CORVALLIS - Oregon State University will stage V-Day 2002 on Feb. 14 with two performances of "The Vagina Monologues," focused on ending violence against women and proclaiming Valentine's Day as a day to celebrate women.

V-Day 2002 is part of a movement founded in 1998 dedicated to proclaiming Valentine's Day as a day to celebrate and liberate women and fight domestic violence. Two performances are scheduled at OSU's LaSells Stewart Center, at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Tickets, available at the door and at community outlets, are $6. In Corvallis, tickets will be available Feb. 4-13 at OSU Student Involvement and CD World. Proceeds from the 4:30 p.m. performance benefit the Corvallis-based Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence, while the 7:30 p.m. event will benefit campus and community efforts to stop violence against women. The 7:30 p.m. presentation will be interpreted for the hearing impaired, and if requested, for the afternoon event. For information, call 541-737-7555.

Last year's single performance sold-out, said David Visiko, a health educator with OSU's Student Health Services.

Some people may find the subject matter objectionable, Visiko said. "The Vagina Monologues," is a compilation of 200 interviews with women talking about their sex organs. New York author Eve Ensler had asked women from a mix of age, race and social backgrounds questions that delved into issues of female sexuality. Ensler then produced her work as a one-woman New York stage show in 1996.

At OSU, a number of different people will present selections from Ensler's work, Visiko said, including community people, as well as Oregon State University faculty, staff and students.

The first V-Day was staged in New York on Valentine's Day, 1998, starring a number of celebrities, including Winona Ryder, Glenn Close, Whoopi Goldberg, Goldie Hawn, Calista Flockhart, Rosie Perez, Susan Sarandon and Lily Tomlin.

The goal for colleges is to get the V-Day message out by encouraging campuses around the world to celebrate V-Day in their communities with a performance of "The Vagina Monologues."

Visiko says bringing the issues into the open is an important step.

"The more we can come together on these issues, the better it will be for everyone. I think this will be a wonderful opportunity to bring forth a subject that isn't talked about all that much."

OSU Peer Health Advocates, the OSU Women's Center and SafeRide sponsor the event.

Source: 

David Visiko, 541-737-7555

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