Once in a While Productions: ‘The Vagina Monologues’
The Garden, Des Moines, Feb. 9, 11 & 14 at 6 p.m., $20 ($35 for Friday dinner show)
“The power of our dreams and the creativity we employ can break the chains of injustice and oppression.” —Desmond Tutu
The creative soul will find ways to combat injustices, small and large. The arts can be a solace for the heart and soul, but they can also provoke righteous anger, inspire action and awaken a new way of thinking.
Once in a While Productions in Des Moines, founded by talented actor and producer Emily Davis, is set to premiere its first show, Eve Ensler’s 1996 episodic play The Vagina Monologues, on Feb. 9. Much has changed in the five years since the show was last produced in Central Iowa, Davis said, in particular the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
“We’re in 2024 and we’re still finding valid reasons to come back to the show,” explained director Rachel Meyer, who is trans nonbinary. “The show still speaks to us. As much as things have changed, a lot of things have stayed the same. We’re all so connected, but it feels like it’s harder than ever to truly understand what’s happening in the world. Any attempt we can to understand each other and find the truth of someone’s story is so healing and so important.”
Other arts advocacy leaders in Iowa include Jill Wells, a Harkin Institute fellow and Des Moines-based multimedia artist whose murals confronting issues of race, history, accessibility and human experience have been seen — and felt — by thousands. She is midway through fundraising for a 3D, tactile mural model designed with the disability community in mind — the first of its kind in the state of Iowa or the Midwest. Wells was recently invited to Vienna to give a U.N. presentation on her touchable works of art, from a mural in a local elementary school adorned with fabric butterflies, appealing to children with sensory sensitivities, to a intricately sculpted landscape mounted to a plaque, accompanied by a written description in braille.
“What this does is it allows me to independently check out the piece, to look at it, to get from it what I perceive, so it doesn’t come from anyone else’s perspective,” Bettina Dolinsek, a blind woman and fan of Wells’ work, said in an interview with Local 5 News. “It’s my perspective.”
The nonprofit ArtForce Iowa exists to create opportunities for youth to transform through art: visual, ceramic, movement, fiber, music, filmmaking, photography, theater, creative writing and more. This gives their at-risk population positive outlets to pursue through projects, monthly interactive open houses at Mainframe Studios and career path exploration, all mentored by experienced artists. ArtForce has established a solid long-game approach to preparing next-generation citizens.
Find your outlet, bond with a tribe, build a movement, support initiatives that resonate with you and leverage artistic expression to respond to injustices in the world. You can and should make a difference.
“Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world […] would do this, it would change the earth.” —William Faulkner
John Busbee produces a weekly arts and culture radio show, The Culture Buzz, interviewing artists, musicians, authors and environmentalists — just to name a few. This article was originally published in Little Village’s February 2024 issue.
