University of Idaho senior Maiya Corral first read “The Vagina Monologues” when she was 12 years old.
“I saw it on my grandma’s shelf and I thought, ‘What? That book says vagina on it? What’s that?’” Corral said. “I read it cover to cover, like a little secret. I remember being incredibly overwhelmed that someone could write something like that.”
Corral is the director of this year’s performance of “The Vagina Monologues,” hosted by the UI Women’s Center. “The Vagina Monologues” is a series of monologues about the different perspectives of real women, written by social activist Eve Ensler more than 20 years ago.
Used to spread awareness about gender-based violence, the Women’s Center does an annual performance of the play as part of Valentine’s Day in February.
Bekah MillerMacPhee, director of programs for the Women’s Center, said the purpose of the play is more about the activism than the appearance of the show. She said the Women’s Center was looking for someone who could focus on the mission of the play, and they found that quality in Corral.
“She really embodies the mission of the play,” MillerMacPhee said.
A transfer student from Diablo Valley College in California, Corral is working to obtain a degree in theater arts. Ever since stepping onto the stage for the first time in the second grade, Corral said she always knew theater was her calling and said it was the best way she knew how to give back to the world.
“(Theater) is a way to build communities,” Corral said. “It’s a way to bring people together, to take them from behind their television screens and cellphones and bring them into the same room together.”
With years of experience in playwriting, directing and acting, Corral said she decided to transfer to UI because she wanted a program that would allow her to pursue all those things. While attending a college theater festival, she said meeting the people at UI was what really convinced her to transfer.
“I just really fell in love with the people,” Corral said. “I knew I wanted to go into a rigorous program, but what was more important to me was that I was in community of good hearts. I found that here.”
Coming from a long line of leaders and activists, Corral said social activism has always played a big role in her life. She said she had always been attracted to stories about revolutions.
While taking a women’s history class during her second year at Diablo Valley College, Corral said she was struck by how many stories of women have never been told. She said that class inspired her to combine her passion for acting with her passion for activism, and she began to write her own plays.
“I just thought, ‘Well somebody needs to be telling these stories,’” Corral said.
Combining performance, storytelling and activism, Corral said the author of “The Vagina Monologues,” Eve Ensler, was one of her biggest influences in her career. She said Ensler would go out into communities across the country and interview people, using their true experiences and words as inspiration for her work. When the Women’s Center sent a call for a director for the play through the theater department, Corral said it was the perfect fit.
“It’s all of the work I hope to do,” Corral said. “It’s a testament to our ability to be empathetic for each other, to take on these stories as my own and to step into that bravely.”
While this is not the first play she has directed, Corral said directing “The Vagina Monologues” presents its own set of challenges. Because the content of the play “hits close to home” for many people and involves the stories of real women, Corral said it is especially important as a director to “create safe spaces” for her performers and her audience.
“It’s a very different directing experience than other experiences I’ve had, though I think that they share a lot of the same qualities, which is holding space for people to explore a character, to explore themselves,” Corral said. “I think that’s my major goal is to create safe spaces for people to explore their own stories and the stories on the pages.”
Corral’s friend and actress in “The Vagina Monologues” Mary Caraway said Corral is more than achieving that goal.
“She makes such a warm, loving environment,” Caraway said. “She doesn’t push. She really lets us explore the piece. I think she really emphasizes the idea of how important this community of women is.”
In light of the high statistics of abuse, Corral said it is increasingly important to celebrate the stories of women. She said many women don’t spend time together in a community like they used to, and that taking time to celebrate stories in a community can be incredibly healing. She said “The Vagina Monologues” is a unique opportunity to do that for Moscow and the UI community.
“I hope the audience is present with us,” Corral said. “I hope it will be a celebration of these stories, of women, of love, of our bodies.”
“The Vagina Monologues” will return to the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre at 7 p.m. on Feb. 10 and 11. Tickets can be bought in advance at the Women’s Center and the Safari Pearl for $8, and will be sold at the door for $12. Corral said the performance is a way to bring love to the Moscow community.
“Our fight is not a violent fight,” Corral said. “This is a way to celebrate the love that we have created in our rehearsal rooms and bring that to the community.”
Taryn Hadfield can be reached at [email protected]