Lindsay Bretz-Morgan On Bringing The Vagina Monologues To Lancaster
The Vagina Monologues, an episodic play written by Eve Ensler, debuted at HERE Arts Center, Off-Off-Broadway in 1996. Then dubbed by the New York Times as probably the “most important piece of political theater of the last decade,” The Vagina Monologues has since taken the world by storm. And thanks to actress, producer, and director Lindsay Bretz-Morgan, it’ll finally be making its way to Lancaster.
The play, which explores topics of sexual experience, reproduction, sex work, trauma, and body image, utilizes the diverse stories of many women to deconstruct what it really means to be female. However, having been performed hundreds, if not thousands of times around the globe, it is important to Bretz and her team to make it their own. “Lancaster is a kick-ass city,” she charmingly began. “And while I feel very fortunate to live, work, and perform here, it is a bit “safe” in a lot of ways. Many people aren’t comfortable with the word “vagina.” That’s the whole reason the show was written. It is designed to evoke a range of emotions. Every monologue is based off of real women and real stories. Some of them will make you laugh. Some of them will make you cry. Some of them will make you uncomfortable. The main objective is to help the audience feel things that women feel every single day.”
No stranger to local theater, Bretz-Morgan (who’s also on staff at the beloved Belvedere Inn) most recently spearheaded a Halloween production of The Rocky Horror Show at Zoetropolis. While wildly successful in its run, Lindsay hasn’t used the achievement as an excuse to slow down. “It’s interesting to see the look on people’s faces when I tell them the next show I’m doing is The Vagina Monologues. However, selling out a month ahead of time for The Rocky Horror Show, which is everything but conservative, makes me confident Lancaster can handle another production that pushes boundaries.”
So what exactly can audiences expect from the show?
To that end Lindsay says, “There’s no band, no 'set,' and no big costumes. We want the focus of our production to be on the women and their stories. So, a venue like Zoetropolis really is the perfect place for it.” And don’t worry if you’ve seen a run of the show before. Bretz-Morgan promises its a production you’ll want to check out again and again. “The emotions that these actresses give off will be different each time they perform their monologues. It’s riveting, eye opening, and complex. Not to mention, it tends to inspire people to want to make a difference.”
This time around Lancaster audiences will have three chances to see Bretz-Morgan and her team in action. The first performance of The Vagina Monologues will be held at 7:00 pm on Saturday, March 7th. Both additional shows will take place at 3:00 and 7:00 pm on Sunday, March 8th. Like many other productions of Ensler’s play, proceeds from all three shows will be donated to support women. In this case, funds from the Lancaster shows will go toward The Milagro House Women and Children’s Center. So be sure to mark your calendars today!
By: Sam Maracic
Photo by: Mark Pontz
Photographed at Josephines in Downtown Lancaster.
