V-Day. Until the Violence Stops

Well, I am done "Reclaiming Cunt". At least for another year. The 2007 production of The Vagina Monologues was earlier tonight.

Peg, Annemarie, Andrea and I were a bit nervous about our "Wear/Say" montage. All of us were dropping lines during a quick run-thru earlier today. We ran it about 10 times before the show started and, I'm happy to report, we performed perfectly.

My first monologue was "The Crooked Braid" which I had never seen performed. In the monologue, an American-Indian woman recounts a tale of abuse from her husband and finally decides to cut off his braid, his mark of pride, while he slept. It's a very difficult piece, inspired by the women of Pine Ridge Reservation. It's a beautifully written, haunting monologue and I especially wanted to honor the voices of these women. Finding the rhythm of the piece was challenging. During our final dress rehearsal I made several of the women cry. That was my goal for tonight.

The stage was dark except for the spotlight on me as I sat in a rocking chair. I looked out at the audience and saw their outline. As I delivered the monologue, I could sense that I was connecting with each person in the audience. As I delivered the last lines of the piece and as the spotlight went out, I could tell the audience was speechless. There was no applause, none was needed. As I started to exit I could hear the sniffles. And I saw the tears in the eyes of a few of my castmates who were waiting backstage. I achieved my goal.

"Reclaiming Cunt" was my last monologue, and the same one I did last year. I originally planned on a costume that was similar to the one I wore last year. (This was last year's costume.) Instead I decided to reclaim cunt in an elegant manner. I wore a burgundy gown with black opera gloves. Everyone loved the visual. I mean, there I was, in formal dress, expressing how much I like the word cunt.

I nailed this piece as well. My only gripe is that I got cut off. After getting the audience to yell "Cunt!" along with me, I usually end by "singing" the c-word in a very loud voice, complete with outstretched arms. Unfortunately they called the lights after the audience shouted the c-word for the second time. Oh, well. There's always next year.

We won't have attendance or money statistics for several weeks, but I believe the fundraiser was a success. I felt it was a success, for me personally, as well as for all the women (and a few men) involved with the production. As Eve says, "Pussies Unite!"