM and Urban Angels - which help women who are being trafficked and exploited sex workers. I think the media are shamefully silent about the issue of human trafficking here and if this play gets people thinking about it and talking about what can be done to stop it, that can only be a good thing.”
There are some painful moments in the monologues, one in which a woman shares her experiences during the Bosnian war. She was living quietly in her village until soldiers arrived and she was brutally gang raped, left with horrific injuries, unable to think about that part of her body anymore or conceieve of a healthy sexuality.
“This is an important play in many ways, because it draws attention to important issues affecting women today and tells the truth about the joys and horrors of female experience.
“Much of this is a reflection of the brokenness of humanity, but there’s also joy here, and humour.”
And again Lynda insists: “Please don’t judge this play by its title because that would be a real mistake.”
The Vagina Monologues, February 10-11, Theatre at the Mill, Newtownabbey. Visit www.theatreatthemill.com or call the box office on 02890 340202.
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