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The Vagina Monologues comes to Fort Dodge What’s in a name?
by Newspaper
It’s more than the name lets on. It’s women, their lives, their challenges. Since it first debuted in New York in 1996, critics have showered it with acclaim and deemed it one of the most important plays in the last quarter century.
The Vagina Monologues started as a one-woman show and is now presented most often with multiple actors, strong characters offering up thought-provoking scenes for today’s world.
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A blockbuster wherever it opens, The Vagina Monologues is now being produced by the Fort Dodge Fine Arts Association in collaboration with Fort Dodge Pride. Shelly Bottorff serves as director, with Kyrie Borsay as assistant director.
“I always love a good collaboration,” Bottorff said. “The more the merrier. Fort Dodge Pride is the perfect partner for this production. Everyone is welcome to participate in the arts, in theatre, and to participate in events that open minds and bring understanding to topics that may be difficult to talk about.”
The local production features Alyssa Sparks, Nicole Tracy, Jamie Varangkounh, Rhianon Rippke-Koch and Caitlin Delaney Grogan. (See the side-bar story see what the actors have to say about the show.)
Described as a ‘character driven’ production, The Vagina Monologues was written by Playwright and feminist activist V, formerly known as Eve Ensier, from her original interviews with some 200 women, broaching subjects often considered taboo, but now being brought to the forefront. Actresses deliver their performances as personal monologues, each from varying backgrounds and experiences.
by Lori Berglund
Unlike most plays that stick to one script, this play has actually evolved and adapted over the years as V has edited and added to the topics under discussion in the varying monologues. Few topics are off-limits in this far-reaching play. Women’s sexuality, the stigma that still lingers around abuse and rape, are just a few of the topics that will be broached in the personal monologues.
The show ran off-Broadway for five years and then toured the United States, where each performance reportedly drew a following of women who stayed after the show, wanting to share their own experiences. It’s a show that stays with its audiences, recalling memories, and driving discussions into the future.
The goal of this sometimes-difficult discussion, according to organizers, is simple: to bring attention to violence against women and girls, and to demand that it end, Bottorff noted.
Show dates are slated for Thursday, Feb. 9, Friday, Feb. 10, and Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Fort Dodge Fine Arts Association’s auditorium at Phillip’s Middle School. Doors open at 6:15 p.m., with the play to get underway at 7 p.m. Playgoers are encouraged to come early, mingle with friends, and enjoy a beverage available for purchase from the on-site bar.
Tickets are $15 each and are now available at Shiny Top Brewing at 520 Central Ave. All tickets are general admission and will also be available at the door prior to each performance.
