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By Nicole Holman

CSUSM students, teachers and community members will be participating in an annual monologue performance in hopes to raise consciousness about women’s issues.

The Vagina Monologues, written by Eve Ensler, is an episodic play that debuted on Oct.3, 1996 in New York City. Esteemed playwright and feminist Eve Ensler spent years interviewing women from various socioeconomic backgrounds and collecting their stories of feminine experience. Ensler realized a trend in these interviews: that despite the wide range of the women’s backgrounds, they were all affected by similar experiences.

Since its initial performance in 1996, the Vagina Monologues has gained recognition for bringing women’s stories and experiences to center stage and is still performed on hundreds of college campuses today. The monologues focus on topics such as sex, relationships and violence against women, and range from the hilarious to the heartbreaking.

Student activist and past Monologues performer, Karen GuzmXn, spoke highly of the play’s message to viewers.

“We live in a patriarchal society that allows us to talk about men’s issues more so than women’s. That’s why this play is important: it prioritizes women’s voices and women’s issues,” she said. “This play opens audience’s eyes to the backlash of patriarchy such as rape culture, femicide and violence against women.”

From the stories shared during the Vagina Monologues, the audience learns that the negative effects of a patriarchal society span throughout the world. These are experiences and issues not often discussed in our society, but that affect millions of women every day.

“These performances allow women to be heard by large groups of people. It lets women talk and relate to each other on topics we are told never to talk about, from rape culture to women’s sexuality,” GuzmXn said.

While the Vagina Monologues does address very serious issues, it is not without comic relief. Audiences are encouraged to engage in many of the more upbeat monologues.

Performances of the Vagina Monologues will be held on Friday, March 13 and Saturday March 14 in Arts 111. Tickets are 5 dollars each and one hundred percent of the proceeds go towards non-profit organizations who are committed to helping women. Fellow students, family and community members are welcome and encouraged to attend.