Hopkins Presents ‘Vagina Monologues’ as V-Day Movement Turns 20

Jessi Silverman: "After the election last year, the show took on new meaning for me. ... It’s a way to bring people together to collaborate and push for change." (Courtesy photo)

It was Valentine’s Day 1998, and celebrated actresses such as Whoopi Goldberg, Goldie Hawn, Glenn Close and Lily Tomlin joined other women entertainers on the stage of Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom. They were there to perform “The Vagina Monologues, a groundbreaking 1996 play by Tony Award-winning playwright, actress and activist Eve Ensler.

The performance raised $250,000 and launched V-Day, a worldwide movement that supports efforts to end violence against girls and women. Since that star-studded performance, V-Day productions of “The Vagina Monologues” have taken place every February around the globe, bringing in more than $100 million for its cause.

Called in 2006 “probably the most important piece of political theater of the last decade” by the New York Times, “The Vagina Monologues” is a series of monologues based on hundreds of interviews conducted by Ensler with a diverse group of women and girls who speak about issues pertaining to female sexuality, including sexual violence.

The Johns Hopkins University is one of many colleges that commemorates V-Day with annual productions of “The Vagina Monologues.” Presented by students from Hopkins’ schools of medicine, nursing and public health, this year’s performance will take place Feb. 23 and 24 at 7 p.m. in the Johns Hopkins Hospital’s Chevy Chase Auditorium, 1800 Orleans St., in the Sheikh Zayed Tower. All proceeds from the show will benefit the House of Ruth, a Baltimore-based nonprofit striving to end violence against women and children.

Along with 39 other people, Jessi Silverman, a master’s degree candidate in human nutrition at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, will perform in JHU’s 10th annual production of “The Vagina Monologues.”

Silverman, 23, who grew up in Penn Valley, Pa., outside of Philadelphia, recently spoke with Jmore about the play’s cultural significance.

Jmore: What’s the mission of “The Vagina Monologues?”

Silverman: “The Vagina Monologues” is about empowering women to bring up topics that are conventionally taboo and bring light to women’s sexuality, health and violence against women. Each year, Ensler provides a new monologue that fits in with an issue relevant to the times. This year, the monologue is from a column Ensler wrote for Huffington Post about how sick she is of hearing about violence against women and the astronomical numbers [1 billion] that are reported of rape and other forms of violence against women worldwide.

Mission accomplished?

I think the show has definitely raised awareness about violence against women, made it more approachable and easier to talk about. I think theater can really get under your skin with important issues in a way other media may not. It can really make you feel something. It’s not just the sad stories that motivate people to change perspective or behavior, but also the ones that make you laugh. Besides getting people aware of issues, it also makes people who have experienced some of the topics brought up in the show feel less alone in their experiences.

What compelled you to participate in this production?

I have been acting my whole life and I love that I can combine my passion for theater with my passion for social justice. I went to Cornell University for my undergraduate [degree] and performed in “The Vagina Monologues” all four years. I heard about Hopkins’ tri-school production when I visited last year, and I’ve been looking forward to it ever since.

This has been my first opportunity to perform since moving to Baltimore. When I first started acting in “The Vagina Monologues,” I was excited to perform in a show that was out of my comfort zone. I have grown to realize how important the show is and have been inspired by the diverse group of women that come together to put on [the] production.

I am performing a monologue entitled “The Flood.” I play an older woman who had a negative experience with a man who made her feel very embarrassed about her body. Because of that, she was never able to have a positive sexual experience. It’s both sad and humorous, which is what I love about the monologue.

Why is Hopkins a good venue for this play?

This show fits in with [the schools of public health, medicine and nursing’s] missions to promote health. The content involves so much about women’s health and ending violence against women — both serious public health issues. Specifically, the [Bloomberg] School of Public Health has a lot of resources dedicated to women’s health … [including] an entire department of population, family and reproductive health, which is in the wheelhouse of “The Vagina Monologues.”

 Have attitudes toward women’s health, sexuality and violence changed since 1996?

I think in certain circles, these topics have become less taboo, but other issues will always come up as marginalized groups of women feel more empowered to show their truth.

After the election last year, the show took on new meaning for me, and at Hopkins, the political situation has colored [students’] experiences. People want an outlet for their anger, and there is more of a reason for people to seek out art forms like “The Vagina Monologues.” It’s a way to bring people together to collaborate and push for change. I don’t foresee a world in which the show will be obsolete anytime soon.

You will be on Jmore’s “Weekend Agenda” Feb. 23 at 12:30 p.m.. What can we expect to hear from you?

I am really excited about promoting the show. I want us to get a big crowd, not only because it makes it a better show to have a more engaged and fuller audience, but because more people need to see the show, be aware of it and be motivated to be active on these issues.

I’m also excited to engage with the Jewish community in Baltimore and am excited to be a Jewish woman performing in this production.

Watch Jessi Silverman’s appearance on “Weekend Agenda” at facebook.com/JmoreLiving Feb. 23.

For information, visit jhuvday.wixsite.com/vaginamonologues.

Aliza Friedlander is a Baltimore-based freelance writer.

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