The joys of womanhood

DOZENS of eager theatre-goers packed Bromsgrove's newest arts facility for the eagerly awaited performance of The Vagina Monologues.

A group of local women, The Fou Fou Fighters, took to the stage to present stories from Eve Ensler's book.

Different generations of women took their seats for the show, and a few brave men were scattered amongst the audience.

Ninety per cent of proceeds from the performance went to refuges and safehouses for women in Bromsgrove and the other ten per cent to women in Iraq.

The Vagina Monologues told the tales of conversations from women from all walks of life.

The Fou Fou Fighters took on the characters of women and younger girls who talked about the joys, revelations, pain and mystery of womanhood.

The actresses, some of whom had never been on the stage before, brought to life monologues which made the audience smile, whince in horror and learn about life as a woman in other countries where many are mutilated.

The enlightening performance was superbly acted out, with a great deal of work and thought going into the show. It proved how strong women were and how complicated we sometimes are.

At the end of the show somehow every woman seemed to walk out a little taller, being prouder of who they were.

by Sarah Mawhinney