BOISE STATE SPONSORS PLAY AND FORUM LOOKING AT WOMEN’S ISSUES

Boise State University will present "The Vagina Monologues" at 7 p.m. Feb. 17 and again at 2 p.m. Feb. 18 in the Special Events Center in the Student Union. The production, sponsored by the Boise State Women’s Center, uses women’s own words to explore their views on sexuality and body image, and ultimately who they are as women.

To learn about the purpose of the production, the community is invited to an open forum at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7, in the Student Union Bishop Barnwell Room.

"The Vagina Monologues" is part of a nationwide initiative involving college and university-sponsored productions, including a performance at Idaho State University. The productions are a part of the V-Day campaign to end sexual violence against women and proclaim Valentine’s Day as a day to celebrate women and end abuse.

Melissa Wintrow, Women’s Center coordinator, said the play is "a thoughtful, intentional, meaningful presentation. Its purpose is not to shock anyone in the community but to raise awareness ... There is a lot of misinformation out there about women and their bodies. Misinformation can lead to negative self-esteem for women individually and affect how women as a whole are mistreated by society."

The play is a series of 17 monologues based on interviews by playwright Eve Ensler with a diverse group of hundreds of real women. Although dialogue includes frank language and adult content, it can be a catalyst for increased understanding, organizers said.

"Theater is the perfect venue for something like this," director Janet Summers said. "The stage allows the audience to separate themselves from it if they feel uncomfortable. They can choose the level at which they want to be involved."

The production premiered off-Broadway in 1998 and has featured an array of big-name stars such as Oprah Winfrey, Calista Flockhart, Whoopi Goldberg, Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields, Rosie Perez and Winona Ryder. An article in the January issue of Oprah Magazine focuses on the production.

For more information, visit www.vaginamonologues.com or www.vday.org.

Contact:
Melissa Wintrow
Women’s Center
426-4259