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The Rice Thresher
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by Jose Luis Cubria thresher editorial staff An audience member fainted during Friday's production of The Vagina Monologues in Lyle's in the Lovett College basement, suspending the production for half an hour. The play ran for only one weekend, and the three performances were overcrowded. About 15 people stood to watch each performance, while other audience members without chairs sat on the floor. A total of about 550 people attended the show over the three nights, with more than 200 at the finale Saturday. Director Blake Barker, a Lovett senior, said that during the play Friday, audience members asked the crew to turn on the house lights because an audience member who had been standing had passed out and hit her head. The subject, who is not a Rice student, was treated on the scene by Wiess College sophomore Tom Hayes and Lovett sophomore Joanne Braun, two emergency medical technicians who were in the audience. Braun said Rice Emergency Medical Services and the Houston Fire Department were notified of the incident. The subject was transported to Hermann Hospital for precautionary tests and released the same evening. Although the incident delayed the show for nearly 30 minutes, Barker said it didn't hurt the performance. "It was not a serious emergency, but we didn't want to start the show again until she was taken care of," he said. "Amazingly, only a handful of people decided to leave. The audience wasted no time in getting back into the show." Barker said the play's organizers accepted only 90 reservations each night, leaving the remaining seats open. However, Barker said no one who showed up on time was turned away. Lovett College sophomore Elizabeth McDonald, who saw the show three times, said she thought the play was performed better on the more crowded nights. "I definitely enjoyed the nights on which the house was packed much more," McDonald said. "The crew definitely did a better job when they had a big audience that reacted to their performance. On Saturday, the house was packed, and I think that was the best show." Although the crowds exceeded the room's capacity, University Police Chief Bill Taylor said there were no reported fire code violations. The show raised more than $1,000 to benefit Maya's Place, an organization that assists women with terminal diseases.
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