A small group of Buena Vista University faculty and staff have been meeting to rehearse the well known play, “The Vagina Monologues” by Eve Ensler. The women will perform the show on Saturday night in the Underground.

Since its start over 20 years ago, “The Vagina Monologues” has performed all over the country and translated into several languages. The show focuses on what it is like to be a woman, with central the questions of “What if your vagina could talk? What would it say?” The issues that are brought up in the play may be uncomfortable for some, but Ensler and those who perform the show each year see them as necessary.

Professor of Digital Media and director of the BVU performance, Dr. Andrea Frantz, has been preparing for “The Vagina Monologues” and agrees that the show can create productive discomfort for audiences. 

“It is not designed to make an audience comfortable,” Frantz said. “It’s often very sort of overtly about making you uncomfortable, because talking about sex and sexuality and abuse and those kinds of things shouldn’t be comfortable.”

“The Vagina Monologues” is a literally a series of monologues from different women’s voices. Frantz said this can make the show tough to perform and to experience for some.

“It’s funny; it’s hard, and it can be performed with lots of different voices or a few voices depending on how you do it,” Frantz said.

Frantz noted that the different voices in the show help to highlight diversity. Frantz hopes students will attend and find the show meaningful.

“I want students to come and be challenged to think about the issues that are raised. And to be able to talk about them,” she said. “There is going to be some language in this piece that will maybe shock and maybe offend. And I think that is okay. My hope is students come and have a different avenue, a way in which they can talk to each other.”

Frantz has been assisted by Dr. Bethany Larson, professor of theatre, in getting the show together and several faculty and staff performers from across campus who have donated their time.

Admission to the event is free, but free will donations of one health or hygiene product (a bar of soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toilet paper, feminine products, etc.) will be accepted at the door. All products donated will be taken to CAASA (Centers Against Abuse and Sexual Assault) to help support the work they do.

BVU’s “The Vagina Monologues” will be performed on Saturday, Febr. 25 in Smith Hall Underground at 7:30 p.m.