No Mean Company

The Vagina Monologues

Written By Eve Ensler

Friday 7th & Saturday 8th October, 2005

Once again No Mean Company prove that they are afraid of NOTHING!

If you thought No Mean Company had tackled their toughest challenge with their last performance (Whose Life Is It Anyway?) think again. In a change to their advertised production comes their boldest production yet in the shape of Obie-Award winning Eve Ensler's 'The Vagina Monologues'.

The monologues are based on Eve Ensler's interviews with more than 200 women. The piece celebrates women's sexuality and strength with both humour and grace not to mention some strong language. Translated into over 35 languages this historic collection of monologues has been performed globally most notably in connection with Mz Enslers V-Day movement to stop violence against women and girls.

This curious change to No Mean Company's planned production of - all male - '12 Angry Men' came about after we discovered that a forthcoming London West End version had put a hold on all performance rights leaving us unable to stage the play here in Cumbernauld. Ironically, our alternative choice of - all female - 'The Vagina Monologues' almost fell victim to a similar fate as a professional tour planned for next year threatened to spoil our plans for a second time. However, after two weeks of negotiation with Ms Enslers UK licence holders we are delighted to have been given the go ahead to perform them for two nights only at Cumbernauld Theatre.

Bold move for No Mean co

No Mean Company have disclosed more information about their forthcoming version of The Vagina Monologues.

The Cumbernauld-based amateur theatre company had previously announced it would be performing 12 Angry Men with an all-male cast, but these plans had to be shelved for licensing reasons. A professional production in London's West End was granted exclusive performance rights, which was bad news for NMC who were no longer authorised to proceed with their production.

So with the lads' plans shelved for now it fell to NMC's ladies to fill the breach. They chose to perform a version of The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler, a piece which has earned great acclaim and proved popular enough to be adapted into 35 languages as well as becoming an integral part of the V-Day campaign against violence towards women and girls.

Eve Ensler wrote The Vagina Monologues after extensive research (including some 200 interviews with women of every age, race, creed and persuasion) into feminine identity and sensuality. Her book was an immediate success and stage performances based upon it soon followed. The material contained within covers a gamut of emotion ranging from comic accounts of sensual experience to the brutality and horror of the Bosnian rape camps.

As fate would have it, this play almost ran aground for the same reason as 12 Angry Men, when it was announced a professional tour would be taking place next year.

A fortnight-long negotiation with the holders of the UK copyright ensued and finally NMC were given permission to perform their version of The Vagina Monologues.

Linda Howitt of No Mean Company said: "I think this is probably the most astonishing and demanding piece of theatre NMC have ever tackled. I honestly feel that the girls deserve a full house for the all-out effort it is taking to successfully pull the show together in such a short space of time - just 3 weeks!

"I should perhaps mention the while the VMs are an excellent excuse for a girls' night out. We don't want to discourage men from coming to see it. Rehearsals have been going well and some of the men from the company decided to sit in on our last rehearsal and we could hear their chins hitting the deck!

"They have been really supportive since the change in production and they admit to being pleasantly surprised by how powerful the monologues are."

No Mean Company perform The Vagina Monologues at Cumbernauld Theatre on October 7 and 8. (both performances begin 7.45pm).

Tickets are available from the Box Office on 01236 732887. This show is for adults only.

by Neil McGrory
(Cumbernauld News and Kilsyth Chronicle, Wednesday September 28 2005)

    • www.cumbernauldtoday.co.uk

Bold move pays off for No Mean Co

Apprehension. Fear. Anxiety. Just three of the emotions I felt as I made my way to see that most feminine play, The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler.

This production featured nine female stars from local amateur company No Mean Company and was performed at Cumbernauld Theatre. The cast, all clad in varying shades of black and including what looked like at least three generations, each took a turn to exault the play's central subject matter, the vagina.

Inspired by the 1997 book of the same name in which Eve Ensler published interviews with over 200 women, celebrating feminine strength and sexuality, the Monologues have bee performed in Britain by a glittering array of talent from Dannii Minogue to Honor Blackman, this was truly an exacting challenge and to compound matters one they had just three weeks to prepare due to the 11th hour cancellation of 12 Angry Men due to production rights issues, which in retrospect is highly ironic.

Now there were words used on the night that a family publication like this could not repeat for fear of increasing the valium intake in the district ten-fold. However, unlike many other plays the heart of the matter deemed this necessary, just as you can't talk about war without mentioning death you can't talk about the vagina without mentioning orgasm, sex and... well, you get the picture. Most striking was the variety of subject matter within the subject matter, the show contained around a dozen one-woman specific slots in which the girls on stage each took the floor to recite passages from the book, but not in a verbatim monotone but in an individualistic and at times striking manner which brought howls of laughter from the audience, degrees of empathy when required and, at the most thought-inducing moment of the show, sympathy and outrage at a woman's ordeal at the hands of soldiers.

Highlights of the night were Anne Gray's New York lady who had "the flood" which she couldn't control and consequently had dreams about Burt Reynolds which quickly turned into nightmares as "the flood" ensued followed by Jo Grant's excellent When Harry Met Sallly-esque orgasm piece based on which two words her vagina could say were it given the ability.

As I watched the show I reflected on my pre-show fears, indeed when I had told friends I was going to see the Vagina Monologues I was either met with a "What!?" or an "Excellent!" depending on whether it was a male or female friend I was speaking to. But, as I squirmed at points during the show I realised that was the biggest compliment of all - my discomfort was a testament to the quality of delivery. Did I feel awkward because I was watching a mature woman taling about lesbianism and the love of the vagina? No - it was because she was right and that was Eve Ensler's aim when she embarked upon the monologues, to de-mystify that most taboo of subjects and bring it out into the world.

Bold it was, rushed it was and excellent it was too. The lack of prep time did not seem to take away from the spectacle. This was done with three tables, a dozen chairs and six bottles of wine as stage props and it was done well. Whilst only a drop in the ocean, No Mean Company have done their bit for women and V-day.org.

Review by James Stewart
(Cumbernauld News and Kilsyth Chronicle Wednesday October 12 2005)

    • www.cumbernauldtoday.co.uk

Before you go...

For those of you unfortunate enough to miss this production, look out for the professional UK tour which is coming to the Kings Theatre, Glasgow on March 20-25, 2006.

    • www.amassadors.com/kings/index.html

Other websites you might like to visit are:

    • www.vaginamonologues.com
    • www.vday.org