Feb. 9, 2011
Staff, students and faculty from Shawnee State University will be performing in "The Vagina Monologues" at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 11 and Saturday, Feb. 12, in the Flohr Lecture Hall at the Clark Memorial Library on campus.
"The Vagina Monologues" is an Obie award-winning episodic play made up of a number of monologues read by a variety of different women. The play, written by Eve Ensler, is the cornerstone of the V-Day movement, whose participants stage benefit performances of the show worldwide each year between Feb. 1 and March 8 to raise money for local domestic violence shelters.
The first V-Day benefit took place on Valentine's Day 1998 and since 2010, more than 5,400 V-Day benefit events have taken place in 1,800 locations, including all 50 U.S. states and 55 countries. The play has been performed more than 3,500 times around the world.
Ann Linden, interim director of the Women's Center and senior instructor in SSU's English and Humanities Department, is director of the play.
"I believe people will have a night of thought-provoking and entertaining performances as well as the satisfaction of knowing that they have contributed to an extremely worthwhile cause," Linden said.
All the proceeds will go to the Southern Ohio Domestic Violence Shelter.
Cast members in the play are Angela Bell, Heather Myers, Dinique Gray, Leigha Osolinski, Stephanie Bush, Ashley Braden, Shana Myers, Kelsey Smith, Anglea McKain, Mallory Saltsman, Suzanne Johnson-Varney, Aimee Taylor, Christina Jones, Aubry Fowler, Velma Brehm, Aundrea Perkins, Shelly Michael, Barbara Costas Biggs, Dani Gillstrap, Anna Purpero, Rachel Imler, Michelle Pancake, Brandi Harris, Katy Werring, Kathleen "Kat" Collins and Christine Moore.
This is the fifth year for "The Vagina Monologues" at SSU. Each year the monologues, sponsored by Shawnee State University's Women's Center, is a big hit performing to a packed house.
"We've sold out almost every show for the past four years," Linden said. "The good thing is that this year we have more seats available in the Flohr Lecture Hall so we can seat more people."
Tickets for the play are $10 for general admission, $25 for patron reserved seats. They can be purchased at the McKinley Box Office in SSU's Vern Riffe Center for the Arts. On the night of the show only, tickets may be purchased at the Flohr Lecture Hall.
For ticket information, call The McKinley Box Office at (740) 351-3600. For more information, call Linden at (740) 351-3738, or e-mail alinden@shawnee.edu.