Cathedral performance for The Vagina Monologues: The Church of England Newspaper, February 17, 2012 p 6.

First printed in The Church of England Newspapers.

An Anglican church in Ontario will host a production of The Vagina Monologues with eight female clergy taking part in the production.

The Valentine’s Day performance of the controversial 1990’s play written by Eve Ensler will be performed before the altar of St. George’s Anglican Church in St. Catharines, Ontario.  The ensemble offered the first show last week at Christ Church Cathedral to an enthusiastic reception, local newspapers reported.

The Rev. Pamela Guyatt told The Standard she was not concerned by the content or language of the play.  “The language in the play, 90% of us women have said it or thought it,” she told the newspaper. “It’s about being what we are and being it in a church.”

“If the church isn’t aware of these stories, there’s something wrong with us,” said Rev. Valerie Kerr, the rector of St. George’s. “It’s about social justice.”

However critics of the play have argued the staging of a scabrous drama was neither daring nor particularly avant garde.  “Apparently the Diocese of Niagara will try just about anything except Christianity to entice people into its buildings: the place was full for the first time this century,” one conservative commentator noted.

The Vagina Monologues consists of eight monologues by female characters that revolve around the topic of the vagina.  While the topics range from sex, menstruation to rape, the theme of the play, the author has stated is the empowerment of women.  In recent years feminist activists have added new monologues to commemorate new issues involving women’s issues.

The play has had a controversial history and is a perennial battle on the campuses of some universities with conservatives blasting the play’s language and moral message.  In 2003, the Cardinal Newman Society began a campaign that has so far shown mixed results to stop the staging of the play at Catholic Universities.

Some feminists have also criticized the play for its anti-male, lesbian biases. Feminist author Wendy McElroy said she was troubled that the play “equates men with ‘the enemy’ and heterosexual love with violence”.

“A play that claims to unveil the truth about vaginas but, somehow, overlooks the salutary role men play in most women’s sexuality has no credibility,” Mrs. McElroy claimed.

One of the monologues, entitled The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could glorifies the rape of a 13 year old girl by an adult women — describing it as a healing experience. The original production included the line, “If it was rape, it was a good rape.” It is not known if the clergy production used the original text.