Women's Resource Centre seeks performers for Vagina Monologues

The Women’s Resource Centre is once again preparing to tell moving, meaningful, and hilarious stories about women and their vaginas in the fourth annual benefit production of The Vagina Monologues being staged at the University Theatre on March 24, 2016. Students, faculty, staff and community members will come together to rehearse and mount this iconic production under the direction of Shirley Steinberg, professor in the Werklund School of Education.

The Vagina Monologues does not involve extensive rehearsals or experienced actors, but rather, regular women with diverse life experiences are encouraged to get involved for fun and to be part of an inclusive community. “The energy and spirit of the play creates an environment where you feel like it’s okay to be just be you — it’s liberating and addictive,” says Kendall Brown, BEd'13, a University of Calgary alumna who has performed in the show every year since its inception at the university in 2013. “Participating has allowed me to connect with an amazing group of powerful and inspiring women,” adds Lauryn Record, MA student in the Werklund School of Education and assistant director of the production.

A liberating, addictive experience

Performers in The Vagina Monologues have the opportunity to explore a spectrum of women’s experiences addressing topics such as gender, sexuality, violence and inequality. “The show has become a vehicle for the expression of joy, pain and interpersonal communication within the community," says Steinberg. Participants often find that in giving voice to others’ true stories, the experience is personally meaningful for them. “I like seeing women accurately portrayed through real stories told by a diverse cast, and giving a voice to feminism,” says Brown. “We get to tell stories that would never be heard or understood anywhere else,” she adds.

Auditions will be held Jan. 18 and 19 and are open to anyone who leads their life as a woman. For more information and to sign up to audition visit the Women’s Resource Centre.