The stories have been approved, the cast has been compiled and the stage has been set for Saint Louis University’s first-ever production of The SLU Monologues.
The SLU Monologues are sponsored by SLU’s feminist organization, Una, and are described on the event’s webpage as a “dramatic compilation of true stories, voices from within the SLU community including students, faculty, staff and alumni.”
“We wanted to give students at SLU the opportunity to speak up,” Tomi Okuyemi, Una core member and co-director of The SLU Monologues, said.
Encompassing topics such as rape, unplanned pregnancy, gender issues and sexuality, the event will allow open discussion of these often-hushed subjects.
“Dialogue will lead to understanding, and understanding will lead to the end of violence,” Katie Cushwa, Una core member and co-director of The SLU Monologues, said.
Though The SLU Monologues is the first of its kind to appear at SLU, it has been quoted on its website as “drawing from The Vagina Monologues for stylistic inspiration.”
Nonetheless, Cushwa said that the two events are separate.
“The Vagina Monologues [is] specifically about women,” Cushwa said.
According to Okuyemi, The SLU Monologues pertain to “any oppressed group.”
It will be held at The Sheldon Concert Hall on Feb. 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Teresa Wink, a freshman performing a monologue written by another student, feels that SLU students should not miss out on this event.
“I think it’s a really good opportunity to hear things that their peers [and] teachers have gone through, and to know that these aren’t abstract stories,” Wink said. “These are real.”
The SLU Monologues will be held in Tegeler Hall’s Carlo Auditorium on Feb. 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Not only will the evenings raise awareness for these “hidden narratives,” Cushwa said, but they will also act as a fundraiser. All proceeds from the two nights will be contributed to Karen House and the Women’s Safe House.
Tickets for The SLU Monologues and The Vagina Monologues can be purchased online at slumonologues.com, from Una members or from the Una table that will be located in the BSC next week.
The rates for the shows will be $10 per show, or $15 if purchasing tickets for both events.
Even with the controversial connotation that the show carries, Una members and non-members alike have taken notice of the support that the administration has given to the event.
“The University is becoming more open to controversial topics and allowing more dialogue rather than silencing some of our most significant experiences,” Wink said.