Photograph by Sophia Rodriguez-Bell
In 1995, Eve Ensler, a playwright and activist, wrote The Vagina Monologues, an episodic play composed of monologues about the lives and struggles of women around the world, of all ages, sexualities and backgrounds.
Ensler based the play off of over two hundred interviews with different women. The various monologues cover a wide range of topics, from body image to rape to sex work, and at the time it came out, the New York Times called it, “the most important piece of political theater in the last decade.”
Because of the monumental impact The Vagina Monologues has since had on women and girls, Berkeley High School (BHS) has been putting on an annual, student-run production of the show for the last seventeen years. Remarkably, BHS is one of the few high schools in the country to produce the show.
This year’s show features a diverse and talented cast of female BHS students. Some monologues were sung, like “My Short Skirt,” a monologue that countered the argument that a woman’s clothing choice is an excuse to harass her, or accompanied by dancing as was “The Wall,” a monologue about a girl living in Israel among conflict with Palestine.
Each act was consumed with power, and each actress acted with esteem and confidence, amplifying the issue that they were voicing. BHS’ production is one of the few to act out each monologue, as it’s typical that performers read off the script, rather than memorize their lines and act out a character.
Watching The Vagina Monologues has changed the way many girls and women think and feel about their identity. It has helped to spread awareness around the world about issues regarding women’s rights and has set the foundation for new conversations that help to push the movement for gender equality forward.
“I think [seeing this show] is important for girls because it lets them know that different women have different experiences and that someone somewhere in the world can relate to your hardships and experiences” said Lulani Sudjian Lampkin, a senior in the show. Although the show was created for women to watch and connect with, the cast of The Vagina Monologues agrees that it is valuable for boys and men and anyone else who does not identify as a woman to see the show.
“I think it’s important for guys to come see the show so that they can better understand their peers, as it gives them a space to feel what women feel everyday” said Sudjian Lampkin.
“Everyone needs to see the show to get informed and get inspired to create a better future where women are looked upon as equal, intelligent, and worthy” said Daphne Eleftheriadou, a sophomore in the show. If you’ve seen the production in previous years, you may not feel inclined to go again, but another aspect of The Vagina Monologues is that each production is different. This year’s show features a variety of new monologues on issues that haven’t been covered in the past.
“We’re definitely doing more politically controversial monologues that I think are very important to have,” said senior Sarah Tello “They’ll start conversations, and that’s what I think is unique about this year, is that we’re really changing up the style and legacy of The Vagina Monologues” This year’s show includes monologues from the perspective of women forced into sex slavery in Japan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, a transgender woman, Bosnian women forced into rape camps and other stories of women’s struggles globally.
If you are inspired to get involved and join the cast in future years, the cast of this year’s production strongly encourages it. “Being a part of The Vagina Monologues, I have grown much more confident in my own skin,” Eleftheriadou said. “Being a part of a cast that is so open to talking about our problems, bodies, or anything else, has made me embrace and love myself a whole lot more.”
Sudjian Lampkin feels similarly: “I think the best part of The Vagina Monologues is bonding with a group of strong women who are emotionally and mentally open to you … This show has changed my life and how I feel about being a woman.”