The group that helped bring "The Vagina Monologues" to life is bringing another play by the same author to campus. V-Day is slated to perform "A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer" at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Saxbe Auditorium in Moritz Law School. The benefit production is part of a movement to help raise awareness about violence toward women and girls.
"Students and audience members can expect to hear true stories of women that have experienced abuse," said Shannon Richissin, a sophomore in criminology. She is a performing member in V-Day. "Some people just see and hear of this violence that is occurring against women, almost to the point where they are numb to what is occurring in this world. But now people will be able to feel and understand what happens in an abusive relationship through the horrifyingly real stories we will perform."
The "V" in V-Day stands for victory, valentine and vagina.
"The idea of V-Day is centered on Valentine's Day, which is when we performed ["The Vagina Monologues"] in February," said Lindsey Fuller, a senior and director of the show.
"This time around we chose another work by Eve Ensler because violence is a huge issue in our present day and we feel as if it is being ignored."
The show is based off the novel of the same name by Ensler, which includes personal stories from victims who have suffered from violence. V-Day will be performing 10 narratives from the novel as well as a special spotlight campaign monologue from women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
"There needs to be more attention on the women in Congo right now because the current state of the country is at odds against the women," Fuller said.
V-Day is a global movement that generates attention toward violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation and sexual slavery.
By hosting creative events, raising money and campaigning, V-Day draws college students and local volunteers to help share the group's message.
According to vday.org, V-Day stages large-scale benefits and produces gatherings, films and campaigns to educate and change social attitudes toward violence against women. The movement has spread worldwide, reaching 120 countries from Europe to Asia, Africa and the Caribbean and all of North America.
Acting as a nonprofit corporation, V-Day dispenses funds to grassroots, national and international organizations that work to stop violence. According to their Web site, in 2001 V-Day was named one of Worth Magazine's "100 Best Charities" and in 2006 one of Marie Claire Magazine's Top Ten Charities.
In 10 years, the V-Day movement has raised more than $60 million.
Ninety percent of the proceeds from the performance will go to the Sexual Assault Response Network of Central Ohio, while the remaining 10 percent will go to campaigns to help women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Fuller said she hopes audience members will realize the magnitude of violence against women.
"The stories we present will not only focus on physical abuse but mental and psychological abuse as well," Fuller said. "We want to give our audience a different perspective in each story so they understand that violence can be in many shapes and forms."
Tickets are $3 and will be sold at the door.
"Ultimately, we just want people to feel an emotional connection with our performances," Richissin said.
Mariam Khan can be reached at khan.197@osu.edu.
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