"The Vagina Monologues" - part of Eve Ensler's V-Day Campaign, a global movement to end all forms of violence against women and girls through the use of plays written by Ensler herself - opened last Thursday to three sold-out shows in the KnightSpot and raised over $3,000.
The student-run show enjoyed an amazing success through ticket, T-shirt and lollipop sales and donations to be sent to Chances and Changes - the domestic violence shelter in Livingston County - and women in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The performance used the theme of INTD 169: An Introductory Course on Vaginas. "Teacher" Britt Faulkner, a junior, and her "teaching assistant," sophomore Noelle Sirico, narrated the entire performance, shedding light on varying aspects of womanhood.
Actors in the show included: junior Emma Bedor speaking on the importance of hair, freshman Monica Ward as an elderly woman learning the importance of understanding her vagina, sophomore Katie Nottke giving a hilarious rendition on names and freshman Shannon Dennehy speaking about having a good experience with a man.
The atmosphere of the show changed when juniors Lindsey Wiltse and Laura Carver and senior Amy Cavanaugh discussed the atrocities occurring in Baghdad, Islamabad and Juarez. Senior Geni Beninati and junior Meaghan Wasther followed with a hilarious account of how uncomfortable many women's products truly are to lighten the mood. Senior Kathleen Milligan and sophomore Lindsey Hebell then brought back a more serious tone while giving attention to rape of innocent women during the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo.
After junior Phara Souffrant narrated an account of sexual awakening, fellow junior Morgan Clark enlightened the audience on the fun of using a pejorative word for vaginas and freshman Emily Cirincione shocked the audience with her impressive moans.
Before the show finished, a full cast monologue entitled "A Girl's Guide to Surviving Sex Slavery" called for the audience's attention to sex slavery occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Sophomore Danielle Bilicki directed "The Vagina Monologues" in conjunction with sophomore Liz Shenn as assistant director, senior Danielle VanAuken as producer and junior Janet Epstein as stage manager. Womyn's Action Coalition and Student Association sponsored the event