Drawing power from both genders
New performances allow acting opportunities for men as Fredonia continues its cause to end violence against women
RYAN TAUGHRIN
Arts Editor
During the fall semester, senior psychologyand biology major Lindsay Martin and senior social work major Delaina Fico began organizing Fredonia's annual performance of The Vagina Monologues. Calling out for all women who feel empowered by their femininity, they ran into a surprisingly new challenge two weeks before auditions began; finding penises.
The V-Day Campaign, a global movement that hopes to stop violence against women and girls, introduced a new performance avenue titled, A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer. In addition to The Vagina Monologues, the campaign gave the option of performing a new series of monologues edited by original author Eve Ensler. These were written by men and women to be performed by men and women in response to the original book, explained Martin.
"It is 10 new monologues. For these, we were allowed to have men, which is a huge thing. Through the contract in The Vagina Monologues, men are not allowed to perform. The new show allows us to use as many men as we want. It is a great addition,"Martin said.
Through word of mouth, the organizers in conjunction with first time directors, senior English major Rachel Hoff and senior women's studies and English major Erica Wolf found seven men to perform in A Memory, A Monologue and successfully increased their cast to around 50 members. When signing on to direct the project, Hoff and Wolf did not expect to tackle this large of a workload.
"It wasn't long before auditions begun that we heard that we could be casting men and doing two shows. We had to do major adjustments and it was hard to get all the monologues into one rehearsal. It was a real compromise for everyone involved," Hoff said.
The process of integrating men into a historically feminine setting was at first uneasy but the natural chemistry allowed for any awkwardness to quickly exit the room. Through several character building and social activities that included a sex toy party and writing letters of protest regardingthe rape epidemic in the Congo, the cast quickly realized the larger goal.
"We had begun to bond by discussing things through verbal exercises. We were given phrases such as ‘if your vagina could talk' and ‘in my vagina perfect world.' For many people, these exercises allowed people to realize the importance and seriousness of many situations," said senior psychology major Mandy Donlon, who performs in "The Short Skirt" monologue. "Along with that women from the Agnes home in Jamestown came in and talked to us. From here we began to realize first hand why we are performing and how important our message is."
"The first week of rehearsals was a little strange because we were used to running things in a female only way. It was cool to have the guys there and I think once we all began to work, we got along really well. Having the guys allows the audience to not just see women talking about women and men. Now its women and men talking about women and men," Wolf said.
The larger goal includes giving 90 percent of the money to the Agnes Center, which establishes shelters, health care, education and more that will help women get out of dangerous situations. The other 10 percent goes towards the V-Day campaigns larger cause, known as the Spotlight Cause. This year's Spotlight Cause involved helping hurricane-worn women in New Orleans. For Fico, the gigantic impact this money had inspired her to get involved.
"I have had a lot of friends in it in the past. Once I found out what it was about and how much money they raised and what it goes towards and how crucial the money is in Agnes home, it really put it into perspective to me. Seeing the direct change that can happen in our community just from this production really made me want to get involved," Fico said regarding her first experience with The Vagina Monologues.
Getting into Character
With the groundwork placed, new and returning members of the cast were now responsible for putting life into the monologues used every year and also making the new monologues just as important as those that have stood the test of time. With a variety of topics being covered by the performances, actors and directors had many tools to work with.
"The Vagina Monologues is more about the vagina being a sexual object itself and the new play is about what happens to vaginas and how it affects our culture and different cultures. The Vagina Monologues is an intro play for everyone who needs to talk about these issues while the new play deals with specific issues and what we should be doing," Wolf said in regards to attending both shows.
Hoff continued by explaining that A Memory, A Monologue experiments with more diversity in terms of culture and experience. While The Vagina Monologues addresses issues surrounding the vagina, many times in a humorous way, the new performance discusses men and women overcoming great obstacles.
For junior philosophy major Tom McGovern, who performs in "The 7 Variations of Margarita Weinberg," being involved in A Memory, A Monologue came after another actor dropped out towards the end of last semester. His greatest obstacle came with becoming comfortable while in the spotlight.
"There is of course the pressure and unease that goes along with being one of five in a group of some 40 plus others, regardless of sex, gender, race, social or political position. A few weeks into practicethey lost a person from "7 Variations" and my friend requested my help to add male members to the cast as well as pick up this dropped part. I'm glad I let her talk me into it but it definitely makes me nervous. The cause is good though and I am happy to be supporting it, even at the cost of my comfort-zone," McGovern said.
When discussing experiences regarding violence and sexuality, the atmosphere for dialogue needs to be calming. The men added to the cast have been a pleasant addition to the group dynamic, bringing a welcome attitude and innovative ideas, explained Hoff.
"I am thrilled to have men involved in the show because they bring a great dynamic to the productionand the cause, as does any supporter! Having men in the cast has not changed the way I approached my monologues. The message of each is the same, no matter who the audience is," said sophomore visual art and psychology major Kathryn Kornacki, who is performing the "I Was There in the Room" piece in The Vagina Monologues and the "True" monologue in A Monologue, A Memory.
For many students, the monologues are a yearly thing to attend. Expectations for moving and motivationalperformances are necessary for success. To accomplish this, the organizers and directors make sure that new people are performing each monologue annually.
"While they are reading the same monologue year after year but one monologues can be completely different depending on who is cast in it; especially now that we have guys involved as well. They can interpret the words in a completely different way," Fico said.
Those involved in A Memory, A Monologue do not have to face the task of adding a new flare to their performance and are able to start a new tradition with their initial presentation.Men such as senior English major Sean Lewis are responsible for providing a stepping stone for future actors to work from.
"The feminist movement isn't going to be able to go much further without the support of men. I thought this would be the best way to show my support. I don't think it's a radical thing to say women are just as capable and intelligent as men. They deserve not to be raped or abused. As absurd as it is that these things need repeating, they do," Lewis said in regards to what sparked his involvement with this year's efforts.
Discussing such sensitive topics often times brings up absurdity. Yet this year's cast hopes to show those who write off these performances an important message.
Breaking down the Stereotype
Simply hearing the phrase Vagina Monologues can arouse a sense of vulnerability,curiosity or questioning. In past years at Fredonia, the performance has been contested.
Last year, many of the posters between the Williams Center and McEwen were ripped down due to the artist's rendition of a vagina. With the addition of a new show, all involved with the V-Day campaign hope to eliminate previous assumptions about these performances and their subject matter.
Fico hopes to see more men in the audience this year. With the addition of monologues covering an assorted range of topics, she hopes the dynamic of the group will strengthen their message, saying that the addition of men can "make the performances more valid in the eyes of the audience."
Martin adds that everyone in this years performances of The Vagina Monologues and A Memory, A Monologue have no prejudice or hate towards men or the male gender. She hopes that this year marks the end of the perception that those involved do not appreciate men.
"The Vagina Monologues are not a man-hating-fest or a crude, sex-oriented production. Instead, the monologues raise awareness about violence against women, children, and transgender individuals. This is an issue that impacts millions of people and as a woman and a human being, I feel responsible for spreading the word, because with education comes cessation," Kornacki said.
In order to understand the importance of these issues, both directors stressed the importance of entering the performance space with an open mind, as the intensity of each monologue can ignite change within anyone.
Hoff said, "the monologues opened up a lot more things about myself and I became more confident with who I was. My goal as a director is for anyone to feel more comfortable with themselves and admit something they weren't able to admit before."
"The performance, if not enjoyed aesthetically, is at the very least informing. There are topics and issues which, as a male, I have simply never been forced to think about. The things I've learned about menstrual cycles and all that comes with them since I've been able to talk about them have been mind-blowing," McGovern said. "I wouldn't even feel I could do the topics justice by attempting to talk about them but I think that seeing them performed by women who have found some emotional attachment in them helps me at least understand that they exist, even if I will never experience them directly,"
The V-Day Campaign is currently in its tenth year of operation. Tickets will be available the day of the performances,with each show expected to sell out.
