Play aims to empower women

Proceeds to benefit Safe House and people displaced by Hurricane Katrina

SPECIAL TO VIEWThe cast of "The Vagina Monologues," which will be performed Friday at UNLV, is made up of average people, not professional actors. The play features stories of courage and triumph from women around the world. Advertisement

On the simplest level, the stories are about women overcoming adversity. The message is one of empowerment, and for the past 10 years, women across the globe have been touched by these tales of candor.

A 10^th anniversary production of "The Vagina Monologues" will play at 7 p.m. Friday at Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. Proceeds from the event will benefit Safe House and women who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Part-time women's studies professor Janis Duncan has been working with the play as an actress and producer since 2004 and believes in its power.

"The play began on Broadway in 1997," Duncan said. "The response by both sexes was so overwhelming that it has kept its potency. Each year, new stories are added, but they are performed by average women, not professional actresses."

The monologues are based upon real experiences in the lives of real women and recount stories of aggression, violence and triumph.

"The experience of women everywhere is collective," Duncan said. "But in many of these stories, the audience is forced to confront the realities about some ugly subjects. From women in Bosnia to the women of the Philippines ... we all have a story to tell."

According to Duncan, the play is used as both an activism tool and an entertainment experience.

"This is a labor of love for everyone involved, and it is entertaining," Duncan said. "But when people leave the theater, we want them to be called to action, to be angry, to be touched, to be outraged."

Duncan, a psychotherapist by profession, said she believes that the paramount purpose of the play is to promote awareness about violence against women.

"I think that men and women who attend will have a life-changing experience," Duncan said. "It was very healing for me the first time that I saw it because I've had to deal with some of the issues in my own life."

Las Vegas resident Stephanie Turner said she saw the play in New York a number of years ago, but recalls that she was never quite able to shake the feelings that it evoked.

"The stories of those women really stay with you," Turner said. "And it is profound. My husband attended the show with me, and he left with tears in his eyes. I don't think this is any kind of feminist trip. That's not what it's about. It's about empowering women to be strong, to heal themselves and not allow abuse to continue."

The evening also will include a silent art auction in the lobby before the play. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the spotlight charities. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased by calling 895-2787.

"It's not enough to just survive," Duncan said. "We have to thrive."