LAST February 8 and 9, the Little Theater of Xavier University served as host to this year’s staging of The Vagina Monologues by VDay Cagayan de Oro.
Titled VDay Monologues, the play was co-directed by Maia Poblete and Shaun Pilapil, and featured selected pieces from The Vagina Monologues and from another feminist literature, A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer.
“We’re calling it VDay Monologues because this is the first time that we’re combining The Vagina Monologues and A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer into one play,” said Maia.
The Vagina Monologues (VM), written by American playwright and feminist Eve Ensler, is considered to be an important piece of political theater that highlights every facet of the feminine experience. It is a strong work of literature that celebrates the vagina as a tool of female empowerment. A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer (MMRP), on the other hand, is an anthology about violence against women and was co-edited by Ensler.
VDay CdeO staged both VM and MMRP the previous year but as separate plays and this is the first time that they are combining the two into one single play.
“Duha siya ka different na angles to the story and we used ‘VDay’ because that’s the worldwide campaign. We want to highlight the pieces from MMRP that are also beautiful. Kinahanglan man pod gud ang different points of view that’s why we merged the two collections,” added Shaun who is directing a production of this caliber for the first time.
“This is our fourth production,” said Maia, “We started in 2013. Some of those who were with us during our first staging are still with us now but we have a lot of new talents in the group.”
For this year, the ensemble is composed of 18 members, eight of them participating for the first time. “We really wanted to include guys in our performances and so most of the pieces from MMRP are performed by men. If we do VM only, the rule is not to include men in the performance.”
“The main goal of VDay Monologues is to teach both men and women that the vagina is not bastos,” shared Maia, “It’s a part of your body, so dapat dili ka mahadlok ana. The second reason is to raise awareness on the value of a woman, to open the eyes of Kagay-anons that this is really something that is happening. Daghan pa kayo ang murag dili gatuo na naay gayud ingon ani gakahitabo. It teaches you that there’s nothing wrong with telling people that this happened to you, telling people that I am a woman who has been violated. It teaches you that there is nothing wrong with saying that I am a woman, I love being a woman. Basically, it is important because it teacher women to accept themselves, para ma accept nila na importante sila.”
Maia stressed on the relevance of the play; that a lot of the stories featured in the play are real and are happening in our society. “Not a lot of people know about it, not a lot of the cases are reported but we know that it is happening. It is always relevant because until the violence ends, dili pod mag end ang fight against the violence.”
She shared that some of the cast members opened up about being violated themselves and gave this as one of the reasons why they wanted to perform. “Ang ilang tawag sa ilang selves karon kay ‘survivors’ and they are now voicing out para sa uban na mga babae na trap pa ana na situation.”
“We are speaking on behalf of the women who can’t speak about their experiences, their vaginas, their bilat, their bisong,” said Shaun when asked why they were doing the production. “Kung from the word palang itself, maulaw na tag istorya, we can’t talk about it, unsa na lang kaha if somebody violates our vagina? Are we still going to hide behind the shadows? We should speak up. That’s why we need to help the women karon sa Cagayan de Oro na mahadlok or maulaw pa gihapon mo istorya about sa ilang pagkababae.”
The pieces presented include “They Beat the Girl Out of my Boy,” delivered by four transgendered characters; the very emotional “My Vagina Was My Village” which is a monologue based on the testimonies of women who survived rape camps during the Bosnian War; and “Reclaiming Cunt” which featured the original English version as well as a Filipino version (Puke) lifted from a performance by Monique Wilson and a Visayan version (Bisong) written by Mai Santillan. Also featured is a Visayan piece titled “Buhok,” written by Mark Diovannie Cavan delivered by a character whose husband wants her shaved in her privates.
Iris Lagria, who delivered the monologue “Bisong” said that she joined the production because she wanted people to understand that vagina or bisong is not a dirty word. “We shouldn’t be ashamed or embarrassed to say the word because, after all, that’s what the female reproductive organ is called. Wala may dautan kung musulti ta ani na word as long as ang pagstorya, ang context sa atong pagstorya ani, dili binastos.”
She added that her character is reflective of her as a person, “It was easy for me to internalize the character because it is who I am.”
The piece “My Vagina Was My Village” was delivered by Christie Bacoto who shared, “I’ve never been in a position na bisan unsa ka duol sa na experience sa character. Galisod ko sa iyaha and the first time I read the piece wala ko katulog. Sakit siya na piece. She spoke in riddles but you feel what she is trying to say.” Christie said she fears that we have come to a point where the society is so saturated with stories about violence against women and children that we are now passive about it, “I’d like to evoke that emotion, that passion sa mga tao to want to help and do something about it.”
Dennis Flores and Noel Barrameda are two of the few male actors in the production. “The piece that I did is about domestic violence but it also translates to violence in general. It’s about why people turn to violence, why people become violent and what should we do if we witness violence,” said Noel who added that people should never tolerate violence of any kind.
Dennis furthered, “For me, I know na daghan pa gayud mga victims of violence and abuse, not only women. Even men, small children, even old people, gaka abuse gayud sila. I believe that this production is an outlet na ma share ni siya, this message na this abuse and violence is still happening and people need to be aware about what’s happening in our society right now.” Noel, the General Manager of Seda Hotel, also shared that a second staging of the production is scheduled for March of this year at Seda Centrio.
The performances were superb and evoked in the audience a variety of reactions, from the rolling on the floor laughter to the stunned into silence kind.
“It was enlightening because I don’t have the thing that women have,” said Reyel Galario while referring to the vagina, “Because of the things that they shared and the feelings that they showed during the play, I learned to be more appreciative women and be more careful when handling them.”
“I had no idea what to expect but after watching the play, I felt empowered as a woman,” shared Fatima Datu-Ramos. “Hearing the stories of other women from around the world, it was such an eye opener for me.”
The staging of VDay Monologues is a joint effort of the Xavier Center for Culture and the Arts (XUCCA), Seda Centrio, and VDay CdeO. Donation ticket sales from the two nights will go toward a project for the women survivors of Sendong.