Local women and men react to the hit show

After watching The Vagina Monologues during the March 24 and 25 weekend, a 19-year-old boy was feeling a bit uncomfortable. He asked performer Susan Book, “Is all of this true?” He may have been recalling the Bosnian rape victim’s story, or the description of childbirth, or perhaps even the sex worker’s mission of making other women happy. Sue smiled and nodded. She later confessed that this was the moment when she knew that her dedication and hard work had paid off: a young man had awakened to a part of reality he had not known before.

The sold-out Vagina Monologues performances took place on March 24 and 25 inside the Visitors Center Auditorium at American Memorial Park, Garapan. This past week the VDay committee, a part of Off The Beaten Path non-profit organization, has been working to wrap up the project. Organizer Fran Castro hosted a press conference yesterday at Shimbashi Restaurant, Fiesta Resort and Spa, Garapan to announce final fundraised amounts and other results.

“Some men had reservations in coming to the play, and they felt very nervous indeed,” Sue Book commented in recent e-mail to the VDay committee. “But in the end, my male friends went away saying it was the best local rendition of anything they had ever seen, especially considering that they had been expecting the performance to be of the caliber of a high school play.”

She went on to say that the men she talked to really seemed to feel a profound respect for the actresses and their performances, and by extension a newfound respect for the women whose stories The Vagina Monologues is based on.

“Personally, I feel that reaching the men of this island was as important as empowering the women who identified with these stories,” she said.

Of the two shows, there were more men present during Saturday’s performance when the crowd seemed pensive and less vocal in their response to the monologues. While on Friday night, one could often hear shouts of support during the show; on Saturday you were more likely to hear surprised laughter or gasps of astonishment. On Saturday, KMCV News recorded the entire show per an agreement with the committee to capture the final performance on DVD for professional development use. Video snippets of Saturday’s show were aired last Monday during the nightly broadcast as part of a news story by reporter Theo Wong.

Guma’ Esperansa (House of Hope) women’s shelter manager Lauri Ogumoro saw Friday night’s performance.

Lauri said of the show, “You guys were terrific and I could see that everything went so smoothly, a great team effort. I was moved in so many different ways by the monologues, and I came away feeling proud to be a woman. A heartfelt thanks for including Guma’ Esperansa on this project.”

That night, Lauri brought several special guests with her to see the show: women who are currently staying at Guma’ Esperansa women’s shelter. She brought these women so they could enjoy the play that has raised money to benefit the shelter they have come to know and rely upon. Lauri told a riveting story about one woman’s reaction to the show in a recent letter to the committee: “On a very special note I would like to share with you something that one of the women in the shelter said after our discussion about The Vagina Monologues. This woman is a victim of rape. She waved her hand in front of her lap and said she wanted to post a sign there that said: ‘So-and-so (name of the man who raped her) DO NOT ENTER, my vagina belongs to me!’”

Lauri said she is happy that this woman has begun to heal after being a victim of a violent crime. “To see her taking charge of her own body and even saying the V-word was very encouraging,” she said. “Thanks to all of you for breaking the Vagina Barrier.” (PR)