Go ahead — say it.



“Vagina?”



“Vagina!”



“Vagina, vagina, vagina; vagina vagina.”



What’s that? It’s embarrassing? Kind of like buying tampons, condoms and pregnancy tests? (Well, what a coincidence — all topics are related!)



Talk to Mandi Wickline about the topic, and she can give you her input on reactions to the word.



As the producer/director of Tacoma’s upcoming Vagina Monologues pores paperwork in a bar, she’ll get the odd dude asking, “What are you working on?” She’ll answer something to the effect of “I’m directing The Vagina Monologues” and get a jaw-dropped, “the wha’?”



“It’s funny to see the responses I get,” Wickline explains of the taboo associated with The Word in the title of the show she’s putting on the stage at Pantages for one night only, April 11, 7 p.m.



She wonders, as she sees the scandalized expression on the face of the mother of seven, if the responses would all be the same were it the Elbow Monologues?”



“It’s very taboo,” she says of The Word.



And The Word is only the provocative starting point of the monologues. Begun more than 10 years ago (last year was the 10th Anniversary of V-Day) as a one-woman show, The Vagina Monologues were playwright/performer/activist Eve Ensler’s pet project to raise awareness of violence against women. The result of interviews with more than 200 women, the monologues dish up more than the standard gossipy girl chat; examples include “I Was Twelve, My Mother Slapped Me” (a chorus of first-period descriptions), “My Angry Vagina” (a rant about vaginal injustices such as tampons, douches, and OB/GYN tools), “The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could” (recalling sexual healing) and “Because He Liked to Look At It (or, how a guy named Bob helped bring a woman to warm fuzzy thoughts about her genitalia.)



Of course, not all the pieces are filled with levity, and each year brings a new “spotlight” subject or area of concern. This year’s performance will be no exception to that, with the spotlight being on injustices occurring in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where rape and torture are used as weapons of war. Awareness will be raised to that area through the use of a spotlight video, and then money will go toward raising funds to build shelters that will enable women to leave their bad situations for better ones; additionally, awareness will help bolster ongoing political work toward peace efforts and aid.



“Part of the funds we raise will go to aid efforts in the Congo, and part will go to local organizations,” which are, this year, The Coordinated Community Response Against Domestic Violence, Catherine’s Place, and the Sexual Assault Center of Pierce County. Wickline explains, adding that the event’s April date, rather than the standard Valentines Day, is centered around Sexual Assault Awareness Month.



So what about the cast and crew and their cut of the money?



“All the performers volunteered their time,” Wickline allows, adding, “getting everybody together was like herding cats at times, but it’s a wonderful cast!”



The group includes ages ranging from women in their twenties to their seventies, women of all sexual orientations (to include a transgendered rendering of a piece about birth) and all ethnicities. The thing they all have in common is they’re not men, and generally not professional actors.



“V-Day (the organization begun by Ensler) emphasizes community, and working within community. The cast isn’t supposed to be made up of professional actors,” says Wickline pointing out that famous actors have appeared in various versions of the show, helping to raise its credibility. “People like my cousin wouldn’t ordinarily go to something like the monologues, but then when you get Meryl Streep adding her name to the mix, then it becomes OK,” Wickline chuckles.



And what about men? Wickline shrugs off the assumption that the evening is for women only. “It’s a pretty universal show for men and women, and pretty educational for men! We welcome all men brave enough to come!”



“I think the audience will enjoy this year’s show. It’s not just, ‘vagina vagina, I hate men!’; it’s about learning from your sisters and experiencing common ground. It’s about raising awareness.” She adds, “Violence against women is a huge issue. I like to say it happens across the street and around the world. We get so tunnel-visioned on our own lives and our own problems that we forget to come together. This show gives you a chance to come experience a great show and talk about it afterwards.”



[Pantages Theater, Saturday April 11, 7 p.m., $15-$45, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.591.5894]