Mason is joining the V-Day global effort to stop violence against women and girls by presenting Eve Ensler’s play, the Vagina Monologues, on Feb. 15 – 16.

With the help of WAVES and the Women’s and Gender Studies program, the Vagina Monologues will take place at 8 p.m…. in Harris Theater. Tickets for the show are discounted to $5 for Mason students and $25 for the community.

This will be the 14th year the show comes to Mason, and the goal of the show is not only to stop violence against women, but to fund beneficiaries.
The Vagina Monologues will benefit Dating Abuse Stops Here – a service to teens and parents who experience date violence – and Mason’s Victims of Violence Fund, which is used for Mason students who have experienced violence. The funds raised by the show will go toward proper medical care for victims.

“One billion women violated is an atrocity,” states a banner on the V-Day Campaign’s website. “One billion women dancing is a revolution.”

This statement goes along with this year’s monologue, a spotlight of the show, and it is titled “One Billion Rising.” To celebrate the 15th year of V-Day, the foundation is inviting one billion women and those who love them to walk out, dance, rise up and demand an end to violence.

The V-Day Campaign asks for one billion to rise because one billion women experience violence each year.

This is a movement to mobilize women and men to heighten awareness about violence against women and girls.

“One in three women on the planet will be raped or beaten in her lifetime,” continues the V-Day Campaign banner, which mobilizes women and the global community to demand an end to violence.

Ensler created the Vagina Monologues to present testimonials of women’s experiences on their journey through sexual discovery.
The show was initially written to celebrate womanhood and feminity, but with a continuing trend of violence against women all over the world, Ensler created a new show.

At Mason, WAVES – comprised of Sexual Assault Services and Alcohol, Drug and Health Education – uses the Vagina Monologues to focus on healthy, positive relationships.

The monologues and the V-Day Campaign assist WAVES in educating students, faculty and the campus community on how to maintain healthy relationships and show appreciation for others.

“Various student cultural organizations are included to display the variety of ways different individuals and cultures communicate and create strong relationships,” states the SAS website about the Vagina Monologues and V-Day Campaign at Mason.

Just last year, over 5,800 V-Day benefit events took place around the world to educate millions about how violence against women and girls can affect the lives of many – Mason being a part of this statistic.