The Vagina Monologues - WA universities
Wed, 17 Oct 2012, 10:47 amGordon the Optom4 posts in thread
The Vagina Monologues - WA universities
Wed, 17 Oct 2012, 10:47 am‘The Vagina Monologues’ has been brought to the Perth university stages, with collaboration between the Curtin and Murdoch Universities’ Guilds. The realisation of this project is thanks to the hard work of Alison McCarney and Janice Lim the Guilds’ Women’s Officers.
The monologues were penned by New York born Eve Ensler at the age of 43. Sexually abused as a child, Ensler subsequently had a failed marriage, before adopting a 15-year-old boy, when she was only 23 years old herself.
This uproarious and audacious presentation was presented in September and October, with performances on a couple of nights each, at Murdoch University, then the University of WA finally ending their run at Curtin University on the 11th October.
In the review that follows, the actor that I saw perform at Curtin is underlined, the other name is the actor who played the same part on the alternate nights.
The performance at Curtin took place in the BankWest lecture theatre, with only the normal lecture room lighting. Most of the pieces were performed in a dim light in front of a whiteboard illuminated with bright orange light, so technically the performance was poor – sadly beyond the scope and control of the production team.
The narrator (Ali MacKellar, Janice Lim) explains to the packed house that the monologues were created after interviewing 200 women from every lifestyle, religion and creed. Most of the women have never discussed their sexuality before, because of fear, prejudice or even simple shyness.
On a scarlet settee in the corner, three young women (Sarsi Elsberry, Emma Antonelli, Brittany Young, Abbey McCaughan, Kate Willoughby, Maren Beeston) are chatting about their bodies and how, for health reasons, they had been advised to examine themselves on a regular basis. Gradually the conversation loosens up and they feel less inhibited about the more personal details.
Hair (Isabelle McDonald, Liz Aisbett) as the saying goes, ‘A bird with a bush is worth two in the hand’. Why should a girl change from nature?
Lists (Kate O’Sullivan, Hayley Derwort, Sarsi Elsberry, Emelia Peet, Leisha Brady, Amelia Tuttleby)
The Flood (Michelle Endersbee, Abbey McCaughan) This is quite a sad tale about an old lady who thought for her whole life that she was weird and unique, and had no way to know for sure, what was happening ‘down below’. It was certainly nothing that could be discussed even with one’s best friend.
The Vagina Workshop (Emma Antonelli, Maren Beeston) Being a little shy about her ‘naughty bits’ and never having really had more than a glimpse at them in the bath, she was advised to pick up her blue foam mat and go to Vagina Classes.
Vagina Facts (Alison McCarney, Katherine O’Brien) we are given the facts about the horrendous treatment of 200 million women around the world, under the pretence of religion or hygiene.
Because he liked to look at it (Katherine O’Brien, Amelia Tuttleby) describes her early dates, shyness and excitement, especially the night with a voyeur.
What if I told you I did not have a vagina (Catherine Bonny, Kate Willoughby)
My angry vagina (Kate O’Sullivan, Rachel Doulton) Faced with her first period, what does a young woman do to protect herself? Surely, a simple soft and fluffy Tampax is the answer!
The Little Coochi Snorcher that Could (Georgia Knox, Leisha Brady) in your own home, especially at a party, what can go wrong to spoil the evening?
This episode initially described the rape of a 13-year-old girl by a 24-year-old woman. Controversially, the girl originally recalled the episode, stating ‘If it was rape, it was good rape’. After multiple protests in America, the age and wording were changed to this production’s phrasing.
Reclaiming Cunt (Emelia Peet) Have you been called this by a drunk in the street? Or by someone in anger? Well after Emelia’s delightful description on how to pronounce the word, you may feel quite flattered to be called a cunt in the future.
A chorus of the key word was screamed by the audience at the end of the act.
It is perhaps appropriate that this monologue was delivered at the Curtin University of New Technology!
Six-Year-Old Girl (Sarsi Elsberry, Amelia Tuttleby)
My vagina was my village (Amy Murray, Rebecca Miller) a poor peasant woman from a war torn country, courageously tells of her horrendous everyday abuse.
The woman who loved to make vaginas happy (Taylor Russert) a woman, who is bored by the monotony of being a barrister, decides to take up a new career. Dressed in brief and fancy underwear, this dominatrix describes the noises made during orgasms.
I was there in the room (Angela Donlan, Nicola Brescianini) the happiest moment of a mother’s life. This rather prude lady tries to explain, in muted and embarrassed terms, the delivery of her daughter’s baby.
For My Sisters (Brittany Young, Isabelle McDonald)
I’m Over It (Ali MacKellar, Janice Lim) After all of the years of so called progress, have things really got any better for the women? Or has the outer appearance been simply polished up? A very powerful argument was distressingly presented.
A monologue is a formidable task to tackle, no feedback or prompting from other cast members. Just raw hard work learning lines. The young ladies in this show had to learn a couple of monologues each.
My main worry about having such a young cast was that the performances may look like a Saturday night bunch of Northbridge youngsters boasting about their successes, or that the real mental upset and trauma would not be conveyed with conviction. However I was wrong, every single performer captured the sentiment of their situation.
Some actors were particularly admirable; Kate O’Sullivan gave a truly aggressive and livid account of her Angry Vagina. Taylor Russert was powerful and hilarious in her energetic demonstration of orgasms styles. I watched sadly as Angela Donlan portrayed an excited grandmother to be, who was tragically embarrassed and horrified by the whole process of birthing.
Finally Ali MacKellar sent everyone home with a potent and anger filled reminder of the billions of women still suffering around the world. Ensler recently toured America with her latest play, ‘The Good Body’ that tackles these problems. Tragically at the age of 60, Eve has developed uterine cancer.
Seeing this group of performances for a second time actually reinforced their messages. Many congratulations to all concerned most successful performances. This play should be performed on a regular basis at the universities.
‘The Vagina Monologues’ has been brought to the Perth university stages, with collaboration between the Curtin and Murdoch Universities’ Guilds. The realisation of this project is thanks to the hard work of Alison McCarney and Janice Lim the Guilds’ Women’s Officers.
The monologues were penned by New York born Eve Ensler at the age of 43. Sexually abused as a child, Ensler subsequently had a failed marriage, before adopting a 15-year-old boy, when she was only 23 years old herself.
This uproarious and audacious presentation was presented in September and October, with performances on a couple of nights each, at Murdoch University, then the University of WA finally ending their run at Curtin University on the 11th October.
In the review that follows, the actor that I saw perform at Curtin is underlined, the other name is the actor who played the same part on the alternate nights.
The performance at Curtin took place in the BankWest lecture theatre, with only the normal lecture room lighting. Most of the pieces were performed in a dim light in front of a whiteboard illuminated with bright orange light, so technically the performance was poor – sadly beyond the scope and control of the production team.
The narrator (Ali MacKellar, Janice Lim) explains to the packed house that the monologues were created after interviewing 200 women from every lifestyle, religion and creed. Most of the women have never discussed their sexuality before, because of fear, prejudice or even simple shyness.
On a scarlet settee in the corner, three young women (Sarsi Elsberry, Emma Antonelli, Brittany Young, Abbey McCaughan, Kate Willoughby, Maren Beeston) are chatting about their bodies and how, for health reasons, they had been advised to examine themselves on a regular basis. Gradually the conversation loosens up and they feel less inhibited about the more personal details.
Hair (Isabelle McDonald, Liz Aisbett) as the saying goes, ‘A bird with a bush is worth two in the hand’. Why should a girl change from nature?
Lists (Kate O’Sullivan, Hayley Derwort, Sarsi Elsberry, Emelia Peet, Leisha Brady, Amelia Tuttleby)
The Flood (Michelle Endersbee, Abbey McCaughan) This is quite a sad tale about an old lady who thought for her whole life that she was weird and unique, and had no way to know for sure, what was happening ‘down below’. It was certainly nothing that could be discussed even with one’s best friend.
The Vagina Workshop (Emma Antonelli, Maren Beeston) Being a little shy about her ‘naughty bits’ and never having really had more than a glimpse at them in the bath, she was advised to pick up her blue foam mat and go to Vagina Classes.
Vagina Facts (Alison McCarney, Katherine O’Brien) we are given the facts about the horrendous treatment of 200 million women around the world, under the pretence of religion or hygiene.
Because he liked to look at it (Katherine O’Brien, Amelia Tuttleby) describes her early dates, shyness and excitement, especially the night with a voyeur.
What if I told you I did not have a vagina (Catherine Bonny, Kate Willoughby)
My angry vagina (Kate O’Sullivan, Rachel Doulton) Faced with her first period, what does a young woman do to protect herself? Surely, a simple soft and fluffy Tampax is the answer!
The Little Coochi Snorcher that Could (Georgia Knox, Leisha Brady) in your own home, especially at a party, what can go wrong to spoil the evening?
This episode initially described the rape of a 13-year-old girl by a 24-year-old woman. Controversially, the girl originally recalled the episode, stating ‘If it was rape, it was good rape’. After multiple protests in America, the age and wording were changed to this production’s phrasing.
Reclaiming Cunt (Emelia Peet) Have you been called this by a drunk in the street? Or by someone in anger? Well after Emelia’s delightful description on how to pronounce the word, you may feel quite flattered to be called a cunt in the future.
A chorus of the key word was screamed by the audience at the end of the act.
It is perhaps appropriate that this monologue was delivered at the Curtin University of New Technology!
Six-Year-Old Girl (Sarsi Elsberry, Amelia Tuttleby)
My vagina was my village (Amy Murray, Rebecca Miller) a poor peasant woman from a war torn country, courageously tells of her horrendous everyday abuse.
The woman who loved to make vaginas happy (Taylor Russert) a woman, who is bored by the monotony of being a barrister, decides to take up a new career. Dressed in brief and fancy underwear, this dominatrix describes the noises made during orgasms.
I was there in the room (Angela Donlan, Nicola Brescianini) the happiest moment of a mother’s life. This rather prude lady tries to explain, in muted and embarrassed terms, the delivery of her daughter’s baby.
For My Sisters (Brittany Young, Isabelle McDonald)
I’m Over It (Ali MacKellar, Janice Lim) After all of the years of so called progress, have things really got any better for the women? Or has the outer appearance been simply polished up? A very powerful argument was distressingly presented.
A monologue is a formidable task to tackle, no feedback or prompting from other cast members. Just raw hard work learning lines. The young ladies in this show had to learn a couple of monologues each.
My main worry about having such a young cast was that the performances may look like a Saturday night bunch of Northbridge youngsters boasting about their successes, or that the real mental upset and trauma would not be conveyed with conviction. However I was wrong, every single performer captured the sentiment of their situation.
Some actors were particularly admirable; Kate O’Sullivan gave a truly aggressive and livid account of her Angry Vagina. Taylor Russert was powerful and hilarious in her energetic demonstration of orgasms styles. I watched sadly as Angela Donlan portrayed an excited grandmother to be, who was tragically embarrassed and horrified by the whole process of birthing.
Finally Ali MacKellar sent everyone home with a potent and anger filled reminder of the billions of women still suffering around the world. Ensler recently toured America with her latest play, ‘The Good Body’ that tackles these problems. Tragically at the age of 60, Eve has developed uterine cancer.
Seeing this group of performances for a second time actually reinforced their messages. Many congratulations to all concerned most successful performances. This play should be performed on a regular basis at the universities.
Multiple Venues
"What if I told you I
What if I told you
I am sorry if I got the items mixed. The different productions tend to modify the titles of the acts and their order of presentation.
On writing up this article a few days later, I thought this was the act when the girl is going to the excerise class with her blue mat. I stand corrected.