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The Vagina Monologues at Cygnet Theatre Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues is not for anyone squeamish when it comes to talking frankly about sex and female anatomy. What it is good for is helping women (and even men) feel more comfortable talking about the vagina (the show begins by bombarding the audience with the “V” word to numb you to the initial shock!), for letting women know that they are not alone in some of the amusing and some of the terrifying experiences shared by women throughout the world, and for raising money in V-Day events throughout the world that is used to help increase awareness and prevent violence towards women. When high school seniors Samantha Peterson and Julia Mancillas had to do their high school senior project, they chose an ambitious one that would do a lot more than earn them a good grade. They chose to produce and direct a show that would make a difference in their lives, in the lives of the audience, and in the lives of the women who will benefit from the $3,500 they raised in the one-night-only event that had the Cygnet Theatre completely packed on a Monday night. With the help of co-director and extraordinary local talent Linda Castro, emcees Samantha and Julia and their wonderful cast had that packed house on an emotional roller coaster throughout. While the ensemble sat along the back of the stage watching on, their costars came up usually one at a time to reveal their monologues – monologues culled by playwright Eve Ensler from thousands of interviews with women the world over. There was Chrissy Burns discussing the many benefits of pubic hair, Catalina Maynard going to “The Vagina Workshop” where she was excited to see her own vagina for the first time, a glimpse into the monstrous practice of clitoral mutilation, the trio of Laura Ingram, Maria Jones, and Liv Kellgren relating the experience of meeting a woman whose face had been melted off with acid by her abusive husband, Anahid Shahrik complaining about how society and industry should change to make her “angry vagina” happier (like improving on cotton tampons and replacing the dreaded thong with something funner like underwear attached with a strategically placed French tickler), Liv Kellgren reclaiming the “C” word by finding the hidden beauty in the four letters, and it all climaxing with Jyl Haruye Kaneshiro’s hysterical tour of various types of orgasms in The Woman Who Loved To Make Vaginas Happy. The funds raised from this event will go to the Women’s Resource Center, The Carlsbad High School Teen Parent Program, and the women’s shelter Casa Amiga in Juarez, Mexico. In addition, they had guests sign Valentine’s Day cards for women in the Women’s Resource Center’s shelter program, and even managed to sign a few people up to vote. We all know that theatre can entertain, teach, inspire, move us, and make us laugh. The Vagina Monologues shows us that it can do much more – that theatre truly can make a difference both in our lives and in the lives of people most desperate for a difference to be made.Performed on February 9, 2004.
~ Cast ~
Samantha Peterson Julia Mancillas Linda Castro Chrissy Burns Fredi Towbin Catalina Maynard Shauna Ostrom Anahid Shahrik Nicole Koscluk Kimberly Eaton Laura Ingram Maria Jones Alexis "Allie" Blaylock Liv Kellgren Jyl Haruye Kaneshiro Deborah Ann Zimmer Directors: Samantha Peterson, Julia Mancillas, Linda Castro |