Women on campus will come together this weekend to perform a play about using the vagina as a symbol of female authority.
The Women’s Studies Student Association and the Women’s Resource Center (WRC), located on campus, will be hosting “The Vagina Monologues” on Saturday.
“The Vagina Monologues,” written by Eve Ensler, includes a variety of monologues on subjects relating to the vagina, including the anatomy of the vagina, menstruation, masturbation, intercourse, sexual assault and childbirth.
The purpose of the play is to help women celebrate their bodies instead of being ashamed of their gender.
About 15 students will participate in the play. Most of them will participate in more than one monologue. There will be 21 monologues, including “Wear & Say,” “My Angry Vagina” and “The Flood.”
Lizeth Zepeda, a junior women’s studies major, is one of the students participating in the play. Zepeda has been going to rehearsal every Wednesday to prepare for the play and will be participating in “The Little Coochie Snorchers That Could.”
This monologue is divided into six stages of a girl’s life, from when her mom yells at her to stop scratching her “coochie snorchers,” to the time when she spends a night with another woman.
“I’m excited about acting,” Zepeda said.
Zepeda’s twin sister, Nadia, a junior Chicano and Latino studies and Spanish major, will also participate in the play. Nadia will be acting in three monologues.
“I’ve had fun rehearsing these monologues,” Nadia said.
Esmeralda Camarena, a junior sociology major, heard about “The Vagina Monologues” through another student who will be in the play.
“I want to go because the title is very enticing, and I’m curious about the play,” Camarena said.
“The Vagina Monologues” has been published in 45 different languages, according to the Random House publishing company.
The monologues were the inspiration behind V-Day, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls, according to www.vday.org.
During the play there will be vagina merchandise for sale, including totes, vagina lollipops and cookies.
The money raised from the performance and sales of merchandise will be donated to three organizations: the Sexual Assault Crisis Agency (SACA), Mujeres Iniciando en Las Americas (MIA) and the WRC.
SACA provides victims in the South Bay with a 24-hour crisis hotline and MIA is an organization that provides financial support for women who have suffered from domestic violence and gender bias.
The WRC is a place where students can use multiple resources for school purposes, as well as interact with other women on campus.
“The Vagina Monologues” will be at the Beach Auditorium on the first floor of the University Student Union. There will be two shows, one at 2 p.m. and the other at 7 p.m. Tickets will be sold at the door and will be $8 for students and $12 for adults.