Abington faculty to perform in production of 'The Vagina Monologues'

“The Vagina Monologues,” a benefit production, will be performed by several female students, staff and faculty of Penn State Abington at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb.12 and Friday, Feb.13. Saturday's (Feb.14) show will begin at 5 p.m. All performances will be held in Sutherland Auditorium, Room 9.

The play is about intimacy, vulnerability and sexual self-discovery from the female perspective, according to Eve Ensler, the woman who wrote and starred in the award winning show which opened off-Broadway in 1996. Ensler wrote the play after interviewing and listening to 200 women talk about their bodies. The play recounts the often times tender, funny, gripping and horrifying stories of these women. “The Vagina Monologues” has been translated into 45 languages and performed in more than 120 countries. Ensler received an Obie, the off-Broadway equivalent to the Tony award, for best new play in 1996. Celebrities who have starred in the play include: Oprah Winfrey, Jane Fonda, Glenn Close and Susan Sarandon.

“People cringe when you mention the name of the play, but hopefully that response will fade, once the play is performed,” said Cynthia Estremera, director of the production, senior English major and co-president of the Third Wave — the student club focused on women’s rights and issues, and sponsor of the play.

“The purpose of putting on ‘The Vagina Monologues’ here at Abington is to educate women about their intimate selves and how to feel secure; how to be yourself in your own skin,” said Estremera.

All proceeds from the play will go to the Laurel House, a Montgomery County domestic violence agency, and the international V-Day organization — a global movement to end violence against women and girls. V-Day financially supports causes that help stop violence against women by raising funds and awareness through benefit productions of Founder Ensler’s award-winning play.

By collaborating with the V-Day organization, The Third Wave is able to use V-Day’s play script and will donate 10 percent of the proceeds to the V-Day 2009 campaign, “Stop Raping Our Greatest Resource: Power to the Women and Girls of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),” for women who have become victims of war tactic rape. The V-Day group is building the City Of Joy — a safe facility and community for women survivors of sexual violence where they will be provided with support to heal, and training to further develop their leadership and life skills.

Don’t miss Penn State Abington’s own celebrities — Judy Newman, Martha Kemper, Tracy Reed and several Abington students including Estremera — as they perform “The Vagina Monologues.” Tickets are available while they last in Lares lobby on Monday, Feb. 9, Tuesday, Feb. 10, and Wednesday, Feb. 11, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Tickets may also be purchased at the door prior to each performance, if shows haven’t sold out. Ticket cost is $5 for students and $7 for all others. Saturday’s performance includes a raffle sale for a gift basket of Aveda products.

For more information on the Third Wave go on-line to http://psasga.org/club-list/third-wave.html.

For more information on the V-Day organization, visit http://newsite.vday.org.

For more information on the Laurel House, go to http://www.laurel-house.org.

Last Updated March 19, 2009

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