Educational monologues raise money for Townhall II

The Vulva Choir tells with the audience what each member’s vagina would wear during “The Vagina Monologues.” The play’s proceeds benefitted Townhall II, a substance abuse and crisis intervention center in Kent.

Credit: Beth Rankin

What do God, garbage, sweat, sweet ginger and cheese all have in common?

They are all descriptions of the way vaginas smell, according to “The Vagina Monologues.”

Vaginas were the main event at the Kent State Auditorium this weekend.

The monologues were performed by students, faculty and staff in an effort to raise money for Townhall II, which helps women deal with sexual violence.

An estimated $3,000 will be donated to the organization, according to Caroline Tassone, mother of director Kristen Tassone.

Viewers witnessed everything from crying to near orgasms on stage.

Michelle Long ran through the audience encouraging people to yell “cunt” while Jessica Beaudry demonstrated clit, vaginal, elegant and surprise triple orgasm moans in hot pink lingerie.

Another actress screamed “bones” in tears while referring to the death of 300 women.

The monologues involved just about everything that deals with vaginas, from periods to trans-genders to births to a 72-year-old woman talking about having an orgasm.

The monologues were collected by Eve Ensler who interviewed over 200 women from around the world about their vaginas.

Ensler then wrote a play from her collections to encourage society to feel more comfortable with vaginas.

In one monologue, a woman described what it was like to view her vagina for the first time.

“It had never occurred to me to look at it,” she said. “My vagina amazed me. It was better than the Grand Canyon.”

The monologues weren’t all about entertainment. Education was a reoccurring theme.

Viewers learned that there are 8,000 nerve fibers in the clitoris — more than in any other part of the body and twice the amount found in the penis.

The audience was also told two million women a year experience genital mutilation, where the clitoris is cut or removed all together.

Katie Wallace played a woman who was violently raped and abused.

“I do not touch, not now, not since a part of my vagina came off in my hand,” she said.

There are 1,672 reported rapes a year in Northeast Ohio alone, according to the monologues. They result in only 680 arrests.

Three percent of college students are victims of partial or complete rapes, and one in four women have been sexually assaulted. In fact, a woman is sexually assaulted every two minutes, according to the monologues.

Victims of sexual violence are invited to call the Townhall II hotline at (330) 678-HELP 24 hours a day.

Tassone was “very pleased” with the turnout.

“We got a lot of people from halfway houses and women’s shelters: people who needed to see the show,” she said.

It seemed that many audience members were first-time viewers of the show.

“I’ve never seen it, and I’ve heard great things about it,” said Angela Miller, an alumna. “I liked it a lot.”

It was also Greg Karafa’s first time seeing the show. He said it was “interesting,” and he will see it again if he gets the opportunity.

Contact student finance reporter Katie Greenwald at [email protected].