Vagina power. Vagina knowledge. Vagina pain. Vagina appreciation. Vagina beauty. Vagina experience. All things vagina were celebrated and explored Monday night in Dunbar’s theater for Aigner Edgerson’s senior project. She presented a portion of The Vagina Monologues.
The cast included freshman Tiana Alexander, sophomore Julietta Gonzague, senior Ebonie Hubbard, sophomore Jamila Hickman and senior Angela O’Leary.
The ladies each wore black and red costumes, which coordinated with the black and red programs circulating. Their faces were dolled to smoky eye and crimson-lipped glory.
The women revived girl-power and conveyed the humor, domination, shame, victimization and ignorance the characters learned to project onto their private parts.
The show kept the audience rapt.
While all the ladies did a commendable job of tackling touchy subject matter in a creative and appropriate way, a few of them shined unexpectedly bright in an abyss of personal revelations.
St. Lucian native Gonzague played the roles of a war sex abuse survivor and a feminist with an angry vagina, exhausted by societal attempts to purify, plug, monitor or otherwise control her nether region.
Her sassy strut and echoing accent lulled listeners into resounding silence.
She was senior nursing major Rhanisia Smith’s favorite character. Smith stated that this was the first play that she has attended while attending Grambling State University, although it will not be her last.
A couple attended the play together and both expressed appreciation for the play.
Junior English education major Deven Brooks said that the show was “better than I thought . [The actors were] well prepared . gave me some knowledge . insight . .”
Senior business management major Candice Howard smilingly said that the show revealed what women thought about, but “don’t say.”
Another notable performance came from O’Leary, who portrayed a lesbian dominatrix.
In her scene she conquered the art of orgasms and embodied elation stemming from causing them.
The audience roared as the lights dimmed.
Onlooker Howard best captured the estrogen infused nighttime experience.
“The vaginas spoke for us.