Performances of The Vagina Monologues


The Vagina Monologues is performed annually to bring attention to V-Day in thousands of cities and colleges worldwide. The performances generally benefit rape crisis centers and similar resource centers for women.
The Vagina Monologues were also performed in four Muslim countries deemed to be liberal enough to hold the performances. They were Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia and Pakistan.

United States

Actresses who have performed the play include:

Canada

A production in Ottawa in 2006 included Senators Lillian Dyck and Nancy Ruth in the cast.

Performances in other countries

The Vagina Monologues has been performed in 77 countries. Some details below:

Albania

  • Directed by Altin Basha, The Vagina Monologues has been playing in Albania since 2002. First time performance appeared on stage at "House Of Arts" on February 14, 2002.
Actresses:
  • Eriona Kakeli
  • Olta Daku
  • Nigda Dako

Antigua and Barbuda

Actresses

Argentina

Actresses

Australia

The play has been performed in Australia on a number of occasions. Many of the productions have been done as ensemble pieces, with the monologues being performed by an individual actress. Actresses, singers and politicians who have been involved with the Australian productions include:

Belgium

’The Vagina Monologues’ was performed by Members of the European Parliament in Brussels on 6 March 2012.
Actresses

Brazil

Actresses

Chile

Director:
Liliana Ross,
Katty Kowaleczko
Actresses

China

The first mainland performance occurred at Sun Yat Sen University in 2003.
Premiered in March 2009. Produced by Théatre du Rêve Expérimental.
*
Director and Translator: Wang Chong
Actresses: Alice Han Lin, Xiao Wei, Huang Rong

Colombia

Director:
Fanny Mikey
Actresses:

Ecuador

Actresses:

Egypt

The first production of the monologues in Egypt was staged in 2004 by students of the American University of Cairo. The day after the staging it was condemned by Suzanne Mubarak, First Lady and President of the Egyptian National Women Committee.

France

Actresses:

Hong Kong

The play was originally called "VV Story", but changed to Vagina Monologues in the re-run. It was performed in the City Hall from 4 July to 11 July 2007.
The actresses who performed in Hong Kong are:
*

Germany

Stuttgart :
Berlin : Hannelore Elsner, Katja Riemann, Ulrike Folkerts, Esther Schweins, Iris Berben, Sonja Kirchberger.
Trier :

Hungary

Note:
It has been playing in Hungary since 2002 by two different troupes, one in the capital, Budapest in the "Thalía Theatre", and the other troupe travelling the country.
Thalía Theatre
Producer:
  • Szurdi András
Director:
  • Bozsik Yvette
Actresses:
  • Fullajtár Andrea, Létay Dóra, Zarnóczay Gizi, Tóth Anita, Gryllus Dorka, Udvaros Dorottya
On the road company
Director:
  • Moravetz Levente
Actresses:
  • Xantus Barbara, Dévényi Ildikó, Nyertes Zsuzsa

India

The Indian production of The Vagina Monologues began playing in March 2003 at the Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai. It is produced by POOR-BOX PRODUCTIONS and directed by Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal and her son Dr. Kaizaad Kotwal. It has been performed in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Calcutta, Bhubhaneshwar, and Colombo in Sri Lanka.
Among other changes unique to this production, the original monologue "The Flood", which originally featured a Jewish woman, has been transformed into a story about an elderly Parsi woman. Additionally, another character was adapted as a Maharashtrian woman in the Indian production.
The play has been translated into both Hindi and Gujarati.
Actresses:

Indonesia

The Vagina Monologues was translated into Indonesian by Gracia D. Adiningsih and was adapted by Jajang C. Noer and Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, who is also an MP in Indonesia.
The Monologue was performed for the first time in Indonesia on March 8, 2002, in Jakarta, as part of the Women's Day celebration. It was staged at the Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta Cultural Center. Some performers had doubts about the performance because the theme might be considered taboo and sensitive by some people in that country.
The performance was repeated in Yogyakarta on March 31 – April 1, 2004, and at the Cultural Center of Bengkulu, Sumatra on August 19, 2004.
Actresses:
The Vagina Monologues was performed by Indonesian actresses such as Sarah Azhari, Niniek L. Karim, Devi Permatasari, Cindy Fatika, Enno Lerian, Rima Melati, Jajang C. Noer, Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, Ratna Riantiarno, Ria Irawan, Wulan Guritno, Rachel Maryam, Cornelia Agatha, etc.

Israel

The first performances were done in spring of 2001. The following year, it was performed in English at Merkaz Hamagshamim Theater in Jerusalem as well as in Hebrew in Tel Aviv. The English performance had vocal music vignettes between each new scene. The Vagina Monologues were performed in English in Jerusalem, Israel by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion as a benefit for The Jerusalem Rape Crisis Center as part of V-Day events at least since 2005. It was performed in Russian in 2006.
The show has also been produced by in an English-language performance incorporating 13 monologues in February 2014, in Tel Aviv, directed by S. Asher Gelman.
Actresses:
  • Bianca Ambrosio
  • Devorah Barenholtz
  • Yedida Bernstein Goren
  • Ma'ayan Dekel
  • Shira Dickler
  • Sue Field
  • Shoshana Friedman
  • Sharon Kirschner
  • Renana Lev-Oren
  • Carson Reiners
  • Adaya Turkia
  • Jade Wepener
  • Lisa Zigel
The Vagina Monologues was translated into Hebrew
Actresses:
The Vagina Monologues was performed by Israeli actresses such as Gila Almagor, Michal Yannai, Yael Bar Zohar, etc.

Japan

Actresses:

Kenya

Actresses:
  • Mumbi Kaigwa brought The Vagina Monologues to Kenya where it opened on 23 March 2003 for the first time in Africa.
  • Lorna Irungu

Macedonia

It is performed by Bitola Theater since April 2007.
Actresses:
  • Ilina Corevska
  • Mence Bojadzieva
  • Julijana Stojanovska
  • Elena Mose

Mexico

The Vagina Monologues opened in Mexico on October 19, 2000, and in November 2009 celebrated its 5,800th performance. It has a record 110 continuous weeks of uninterrupted performances, and on October 19, 2010, holds for Mexico an unsurpassable ten-year run. It is the only theatrical event which constantly presents 12 performances a week in Mexico City, on top of the touring versions reaching almost a hundred towns in the country. Its five venues in the capital have been: Nuevo Teatro Sala Chopin; Teatro Gran Meliá; Teatro del Hotel NH; Centro Cultural San Ángel; and Nuevo Teatro del Hotel NH. After 14 years playing in Mexico, On May 6, 2014, the Mexican Production will become the first revival of the show in New York at the Westside Theatre Downstairs, making it the first open run engagement totally in Spanish. The producers are OCESA Teatro and Morris Gilbert, and has been translated into Spanish by Susana Moscatel and Erick Merino.
Director:
Abby Epstein
Actresses and Performers:
Note:
Since it opened, over 80 women: actors, communicators, singers, sexologists, journalists, dancers, politicians and social and political activists have performed in the Mexican production.

New Zealand

Source:
Directors:
Actresses:

Nigeria

Director:
Ifeoma Fafunwa
Actresses:

Perú

Portugal

Guida Maria:
Actresses:

Russia

Director:
Actresses:
  • Vera Voronkova
  • Anna Galinova
  • Ekaterina Konisevich

South Korea

Date: March 2007

It was held in March 2007 with volunteers from abroad and domestic. It was named as 'The Vagina Monologues 2007'. The performance, especially, honored the women of The House of Sharing as Vagina Warriors by putting on a monologue, 'Say It'. And V-Day Spotlight 2007 addresses Women in Conflict Zones because was exponentially increases the crimes of violence against women and girls.
It has planned to perform again in 2008 by V-Day Seoul Team.
Language: Korean & English
Actresses:
  • Introduction - Jyoung-Ah, Andrea, Katherine
  • Hair - Sun-Young
  • Wear and Say - Karla, Shauna, Laurie
  • The Flood - Meryl
  • The Vagina Workshop - Jin-Hyung
  • Because He Liked to Look At It - Katherine
  • I Was 12. My Mother Slapped Me - Seh-Eun, Yukyung, Jin-Sun, Jin-Hyung
  • Not-So-Happy Fact - Shauna
  • Say It, For the Comfort Women - Andrea
  • My Angry Vagina - Ama
  • My Vagina Was My Village - Yukyung
  • The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could - Jyoung-Ah
  • Smell - Andrea, So-Maria
  • My Short Skirt - Juhyun
  • Reclaiming Cunt - Angela
  • A six-year-old girl was asked - Seh-Eun, Yukyung
  • The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy - Laura
  • I Was There In the Room - Sun-Young
  • 2007 Spotlight Monologue - Jin-Sun
Date: Sept.- Nov., 2006
Language: Korean
Director:
  • Ji Na YI
Actress:
  • Jang Yeong Nam

South Africa

The production cited here was a College Campaign production and was run by the students of the University of KwaZulu Natal, Howard College, Durban in April 2006. Funded by AK Print, Afriscan, Badge It!, Ish Ramkissoon Surveys and aided by the university's department of Drama & Performance Studies, the production focused on reaching students via 'South African-ising' the play and locating the monologues in a South African socio-cultural and political context. AS the play is located in an American context, the actresses felt that the text should be tweaked so as to show a bit more of an African vibe. For this purpose, the director was accepting of the fact that a lot of the actresses added in South African references such as events, words in isiZulu and commentary on current affairs in South Africa. Male students from the university were eager to help and they did help in terms of administration, lighting, sound, advertising as well as merchandise and ticket sales. The show was sold out for all performance nights and the proceeds went to the Advice Desk for the Abused in Durban. The university hopes to make the play an annual event.
Director:
Nikita Ramkissoon
Actresses:
  • Tarryn-Lee Stevenson
  • Maggie Brown
  • Illasha Ramaloo
  • Erin Evashevski
  • Lwazi Tshabalala
  • Zanele Thobela
  • Kerensa Naiker
  • Lauren Johnson
  • Nothando Mtshali
  • Raeesa Abdul-Karrim
  • Karen Peters
  • Lauren Metzer
  • Eva Jackson
  • Nikita Ramkissoon
  • Ongezwa Mbele
  • Samantha Govender

Taiwan

The Vagina Monologues has been performed by the Garden of Hope Foundation in Taiwan since 2005. In the first year, the GOH worked together with Taiwan Women's Link and the Taipei Association of Women's Rights to stage a bilingual Chinese-English performance of the play.
Since 2006, the GOH has staged the monologues with its own staff performing the roles. The GOH is an NGO that offers services to women and girls who are victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse. By playing out the stage roles, the GOH employees say they are able to identify more closely with their clients.
In the 2012 show, GOH employees were joined by the Barefoot Alice theater group – a group of actresses who were victims of sexual abuse or domestic violence in the past, and who came up through one of the GOH's counseling centers. The actors performed “playback” improvised skits of stories told by members of the audience.
Past performances:
2012 Performers:
GOH employees:
  • Guo Yuyin
  • Wang Pinxuan
  • Pang Chenchen
  • Lin Jiayuan
  • Kelly Li
  • Debra Ji
  • Li Miaofen
  • Zhou Yuru
  • Gao Zhenxuan
Barefoot Alice theater group members:
  • Yangyoung
  • Rao Huihui
  • Shrek
  • Lin Shufen
  • Fang Manzhen

Turkey

The Vagina Monologues has been performed at various venues throughout Turkey since February 2003, with the original production taking place at the Barış Manço Cultural Center in Kadıköy, Istanbul under the direction of Almula Merter, who also translated the original script. The play, which had originally raised concerns of indecency and was denied access to venues at some publicly funded theaters, was ultimately performed to great success and subsequently inspired the locally penned 2008 book "İşte Böyle Güzelim" - a collection of interviews and essays on the female experience and women's sexuality in Turkey influenced by the style and greater mission of The Vagina Monologues.
Director:
Almula Merter
Actresses:
  • Berna Öztürk
  • Arzu Yanardağ
  • Müge Oruçkaptan
  • Güner Özkul
  • Ayşe Şule Bilgiç

United Kingdom

Uruguay

Los monólogos de la vagina was performed with success in 2007 in the Metro theatre. The earnings were donated to Casa de la Mujer de la Unión, an NGO advocating for women rights and against gender violence.
Several celebrities were on stage:

Venezuela

Director:
Héctor Manrique
Producer:
Carolina Rincón
Actresses: