A performance of The Vagina Monologues, the groundbreaking play that became an international theatrical and cultural phenomenon in the late 1990s and early 2000s, will be held Saturday, Oct. 24, in Southold to benefit Hope and Resilience Long Island.
The performance is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalists of Southold Meeting House and will feature guest musician Rebel Elle. A suggested donation of $25 will support the nonprofit’s work with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking.
Written by playwright and activist Eve Ensler, who now goes by the name V, The Vagina Monologues grew out of interviews Ensler conducted with women about their bodies, sexuality, relationships and experiences. The episodic play presents a series of monologues ranging from comic and celebratory to deeply serious, addressing subjects including body image, sexual pleasure, childbirth, abuse and violence against women.
The play was first performed in New York in 1996, with Ensler initially performing the monologues herself. It quickly attracted attention and developed a following beyond the relatively small downtown theater world in which it began.
By the end of the decade, The Vagina Monologues had become a significant cultural phenomenon. An Off-Broadway production opened at the Westside Theatre in Manhattan in 1999 and featured a rotating cast of prominent performers. Productions and benefit performances subsequently appeared around the country and internationally, helping turn the play’s provocative title into one of the most recognizable in contemporary theater.
The play also became closely connected to efforts to combat violence against women.
In 1998, Ensler and other organizers launched V-Day, an activist movement that used performances of The Vagina Monologues and other events to raise money and awareness for organizations working to prevent violence against women and girls. The movement grew rapidly, with performances staged on college campuses and in communities around the world.
Over the years, actors and public figures including Glenn Close, Whoopi Goldberg, Jane Fonda, Oprah Winfrey and Marisa Tomei have participated in performances or V-Day events. The play has been translated into numerous languages and performed in countries around the world.
That history makes the Southold production’s beneficiary particularly fitting.
Hope and Resilience Long Island provides services to victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. According to the organization, those services include legal advocacy and representation, trauma counseling, emergency rent and hotel assistance for people fleeing abusive homes and other support tailored to survivors’ needs.
Organizers describe the Southold performance as both an evening of entertainment and an opportunity to support those services while continuing the conversations about violence, sexuality and women’s experiences that have surrounded the play since its debut three decades ago.
Guest musician Rebel Elle will also perform during the evening.
The Vagina Monologues will be presented from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Unitarian Universalists of Southold Meeting House. The suggested donation is $25, with proceeds benefiting Hope and Resilience Long Island.
