“The Vagina Monologues” returns to GS

Tara Bailey

Sex. Rape. Birth. These are just some of the stories told in Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues.”

This week, Georgia Southern’s chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) will host “The Vagina Monologues,” which is a play Eve Ensler, an American playwright and activist, wrote based on interviews that she conducted with several different women.

The theme for the play this year is sexual harassment in the workplace.

The event is in honor of V-Day, which is a national event held in February that Ensler created in 1998 that calls people to produce “The Vagina Monologues” to raise money for local places that help to end the violence towards women.

“I hope we can help start conversations where people share and grow from each other. I hope we help fertilize empathy, so the diverse people with their diverse experiences in our community start understanding each other better,” Rebecca Frost, the president of the GSU chapter of NOW.

All the proceeds raised from the event will go to the Statesboro Regional Sexual Assault Center (SRSAC), which helps sexual assault victims heal.

“We provide free services for victims of sexual assault and child abuse. Our services include forensic medical exams crisis advocacy, referrals for counseling and medical services, and continued advocacy throughout a survivor’s journey of healing. We can accompany survivors to any medical follow up appointments, as well as be there during any legal proceedings. And advocate’s main job is to support and be a positive voice for survivors,” Christie Perry, the executive director of SRSAC, said.

Senior Staci Washington, an international studies major, believes that this event can bring more awareness to sexual assault.

“I feel that assault, rape, and abuse are all problems in our community and as college students, we should be more aware,” Washington said.

“The Vagina Monologues” will be open to the public on Wednesday, Feb. 15 and Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Russell Union Theater. Tickets will be sold prior to the event near the rotunda–$5 for students and $7 for faculty. Tickets will also be sold at the door for $7 for students and $9 for faculty.