Collegio Online

Issue date: 2/7/08 Section: After Hours

Media Credit: Aaron Anders Ashley Taylor practiced her lines for the award-winning play "The Vagina Monologues."

Media Credit: Aaron Anders Ashley Thrash, Beth Newhouse and Sienna Paoni practice their lines for the award-winning play "The Vagina Monologues." The 10-year anniversary of "V-Day" will be performed in the Crimson and Gold Ballroom Feb. 8 and 9.

Michelle Rhoades says every woman needs to see "The Vagina Monologues."

"It's empowerment for women," she said. "It gives all women a chance to open up and be free."

Eve Ensler's award-winning play will be shown for the fourth year at PSU at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 8 and 9, in the Crimsaon and Gold Ballroom of the Overman Student Center.
The play, which is sponsored by the PSU Women's Studies Club, is being performed because of V-day. The 'V' in V-Day stands for valentine, vagina and victory. But it also stands for a global movement to end violence against women.

While the play has been performed four times at PSU, the play was written 10 years ago, commemorating the first V-Day. This year V-Day celebrates its 10 year anniversary.

Allison Lohr, graduate student in English who is in charge of the event, says that the club has been presenting the play the past four years because it's important and it's a fund-raiser for the Crisis Resource Center.

"We're trying to raise awareness about violence against women," Lohr said. "But, also providing a place for women to be creative ... to show them (the audience) that we're thriving."
She also said the play is a good opportunity to sneak in an important message.

"We lure them with humor and theater and give them information when they're not expecting it."

The play casts only a woman or several women on stage at a time, even though the entire cast comprises 18 people. With the cast's efforts combined, they tell the stories of women around the world. The stories and comments of taboo subjects, including use of the word "vagina," can be funny one minute and sad the next. The topics range from "what would your vagina wear?" to rape and abuse.

Ninety percent of proceeds brought in by ticket sales, the raffle and the donation jar will go to the Crisis Resource Center and 10 percent will go to V-day's spotlight campaign for 2008, "Women of New Orleans." In the past few years PSU's Women's Studies Club has raised $2,000 or more each year.

Nationally, V-Day has raised $50 million and has taught millions about the topic of violence against women and the efforts to end it. The movement has also funded about 5,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses internationally in places such as Egypt, Iraq and Kenya.
The topic of the play was even a little hard to handle for the actors.

"It was kind of hard talking about vaginas," Ashley Thrash, freshman in elementary education, said. "Now it's just kind of fun."

Beth Newhouse, sophomore in communication, says she just just wanted to act.

"I did this for a chance to perform and to bring powerful literature to life," she said.

Lohr says that both women and men should come.
"Come and have a great time because it means something, these issues are real," she said.

Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for non-students.

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