The Reitz Theater was contacted by a couple claiming the play was pornographic which made it unsuitable for presentation. A letter was mailed to the theater, by the couple, that said they would protest the show. There were no signs of protesters at Saturday night’s performance, only an audience filled with laughter and applause.
The Vagina Monologues cover a mature subject matter, including topics such as sex, birth, rape and other issues. Director Mary Beth Geppert was moved to get involved in this project after coming back from England, at which time three friends were victims of domestic violence. Two months after her friends’ experiences, she too became a victim of violence. Geppert said it seemed to be acceptable in Clearfield.
“It’s hard to get local police or people to do anything about it. When you tell them a woman has been beaten up, they say ‘Well, what did she do to deserve it?'”
“This is a topic that won’t be talked about around here. I guess I’m the kind of nut to make them talk about it.”
Under the direction of Bea’s Performing Arts, V-Day 2010 was performed at Over the Mountain in Rockton, The State Theater in State College, and finally at The Reitz Theater in DuBois. Both the Over the Mountain and The Reitz theater productions were sold-out.
Dawn Walls said that by performing the monologues at Over the Mountain the cast was able to expose people to theater who probably never would have seen the show.
The cast of the monologues varies in ages from 18 to 63. All were asked by Geppert to be a part of the production. One member of the cast, Cheryl Husted, said she was hesitant at first to be a part of the experience but once she learned about the cause she was all for it.
Husted said, “Not everybody lives in a tidy little cottage and has a tidy little life.”
The Vagina Monologues are based on the award-winning book by Eve Ensler and a world-wide campaign to raise awareness and to mobilize men and women towards a common goal.
The goal for V-Day 2010 Clearfield County is to have a shelter for women in Clearfield within the next five years.
