In fact, Dujardin makes it a prerequisite
to doing the play: He invites every man
performing in the show to try to write
a monologue about gender violence,
even if it’s just to share privately with
other men or women in their circle.
Often, a few of those pieces are good
enough to perform on stage and be-
come part of that year’s script. In this
way, unlike other plays, The MENding
Monologues is open-source material.
Dujardin estimates that more than 200
different monologues have been writ-
ten and performed under the umbrella
of The MENding.
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her father, friends, lovers, brothers,
husbands and sons—are also affected
in many ways. Unfortunately, men
don’t talk about these wounds and
their feelings of disempowerment
around violence. They ignore or re-
press them. As a result, women think
that men just don’t care, but men, in
general are simply at a loss of how
to express these feelings of helpless-
ness or hopelessness. The MENding
Monologues is platform to give those
feelings a voice that is sorely needed by this work. They often leave the
production as advocates and activists
empowered to speak up out about
sexism or harassment when they see
it. More often than not, men return
year after year inspired to do another
show and invite other men to partici-
pate. They have no problem calling
themselves feminists. “It very trans-
formative experience,” said Dujardin.
“When I’ve visited productions in oth-
er cities or colleges, there are always
a few men who come up to me to say
in today’s society.
“By telling these stories, I believe this work as changed their lives.”
While The MENding is still very
“I wanted men to write about their own experiences and to dive into their
own shadows around masculinity. I think until men acknowledge the impact
of gender violence has had on the women in their lives and how they have
consciously or unconsciously contributed to it via their actions or inactions, this
will become an intractable problem. I wanted The MENding to be about healing
that divide and that started with men reconciling why they haven’t done enough
until now. That’s part of it. There are also male feminists out there that are doing a
lot, but don’t have platform to speak out. Many men saying they’re sick and tired
of women being victimized. Men started this problem, so men can end it.”
According to Dujardin, there is
a ripple effect to violence. What he
calls “second-hand abuse” or collateral
damage impacts men via the abuse
done to the women in their lives.
When a woman experiences abuse,
10 IMAGINE l Fall 2018
conscious men regain a measure of
control over something they have
felt powerless to help, fix or smash,”
said Dujardin. He adds that one of the
most satisfying things is watching
how male actors can be transformed
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much a place for men to express
themselves, the project to has evolved
to the include women in recent
years, where every gender can every
identity can share the stage and have
a voice.