Cleveland Stages 'Vagina Monologues' to Benefit Rape Crisis Center

On Friday, February 20, join a diverse group of women from both the CWRU academic community as well as the greater Cleveland community as they stage Eve Ensler's classic, "The Vagina Monologues" in Cleveland. The proceeds will benefit the international One Billion Rising campaign and the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center.

"I first saw the 'Monologues' as a freshman in college, and have been involved with them ever since," said co-producer Rebecca Ye, a first-year medical student. "For me, they were the opening lines to a larger conversation about gender and the female experience, and I believe that in light of current events and legislation, they are now more important than ever."

Hailed by The New York Times as "funny" and "poignant" and by the Daily News as "intelligent" and "courageous," "The Vagina Monologues," which was first performed off-Broadway by Ensler, dives into the mystery, humor, pain, power, wisdom, outrage and excitement buried in women's experiences. Ensler has performed the play to great acclaim throughout the world, from Zagreb to Santa Barbara, from London to Seattle, from Jerusalem to Oklahoma City. Villard Books/Random House first published "The Vagina Monologues," which includes a foreword by Gloria Steinem, in February 1998. A special edition was released in hard cover and paperback in February 2008 in honor of V-Day's ten-year anniversary.

"The Vagina Monologues is a constantly-evolving production, but what remains true is the power each of the monologues has to highlight an aspect of the feminine experience. Our goal for this performance is that is be insightful and educational," Said Director Caitlin Carlton, a first-year medical student.

This special benefit performance is presented this year as part of V-Day's campaign One Billion Rising for Justice, a global call for women survivors of violence and those who love them to gather safely in places where they are entitled to justice: courthouses, police stations, government offices, school administration buildings, work places, sites of environmental injustice, military courts, embassies, places of worship, homes, or simply public gathering places where women deserve to feel safe but too often do not -- and release their stories through art, dance, marches, ritual, song, spoken word, sit-ins and testimonies.

"Seeing 'The Vagina Monologues' with friends in my undergraduate years helped me have conversations about gender and sexuality that I wouldn't have had otherwise," said co-producer Laura Hmiel, a first-year medical student. "I am excited to bring this opportunity back to CWRU!"

Proceeds from V-Day Case Western's production will benefit the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center. Founded in 1974, the CRCC has been a leader in supporting survivors of sexual violence, promoting social change, and leading sexual violence prevention efforts. The Cleveland Rape Crisis Center serves and supports all survivors. In 2013, the CRCC's staff of more than 100 volunteers, who contribute the equivalent of eight full-time staff positions, helped 18,000 people.

"The Vagina Monologues" will be performed at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 20 at Millis Schmitt Auditorium on the Case Western Reserve campus, 2080 Adelbert Rd. in Cleveland. Tickets are $10; they are available at the door, and online at http://tickets.case.edu under the subheading of "Case Feminist Collective."