A word with a vagina
By Laura McMullen, Staff Writer
February 17, 2008 | 4:47 p.m.
Even conservative Catholic schoolgirls can feel empowered by their lady parts, and one of those girls just needed a vagina workshop to prove it. This story is about freshman journalism major, Hilary Ann Zalla, who wasn’t thrilled to be cast in “The Vagina Monologues.”
“On the first rehearsal we had to each raise our hand and say why we wanted to be in ‘The Vagina Monologues.’ I didn’t really know what to say because I didn’t necessarily want be in it. I just wanted to act,” Zalla said.
Zalla went on to explain that when she filled out her audition form for the Lost Flamingo Company’s winter-quarter casting call, she checked that no, she had no problem with saying certain offensive words like “vagina” and “cunt” onstage. She lied. Zalla in fact felt very uncomfortable talking about such things and didn’t say so for fear it would limit her likelihood of getting cast. But she was cast.
“In my family and at my school we were really conservative, so we didn’t talk about those kinds of things. At first I was scared and intimidated by how everyone was very open about their sexuality and having sex,” Zalla said.
Ironically enough the character she portrays in her monologue, “The Vagina Workshop,” felt the same way. Zalla performs her monologue as a proper virgin woman who’s never really seen or thought about her vagina. The woman then goes to a vagina workshop and learns about herself, sees herself and even goes inside. Zalla is a perfect parallel to this woman.
Zalla explained, “I can really relate to the character because I’m a virgin, and neither of us really knows much about what goes on down there, and neither of us really cares. And so I guess she went to a vagina workshop, and I’m in ‘The Vagina Monologues.’”
“The Vagina Monologues” is, in fact, pretty close to a vagina workshop. Actors perform monologues written by Eve Ensler that are loosely based on the experiences of real women. Many of the monologues involve very serious subjects like rape. The wide range of different stories—some strange and unbelievable, some horrific—reflects the enormous number of unique women with unique stories that are stepping out and talking about their unique vaginas.
Listening to these dramatic stories each day of rehearsal and watching a couple of videos about the movement have opened up Zalla’s eyes. This girl who once squirmed at the idea of saying “vagina” probably said the word a hundred times in the interview like it was no big deal. “I’m more open about talking about it. Why be afraid of it? It’s part of being a woman,” she said.
She also looks at those girls who intimidated her at first in a different sort of light. “I look at the girls who are more open with their sexuality in a different way. I don’t see them as weird anymore,” she said.
But Zalla hasn’t quite made the great leap from uneasy conservative to vagina warrior. She admits that she finds a couple of the monologues about rape and prostitution a little unnecessary and a little “weird.” However, she’s come a long way from her conservative family roots.
“I talked to my mom and sisters about it. They think it’s so weird, but I don’t [think it’s weird] anymore. I say the word 'vagina' around them, and they cringe. I don’t care anymore. I’m so open about it,” Zalla said.
Understandably, Zalla said she’s nervous for her parents and little sister to come see her performance—especially the end, during which she “goes inside and finds her clitoris.” The courage it takes for a girl to change her views and share them with her somewhat distraught family is perhaps not on par with the courage of rape victims and battered women, but it is certainly a vagina monologue. Zalla auditioned for a show on a whim and unexpectedly landed in a journey of self-exploration. She can now be considered among the many other women who are stepping up, speaking out and finding themselves.
“The Vagina Monologues” will be showing at 8:00 p.m., Feb. 15 and 16 in the Baker University Center Ballroom. Tickets are $5, and all proceeds go to charity. My Sister’s Place, a local battered woman’s shelter, will receive most of the donations, and the other 10 percent will go to Katrina Warriors. There will also be a showing of "Until the Violence Stops," a documentary about Eve Ensler's V-Day plight and its evolution. The documentary will be viewed at 8:00 p.m., Feb. 16 and 17 in the Baker Ballroom. Tickets are $2.
More information can be found at the show’s Facebook site.
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