Students and staff to present ECU production of “The Vagina Monologues”

East Carolina University will present a production of “The Vagina Monologues” at 7 p.m. on Feb. 19 in the Main Campus Student Center Ballroom.

“The Vagina Monologues” is a play addressing multiple aspects of the feminine experience including the physical body, empowerment and the ultimate embodiment of individuality. The material was developed based on interviews with more than 200 women. It was first performed in New York in 1994.

“Being in ‘The Vagina Monologues’ is a wholly freeing experience. It has allowed me to be free to say how and what I feel about my body without fear of criticism,” said Grace Fawcett, ECU sophomore and member of the ensemble. “This play is a necessary resource for girls and women everywhere to realize that their bodies are important and should be celebrated.”

Admission to the performance is free and open to the ECU community and general public. No ticket is required for entry; however, donations will be accepted at the door to benefit the Center for Family Violence Prevention. This organization serves Pitt, Martin and Washington counties to break the cycle of domestic violence while enhancing individual self-sufficiency and promoting healthy family relationships.

The cast includes 17 women consisting of students, faculty, staff and community members.

“As an undergraduate student leader at Berry College, I had the opportunity to direct my campus performance of ‘The Vagina Monologues’ for three years,” said Ashley Cleland, associate director of the ECU Women and Gender Office and co-director of the ECU production.

“It is a delight and a privilege to return to these powerful words and uplift the lived experiences of women across the globe in my new role at ECU. My hope is that these timeless monologues and stories will provide windows into experiences unfamiliar to us to build empathy and mirrors into experiences like our own so we may feel less alone. Especially in the context of pain, like through some of the stories of sexual violence, it can be empowering for survivors to discover they are not alone. There are many ways to experience womanhood or gender and this play explores them deeply.”

Early performances of the play led to the 1998 launch of V-Day, a global movement aimed at ending violence against women and girls. The initial event led to more than 5,800 annual V-Day celebrations, many of those on college campuses.

The play contains strong language and adult content and is intended for mature audiences.

For more information, contact Mark Rasdorf, associate director for the Dr. Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ Center and co-director of the production, at 252-737-4451.

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ECU News Services
Howard House, 1001 E. Fifth Street
Greenville, NC 27858
ecunews@ecu.edu
Phone: 252-328-6481
news.ecu.edu

Contact: Mark Rasdorf, associate director for the ECU Dr. Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ Center

Telephone:  252-737-4451

Event Date: Feb. 19, 2019