A BENEFIT PERFORMANCE of THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES:
Until the Violence Stops
by Eve Ensler

Performed by Women from the University of Lancaster
The Sugar House, Lancaster
Monday 14 to Thursday 16 February 2005

Not a man-hating, feminist rant,
more a dignified and passionate protest
against violence and abuse

There will be some, I suspect, who may find this play’s title off-putting, conjuring images of frenzied, man-hating and over-feminist ‘wimmin’. This is a real shame, because The Vagina Monologues (TVM) is actually a tender, witty and trenchant exploration of female sexuality. Further, and perhaps more importantly, it is a powerful, dignified and passionate protest against violence and abuse against the person.

V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls.

V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money, and revitalise the spirit of existing anti-violence organisations.

V-Day 2005 is being supported by the Lancaster University Students’ Union Women’s Campaign.

Since its conception [sic?] in the USA by Eve Ensler in 1998, ‘V-Day’ is now celebrated around Valentine’s Day in “1,000 cities in almost 50 countries across the world,” according to the excellent programme notes. Lancaster has hosted productions of TVM for three years now, produced and directed by the very able Janie Digby.

Performed by 28 women placed on, behind and in front of three large sofas on the Sugar House’s broad and deep stage, and presented by Digby, the performers, solo, duo and trios, used a small stage, in front of the main stage to deliver the monologues. These are based on some 200 interviews with women conducted by Ensler, and range from the chilling (rape victims in Bosnia – this is Europe, for heaven’s sake!), the wry (women’s accounts of the prurience and prudery surrounding their bodies) to the hilarious.

Perhaps my favourite was the tale of the sex worker and her views on moans. No, not complaints, but the sound many (most?) people make during sex. “… when I was ten I had to pee really badly once. On a car trip”. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? “It went on for almost an hour and when I finally got to pee in this dirty little gas station, it was so exciting. I moaned. I moaned as I peed". Who hasn’t felt like that? And then: “I couldn’t believe it, me moaning in a Texaco station somewhere in the middle of Morecambe …”

This rich, evocative image brought the house down, of course. This was followed by a riotous sequence of different moans: “… the elegant moan (a sophisticated laughing sound), the Tory moan (guess for yourself!), the semi-religious moan (a Muslim chanting-sound), the doggy moan (a panting sound) …” and so on. Use your imagination …

Appropriately, the music before and after the performance was from Tracy Chapman’s Behind the Wall, which is about domestic violence and police apathy, and tracks from Ani Di Franco. Thanks for that info, Rachel!

The Sugar House was packed the night Rachel and I went and had been a total sell-out, with over 700 tickets sold over the three performances, with proceeds going to local anti-violence organisations. It was impressive to see a mixed audience of young, old, male as well as female, and also to see an impassioned, spontaneous display of solidarity.

You should have been there. It was exhilarating, entertaining and very creditably performed by the twenty-plus women, many of whom had ever acted before. Well done, and thanks to all for drawing attention to this blight on society which, like the ‘C’-word, is not often spoken about.

The evening comes with a health warning, too. Domestic violence can happen to you, too, as the Home Office and others point out:

There are more animal sanctuaries in Britain than refuges for women fleeing domestic violence (Campaign Against Domestic Violence, 2003).

At least one in four lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people in the UK experience domestic violence and abuse from their partners (Broken Rainbow, 2002).

A British Crime Survey revealed that 12% of disabled women aged 16 – 29 had experienced domestic violence. This compares with 8.2% of non-disabled women of the same age (Home Office, 1999).

Domestic violence incidents in 2001 – 2002 in England and Wales: 81% of the victims were women and 19% were men (Home Office, 2002).

For these and countless other reasons, often untold, the need for V-Day is vitally important, even in our ‘civilised’ society.

Copyright © 20 February 2005 Michael Nunn