Love and loss, joy and pain. Exploration, frustration, discovery and delivery.

Strong emotions, to be sure. Throw in some humor, and you have the infamous play, The Vagina Monologues. By design, its provocative, said Kymberli Colbourne, a local actor who is directing a three-show run of the play this weekend in Bend (see If You Go).

But pornographic? No.

The reputation (of the play) is the assumption people make from the title of the piece, and the title is there to provoke people, said Colbourne. But people then have to be brave enough to walk into the theater and realize its just great, universal storytelling.

Yes, you will hear a variety of words to describe the vagina that you might not have heard since junior high, and yes, you will hear graphic talk about matters related to intercourse, rape, childbirth and feminine hygiene. But frank talk is the name of the game.

These monologues have been pretty honest from the get-go, said Jacelyn Keys, the shows producer.

The play features eight actors who perform a total of 10 monologues, all of which are related to female sexuality in one permutation or another. One monologue explores the lackluster sex life of an older woman, another shares the despair of a victim of rape. One is from a militant-feminist view, another from a woman who loves men.

The monologues have titles, but the actors characters do not have names.

Additionally, the producers have chosen not to publicize the actors names in order to stress the idea that the monologues could have come from any woman in the community. Instead, the actors will be recognized after each performance.

The Vagina Monologues was written by New York playwright Eve Ensler, and premiered off-Broadway in 1996. It was based on more than 200 interviews Ensler conducted with women about their memories and experiences of sexuality, according to www.

randomhouse.com/features/ensler/

vm, Enslers Web site, .

It has appeared in various formats. But the production has since been standardized, Colbourne said. The cast of eight is onstage throughout the production, as each actor takes a turn delivering her monologue.

In between pieces, the actors playfully banter, or a narrator sets up the next piece. Some of the plays lighter moments come during these interludes, such as when the narrator asks the cast the question: If your vagina could dress, what would it wear? and, If your vagina could talk, what would it say?

These pieces are meant to be funny, and Colbourne wants her actors to laugh and enjoy themselves. Enslers original interviews were made informally, Colbourne said, and she wants to capture that storytelling energy.

But there are serious moments, too. Theater is a great vehicle for prompting discussion, Colbourne said, and she hopes the production will inspire people to open up about subjects they might fear are taboo.

If we produced The Sound of Music, we want you humming the songs. In The Vagina Monologues, we want you feeling like youre gonna talk about some topics, (like) its gonna bring some things to the fore, Colbourne said.

The play is sponsored by Central Oregon Community Colleges Office of Student Life in conjunction with Womens History Month. All the proceeds from the production will benefit the Womens Resource Center of Central Oregon. A fourth show might be added, Keys said, if the rest sell out.

If you go

What: The Vagina Monologues

When: 7:30 tonight and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday

Where: Pinckney Center for the Arts, Central Oregon Community College, 2500 NE College Way, Bend

Cost: $10

Contact:

383-7575

Andrew Moore can be reached at 541-617-7820 or amoore@bendbulletin.com.