Stage play "pickup": 12 vaginal stories, 12 trauma

A perfect injury note: Deng Ruwen incident

The stage was shrouded in darkness, the shrill sound of glass, accompanied by the sound of heavy floor banging, manner surround, in an endless black, the audience only heard the sound, and no picture, suddenly, a glaring light hit the stage in the middle, two people in police uniforms, The rude build of a woman in a crimson dress pushed her into a small space.

"Will you come back when you get beat up?" 」

"We need an injury order." "Two policemen waved their hands on the baton that symbolized power, coldly ignoring the woman's fragile pleas for help.

' There's no light here and there's no exit. "The woman slapped her in despair around her walls and said helplessly.

At last the hiss shouted, "Look at the bright red on his body, with the crimson on the sheets, and I will give you a perfect list of injuries." 」

Picture | vaginal monologue on Reed Facebook page

Deng Ruwen killed the husband, is the stage play "pickup" performance of the third act, but also "pickup" one of the most suffocating, sad vaginal story.

October 27, 1993, Deng Ruwen while her husband was drunk to sleep, with a hammer and fruit knife to kill him, sparking a warm concern in society at that time. Lina first sexually assaulted Deng Ruwen mother, and sexually assaulted her at that time Cai, so that she became pregnant and forced to marry Lina, after marriage, she suffered years of forest chess beating, sexual assault, and finally fruit knife finally fell, draw a deep and distinct wound, blood moored outflow, dizzy into a "perfect injury list."

This story, carrying many Taiwanese women have long been suffering from domestic violence and sexual abuse experience, how many women have struggled to help, but the community to "law does not enter the home" as a reason to throw them back into a desperate marriage, until the moment Deng Ruwen raised the fruit knife, the domestic violence prevention and Control law finally passed, the eyes of society are willing to There is no light, there is no exit "in the family. (Recommended reading: because I love you, I will hit you? Seven Q & amp; A for domestic violence protection orders )

From "vaginal monologue" in the United States to "pickup" in Taiwan

In Taiwan, it is rare for such a play to be based solely on the "female experience" as the main axis of the story, let alone a play with a pure female actor and a "vagina" theme. How did the play of "pickup" be produced? If we're going to trace the source of "pickup," we can have to go back to the original script of "pickup," the famous Eve Ensler's "vaginal monologue."

"Vaginal Monologue" (The Vagina Monologues) is a playwright and feminist, Eve. Ensler (Eve Ensler) 's representative drama, Eve. Ensler because from a number of interview experience, many women mention their bodies and vagina, often in very negative language to describe their physical and sexual experience, including a number of women are sexually violent, incest, such experience, but also let her understand: "The body and even the vagina of this matter, is the woman should say, But never had a chance to say something. "So the vaginal monologue plan unfolded as a result. (Recommended reading:"Vaginal monologue" feminist fighter Eve's only excerpt from a speech in Taiwan )

Eve Ensler spent several years collecting stories of 150 women of different races, classes and rich and poor, and in 1994 it was assembled and published as a script, "vaginal monologue." The 1996 "Vaginal Monologue" was first performed in the United States, bringing many women together to the stage with the common experience of sexual assault and domestic violence. Eve. Ensler also launched the V-Day campaign to bring more people to face up to the experience of women, which has been translated into more than 50 languages today and has been staged in 140 countries, and the Reed Foundation, which joined the V-Day movement in 2005, brought "vaginal monologue" back to Taiwan for performances.

Since 2005, the first performance of "vaginal monologue" by the Reed Foundation has also been seeking how to integrate this international script into the vaginal story of Taiwanese women themselves, so that these experiences are more "ground", so after 10 of years of efforts, belong to Taiwan women's vaginal story-"pickup", was born in 2015.

Picture | vaginal monologue on Reed Facebook page

"Pickup": 12 Vaginal stories in Taiwan

After years of true story collection, this year's "pickup", is a year, assembled 12 different vaginal stories, with two hours of performance time, multiple presents the diverse life stories of Taiwanese women.

In the play, we see Deng Ruwen to the community after the killing of the efforts of the cry; we saw a child prostitute who had been forced to betray her body and threw a note of distress out of the window, but ignored it; we saw an unmarried pregnant 15-year-old girl who was pointed at by her family and society and hated herself ; We also saw a sexual assault survivor muster the courage to stand in court, only to be questioned by a judge: "Do you have any evidence? 」。 (Recommended reading: after "Fang Siqi's first love Paradise", face up to sexual assault, you need to know 10 things )

Behind these 12 stories represents how many women in Taiwan are trapped in domestic violence like Deng Ruwen, how many women hate themselves because they are not chaste, and how many women have been sexually assaulted without justice.

"Pickup" performance, but also let us re-"pick up" those neglected female life stories, through a vaginal story, on the stage, the vagina no longer remain silent, we use stories, performances, loudly say belong to each woman's story, with a gentle narrative, reject sexual violence and stigma, so that more people can hear the experience of women.

Picture | vaginal monologue on Reed Facebook page

A more diverse female experience: The story of Ye Yongzhi and transgender women

This year's "pickup", for the "female experience" concept and definition, with the evolution of the Times to expand, but also let the vaginal story more diverse, people are very surprised. It's like the 11th story-The rose teenager Ye Yongzhi. Ye Yong Zhi, because of the feminine gender temperament, in the school has long been bully, like weaving, cooking vegetables He, died in the school toilet, his life only at the age of 15, Ye Yongzhi's death, prompted the Gender equality Education Law passed, affecting tens of thousands of students. (Recommended reading: The unfinished Road to gender equality: from the rose teenager Ye Yongji see Taiwan Justice )

The 12th story, and the last story, a transgender woman in the day before the sex change surgery, and 25 years ago to talk to their own, after growing up with self-identification struggle, again and again from home, friends do not understand, the process she had self-loathing, but also tried to kill herself, but finally she chose to survive, "become their own, Be who you really are. " (Recommended reading: interview with Wu Yiting: "Transgender" political correctness, does not mean that discrimination disappears )

Whether they are feminine sex men or transgender women, they, like all women, face social discrimination and stigma, face more serious threats of violence, and need more people to listen to and follow their stories.

Picture | vaginal monologue on Reed Facebook page

After end of: Our story is about to play out

At the end of the show, the actors stood in a row, and the clothes they wore were arranged from red to purple, and became a rainbow.

One of them tells the audience their own true life story, there are actors have been sexually assaulted, after the birth of children, feel that the vagina is actually a place to send gifts, some actors said she because of a lot of sexual experience, and scolded dirty, but "why not at the same time dirty and beautiful?" "; There are also actors who share that she is about to take her girlfriend to register for marriage next May 24. (Extended reading: Six confession to gay partners: a lot of people say that life is only 70, I met you to start my life )

The actor, who starred in the corner of transgender women, is also a transgender woman, saying: "As a transgender woman, the greatest desire is to be treated like a woman in general," she said in a choked and trembling voice to the "pickup" crew, and all those who treated her. " Thank you, "Bi, the stage sounded thunderous applause, I have long tears."

Picture | vaginal monologue on Reed Facebook page

In "pickup", I saw 12 of multi-dimensional female vaginal stories, but also in their story corner found themselves, feel these stories gently caught me, comforting pat that once injured, sad self. The play ended, after stepping out of the theatre, I know that even if there are bruises, our lives will continue, our story has not finished, is about to play out.