As someone who has experienced sexism in the past, Clare Keaney said joining Students Advocating Sexual Safety and Empowerment “just made sense.”

“I’ve been catcalled, and I’ve been in bars where I’ve felt uncomfortable or I felt prejudiced,” she said. “And everything we do as people — and this isn’t just an American thing, it’s a global thing — is gendered … It’s the idea that women are taught to take up less space than men.”

Keaney, a senior history major and president of SASSE, is one of the co-directors of “The Vagina Monologues.” Written by Eve Ensler, the show highlights the female experience and seeks to bring awareness to the violence and oppression women face around the world.

The first show will take place Thursday at 7 p.m. in Watson Theater and will be free. The other two showings will take place at Hendricks Chapel Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and will cost $5 for students and $7 for general admission. The proceeds of the show, Keaney said, will go to Vera House Foundation and Planned Parenthood, organizations which help and support women.

Keaney, who has been involved with SASSE since her first semester at Syracuse University, said SASSE has produced the show for over a decade and that she is still drawn to being a part of “The Vagina Monologues” because of the themes it addresses.

“With ‘The Vagina Monologues’ being a legacy on campus, you come into SASSE being a part of carrying that legacy on,” she said.

When the play first came out in 1996, Keaney said, saying the word vagina in public was very taboo, but now the play gives women a safe space to talk about the personal things they go through in their lives.

Keaney also said the show is eye-opening and has the potential to teach people what it means to be feminine and what it means to be a woman. It’s a topic that she believes isn’t talked about enough in society.

“It’s great to be out in the open saying these things that can be vulnerable, and yet so liberating,” Keaney said. “The play is not apologizing for what it is, which I think makes this show so great.”

Madeleine Slade, a junior illustration major and Keaney’s co-director, has acted in the show in the past and said directing has given her a new perspective on the show.

“Even though I’ve identified as a feminist for years, the show completely blew me away with how it deals with sexual empowerment and a body part that still comes with very negative associations,” said Slade, who is also secretary of SASSE.

Slade said the cast and crew are confident in the show, but when being open about their involvement in “The Vagina Monologues,” they have experienced mixed reactions from friends, family and strangers.

During auditions in the Hall of Languages last December, a group of men were standing outside and calling out to them.

“I heard very loudly, ‘Why can’t they do the penis monologues?’” Slade said. “I was like, ‘Every day feels like the penis monologues.’”

Katie Agretelis, a freshman computer art and animation major who is participating in “The Vagina Monologues” for the first time, said the show “covers almost everything about being the owner of a vagina.” Agretelis said the reactions she’s received show misconceptions about the show.

“When I tell people I’m in the show, I also get the, ‘Oh, so you’re a feminist’ reaction,” Agretelis said. “One of my friends said it was a lesbian show. And while it certainly touches on that, it touches on all the facets of being a woman.”

Agretelis said she was initially unsure of whether she should become a part of the show in the first place. But she thinks this is exactly why people need to see the show, because people are still uncomfortable discussing the concepts and themes associated with it.

Agretelis also said women have been denying a part of themselves that is central to their identity. For her, empowerment means being comfortable within your own skin.

“You don’t need to ignore the vagina. This is a part of your body,” she said. “You don’t need to be ashamed of it.”

At the end of the day, Slade said, the show is really about humanity.

Said Slade: “Even though the play was created with women-identified people in mind, it certainly impacts more than just them. People who aren’t women can still get a lot out of it.”

Published on February 11, 2015 at 12:01 am

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