The Vagina Monologues being performed this week

The Vagina Monologues serves to empower women and raise awareness globally for both men and women about the experiences in a woman's life, co-producer and senior Emily Blevins said. The performances take place at 9 p.m. at the Tyler Haynes Commons on Feb. 13, 14 and 15.

The monologues are based off of interviews that the playwright Eve Ensler conducted with women around the world, Co-Producer and Director senior Katie Lambeth said. Women of all different ages, ethnicities, religions and socio-economic backgrounds wrote the monologues, ranging from serious to funny stories, she said.

The slogan for the Vagina Monologues is 'Until the Violence Stops,' Blevins said.

"I always wanted to participate because as a woman I don't think the female voice is heard enough," Blevins said."There are definitely monologues that push the envelope."

The monologues allow the writers and viewers to become more comfortable with voicing their personal desires, she said.

"There is a monologue I performed freshman year called 'My Vagina is My Village,' and it's what tied Vagina Monologues together for me," Blevins said. The two-person monologue features a strong, happy woman and another woman who was raped in Bosnia, she said. "The point, is your vagina is a part of you and any violence against it is violence against you as a female."

Blevins said that in the three years she had participated in the performance she had become more comfortable talking about intimate parts of her body and that was the point.

Each year there's a spotlight foundation the monologues focus on, Blevins said. Anne Hathaway's foundation, One Billion Rising, is a global coalition of people who raise awareness about violence against women through dance. "Instead of citing statistics, the idea is to counter respond with a more positive and inspirational statistic, one billion people rising," Blevins said.

Auditions are held each year, and all women are welcome to try out, Blevins said. The women who audition read monologues and are able to choose to perform a more serious or comical one, she said.

Blevins favorite part of the show is when each girl performs a moan at the end she said. "It's really ridiculous, but really fun," Blevins said.

Lambeth said: "Something about some of the performances just moves me each year, and each year it's different. And of course, I love the moans!"

All proceeds go toward Safe Harbor Women's Shelter to raise awareness about violence against women, Lambeth said.

Contact reporter Katie Davidson at katie.davidson@richmond.edu