Obie Award-winning Vagina Monologues to open in Laredo
By Viky Garcia
In this region, violence against women as a topic is frequently on people's lips. We hear it from the numerous local coalitions and law enforcement agencies, social service programs, and the news media. Now we are hearing it in the form of positive action from the future leaders of this community -- students.
For the first time, a benefit production of the world-famous, Obie Award winning The Vagina Monologues comes to Laredo through the sponsorship of several Texas A&M International University student organizations: Alpha Psi Lambda, a co-ed social fraternity; The Spotlite Club, a talent-based club; the Women & Gender Studies Committee, which oversees the studies' minor; and many independent students.
"The Collegiate Campaign (the version of the production that is student directed, student produced, and mostly student acted) celebrates women while doing its share to fight violence against women," said Lorena Martinez, Collegiate Campaign coordinator.
The Vagina Monologues was written by Eve Ensler and has been performed since 1998. Since then, more than 1,500 schools worldwide have participated in the Collegiate Campaign, raising money for local charities and drawing awareness to the fight for a non-violent world. The monologues themselves are poignant snippets of the lives of real women interviewed by Ensler. They are a celebration of womanhood in all its forms delivered with humor. The cast for the local Collegiate Campaign production will consist of 20 or more area women of different backgrounds and ages chosen at recent auditions. The two co-directors, TAMIU students Nelly Ruiz de Chavez and Alberto Guajardo, said that more than acting ability, they sought a passion for women's issues that came through in conversation.
Performances will be at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 13 and Friday, Feb. 14, and in Spanish at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15 at the Center for Fine & Performing Arts Building Recital Hall at TAMIU. Tickets will sell for $10 and will be available at the TAMIU bookstore in February or from committee members. Although the team of university and community college students mounting the production has encountered some resistance, a few snickers, and some negative comments, they are proud to be spending energy on an effort with the goal of raising funds for two selected organizations already fighting violence against women: Casa de Misericordia and Sexual Assault Services & Information, a branch of SCAN. The hope is to open minds to new ideas while helping organizations that provide concrete assistance daily to women in need.
While the subject matter of the monologues is not of a sexual nature, the content does involve frank and sometimes humorous discussion of mature topics such as relationships, surviving abuse, and sexual awareness. Monologues include "The Memory of Her Face," "A six-year-old girl was asked…" (performed by an 8-year-old girl, the daughter of a committee member), "I Was There In the Room," and "Outrageous Vagina Fact."
The process is also a learning experience for the community as a whole. Those involved have challenged themselves to carry the message of what is called the V-Day movement. Across the world, the month of February will be replete with colleges and universities hosting performances of the The Vagina Monologues. Nineteen universities are coordinating events in Texas alone. The spotlight for this year's collective V-Day efforts are the missing and murdered women of Ciudad Juarez , Mexico and 10 percent of proceeds will go to the investigation of the murders.
The V-Day movement has taken a life of its own, and Worth magazine has voted it one of the 100 Best Charities. What is remarkable about the local planning is that students are operating with no budget. All the students and faculty involved have paid out of their pockets thus far or have found in-kind contributors such as the TAMIU Police Department women staff members, who have volunteered their time to serve as security during the performances, or the TAMIU Career Services staff, who have been hosting the students during their planning meetings.
Women who had never volunteered with other efforts are feeling welcomed and are stepping up to add their contributions to this effort. The challenge now is covering the cost of the programs and promotional posters. The students have decided to sell ads in the program to help reduce upfront out-of-pocket costs and to maximize contributions to the chosen beneficiaries.
The students and organizations currently planning The Vagina Monologues invite Laredoans to be part of the movement. The following are ways to help with its success:
• Volunteer time for planning; e-mail vday_tamiu@yahoo.com for meeting details;
• Ask what items are still needed that might be donated to the production, such as a stool with table, backdrop material, a cash box, etc.;
• Plan an event that raises awareness of stopping violence against women;
• Buy an ad in the program to support printing costs;
• Most importantly, attend a showing on Feb. 13, 14, or 15 and bring a friend or two or 50.
The V-Day movement has been felt so strongly that the first documentary on V-Day events premiered worldwide at a special screening at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 17. A showing on the Lifetime cable channel is scheduled for February.
Alpha Psi Lambda, The Spotlite Club, and the Women & Gender Studies Committee invite all the community to join in. For additional information, contact Collegiate Campaign coordinator Lorena Martinez at vday_tamiu@yahoo.com or via phone at 645-4430, or Viky García, Alpha Psi Lambda sponsor and Women & Gender Studies committee member, at 326-2260.
