FRIDAY, FEB. 13 at 7 P.M.

The Vagina Monologues

Eureka Theater

PRESS SHEET

The Vagina Monologues — 25th Anniversary Production

Director: Kristy Hellum
Eureka Theatre | February 13–15 2026

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About the Production

Twenty-five years after directing the first local production of The Vagina Monologues, Kristy Hellum returns to the work in a very different cultural moment—and in a very familiar community.

When the play was first staged in Eureka, simply naming it felt transgressive. Conversations about women’s sexuality—about pleasure, violence, and agency—were largely kept private. This production reflects how far Humboldt County and its theaters have come while acknowledging the urgent realities that remain: ongoing violence against women, heightened risk for trans and queer people, and the continued need for spaces where difficult truths can be spoken aloud.

This anniversary production intentionally centers trans, non-binary, and queer voices—not to update the play, but to honor its original purpose: telling the truth of lived experience, without euphemism or apology.

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Director’s Notes:

“I didn’t want to revisit this play out of nostalgia. I wanted to return because the questions it asks—about safety, sexuality, and voice—haven’t gone away. They’ve just shifted.”

In reflecting back to the first year of the Vagina Monologues in Humboldt County - 2001, what stays with me most is how much people showed up. We sold out every seat, every night, and the national V-Day organization later noted that Humboldt County had the highest per-capita attendance anywhere. Eve Ensler (who now goes by “V” Ensler) used to laugh and say, ‘Well, you must really love vaginas.’ I think what people loved was finally being able to talk honestly.

When we first did the show, the Eureka theatre’s board members wouldn’t put the word Vagina on the marquee. it only said “MONOLOGUES” One board member’s wife said, ‘He’ll never see my vagina again’ unless it changed—and she got the other wives to back her. It didn’t take long and the word “VAGINA” went up. I still laugh remembering those times, and I refer to it as our local “Lysistrata” moment.

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Why This Production Now

Rather than updating The Vagina Monologues, this anniversary production listens closely to the present moment. By centering voices that continue to face disproportionate risk—particularly trans, non-binary, and queer community members—it reflects the reality of who is most vulnerable now.

At the same time, women’s reproductive rights are being rolled back across the country, and hard-won protections for diversity and inclusion are being eroded, and even erased. In this political climate, speaking openly about bodies, consent, and choice is both necessary and urgent.

In a rural place like Humboldt County, where visibility, support and access are not easily found, telling these stories are more important than ever. It is how we keep one another visible, connected, and alive.

Contact

Kristy Hellum, Director
707 599-2000
kristy.hellum@gmail.com

Media/Sponsorship Contact
Melinda Pedersen
Producer
rise.humboldt@gmail.com
1632 Broadway #420 Eureka CA 95501

Purchase tickets
Good Relations in Eureka or Peaches & Pearls in Arcata

https://bit.ly/2026VM

This is a fundraiser for Humboldt Domestic Violence Services and Together Women Rise.

DATES/TIMES

• Friday, Feb. 13 : 7-10 p.m.
• Saturday, Feb. 14 : 7-10 p.m.
• Sunday, Feb. 15 : 1-4 p.m.

WHERE

• Eureka Theater

PRICE

• $25