About an hour ago, I was in the audience watching Princeton students perform the Vagina Monologues... and I deeply appreciated the show.
Honestly, I never thought that I would be in the audience of the Vagina Monologues (VMs), but I was there for two reasons (1) I'm currently back in Princeton to spend time with my younger friends and (2) some of my good friends were involved with the production including M who closed the show with a very poignant, warm performance and S who served as its director.
As it turns out, viewing the VMs was a good experience. I had a few laughs and learned a few things. When we're watching a play, TV show, or movie we don't often consider that performance as a medium of communication i.e. a way to get a certain message across to an audience. While sitting in the Forbes College BlackBox, I learned more about the ways in which women around the world are oppressed. The one particular monologue that really spoke to me was called "The Holy Ones," which was written by my friend S. Prior to the this monologue, a member of the audience read a fact this fact about female infanticide in China. Although, I have heard about this tragedy before, this was the first time I really listened: in China, many mothers make the decision to kill their female children in order to spare them from a harsh life. "The Holy Ones" is a monologue in which two unborn female babies who were left to die in a hole (hence the title) speak to the audience about what is and what could have been. During this monologue, the lights were dimmed and the actresses playing the babies were delivering their line from offstage to communicate the fact that they were not with us. This was powerful stuff and it just spoke to me. While listening to the babies, I thought of Toni Morrison's novel Beloved and how Sethe choose to kill her baby daughter in order to spare her a life in slavery.
Powerful Stuff
To reiterate, I deeply appreciated the show and the performances. For me, great entertainment (no matter what the medium is) has the ability to both illuminate and educate; this performance of the VMs got it done.
Honestly, I never thought that I would be in the audience of the Vagina Monologues (VMs), but I was there for two reasons (1) I'm currently back in Princeton to spend time with my younger friends and (2) some of my good friends were involved with the production including M who closed the show with a very poignant, warm performance and S who served as its director.
As it turns out, viewing the VMs was a good experience. I had a few laughs and learned a few things. When we're watching a play, TV show, or movie we don't often consider that performance as a medium of communication i.e. a way to get a certain message across to an audience. While sitting in the Forbes College BlackBox, I learned more about the ways in which women around the world are oppressed. The one particular monologue that really spoke to me was called "The Holy Ones," which was written by my friend S. Prior to the this monologue, a member of the audience read a fact this fact about female infanticide in China. Although, I have heard about this tragedy before, this was the first time I really listened: in China, many mothers make the decision to kill their female children in order to spare them from a harsh life. "The Holy Ones" is a monologue in which two unborn female babies who were left to die in a hole (hence the title) speak to the audience about what is and what could have been. During this monologue, the lights were dimmed and the actresses playing the babies were delivering their line from offstage to communicate the fact that they were not with us. This was powerful stuff and it just spoke to me. While listening to the babies, I thought of Toni Morrison's novel Beloved and how Sethe choose to kill her baby daughter in order to spare her a life in slavery.
Powerful Stuff
To reiterate, I deeply appreciated the show and the performances. For me, great entertainment (no matter what the medium is) has the ability to both illuminate and educate; this performance of the VMs got it done.
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