If your vagina could talk, what would it say?
The Vagina Monologues will show you more about the vagina than you thought you knew. Find out what a vagina would wear, hear from a dominatrix who likes to make vaginas happy and find out what is the little Coochie Snorcher.
Top of page (left to right): Director/actorDanielle Spencer, co-producer Bhavini Raval and actor Si Wing Ng
The Vagina Monologues returns to Hong Kong this year with its first Cantonese performance, as part of the V-Day Reclaiming Peace campaign. Last year's V-Day raised HK$100,000 for the Christian Action Refugee Women Emergency Fund. The charity provides shelter, food, medical care and other daily needs to women refugees and victims of violence.
Danielle Spencer directs the Cantonese performance and co-directs the English performance produced by Phoenix Productions. The openly bisexual singer-songwriter from Liverpool, England met her partner on the set while directing last year's English production.
"I like [vaginas] very much. Everything about them: the way they look, taste and smell. In the play, there's [a description of] a range of smells [of the vagina], from lavender and rose to garbage and smoked meat," the 24-year-old said.
In 1998, American playwright Eve Ensler wrote The Vagina Monologues based on research and interviews with women. In one instance, she asked some women what their vagina would wear and put the answers into a monologue. Some of them answered: a male tuxedo, a pink boa, Armani, glasses, and an electric shock device that would keep strangers away. Spencer described what her vagina would wear.
"To me, the vagina looks like a red tulip, my favorite flower. My [vagina] would wear whipped cream with a cherry," Spencer said.
In the monologue Because He Likes to Look at It, a woman has so little regard for her own vagina that she sleeps with a guy she does not care for. She talks of looking at her own vagina and becoming fascinated by its beauty, realising that she does not need to be embarrassed about it.
"A lot of women don't want to think about the vagina. [They think] it's just something functional," Spencer said.
Another monologue includes thirty different words that stand for vagina. Spencer said the cast found it a challenge to come up with Cantonese slang words that indicate the vagina. They thought of a bunch of words like gap gap and hai. In this manner, the forty-member cast in Hong Kong translated the entire play from English to Cantonese.
Although Spencer does not understand Cantonese, her familiarity of the script from directing last year's production helps her to work with the cast members. She said asking questions like "what would your vagina wear" helped them to open up.
"There are still a couple of them who don't want to answer too much of that. [This part of the play] is about breaking down the taboo, making it a bit freer for people to talk about [the vagina]."
My Vagina was My Village deals with the taboo of rape and sexual violence. A Bosnian girl talks of soldiers raping her and cutting off parts of her vagina during the Bosnian War. Spencer said that people in Hong Kong need to address violence with an open attitude rather than avoiding the issue.
"Domestic violence and violence against children is quite prevalent in Hong Kong, and it's a taboo subject. People don't really talk about it. That's why it is important to address that in the monologues," Spencer said.
Spencer said that in light of the teenage pregnancy problem in Hong Kong, it would benefit young teenagers to see the play so that they can learn about the vagina in a specific way. Due to the discussion of rape, she said that young people of age thirteen would be mature enough to receive the message. The minimum age of admission at the program is age six.
"Personally, I wouldn't take a six-year-old to see it. [But] seeing things from TV and films are much worse. A lot of really violent stuff is shown on TV. So why make such a fuss about women getting together talking about issues surrounding the vagina?" Spencer said.
Reclaiming Cunt, the piece that Spencer will perform, uses a taboo word. The slang word "cunt," which means vagina, carries a derogatory and degrading meaning towards women. Someone can call a woman or a man a cunt, which means that he or she is useless and repulsive. African Americans and gay men have effectively reclaimed insulting words. African Americans have reclaimed the word "nigger," and gay men have reclaimed the word "faggot." These words now carry a humorous meaning at times, although their use would sometimes draw controversy.
"[Reclaiming Cunt] is about taking a word that is used against women and making it something empowering. At the end [of the monologue], I get the audience to shout [the word "cunt"]."
Spencer calls The Vagina Monologues a spectrum of womanhood that touches on every aspect of the vagina. However, the production team has two male members, including a graphic designer and a lighting technician. Thanks to the inclusive philosophy of V-Day, all those who came to ask for a position got one. The women who came to audition for the play and did not receive a role on stage received a role in the crew.
"Everybody who wants to be involved is involved, according to the official rule of the V-day," Spencer said.
Eve Ensler founded V-day on February 14, 1998. V stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina. The global non-profit has raised over US$50 million for local anti-violence groups through events taking place in over one hundred countries. The Hong Kong cast and crew consists solely of volunteers.
Spencer said she expected to raise HK$140,000 to HK$150,000 for the Christian Action Refugee Women Emergency Fund this year.
"The tickets are selling okay. We really need the Cantonese one to sell," Spencer said.
Postcards with photographs of cast members and T-shirts bearing the V-Day logo are for sale at Caf O in Hong Kong. The T-shirts designed by Spencer come in pink and black, in women's fit and men's fit. The T-shirts are HK$50 each and a pack of six postcards are HK$35 to HK$40 each.
"They are really funky. The logo looks like a stamp and it's really cool. It would be wonderful if the gay, lesbian and bisexual community [would support] the production. It would really benefit the people who need the money."
All proceeds from the campaign will directly help asylum seeking and refugee women in Hong Kong through Christian Action's Refugee Women Emergency Fund. Everyone who loves vaginas, come see some vagina theater to raise money for people with vaginas: The Vagina Monologues.
The Vagina Monologues
Dates for Cantonese performances: 25 & 26 March, 2008
Dates for English performances: 27 March (Open Dress Rehearsal),
28 & 29 March, 2008
Venue: Fringe Studio, Hong Kong Fringe Club, 2 Lower Albert Road, Central
Tickets: HK $250
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