For the fifth year in a row, Saint Mary's College will present "SMC Monologues," a production based off Eve Ensler's "Vagina Monologues," but containing stories written by Saint Mary's students.
Ensler's production brings women's sexuality to the forefront, and the "SMC Monologues" intend to do the same.
"Students have wanted to facilitate discussion about topics relevant to women's sexuality because of the many students' commitment to the goal of raising awareness about issues related to sexual assault," said Catherine Pittman, Saint Mary's psychology professor and advisor to the SMC Monologues.
Each story is submitted anonymously, and could be about anything from sexuality to what it means to be a Saint Mary's woman.
"At Saint Mary's College, we encourage women to speak up, to write, to be bold and adventurous and that's what the "SMC Monologues" is all about," Pittman said.
The "SMC Monologues" allow Saint Mary's women to share their experiences. Students are able not only to write a story to be presented in the performance, but are also able to portray the characters in the monologues. Pittman said.
"In the 'SMC Monologues,' we ask women who are members of the Saint Mary's College community to share their own experiences," she said. "For the last four years, women on our campus have created and performed our own monologues. It is a powerful approach to addressing the topic of women's sexuality."
New monologues are submitted each year for the performance.
"We want the issues discussed in the SMC Monologues to be current, compelling and of concern to the campus community," Pittman said.
One goal of the monologues is to provide a chance for women to share private issues, and discover that many others have shared some of these experiences. "Sometimes it is difficult for women to share their concerns, and as a result, women often believe they are alone in their questions or concerns," Pittman said.
"When women take the risk to share their experiences, they are often surprised at the number of people who have had similar experiences or who want to provide support and concern."
Women interested in performing the SMC Monologues can contact Becki Faunce at rfaunc01@saintmarys.edu. The performance will be held in February, although no specific date had been set yet.
