By Alex Christodoulides
The play, a series of vignettes culled from hundreds about women's relationship with their genitalia, is sometimes humorous and sometimes quite serious. Among feminist groups, the play has become a favorite way to raise awareness of issues such as rape and domestic violence, with student productions taking place nationwide at college campuses and other venues on or around Valentine's Day. In 1998 Ensler and a group of women in New York City founded an organization called V-Day as “an organized response against violence toward women,” as its Web site states.The St. John's production of “The Vagina Monologues” was nixed during fall semester after a student group led by senior Alisha Brizicky announced an intention to stage the play in late February.It is the first time anyone at the school has tried to put on a production of “The Vagina Monologues” at St. John's, said a university spokesman.Rev. James J. Maher, the school's vice president of student affairs, said the university also reserves the right to not support student activities it deems inappropriate. “We took great care in weighing the issues and concluded that the performance, by its very nature, was unsuitable subject matter in keeping with Catholic teachings and our Vencentian mission. We fully support the value of raising awareness and education on systematic violence against women and continue to provide resources to this end with programs and services each year,” he said.Reach reporter Alex Christodoulides by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 155.
