Students at Denison University will mark "V-Day 2001 College Initiative" by reprising Eve Ensler's Obie Award-winning play "The Vagina Monologues." Some 30 students will produce and perform the play at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday (Feb. 21) in Swasey Chapel. Sponsored by Women's Emphasis, the performance is free and open to the public.

V-Day is a campaign to end sexual violence against women and to proclaim Valentine's Day as the day to celebrate women. First marked in 1998 with a performance of the play by Glenn Close, Whoope Goldberg, Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder, Lily Tomlin and Calista Flockhart, the College Initiative 2001 performances hope to raise awareness of the frequency of violent acts against women, particularly young college women. Other college campuses marking the day include Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, Odense (Denmark), Mills, and Agnes Scott College.

The monologue stories range from personal tales to violent nightmares. A collection of about a dozen short pieces, they are based on interviews with some 200 women by Ensler. They include a tribute to Bosnian rape victims, an eyewitness report about the wonder of childbirth, the indignities of pelvic exams and an elderly woman's dreams of Burt Reynolds.

The Denison performance is a project headed by senior Janelle Barlage, who also was instrumental in bringing the play to Denison last year.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575