ANGIE LEVINE/Daily Bruin Christine Vu
(left) and Mady Stovall perform scenes from "The
Vagina Monologues" for V-Day.
By Michelle V. Gonzales
Daily Bruin Contributor
Fabulous vagina. Closed due to flooding. Be my clitoris. Oh
yeah, right there. Cancer. Rape. Awareness.
Through the presence of V-Day, these words will move away from
being taboos for women in society.
V-Day is a national event, sponsored by playwright and author of
“The Vagina Monologues,” Eve Ensler. The college
campaign of V-Day consists of colleges across the nation, including
UCLA, producing Ensler’s bold and unrestrained play with all
of the proceeds directly benefiting local organizations for
women’s causes, mainly those that are aimed at empowering
young people and creating an awareness toward stopping violence
against women.
The “V” in V-Day stands for three different ideas:
Valentine’s, vagina and violence. V-Day takes place on or
around Valentine’s Day and includes the presentation of the
college’s production of “The Vagina Monologues,”
a humorous take on women’s issues and sexuality.
Proceeds from the UCLA V-Day performance will go to the UCLA
Clothesline Project. This organization, part of the National
Clothesline Project, presents a memorial every year for those who
have personally and directly experienced the effects of
sexual/gender violence. The UCLA Performing Arts Student Committee
and the UCLA Center for the Study of Women is also supporting the
event by assisting with the overall production and promotion.
 ANGIE LEVINE/Daily Bruin Kate Hewitt
performs Eve Ensler’s "The Vagina Monologues," which will be
playing in Moore Hall through this weekend. Schools that decide to
take part in the production not only help raise money for local
organizations, but give college students an increasing awareness on
topics that are not frequently discussed.
“We thought (“Monologues”) was really powerful
to bring to UCLA,” said assistant director Marisa Ritchey, a
fourth-year political science student. “We’ve been
really dedicated to making sure people come, because it becomes
personal and it benefits prevention organizations for
women.”
“Monologues” employs humor to explain the ins and
outs of the body of a woman and ease the uncomfortable feelings
people have with female body-related issues.
“Basically the show is about vaginas,” said Liisa
Spink, director of the production and a fourth-year English and
microbiology student. “Ensler interviewed thousands of women
and collected their stories.”
With titles like “My short skirt” and “My
angry vagina,” the pieces deal with respecting a woman
despite what she wears, and the abuse a vagina endures. The
performance will touch on topics that women find difficult to
approach, even with their mothers, such as intimacy with
one’s self and pregnancy, aiming to foster awareness of
varied feminine concerns.
“It is also about getting comfortable with (a
woman’s) own body and talking about what women aren’t
taught,” Spink said.
 ANGIE LEVINE/Daily Bruin (Left to right) Rex
King, Marisa Ritchey, Roopam
Sidhu and Christine Vu rehearse for the
campus premiere of "The Vagina Monologues."
According to Spink, it is illegal to sell vibrators in Texas
although the selling of guns is still permitted. On college
campuses, every 21 hours there is a rape. She also said that
between 1993-1998 women experienced the highest rates of violence,
most cases being that of date rape.
“There’s a bunch of different facts about
rape,” said Spink. “V-Day is an organized response
against (this type of) violence towards women.”
Spink also mentioned that one important aspect of “The
Vagina Monologues” is its unabrasive form of feminism.
“The event combines feminism movements with love and
anti-violence. It’s not man hating at all,” Spink said.
“These pieces are about an invitation and are not an up-front
feminist manifesto. It is a gentle invitation on what it means to
be a woman in society.”
The cast is compromised of 15 women, all UCLA students and
staff, and students from the Los Angeles area. Only women can take
full roles in the production, yet men can offer their services by
helping with stage assistance.
“It brings to mind issues that are complicated to
discuss,” said student performer Christine Vu, a fourth-year
psychology and English student. “There are many women out
there of many different ethnicities and we all are here as
women.”
Since the characters are based on real stories from women all
over the United States, the production’s elements of
boldness, exaggerations and openness can communicate directly with
the audience.
“My characters feel very real. People will relate,”
said Ritchey.
Yes! Yes! Yes! Vaginas have found the voice that they’ve
always longed for.
THEATER: “The Vagina Monologues”
will be held at Moore Hall 100, Feb. 8, 9 and 10 at 8 p.m. Tickets
are still available for Sunday’s performance by calling the
CTO at (310) 825-2101.