V-Day 2010

Northern Virginia

The Vagina Monologues

at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington St, Alexandria

Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 8pm
Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 3pm
due to the recent snowstorm, we have been forced to reschedule
the show... now playing

Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 2pm
Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 2pm

 

Frequently asked Questions

 

 

I don't have a vagina, can I still come?

YES! The focus of the V-Day campaign is on ending violence against women and girls, but men and boys are welcome to participate in a variety of ways. The play itself is intended to teach all people to respect the bodies of women and girls, in all their complexity. Men who would like to ally with the V-Day campaign to end violence against women and girls are encouraged to join V-Men at [http://www.vday.org/meet-vday/v-men].

 

I'm afraid this show will be all attacks on men, and depressing stories of rape and abuse. Why would I want to spend Valentine's Day weekend at The Vagina Monologues?

First of all, our production is not intended to attack men in general, nor to encourage women to be hateful towards men. Although stories of rape and abuse are included in the monologues, they are by no means the only stories presented here-- in fact, many of the stories are sweet, insightful, and even humorous.

Why Valentine's Day? Traditionally, Valentine's Day is associated with lovers and a celebration of romantic love. Although historians have suggested that the feast day of Saint Valentine and Saint Valentine himself were never linked to romantic or sexual love until after the Middle Ages, the word "valentine" has its root in the Latin word "valens," meaning "worthy," from which we get the English word "worship." So, if you love a woman, if you worship women, or if you consider one of more of them to be "worthy," you are embracing the Valentine's spirit. How better to celebrate love for women than by supporting the V-Day campaign to end violence against women and girls, and coming to see our show?

 

Okay, so what is The Vagina Monologues, then?

Playwright Eve Ensler wrote the original play in 1996 following interviews with over 200 hundred women from all walks of life. In the interviews, Ensler asked women a number of questions to elicit their views on sex, relationships, violence against women, and, specifically, what they thought or felt about their own sexual organs. From all these stories, Ensler identified common themes and combined specific details to create a set of monologues somewhat fictionalized from and inspired by real womens' stories.

The monologues are written as though each story is told by a new character or set of characters, with some narration to provide context and introductory material. Since 1996, the play has been revised multiple times, and each year Ensler writes a new monologue to be added to the show. The version used for our performance is a special version that Ensler releases specifically for the V-Day campaign to end violence against women and girls.

 

Is The Vagina Monologues appropriate for children?

Only you can decide what is right for your children to hear and see in a live performance, but in general we suggest that our production is most likely not appropriate for children under the age of 14.

Our production of The Vagina Monologues includes references to sexual acts, some loving and some abusive. It also includes extended descriptions of some of these acts. Our production includes references to and descriptions of lesbian sexual relationships, heterosexual relationships outside of marriage, and sexual interactions between adults and teenagers. In addition, our production includes a graphic description of childbirth, as well as language to describe sexual intercourse and sexual anatomy that some people may find offensive.

 

How long will the performance last?

Our production runs about 85 minutes, with no intermission.