They silently stood hand in hand with gray duct tape pasted across their lips and "Vagina Warriors" emblazoned on the back of their white shirts. The front of the shirts had different messages: "Warning: Hostile Vagina," "Not all vaginas are skinny, white + straight" and "My cunt is not represented here."
About 10 people gathered in front of Agate Hall on Friday to protest what they called a lack of representation of different kinds of women in "The Vagina Monologues" production, which ran Thursday through Saturday at the Agate Hall auditorium.
In flyers handed out to audience members at the show, University graduate Nicole Sangsuree Barrett wrote that while there was "diversity" in the show, it was minimal. Women of "a variety of skin colors, body sizes, abilities and gender expressions" were not adequately represented, she said.
"I would just like to call attention to the fact that this could have been a more diverse cast, but a safe and welcoming environment was not created for people that I consider to be 'underrepresented,'" Barrett said in the statement.
Senior Natalie Mays, the show's assistant director, said that while she respects the protesters' views, she thinks some of the decisions were misinterpreted. According to show organizers, the show's aim was to raise awareness about women's issues, and all proceeds went toward fighting violence against women.
At the demonstration Friday, Barrett said she chose not take part when she was originally asked to be in the show. She said she tried to bring up questions of race with the show's directors, but the process was unsuccessful. Barrett said the directors told her she seemed to have a different vision for the play.
"Race is so crucial to this play," Barrett said, adding that not to talk about it makes the issue seem unimportant. "They don't know how it looks like for a woman of color."
She added that the show's organizers didn't offer a safe space for people of different backgrounds.
"Know that what you are seeing tonight is not the result of an inclusive process," Barrett said in the statement. "Know that this space was not one where honest questions and concerns about race were tolerated."
Senior Melissa Ballard, one of the demonstrators, was originally part of the cast, but said the directors asked her to leave a week before the show started because she was "hostile."
"The Vagina Monologues is a very good cause but not all women were represented in this production of the monologue," Ballard said.
After her dismissal, she said only one other woman of color remained in the show. "Plus size" and queer women were also not well-represented, she said.
"They could have had the option of having them but they chose not to," Ballard said.
Ballard said she is not sure why the directors thought she was hostile, adding that they never came to her to talk about any problems.
She added that she hoped the demonstration would help people recognize what is represented and what is not.
Mays, meanwhile, said she completely understands and supports the need for diversity.
"No way would I intentionally alienate anyone," she said. "It breaks my heart that different people feel alienated by this show."
Mays said about 85 people auditioned for the show and there wasn't a large pool of "visible" people of color to choose from. She said it is also not always possible to tell one's ethnicity or sexual orientation just by looking at the person, adding that she does not usually ask people what their sexual orientation is at an audition.
Mays, who is part Native American herself, said she mainly wanted strong women with passion and dedication when she made the casting decisions.
"I'm not just going to put someone in my show because of the way they look," she said, adding that to do so is in itself a form of discrimination.
Senior Katie McClatchey, the show's director, said other technical aspects, such as time commitments and conflicts, also influenced the choices of cast members.
Mays said she thought she had answered Barrett's questions but perhaps further dialogue was required at the time.
"Words can be perceived in the wrong way and apparently mine were," she said.
Both McClatchey and Mays said they do not recall calling Ballard "hostile."
"I don't believe she is a hostile person at all," Mays said.
More than 1,000 people watched the show, which sold out on all three nights.
ASUO President Maddy Melton, who helped hand out flyers at the demonstration before the show, said she was there to offer her personal support.
"Issues of multiple identity and including women of color, women of different sizes, is an issue that's pervasive, and I personally feel that we need to talk about it," Melton said.
She said the demonstration offered a chance to educate and create dialogue on these issues.
In light of concerns from different parties, "Vagina Monologues" producer Guru Simrat Khalsa said there will be a forum today at 6 p.m. in the EMU Fir Room to discuss the show. Khalsa said feedback is vital to make future projects successful, representative and a safe space for everyone.
"That's definitely something that's important to us," she said. "My only regret is that people did not come to me earlier with this issu
-- Michael Pugliese