By Jeanine Budd

From vacant, dusty cellars to flowers hidden under a leaf of hair, vaginas from all around the world, of all different ages, made appearances during Friday and Saturday’s performances of “The Vagina Monologues” in Blackman Auditorium.

Alongside 11 monologues about women and their relationships with their vaginas, Northeastern’s all-male a cappella group, Bassix, took the stage and sang throughout the play, making this the first time men were incorporated into the traditionally all-female production at Northeastern since its first performance here nine years ago.

“We wanted to be inclusive of everyone in the community – people who aren’t just theatre majors and also aren’t just women,” said Elizabeth Stenger, co-director of the show and a senior theatre and cinema studies major. “It was a great way to get the entire community involved in the production.”

Stenger said that in previous years, there had been a more traditional approach, whereas this year brought a lighter, more digestible mood for all walks of life. The play was written by Eve Ensler in 1996.

With a backdrop of bright blue and bright pink, an array of women clad in colored spandex accompanied by music and paintings of other women (some clothed, some not) performed in front of a packed auditorium Friday night. The audience consisted of mainly women, but was spotted with a few men.

Dan Artiges, a sophomore architecture major, said he knew people in the show and that he’d return down the line for another performance, depending on who was in it.

“I thought it was funny, interesting and very entertaining,” he said.

Andrew Kessel, business manager for Bassix and a junior chemical engineering major, said he thought the directors were allowing the show to connect with more people by changing it from previous years.

“Having guys on stage makes it a little bit more accessible,” he said. “And throwing a little bit of music in there helps to captivate the audience. … Music makes it more interesting and gives it more emotion.”

Alexandra Ivey, an actress in the show and a middler English major, said the addition of music made the show fresh and alive.

“We didn’t want this show to be an angry, lesbian, feminist, ‘You shall respect my vagina’ kind of thing,” she said. “So one of the main points was that, ‘Hey, we can share the stage with boys and talk about vaginas.'”

The overall relaxed mood of the show was evident from the start, when giggles could be heard echoing throughout the auditorium as soon as the lights went down and before the first line was even recited.

The first monologue was delivered by an actress playing an old woman who had never had an orgasm and didn’t want to speak much about the topic. She compared her vagina to the Bermuda triangle.

“No one ever reports back from there,” she told the audience.

Another woman brought up the fact that the clitoris has twice as many nerve endings as the penis.

“Who needs a handgun, when we’ve got a semi-automatic?” she asked the laughing audience.

While the night was full of jokes and lighthearted commentary, it also addressed some serious topics having to do with women all over the world.

In a monologue that said there was no excuse for rape, the actress said, “My short skirt and everything underneath it is mine.”

This was followed by a powerful monologue, delivered as an address to the Japanese government, who refuses to publicly apologize to women who were imprisoned during World War II and turned into sex slaves.

“What are we left with? Nothing. No wages. Silence. What got taken? Springtime. My life,” the actress said with poignant emotion. “Japanese government, say it: ‘We are sorry.'”

The show covered stories of tortured women throughout the world, highlighting cases from Islamabad, Pakistan; Juarez, Mexico; and even stories of degradation in the United States.

The last monologue of the show shifted the atmosphere back into the realm of laughter and enjoyment. It featured a blonde woman sporting black spandex and a red leather jacket, rolling around on stage and demonstrating to the audience the many different types of moans that women are capable of producing.

“I love women. I love vaginas,” the actress said. “I do not see them as separate things.”

The overall message of this year’s production was not just to raise awareness, but to do so in an enjoyable manner, Stenger said.

“We want to get people to understand the things that are happening all over the world, while making it something friendly enough that men would want to sit down and listen,” she said.

The proceeds from the ticket sales went to The Elizabeth Stone House, Rosie’s Place and Easton’s Hugs, all local charities aimed at helping women.