The most sacred and secretive part of the female anatomy – the vagina – will be featured tonight at the International Cultural Center. A student production of “The Vagina Monologues” will have its only performance at 7 p.m. The play consists of a series of monologues drawn from the experiences of women around the globe. Every monologue relates to the vagina through numerous ways including sex, love, birth, menstruation, rape and mutilation. Maureen Hewitt, manager of the International Cultural Center, said “The Vagina Monologues” is an interesting play that addresses femininity in a unique way. “It’s a dramatic presentation in the voices of many different kinds of women from all around the world as well as from all stages of life,” Hewitt said. “It is something addressing in serious and comic ways the business of confronting women’s sexuality.” Hewitt emphasized the importance of viewing the performance with an open mind. “The play appeals to a very broad range of people,” Hewitt said. “I think those who really get the most out of it are very open-minded and receptive to looking at things in different ways.” Hewitt said the play will educate its viewers with entertaining takes on the common assumptions about women’s sexuality and the politics involved in treatment of women. Hewitt said the play has a long history. “It’s been around for quite a long time,” Hewitt said. “It had been successful in its early days when it was simply a play and has now become a tool … to continue to raise money for organizations that work to help battered women and other kinds of women in crisis.” Women Organizing Women, a student organization on campus that supports feminism, organized the production. Nicole Zaleski, WOW vice president, actress in the performance and women’s and gender studies and psychology senior, said the play is associated with an international charity called The V-Day Foundation that donates money to charities all over the world to stop violence against women and girls. “What The V-Day Foundation does is if you want to do a production of ‘The Vagina Monologues,’ you have to apply to the foundation. And if they accept you, you can do the show,” Zaleski said. “Ninety percent of the proceeds that you make from your ‘Vagina Monologues’ production go to a local charity, and then the remaining 10 percent goes to The V-Day Foundation.” Zaleski said the local charity WOW chose to give their production’s proceeds to the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault. “Every year, The V-Day Foundation chooses a spotlight charity, and this year they wanted to spotlight New Orleans, so they’ve chosen the Katrina Warriors,” Zaleski said. Katrina Warriors is the network of people working to support the well-being of women and girls in New Orleans and the Gulf South. Zaleski said the most wonderful thing about the production is that it is a triple threat. “It’s a fundraiser, a way to raise awareness about violence against women and also just to celebrate women’s bodies,” Zaleski said. Zaleski said there are many reasons University students should attend the performance. “They should attend not only to support a good cause, but also because it’s going to be a fantastic show,” Zaleski said. “We’ve got a great cast and the play is excellent. I encourage everybody to come purely for entertainment and to support a good cause.” Mariah Stidham, co-president of WOW, actress in the performance and sociology and women’s and gender studies senior, said the play is an experience that all people can benefit from. “I think the most enjoyable part about the performance is that it is very diverse. ‘The Vagina Monologues’ all vary,” Stidham said. “Some of them are funny and light-hearted, and some of them are very serious and sad. It takes its viewers on a roller coaster of emotions.” Admission is $5. Tickets can be purchased at the door. All proceeds benefit the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault and Katrina Warriors.
—-Contact Cathryn Core at [email protected]