Known for its activist movements and presentations such as Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, and the Clothesline Project, the Wellness Resource Center presented the Vagina Monologues for its seventh year.
The hope is that “women feel more accepting and open to talk about sexual things,” said Director Khaliah Pitts. Their mission is to desexualize topics that are too hard to talk about and bring a feeling of empowerment to women of all ages.
With such mature content, often the audience is made up of first-time viewers.
Freshman Emily Demyanovich, who had never seen the show, expected it to be related to abuse and issues of that nature. Within a few moments into the performance, she felt the monologues “gave power to all women.”
The show started with humor to loosen up the crowd on the matter. Women came up alone to speak, while others came up in pairs to do their part in the show. They touched on personal topics, ranging from sexuality to rape to self-confidence and comfort with being a woman and all that comes with that.
“This is women telling stories that need to be told, as if it is almost therapeutic to share them,” said Director Jana Henry.
Cast member Shanaya West-Simato agreed and said she was “connected to her part,” and it helped her heal when she saw the audience connecting to the stories. West-Simato gave a monologue about rape, and felt especially close to the subject as many important women in her life had dealt with the issue.
Ultimately, each individual show and audience take away their own connections and thoughts.
The cast of 28 women took the stage for their first performance Thursday, February 6th, to a sold out room of over 250 people. The show continues through the weekend until Saturday February 8th. All of the proceeds go to the V-Day foundation and Women Organized Against Rape (WOAR).
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