The Women’s Student Union’s annual production of “The Vagina Monologues” will take the stage on Feb. 13 and 14 at 7:30 p.m., and Feb. 15 at 2:30 p.m., in the Williams Center Multipurpose Room.
Admission is $3 for students and $6 for the general public, and tickets are available in the Fredonia Ticket Office in the Williams Center and online.
All of the proceeds from the show will be donated to the Anew Women’s Shelter in Jamestown.
The rehearsal, preparation and production of the show are completely student run. The co-directors are Emily Green, a junior English Adolescence Education major from Orchard Park, and Madison Sedlor, a senior Theatre Arts major from Long Island.
First performed in 1996, “The Vagina Monologues” is an episodic play written by author and women’s rights activist Eve Ensler. The production is a compilation of interviews from women of varying ages, races, sexual orientations and cultural backgrounds. In these interviews, the participants expand on their own perceptions of sexuality, the feminine experience, empowerment, and the vagina as the ultimate embodiment of individuality.
In addition to reinforcing empowerment, “The Vagina Monologues” seeks to raise awareness of violent acts against women such as rape, sexual assault, and genital mutilation, creating a more equal representation of women all around the world who fall victim to this violence.
“The Vagina Monologues” is a component of the international campaign, V-Day. Created by Ms. Ensler, V-Day is a global activist movement that strives to break the silence and raise awareness of violence against women through the medium of dance, song and spoken word. Each year, thousands of V-Day benefit events take place produced by volunteer activists in the U.S. and around the world, raising around $10 billion since its start in 1998.
