by Breena Siegel

Premiering Sunday in Goddard Auditorium, Earlham’s production of “The Vagina Monologues” hopes to engage audiences in a deeper understanding of how women relate to their sexual identity.

“It’s not just a production that is happening on Earlham’s campus, but it is a powerful, inspirational event that will bring awareness to the difficult experiences women go through at each stage in their lives,” said producer sophomore Jessica Zimmerman.

The voices heard throughout the monologues serve as a universal reminder of the mistreatment prevalent in human lives.

Senior Kyla Pitts will be performing the monologue, “My Angry Vagina.”

“The monologue is great,” Pitts said. “It’s about a woman who feels a lot of anger about the way the vagina is viewed and how it has to be tamed. Ultimately, she is pissed off about being pissed off.”

The issues the play speaks to are not easy to sift through, which is a testimony to both the actresses and the intended audience members.

Co-directing this year’s production are senior Anna Putnam, junior Monica Black and sophomore Ricardo Garciaherreros Quinones.

Black commented on the experience of working in a setting where the issues are being digested individually and collectively.

“The best part of this production has been watching how transformative [this experience] has been for the girls in the show and how we’ve been able to help this process by big group discussions and providing an open space where the discussions can take place,” she said.

The co-directors will also have a theatrical share in the performance, which shows Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in Goddard Auditorium.

A subsequent performance will take place on Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. in the Orchard Room. The performance in the Orchard room is intended for a smaller audience.

Tickets are $3.00. Proceeds go to Planned Parenthood, the Mother’s Bank and Genesis (Richmond’s women’s shelter). Friday during lunch was the last day tickets are sold, but you may also purchase tickets before each performance. Contact jazimme07@earlham.edu for more information.

History Behind the Monologues:

Originally written by Eve Ensler in the mid 1990s, “The Vagina Monologues” has become a theatrical cornerstone for women expressing their sexual identity. As a versatile episodic play, it is performed in countries throughout the world and on countless college campuses in the United States.

Ensler based the monologues on her experiences talking with over two hundred women from all over the world. Each year, she contributes a new monologue highlighting a specific issue that women are facing in the current world. This year’s theatrical spotlight is focused on issues of sexual violence, which women are experiencing in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Ten percent of the profits from each production of “The Vagina Monologues” will be donated to efforts in the DRC to stop violence against women.

Eve Ensler requests that anyone performing “The Vagina Monologues” donate the remaining revenue (after that given to the DRC) to student-selected local organizations confronting women’s issues.

“The Vagina Monologues” is viewed as part of the global event V-Day. V-Day stands for Valentine, vagina and victory, and represents a time to raise awareness of violence against women. It is a global movement, intrinsically linked to the messages of “The Vagina Monologues.”