Vagina Monologues Exposes and Empowers Women

This weekend, Drexel faculty, staff and students will be performing in the “V-Day Drexel University; University City Campus 2012” show of The Vagina Monologues, directed by Suzanne Noll, manager of Learning and Development in Human Resources.

The award-winning series of monologues is based on V-Day Founder/playwright Eve Ensler's interviews with more than 200 women in an effort to give voice to experiences and feelings not previously exposed in public. Through this nation-wide play and the liberation of this one word, countless women throughout the world have taken control of their bodies and their lives.

Noll, who has directed The Vagina Monologues twice before for non-profit organizations in Harrisburg, said attendees might not see what they expect from the title.

“We completely honor the words in the monologues. Some of it is heavy and disturbing and some of it is very funny and enlightening. It really goes through a very wide spectrum of experiences of women,” says Noll.

For the first time, the Drexel community of faculty, students and staff joined forces to give a voice to these issues as well as benefit the community with proceeds.

“We’re building a mini-community that’s all doing something together for a larger good. And that sense of community then ripples out to other parts of the community,” says Noll.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to Dawn’s Place, a non-profit organization working to improve the lives of sexually exploited women by providing housing, trauma recovery services, vocational training and other services, and to the Women of Haiti, a non-profit organization that campaigns to end grave abuses of human rights.

Drexel performers include Kathy Anderson, Emily Cardaro, Genevive Carota, Natisha Chen, Jessica Cordisco, Sherry Goodill, Mackenzie Grapes, Joesphine Harper, Jateia Holmes, Kerry Hooks, Stephanie Mayer, Jem Prakash, Sarah Reisert, Michele Rovinsky, Ellen Schelly-Hill, Andrea Shaw, Ava Skolnik, Amber Turner, Caity Wallace, Rebecca Weidensaul and Krystle Wilson.

The event will take place on Friday, March 2 from 8-10 pm and Saturday, March 3 from 1-3 pm in the Mitchell Auditorium, Bossone Research Center, 3140 Market Street.

Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for general public and are on sale now at: www.vdaydrexel.eventbrite.com. Tickets will also available at the door.

--Stephanie Takach