A group of actresses ranging in age from a teenage girl to a woman in her ‘60s sat around a small room in a new building in Temecula talking about sex.

It was the third time in three years that such a group has gathered to practice for a controversial play that spurred some residents to unsuccessfully urge the City Council to intervene before the first word could be uttered.

No such public protests have occurred thus far as twenty-eight women cast from the Temecula Valley Players finish practicing for a play that has been deemed controversial although it addresses touchy sexuality issues. So far, only a columnist for an Escondido-based newspaper has taken a swipe at the fledgling tradition.

Recent rains made spattering sounds as the female cast members rehearsed their lines for "The Vagina Monologues." The play will be performed Tuesday and Wednesday nights as a fundraiser for Safe Alternatives for Everyone (S.A.F.E.).

Since the beginning, there has been simmering community resentment from some residents who complained about the play’s "offensive" material and questioned whether it helps perpetuate domestic violence rather than reduce it.

In January 2008, six local residents came to a Temecula City Council meeting to protest the "Monologues," which was first performed in 1996 and has played on Broadway and many of the nation’s other top stages. Groups in Idyllwild and Hemet will also be performing the play their communities.

The speakers didn’t ask the council to prevent the group from performing the play at a city-owned theater in Temecula’s historic business district. But some speakers hinted that the city should monitor and possibly censor future performances there.

Some speakers referred to the play as "vile and pornographic" and said a publicly-owned venue was not an appropriate location for such a performance.

The outcry prompted the council to create a "community standards policy," Mike Naggar, who served as Temecula’s mayor at the time, wrote in an e-mail afterward.

"Obscene is obscene, whether you choose to view it or not," said Naggar, who remains on the council. "We should not have obscene entertainment in the city. We need to develop a means to judge the community standards applicable to public venues."

At the time, city theater staff countered that they lacked the authority to block or alter plays.

"We are governed by federal and state laws in the way we treat the freedom of speech," Bruce Beers, the theatre’s manager, said in a newspaper report. "We don’t censor the content of what the people who rent it put on…we’re just the four walls in which it’s taking place."

Melissa Donaldson, the founder of the organization, said then that almost all the feedback about the play was positive.

"Anything that gets people talking about something they don’t Advertisement

[ Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary ] want to talk about is a good thing," she said in a 2008 interview.

The group will again perform the play at the Old Town Community Theater, 42051 Main St., beginning at 7:30 p.m. both nights. Ninety percent of the $25 ticket price will benefit S.A.F.E., which serves both men and women in need.

The play raised $12,000 in its first two years for the group, according to Patti Drew, who works as the organization’s development coordinator and directs the "Monologues."

The controversy that unfolded two years ago provided a publicity boost for the production, she said in a recent interview. Drew said she is amazed each year by how many men attend the show, and noted that many critics have simply just read the play rather than seeing it performed.

Versions of the original one-woman performance done by playwright Eve Ensler are performed all around the world under the V-Day guise between February and April.

The "Monologues" is an episodic play based on Ensler’s interviews with more than 200 women. Striving for humor and grace, the piece is intended to celebrate women’s sexuality and strength.

Today, V-Day is a global movement that supports anti-violence organizations throughout the world including S.A.F.E., which helps domestic violence victims with their recoveries. The nonprofit organization operates a safe house for families fleeing domestic violence. It also provides family placement and courtroom services and assists with Police Activities League programs.

"The number one reason we do this is to support S.A.F.E.," Drew said after Saturday’s rehearsal. "The number two reason is to support freedom of speech."

Drew is a familiar face in the Temecula community theater and real estate scenes. She has been active with the Temecula Valley Players since 1986.

Warner Springs resident Maureen Squazzo, who is a 30-year veteran to the stage, will be performing the "The Flood" piece of the upcoming play.

"I am so proud to be a part of this play," she said in an interview after the recent rehearsal. "To give back to the community in this way, touches my heart. Women everywhere need a voice."

In "The Flood" scene, an older woman with a heavy Brooklyn accent comes to terms with talking about her vagina.

More information can be obtained about the Temecula production by visiting www.temeculatheater.org or calling (866) 653-8696.

Similar performances will be held in Hemet and Idyllwild on Saturday.

Also in conjunction with V-Day, the Idyllwild School of Dance will perform the pay at 4 p.m. Saturday at 54401 Village Center Drive in Idyllwild. Tickets cost $10. More information is available by calling (951) 692-9553.

At 8 p.m. the same day, Ya Ya’s Coffee House, 312 N. San Jacinto Ave. in Hemet will be staging the show. Tickets cost $20. For more information, call (951) 929-0015.

Proceeds from the second troupes’ shows will benefit CASA, the Center Against Sexual Assault of Southwest Riverside County.