Let’s talk about sex, baby: Elon’s ‘The Vagina Monologues’ a big hit

“The Vagina Monologues” opened up discussion about the most female of private parts on Valentine’s Day, Women and men alike learned more than they ever thought they would about the female experience.

Ten actresses, some trained and some not, spoke words that came from interviews conducted by Eve Ensler, who combined the stories into brief monologues. Ensler’s first draft was written in 1996, and subsequent revisions have updated, but have not significantly changed the monologues.

Elon’s performance was directed by senior Jordan Frederick, and sponsored by Women and Gender Studies and EFFECT, Elon’s feminist society.

Monologue topics ranged from the poignant to the heartwarming, the angry and the horrifying: tales of first love and tales of sickening sexual abuse, stories of domestic violence and witnessing birth.

Each monologue was delivered convincingly, complete with believable accents, gestures and body language. Sabrina Bradley, as the 72-year-old woman in “The Flood,” projected rheumatism and New York sass even as a college junior.

Junior Nicole Lockhart delivered the most convincing and well-acted monologue. She performed one of the only stories about loving interaction between a man and a woman, and her facial expressions and mannerisms made the entire audience believe the tale she told was her own.

Perhaps the only, and minor, drawback was that the monologues were well-rehearsed, but ultimately recited partially from black binders. Senior Aly Poggi, who delivered her monologue as a female-to-female sex worker, explained the actresses only had six weeks to work on the project, including Winter Term and Fake Break.

Other than the occasional mumbling and stuttering over words in the binder, the monologues were delivered with aplomb, and, for a good cause. “The Vagina Monologues” is part of an extended “V-Day” fundraiser, which over the years has raised more than 50 million dollars to combat sexual violence.

“Crooked Braid” examined domestic violence in the tumultuous atmosphere of Native American reservations, and “My Vagina Was My Village” described horrific rape as an act of war in the Bosnian conflict of 1992-95. These monologues depressed the mood, but ultimately raised awareness of the ways in which women globally are mistreated.

The audience was mainly made up of women, who responded by laughing and clapping and even cheering at the speeches. But, the few men in the audience were moved just as much as the women.

Senior Eddie O’Connell was seeing the play before going to dinner with his girlfriend to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

“I was raised to be a gentleman,” he said, “but it’s good to remember to treat women with respect.”

Fellow senior Evan Dempster also said he remembered more that he should take extra care with women. “I realized that girls go through puberty and life a lot differently than guys,” Dempster said.

O’Connell and Dempster came to the play to support their friend, an actress, but they found more in the play than just a bunch of girls’ chatter about their ‘down theres.’

“It was remarkably well-written and well-done,” Dempster said. “The overall message of the play was feministic, but all of them in some way involve men.”