Friday, February 28, through Sunday, March 1, 7:30 p.m.
Augustana College's Brunner Theatre Center, 3750 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island IL
Writing about the iconic stage presentation The Vagina Monologues in a 2018 article, the New York Times stated, “No recent hour of theatre has had a greater impact worldwide.” And Augustana College patrons will no doubt understand why when Eve Ensler's revered work is staged in a February 28 through March 1 production, with 90 percent of the proceeds benefiting women in the Quad Cities who are survivors of rape, sexual assault, and abuse.
A lauded stage piece that's also something of an international feminist movement, The Vagina Monologues finds women and men from all walks of life gathered together to perform a series of monologues, and is being sponsored by theatre fraternity Alpha Psi Omega in its 16th-annual presentation. Created by Ensler in the mid-'90s following her interviews with more than 200 women, the play explores consensual and non-consensual sexual experiences, body image, genital mutilation, direct and indirect encounters with reproduction, sex work, and other topics through the eyes of individuals of various ages, races, and sexual identification. The New York Times' Charles Isherwood called The Vagina Monologues “probably the most important piece of political theater of the last decade,” and every year since its inception, a new monologue is added to highlight a current world issue.
With this year's presentation boasting the participation of more than six dozen students, the 2020 Vagina Monologues is being co-helmed by Cassandra Karn (The Crucible) and Katherine Olechno (She Kills Monsters), with its ensemble completed by: Kaylee Anderson, Ally Anstead, Stephie Benito, Saisha Bhandari, Kate Black, Scott Brick, SophiaRose Brown, Elise Campbell, Rebecca Casad, Abdeliah Chaib, Lauren Clarke, Shelley Cooper, Isabel Dawson, Shyan DeVoss, Lindsey Edwards, Keenan Ellis, Sarah Elrod, Sam Flipp, Anna Foreman, Synthia Gonzalez, Francis Gow, Katie Griswold, Zoe Haenisch, Melissa Hagerty, Jack Harris, Brad Heinrichs, Ryan Hurdle, Muhammad Imdad, Jacqueline Issacson, Kaitlin Jacobson, Emily Keiner, Grace Kim, Katie Kleve, Paige Knoll, Lauren Larson, Julia Levy, Christina Lopez, Maddie McCobb, Natalie McMillan, Becca McNamar, Zach Misner, Jenna Morgan, Cami Myers, Sophie Nevel, Kate Normoyle, Lisa Oliger, Nicole Pacheco, Em Palmieri, Helene Paulson, Ariela Policastro, Miles Potje, Cheyenne Powell, Halley Price, Catherine Priebe, Siksha Ramchurn, Sam Ramont, Hunter Ridley, Olivia Rufatto, Faith Rund, Mary Isabel Sales, Sage Sanders, Riley Scranton, Jane Simonson, Brandon Smith, Shelly Summers, Michael Tarchala, Roxanne Torian, Haley Tromblee, Anima Upadhyay, and Grace Voyles, and James Wheeler.
The Vagina Monologues will be staged in the Brunner Theatre Center February 28 through March 1, with performances accompanied by the presentation's annual raffle of works by community artists. Admission to the 7:30 p.m. performances is $3-6, and more information is available by calling (309)794-7306 or visiting Augustana.edu/tickets.
