V-Day UHCL ‘The Vagina Monologues’ taking shape for Feb. 18 – 19 production
Vagina. A word that is often shunned in our culture has now become an integral part of a message conveyed to audiences worldwide. On Friday, Feb. 17 and Saturday, Feb. 18, UHCL will host a stirring performance of “The Vagina Monologues” in Bayou Theater at 8 p.m.
Julie Smith, Coordinator of Women’s and LGBT Services at UHCL, aids in putting the production in motion for campus and community members to enjoy. The event is in its fourth year of production at UHCL.
“The Vagina Monologues” was written by Eve Ensler in an attempt to break taboos enabling women to freely express certain issues that derive from being a woman, Smith explained. Areas covered within the monologues include: domestic violence, body image and sex – both pleasurable and forcible.
The play serves as a catalyst for the international V-Day Campaign, founded by Ensler, to heighten awareness and raise funds to help end violence against women and girls.
“What we are really trying to focus on is letting people know that sexual and domestic violence happens every day in our community,” Smith said. “It’s here. It’s us.”
For that reason, 90 percent of the proceeds benefit Bay Area Turning Point, a local non-profit organization. BATP provides support for recovering victims of sexual and domestic violence. The other 10 percent will go to V-Day Campaign to help build safe homes for women in Haiti.
A flower and bake sale supporting V-Day UHCL’s fundraising efforts is set to take place on Valentine’s Day in Bayou, Atrium I from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Raffle tickets also will be sold. Winners of the raffle could receive items such as: a gift card for a massage, $50 hair salon certificate, original art, one of two hand-died silk scarves or an autographed book.
The event is open to UHCL students, faculty, staff and community members.
Tickets for the production are $10 each. For more information, visit www.uhcl.edu\vday or follow the event on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/#!/vdayuhcl2012).
Smith can be reached at smithj@uhcl.edu or 281.283.2578.
