By MONTY GANTTSpring2019VaginaMonologuesV1
On March 28th at the Proscenium Theater at 7 PM, Pima Community College students, staff and alumni will come together to put on a performance of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues.”
Upon first glance at the title of the show, it may seem like an open discussion forum of anatomy for women. But despite its shock and awe title, this show is far from that.
“The show is based on a series of interviews that Ensler conducted with various women of all races, ages and ethnicities,” said Jennifer Wellborn, West Campus Student Life coordinator. The interviews Ensler conducted were then transcribed into different segments based on the respective experiences from the lives of the interviewed women.
Since then, many arts programs have adapted “The Vagina Monologues” as a production.
“This was started by a student who wanted to put on the show and now we do it every year.” Wellborn said
The show’s process has a creative way of coming together. There’s a limited script the encourages the performer to be strongly emotional in telling their respective stories. There are also no auditions to be in the show.
“We really don’t have auditions like other shows do. We would rather have women that show up and pick the stories that speak to them the most or one they relate to more than others.” said Wellborn
The stories told in the production range from a comedic take on the female menstrual cycle, to a day in the life of trans women, to the all too true horrors of domestic violence.
“We’re even more excited to have an actual trans woman perform the piece about trans women because the audience will see a certain woman tell a story a certain type of women that they can relate too,” said Wellborn.
The cast and crew are well aware that the title may raise eyebrows and questions from outsiders looking in, but Wellborn assures that this show’s purpose is to make you laugh, but also educate those who are curious about who women really are.
“I think the title of it is a little provocative and triggers everyone’s interest but really it’s about the similar experiences of different types of women,” said Wellborn. “The purpose of the show is to introduce those who attend to the many different and diverse stories that all women have.”
The event is free and open to the community, but donations are welcome and will be donated to the Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse.
Please email Jennifer Wellborn at [email protected] for more information.
The cast is limited which means a member will take on multiple stories, but the respective cast members see this as an opportunity to educate themselves.
“The cast takes on multiple stories because they treat it as a chance to learn about other women from different backgrounds,” said Wellborn. “You have certain pieces designed for one woman or you’ll have pieces designed for five women,”