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:
Alanis Morissette Ali Larter Alice Ripley Amira Eskander Amy Irving Ana Gasteyer Andrea James Andrea Martin Angelica Torn Annabella Sciorra Anne E. DeChant Annie Potts Audra McDonald Becky Ann Baker Brett Butler Brittany Murphy Brooke Shields Calista Flockhart Calpernia Addams Carol Kane Carolee Carmello Cassie Casiano Cate Blanchett Cindy Williams Claire Danes Cynthia Garrett Cynthia Nixon Diahann Carroll Diana Alvarez Diana Bracho Didi Conn Donna Loren Ella Joyce Erica Jong Erin Slimak Francelle S. Dorn
Gillian Anderson Gina Gershon Glenn Close Gloria Reuben Goldie Hawn Hayley Mills Hazelle Goodman Holland Taylor Idina Menzel Jane Fonda Janelle Buchanan Jennifer Beals Jennifer Hudson Jenifer Lewis Jessica Walter Joie Lee Joy Behar Joyce DeWitt Judith Ivey Judy Gold Julia Murney Julia Stiles Julianna Margulies Julie Halston Julie Kavner Karen Kuykendall Kate Winslet Katherine Helmond Kathleen Chalfant Kathy Najimy Kellie Martin Kim Coles Kim Fields Kit Williams Kristi Lee
Lainie Kazan Laura Kelly Lauren Hollis Lauren Lane Lauren Velez Lily Tomlin Linda Ellerbee Lisa Gay Hamilton Lisa Kron Lisa Leguillou LisaRaye McCoy Lois Smith Loretta Swit Lucy Lawless Lynda Carter Lynn Whitfield Marisa Tomei Marla Gibbs Marlo Thomas Marsha Mason Mary Alice Mary McDonnell Mary Testa Megan Goble Melanie Brown Melanie Griffith Melissa Etheridge Melissa Joan Hart Melody Thomas Scott Mercedes Ruehl Meryl Streep Michele Shay Michelle Rodriguez Mo Gaffney Mo'Nique Nell Carter
Oprah Winfrey Pam Tillis Patricia Kalember Peggy Lipton Phylicia Rashad Polly Bergen Queen Latifah Ramona White-Cole Regina Taylor Ricki Lake Rita Moreno Robin Givens Roma Maffia Rosa Blasi Rosario Dawson Rosie Perez Rue McClanahan Ruthie Henshall Sally Kellerman Salma Hayek Sanaa Lathan Sandra Oh Sara Ramirez Sena Quist Shirley Knight Sonia Manzano Susan Sarandon Susie Essman Swoosie Kurtz Teri Garr Teri Hatcher Tiffany Pollard Trenyce Toccara Jones Tonya Pinkins Tovah Feldshuh Veanne Cox Viola Davis Wendy Raquel Robinson Whoopi Goldberg Winona Ryder Yvette Wilson
Canada Jann Arden Thea Andrews Melissa Auf der Maur Jeanne BekerJeanne Beker, Finding Myself in Fashion. Viking Canada, 2011. . Lauren Collins"It’s Vagina Time". Torontoist, March 2, 2007. Mackenzie Davis Joyce DeWitt Shirley Douglas"Vagina all wet". NOW, December 14, 2000. Jennifer Hollett"The Vagina Monologues (New Show In T.O) April 11th @ The St.Lawrence Centre for the Performing Arts". PRWeb, March 22, 2005. Sass Jordan Chantal Kreviazuk Wendy Lands Rachel McAdams Alanis Morissette Ngozi Paul Carole Pope Gloria Reuben Sarika Sehgal Mia Sheard Tara Slone Sonja Smits Krista Sutton Amanda Tapping Mary Walsh Simon Wilcox Cindy Williams
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.Vday.org 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" (Tirana) on February 14, 2002. Actresses: Eriona Kakeli Olta Daku Nigda Dako
Antigua and Barbuda
Actresses
Heather Doram
Argentina Actresses Alicia Bruzzo Andrea Pietra Araceli González Betiana Blum Catherine Fulop Emilia Mazer Fabiana Rey Florencia Peña Gabriela Toscano Graciela Dufau Karina Mazzocco María Fiorentino María Leal Mercedes Morán Pinky Silvina Chediek Susú Pecoraro Valeria Lynch
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:
Danielle Antaki Lucy Bell Gillian Berry Amanda Blair Punita Boardman Tina Bursill Annie Byron Zoe Carides Terese Casu Penny Cook Marika Cominos Jenny Davis Rebekah Elmaloglou Judi Farr Nikki Fuda Deborah Galanos Vivienne Garrett Tottie Goldsmith Kath Gordon Sandy Gore Libbi Gorr Pippa Grandison Zara Swindells-Grose Jaslyn Hall Sophia Hall Noni Hazlehurst Cathy Henkel Happy Ho Fiona Horne Verity James Amanda Keller Odile Le Clezio Genevieve Lemon Lee Lewis May Lloyd Polly Low Susan Lyons Bree Maddox Colette Mann Tracy Mann Danielle Matthews Wendy Matthews Susan Maushart Jill Mckay Genevieve Mooy Amanda Muggleton Bojana Novakovic Caitlin Beresford-Ord Dina Panozzo Patricia Petersen Anne Phelan Geneviève Picot Susie Porter Leah Purcell Geraldine Quinn Pamela Rabe Denise Roberts Jenny Seaton Rainee Skinner Joy Smithers Elizabeth Spencer Wendy Strehlow Penelope Swales Karen Tighe Melissa Tkautz Abi Tucker Lucy Twomey Kym Vercoe Zenith Virago Tasma Walton Diana Warnock Giz Watson Jacki Weaver Julia Zemiro
Belgium ’The Vagina Monologues’ was performed by Members of the European Parliament in Brussels (European Parliament, Paul-Henri-Spaak building) on 6 March 2012.
Actresses Franziska Brantner (Greens, Germany) Isabelle Durant (Greens, Belgium) Marielle Gallo (EPP, France) Sirpa Pietikäinen (EPP, Finland) Ana Maria Gomes (S&D, Portugal) Kartika Tamara Liotard (GUE NGL, Netherlands) Ulrike Lunacek (Greens, Austria) Renate Weber (ALDE, Romania) Cecilia Wikström (ALDE, Sweden)
Brazil Actresses Betina Viany Bia Nunnes Cissa Guimarães Cláudia Rodrigues Fafy Siqueira Lúcia Veríssimo Mara Manzan Tânia Alves Totia Meireles Vera Setta (the producer in Brazil and the mother of actress Morena Baccarin) Zezé Polessa
Chile Director: Liliana Ross (1st Season), Katty Kowaleczko (2nd Season)
Actresses Katty Kowaleczko Francisca García-Huidobro Teresita Reyes Patricia Velasco Liliana Ross Grimanesa Jiménez Liliana García Sigrid Alegría Patricia Guzmán
China The first mainland performance occurred at Sun Yat Sen University in 2003.Jaffe, Gabrielle. "Performing The Vagina Monologues in China." The Atlantic. November 29, 2013. Retrieved on November 29, 2013.
Premiered in March 2009. Produced by Théatre du Rêve Expérimental (薪传实验剧团). Official website
Director and Translator: Wang Chong (王翀)
Actresses: Alice Han Lin (林寒, U.S.), Xiao Wei (肖薇, China), Huang Rong (黄容, Taiwan)
Colombia Director: Fanny Mikey
Actresses: Vicky Hernández Fabiana Medina Marcela Gallego Victoria Góngora Ana María Kamper Marcela Carvajal Diana Angel
Ecuador Actresses: Martha Ormaza Elena Torres Juana Guarderas
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: Anna Prucnal Christine Boisson, Andréa Ferréol (2003) Astrid Veillon, Sara Giraudeau, Isabelle Aubret (2005–6)
Hong Kong The play was originally called "VV Story" (VV物語), but changed to Vagina Monologues (陰道獨白)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: Crystal Kwok Koon-Lan Law Perry Jiao Margaret Chung Official website
Germany Stuttgart (Martina Wrobel):theatertexte.de
Berlin (Adriana Altaras): Hannelore Elsner, Katja Riemann, Ulrike Folkerts, Esther Schweins, Iris Berben, Sonja Kirchberger.
Trier (Fiona Lorenz):
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 HindiVagina Monologues now in Hindi!-Bombay Times-Cities-The Times of India and Gujarati.
Actresses: Original cast: Dolly Thakore Avantika Akerkar Jayati Bhatia Sonali Sachdev Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal Shivani Tanksale and Varshaa Agnihotri have filled in for certain performances. 2004: Jane Fonda and Marisa Tomei performed with the troupe around International Women's Day in Mumbai and Delhi. Their performance was banned in the South-Indian city of Chennai. May 29, 2005: Mallika Sherawat performed at the 100th show January 2007: The Hindi language translation of The Vagina Monologues titled Kissa Yoni Ka debuted in Mumbai at the NCPA's TATA Theatre. The cast included: Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal, Dolly Thakore, Varshaa Agnihotri, Russika Duggal, Geetika Tyagi and Shivani Tanksale. The last two have been replaced by Dilnaz Irani since August 2008. March 2009: In honor of the 200th show of The Vagina Monologues in India, several Bollywood stars performed, including Imran Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar, Loveleen Tandan, Sandip Soparrkar, Sid Makkar, Jessy Randhawa, Smilie Suri, and Nairika Kotwal-Cornett.
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 English cast was also invited to perform there production in Riga, Latvia for the Latvian International theater festival.) 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 The Stage 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