In the wings

Fans of Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues" might predict a companion piece in "Hello Penis: A Man-ifesto," running through Saturday at Durham's Manbites Dog Theater. But Kevin Poole and co-writer Joseph Baker say that's not their aim. Theirs is a narrative play in which, as they put it, "two men explore sexuality and masculinity through relationships to their fathers, friends, brothers, lovers, and one another, in a quest to define the peaceful warrior."

"We've been asking ourselves, 'Why can't men have a conversation that goes beyond football? Why is it so hard for us to really connect intimately?' " Baker says in an interview with Manbites Dog associate managing director Katja Hill, which you can read in full at www.manbitesdogtheater.org/226.

Poole -- a former Durhamite who performed with Manbites Dog, Raleigh Ensemble Players, Deep Dish and other companies (and with the band Cody Cods) before heading to Colorado's Naropa University -- says he hopes the show speaks to both sexes. But some women are a tough sell.

"One woman said, 'Oh, you're a 30-year-old white male. What do you have to complain about?' " Poole says. "It's not about complaining. It's about asking questions and opening the idea of male intimacy. And once you use that word, people question your sexuality. So does that mean that intimacy is considered only sexual? Both Joe and I grew up in strong feminist households -- in what, for us, was a fairly feminine culture overall.

"Not to dismiss at all the big issues of patriarchy and oppression that do exist," he continues, "but do men coming out of a strong feminist culture face an additional set of challenges, such as apologizing for who they are, or even sensing the right to be men? We are struggling. And women need to be a part of this conversation. I'm open to anyone who wants to get in on it and talk."