The word vagina is not as dirty as you think.
As part of the V-Day campaign, there will be a benefit production, Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, to help raise funds for The Cocoon Shelter, Wood County’s domestic violence shelter.
The production is scheduled for Feb. 8 and 9 at 8:00 p.m. in Olscamp Hall, Room 101. The cost of the event is $10 for students and $12 for the general public. It is being sponsored by the Organization for Women’s Issues.
‘The goal of this production is to stop violence against women. The idea is if you accept the word [vagina] then you’ll accept women the same way,’ said Kitty Devany, producer of V-Day.
Junior Sheila Campbell, who is a performer in the production, said she heard about The Vagina Monologues last year and wanted to learn more.
‘It has a really great cause behind it and has a distinct message that comes out in a different way. The message it sends is worthy,’ Campbell said.
Last year, the V-Day campaign raised $8,000 and would like to raise at least that much this year, said Devany.
‘This is my third year performing in it. I got involved when I found out all proceeds go to charity. We don’t keep one penny,’ Annie Brown, junior, said.
This campaign strives to empower women to find a collective voice. It aims to end violence against women.
‘My role is very dramatic. My character is a woman who was beaten by her husband for 18 years. I need to get across that this is a real woman,’ Campbell said.
There are two performances scheduled for The Vagina Monologues this year, which marks V-Day’s 10-year anniversary. These performances feature Campbell and Brown.
Bishop said she hopes people keep an open mind when they come.
‘Don’t come with a pre-empted notion. We want to raise awareness about women’s issues that are still going on today,’ Bishop said.
The V-Day campaign extends over the month of February and is highlighted all over the country with the intentions to increase awareness of violence against women.
‘Domestic violence deserves more attention than we pay,’ Campbell said.
