February 22-24, Friday, Saturday, 7pm; Sunday, 3pm
Shelter Theater, Vicente Guerrero 4, Colonia San Rafael
$250
Buy tickets: Mixta, Pila Seca 3, or online: v-day.ticketleap.com
All proceeds benefit CASA and Ser Mujer

The Vagina Monologues - theater
3 Fundraising Performances

By Carole Schor

The Vagina Monologues, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, will be presented on February 22, 23 and 24 at the Shelter Theater.

THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES is the award-winning play based on V-Day Founder/playwright Eve Ensler's interviews with more than 200 women which, through humor and grace, celebrates women's sexuality and the social stigma surrounding rape and abuse, creating a new conversation about and with women.

Through this play and the liberation of this one word, countless women throughout the world have taken control of their bodies and their lives. For twenty five years, The Vagina Monologues has given voice to experiences and feelings not previously exposed in public. The pain and confusion that come from being born with female sexual organs lingers; women are still shamed for their unshaven bikini lines, are still unsure how to masturbate, are still being raped, are still giving birth and having their bodies irrevocably changed by the experience.

From her interviews, Eve Ensler chose some of the greatest stories about vaginas to include in The Vagina Monologues. The stories range from happy, to sad, to angry, to confused, but they are all spoken in an effort to empower women and celebrate the vagina. Ensler explores many topics: sex, relationships, sexual violence, sex work, menstruation, and more, and we get to meet women from all corners of the world who have very different lives, all dealing with how to have a relationship with their vagina. Ensler was astonished when she started interviewing people by how uncomfortable everyone felt. Nobody spoke of their vagina with ease and many could hardly say the word out loud. The Vagina Monologues has tried to erase that taboo through fighting for female empowerment and advocating stopping violence against girls and women. Eve Ensler. through her V-Day organization, changes updates the script on a yearly basis.

The production team and ensemble cast include Jill Ainsworth, Marlena Benedicto, Kirsten Dehner, Deya Garcia Espinoza, Ashley Frazier, Isabel Garcia, Susan Gold, Robin Rogers, Carole Shor, Cynthia Simmons, Laura Sotelo, Debra Spilfogel, Kathy Sulkes, Gerry Troy, and Silvia Ramirez Vazquez. Annette Nanes, from New York, is coming to San Miguel to direct the show.

Funds raised during the performances will go to two organizations dedicated to the empowerment of women.

Ser Mujer, a coalition of 20 Mexican, American, Canadian and Mexican-American women of all ages, promotes the commonality of women’s issues across cultures, to raise awareness of their challenges and to celebrate their accomplishments and contributions.

Established in 1981, CASA’s mission is to promote empowerment, gender equality and self-sufficiency for individuals and families. CASA seeks to elevate quality of life in Mexico, offering multiple services, such as educational workshops, family planning consulting, psychological assessments and day care, among others.

Tickets can be purchased at Mixta, Pila Seca 3, Centro and Online at v-day.ticketleap.com

The Vagina Monologues is one of the great political plays of our time and is a must see for anyone who is a woman — or knows a woman.

Please be advised:
Some of the monologues in this production use strong language to discuss sensitive topics, such as violence against women and sexual violence.