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Thursday, March 28, 2024
NEWS  |  CAMPUS

Group calls for ‘Vagina Monlogues’ roles

When she was 11 years old, Lorraine Wheat stood in the middle of a bookstore and said, “Guess what, Mom. My vagina is angry.”

Wheat’s mother was familiar with the book her daughter was imitating and calmly explained to her daughter a little bit about the play.

Eight years later, Wheat once again announced that her vagina was angry — this time during a play called “The Vagina Monologues”  by Eve Ensler.

This year, Victory Over Violence, a UF anti-domestic violence organization, will put on its fourth annual production of “The Vagina Monologues” as a fundraiser for organizations like local the domestic violence victim shelter Peaceful Paths.

“Any woman who wants to be proactive and to fight for human rights, who wants to do great things, wants to be like [Ensler],” said Wheat, an advertising senior and Victory Over Violence public relations officer at UF.

Auditions for the 2010 performance began on Tuesday and will continue from 8:30 to 10 p.m. tonight in the Reitz Union basement, Room 60.

Twenty-eight women auditioned Tuesday, and more are expected to audition tonight.

“There are 33 monologues, and we offer anyone that auditions that doesn’t get a monologue a spot in public relations, advertising or something else so they can still be involved in the production,” said Jenna Calton, Victory Over Violence president and a psychology junior at UF.

During the 2008-2009 fiscal year, Peaceful Paths provided services for 1,260 new clients, helped house 128 adults and 90 children and provided 11,701 services, according to the Peaceful Paths 2009 fact sheet.

The monologues deal with the pain and shame that women face, whether it’s because of their bodies, experiences or surviving abuse.

“Eve Ensler uses the work to inspire a grassroots movement which started anti-violence and abuse networks. Vday.org showcases all of the movements and all of the things they’re doing. It shows that she’s using her work and art to give women who wouldn’t be able to express themselves a medium to talk about their pain,” Wheat said.

She added that her part in the play inspired deep conversations with women who sought her out afterward to say they wished they could express themselves.

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“After you do this play you feel, ‘Why not? Why should I feel ashamed for being a woman?’” Wheat said. “I don’t think this is something you can get involved in and it not become your heart.”

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