‘The Vagina Monologues’ riles sold-out audiences at Boise State

Crowds of people pushed themselves into the Special Events Center this weekend to catch a performance of “The Vagina Monologues.”

Once inside the auditorium, the audience buzzed around the stage, talking about the play.

Some had seen it before, while others did not know what
to expect.

At 7 p.m. the lights went down and Local Hip-Hop Artist Kritik took the stage for the opening act. With her upbeat tempo and lyrics, Kritik immediately drew the crowd in for what was to be a night of strength, womanhood and vaginas.

Along with Kritik, singer/guitarist Kris Doty also gave a special performance at intermission, her more mellow sound creating a sharp contrast to Kritik’s. Though her act consisted of just her and her guitar, Doty captured the audience as much as Kritik.
The performance consisted of 21 different “monologues,” each revolving around the theme of vaginas. Some, like “Hair,” “The Flood” and “My Short Skirt,” contained plenty of humorous moments, while others strung a more serious note.

That serious note came with the show’s theme. Every year, the play possesses a different theme. This year, it focused on “Women in Conflict Zones.” A few of the monologue revolved specifically around this idea.

For example, “Under the Burqa” was about women in Afghanistan and the oppression they face.

Three cast members, Stephanie Brooks, Jessica Hansen and Kristen Ziemer stood on the stage, covered head-to-foot in dark fabric and painted a stark picture of a country where women’s rights are severely restricted.

Another one, “My Vagina Was My Village,” dealt with the rape of Bosnian women.

The final monologue, “2007 Spotlight Monologue,” addressing the theme of “Women in Conflict Zones” was delivered by Keziah Sullivan and sent the audience into a stage of silence as she described women in war-torn countries and called the audience to action against violence.

Besides the themed monologues, several others caught the audience’s attention.

For instance, in “Wear and Say,” Nicole Deroin, Janel Soren and Bernadette Ward browsed through racks of clothes, pondering what outfits vaginas might wear.

After that, Brooke Benson performed “The Vagina Workshop” where a woman experiences her first orgasm in a “learn about your vagina class.”

“My Angry Vagina” featured Megan Egbert speaking about how “pissed off” the vagina was for being subjected to tampons and OB/GYN tools.

But the monologue that riled up the audience the most was “The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy” recited by Luann Corlett, playing a lesbian prostitute.

During the monologue, the entire cast appeared onstage as the “Clitoris Choir” and acted out different orgasm noises to the audience.

Many people laughed hysterically and cheered the choir on.
At the end of the performance, the audience gave the cast a well-deserved standing ovation.

“The Vagina Monologues” provided an entertaining mix of humor, drama and education that touched and thrilled those who saw it.

Francy Marcotte

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