• the217
• Stage
• The Vagina Monologues in review

On a chilly Friday evening, a large crowd filled Gregory Hall for the opening night of The Vagina Monologues. Each year, V-Day at UIUC presents the famous play on the hush-hush word, vagina. With intimate lighting and a minimal set, several monologues were presented on a wide array of topics such as orgasms, tampons, the clitoris, lesbianism, moaning and rape.

The performance was carried out by a bevy of women, all with their endearing interpretation on the script first written and performed by Eve Ensler in 1996.

As the play was performed, the hall echoed with laughter from middle-aged parents, professors and college students, all of various sexual preferences, who clapped loudly after every scene.

The performance ended with A Teenage Girl’s Guide to Surviving Sex Slavery, a monologue on the plight of women in Congo, followed by a short film, Turning Pain to Power, an informative view on the acts of violence against women in Congo.

Tickets cost $10, and 10% went to the V-Day spotlight campaign, which will shed light on the atrocities committed in Congo.

The remaining 90% will be donated locally to A Woman’s Fund, a group that supports women’s shelters and rape crisis services.