Vaginas Against Violence continued their tradition of shocking, provoking and explicitly expressing their views on the female body with performances of the Vagina Monologues March 10-11 in Carleton’s Bell Theatre.
The monologues explored both the triumphs and the tragedies of the feminine form.
And for a performance that speaks openly and explicitly about female body parts, there was a surprising balance within the audience, with men and women alike laughing or sitting in silence together.
The show opened up by providing synonyms for the word vagina: “the Bermuda Triangle,” the “monkeybox,” and the “falalala.” They even joked about the regional dialects across Canada.
“My red chamber in Ottawa,” one actress declared to surprised and delighted laughs from the audience.
While many of the monologues were funny, celebrating femininity, others weren’t afraid to dip into more serious issues.
A new monologue is introduced every year to reflect current issues surrounding violence against women. This year’s spotlight monologue centered on the experiences of women who faced sexual violence in the earthquake aid camps in Haiti and the Congo. It was met with a quiet disbelief and a respect for the strength found in the Congolese women portrayed by the actresses.
Luxey Sirisegaram, the show’s co-director, said she was stunned by both the actresses in the show and the reaction it received from the audience.
“I had so many emotions coursing through me throughout the entire show; I simply could not believe that it was actually happening,” she said.
“It is such an amazing feeling to watch something that you and your friends have poured your hearts and souls into to actually come together.”
And perhaps this feeling was intensified by the packed auditorium. Even before the show began, the auditorium buzzed with excitement and anticipation.
People scooted closer to each other, freeing up single seats until there was not a space left.
“We had to turn people away at the door,” said co-director Polly Leger.
There’s a note of amazement in her voice as she said this, and it’s not surprising. The Monologues have had their fair share of obstacles. On the eve of the performance, Leger said it seemed everything was going wrong.
“We didn’t even think we’d have lights half an hour before the show, but the girls turned it around and made it fabulous.”
A few weeks ago, the monologues ran into funding issues, casting doubt on whether the show would go on.
“When we found out we couldn’t get funding from [the financial assistance committee for clubs and societies], everyone else just stepped into the void,” Leger said. “People came in droves and I’m so grateful that people came out to support us.”
The proceeds from the three shows will be split, with 90 per cent going to the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre. The rest goes to V-Day, founded by the writer of the Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler.
The movement aims to eliminate violence against women and girls. Their fundraising focus this year is the women and children in Haiti.
Vaginas Against Violence, is hoping to top last year’s fundraising result of $7,400.
“Our goal this year is to raise $9,000,” Leger said.
There’s more to the show than just fundraising, Sirisegaram said.
“At the end of the day, our main mission is to raise awareness about gender-based violence, and the prevalence it has locally and globally.”
