Play to open despite critics

The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) released an online statement on Feb. 11 urging all Catholic Women Leaders to voice their opposition against The Vagina Monologues being performed on colleges with Catholic associations. The play features personal narratives about the female genitalia, some of which the society finds to be degrading to women.

The Vagina Monologues is a series of one-act scenes that portray different aspects of the female experience, including sexual intercourse, rape, and even different terminologies for the female sex organ. This is done through the voice of different actresses onstage who recite the real stories of women interviewed by the play's author, Eve Ensler.

Performed across the nation, the Monologues have received repeated criticism from groups like CNS who brand the production as disrespectful of women and their bodies. CNS's recent criticism of the play being performed at Catholic college campuses condemns it for being degrading to women.

"We are saddened that individuals at numerous colleges and universities - including Catholic institutions - have chosen to address the terrible problem of violence against women by presenting benefit performances of The Vagina Monologues," said the Catholic Women's Joint Statement on the Cardinal Newman Society's Web site. "The play is offered as a celebration of women, but it fails to appreciate women's true dignity and therefore has little impact on the flawed mindset that permits social, mental, physical, and sexual oppression against women."

The statement was signed by Laura Garcia, adjunct assistant professor of philosophy at BC. She was not available for comment.

Others who signed the list include an Emory University professor, the president of the Council of Catholic Women, and an editorial board member for the Women for Faith and Family. The online joint statement is the latest in CNS's efforts to stop the play, which have been ongoing for the past four years.

Last year, the CNS issued a full-page advertisement in USA Today condemning the production on all Catholic campuses. The ad encouraged people to contact school administrators, including University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., to convince them to stop the performances.

It targeted 31 Catholic colleges across the United States, and was successful in canceling productions on 16 of those campuses. Last year at BC, however, all three performances were sold out.

The Monologues will be performed tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday at 8 p.m. in Fulton 511. All proceeds from the show, which features personal narratives about the female genitalia, will benefit Transition House and V-Day Spotlight: "Women of Iraq, Under Siege."

The show is sponsored nationwide on college campuses by V-Day, an organization dedicated to raising money and awareness to stop violence against women. In past years of production, skits such as "My Angry Vagina" and "The Flood" have explored sensitive topics such as the discomfort of pelvic examinations, tampons, and thong underwear and the climax of sexual intercourse. The show is the product of over 200 interviews with women of all ages, races, and sexual orientations.

The production also brings attention to world situations such as the rape camps in Bosnia, where 500,000 women were reportedly raped during the Yugoslavian War. Also, genital mutilations in African societies were brought to the attention of past audiences.

Despite the opposition, numerous campus groups have come out in support of the show. Those in support include the women's studies program, the English department, the sociology department, and the office of the vice president for student affairs.

"As a university, the expression of multiple points of view is what we're about. This play reflects the points of view of the experiences of lots of women," said Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Joseph Quinn.

"The student actors get to learn about the experiences of other women through their performances. It's true that many parts of it are offensive to many people including the people who attend each year but it's better to air on the side of openness than suppression," he continued.

The communication department has supported the show for the four years it has been on campus. "It's an educationally valid and very important experience for students, that is student run and initiated," said Lisa Cuklanz, acting chair of the communications department. She added that the show has a connection to communication in that people are sharing often hushed experiences.

Cuklanz pointed out how the show highlights the difficulties of a Jesuit university.

"The current student body is different from people that might have graduated from BC years ago," she said. "There is a cultural shift and people have different thoughts on what Catholic tradition is. In that light, the Vagina Monologues produce tension."

Students participating in the BC production of the monologues declined to comment.