Where V-Day stands for violence and vaginas

For many people, Valentine’s Day is a day filled with love, chocolate, and Hallmark cards. But for others, the “V” in V-day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina. Such images can only signal the quickening approach of Eve Ensler’s pride and joy, The Vagina Monologues. This is the sixth year that the show has been presented on Duke’s campus and the seventh year since Ensler’s book The Vagina Monologues was converted into the well-known play. This year, however, Duke students will introduce a new twist to the play’s usual structure: Brace yourself for the debut of the Vagina Lock-In.

Dylan Parkes and Glenda Richardson, the show’s student directors, created the idea of the lock-in to foster an environment that allows women to come together and bare their personal stories. By connecting monologues, the interaction offers a more dynamic edge to the show and invites audience members to play a more active role. “In the past, women would deliver their monologues to the audience, and then step out of the spotlight,” Parkes said. “We don’t want the other actors to be mere audience members while they’re not performing.”

The show is, of course, still similar to its original form in that many of the monologues are the same as those in past years. Members of the show stressed the fact that the anti-violence message of the production has not been altered. “The monologues will speak for themselves. If anything, the lock-in is a positive aspect that enhances the experience for the audience,” Parkes commented.

One monologue that was performed last year, “The Flood,” will also be a part of this year’s production. The scene portrays an older woman who shamefully discusses her feelings on “down there.” In last year's show, the woman was the only actress on stage, and her delivery was aimed solely at the audience. This year, however, the rest of The Vagina Monologues cast gathers around the grandmother-figure as she tells her story, responding in much the same way as children would to a riveting tale. Parkes noted that “some of this stuff is hard for an audience to stomach. Having the whole group present the material sends the message that it's okay to think about these topics and talk about them with other people.”

Another unique aspect of the lock-in concept is the actual effect that it had on the Duke women in the cast. The producers of the show had all of the actors research different topics upon which their monologues were based. In mid-January, the now-cohesive group held a lock-in of their own in the Duke Women's Center. During this lock-in they took a break from rehearsing scripts and shared personal monologues of their own throughout the night. Many of the performers said this shared experience translated into more genuine interactions on stage.

Crystal-Faire Melbourne, a volunteer at the Women's Center, has been ecstatic with the influence the show has had on campus.

“The point of watching women discuss and talk with each other about ‘taboo’ topics is to open these ideas up for discussion.”

Judging from the dedicated cast and the likely-to-be packed house in Page Auditorium on Saturday night, the play is likey to have a powerful effect on the audience. When Parkes was asked how long he thought the show would continue, he quickly responded, “until it is necessary to stop. We need The Vagina Monologues until conversations that are being re-enacted and performed for us begin occurring on an everyday basis between real people.”