By Kaylin Wu
Staff Writer
The 2018 Vagina Monologues at Simmons College are piloting a brand new performance in conjunction with this year’s production. The Simmons Monologues will be performed at all three shows, featuring the writing of several Simmons students.
Since the release of The Vagina Monologues in 1996, the production has internationally empowered women to embrace their bodies and identities as women. However, The Vagina Monologues has received criticism for equating vaginas to women, as not all women have vaginas and not all people with vaginas are women. To reflect the diversity and interests of the Simmons community, this year’s directors have asked student writers to create their own monologues to perform at this year’s show.
Folks who have seen other productions of The Vagina Monologues can also expect this show to be different from past shows because an additional monologue written by Eve Ensler, the creator of The Vagina Monologues, has been added to the program. This updated version of the show addresses the conversations on rape culture currently happening in the United States, reflecting on the anger and frustration many women share for the massive number of assault and harassment cases surfacing.
Each year, The Vagina Monologues donate the proceeds made at the show to a local organization. The proceeds from this year’s sales will be going to Rosie’s Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women in Boston.
As The 2018 Vagina Monologues will culminate in the shows later this week, it is important for writers in the Simmons community to know that in 2019 The Vagina Monologues hopes to have a full performance of The Simmons Monologues, creating an entire performance with only work by Simmons students. Students are encouraged to think about contributing to next year’s show in preparation for a full production of The Simmons Monologues.
Showtimes for The Vagina Monologues are Thursday Feb. 15 7:00p-9:30p at LKP, Friday Feb. 16 7:00p-9:30p at LKP, and Saturday Feb. 18 3:00p-5:30p at Alumnae Hall. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students. Tickets may be purchased at the door or online in advance here.
