'My Angry Vagina'

Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues" came to Baird Recital Hall Friday evening, performed by females from the UB and Buffalo community.

The performance was produced by The Progressive Law Society at UB as a part of V-day, a campaign to increase awareness and end violence against women. Spa filled baskets, wine and other donations from local businesses were auctioned off beforehand, and all proceeds from the show went to benefit Haven House, a shelter for victims of domestic violence in Buffalo.

The president and secretary of The Progressive Law Society, Christina Manthei and Taylor Miranda led the evening with an introduction about what the performance would entail, followed by a long list of nick names for a woman's "down there" region.

"It's a totally ridiculous, completely un-sexy word," said Manthei, a third year law student.

Ensler held the first production of "The Vagina Monologues" over a decade ago, and it is now performed across the world. She wrote the monologues after interviewing a number of women on their thoughts about female sexuality. The stories - some tragic, others humorous -

were compiled and performed by actresses reading from cards.

While the title of the play may sound like a feminist outlet for male-bashing, the content is far from it. A group of 17 women performed the monologues, which ranged from incidents of rape to one woman's journey as a lesbian dominatrix.

The audience of around 100 people included young and old, students and even several men.

"This is not a man-hating show," Manthei said. "It's about appreciation of women, and men should have that same appreciation that women do for each other."

Tom Varco, a sophomore psychology major, elected to come to the show on his own accord out of curiosity.

"I didn't know what to expect," Varco said. "But I like it. I thought it was going to be about abused women. Instead it's more about positive aspects."

Sarah Norton presented one such experience in the monologue "The Vagina Workshop." With the ease of a woman telling a secret story to her favorite girlfriends, Norton recounted one woman's quest to discover herself, by way of finding her clitoris.

A number of the monologues revolved around the notion that many women choose to ignore their sexual urges and know little to nothing about their vaginas. But as the stories unfolded, most of them found that exploring their sexual side could empower them in ways they never imagined.

"It's so important for women to not be ashamed of their bodies," said Amanda MacAlpine, a sophomore theater and education major who presented the monologue "Reclaiming Cunt," in which she played a woman who loved to use the controversial word, sensually describing the positive aspects of it.

Several of the monologues involved a line-up of actresses giving women's answers to some off-the-wall questions such as, "If your vagina got dressed, what would it wear?" Responses like "sequins," "purple velvet pj's," and "a tattoo," conjured up laughs from the audience.

With a sharp, witty, and confident attitude, April Santos dealt out a strong message in "My Angry Vagina," where she ranted about tampons, vaginal deodorants and thongs.

"Everyone's always trying to fix [the vagina], when it doesn't need to be fixed," Santos said in an interview before the show. "It's the same way with girls, they are fine the way they are."

Though the goal of the V-day campaign is to spread activism about women's rights, "The Vagina Monologues" has the more immediate effect of empowering women through their sexuality, in part by giving the vagina thoughts, feelings and a voice.

Hilary Walker, a UB alumnus with a BFA in theater, has been a part of "The Vagina Monologues" in the past. She said she has gotten so used to the topic that she forgets that most audience members have never heard such sexually charged and blatantly frank material.

"When I hear people in the audience gasping or laughing, I know they're getting something out of it," Walker said.