Each spring, young Brandeisian women partake in the Vagina Monologues, an Eve Ensler play that sheds light on various female experiences. With a focus on women's rights issues, the monologues are meant to provoke anger, sadness, laughter and heightened awareness. "Until the violence stops"-the slogan used for V-Day,-is a "global activist movement to end violence against women and girls" founded by Ensler, playwright and activist. Women at college campuses all over the nation have rallied together to promote female empowerment, including here on Brandeis' campus.

This year's rendition featured a new campaign called One Billion Rising, which cites that one out of three women will experience violence in her lifetime. One Billion Rising encourages women and their supporters to join together to collectively combat violence against women, in solidarity that transcends geographical and cultural borders.

Despite recycled scripts, new directors guide their casts to provide a different take on each year's production, giving veteran members of the audience a fresh experience. This year's director and three-year participant, Maya Grant '13 said during an interview that she brought a refreshingly new vision for this year's production by focusing on "digging deeper to visually push each piece."

Working closely with coordinator Laura Ben Marger Moore '14, Grant and Moore took painstaking care to cast young women who clearly demonstrated both enthusiasm and confidence for their monologues. Contrary to typical casting practice of selecting actors based solely on talent, Grant said during the interview that she and Moore placed a priority on pinpointing women who exhibited passion while performing, gravitating towards those with "willingness to move outside of their comfort zones and embrace what makes us diverse."

This willingness to embrace diversity extended beyond just casting, as the diversity and skills specific to each actress were taken into account, allowing the cast to breathe new life into their monologues. Unique to recent past productions of the Vagina Monologues, Grant incorporated contemporary dance, though admitting during the interview, "I knew going into this show that I wanted to incorporate dance in some way but had no idea for which monologue or how to make it happen." Describing the auditions of Bront? Velez '16 and Queen White '16, two members of the Atlanta Liberal Arts Posse 2, Grant says, "They amazed me during auditions, and I knew that just having them on stage speaking wouldn't do the piece justice."

Tapping into Velez's experience performing and choreographing, Grant incorporated dance into the monologue "My Vagina was My Village." Accompanied by a voiceover of the script (recorded by Velez and White), the result was a visual masterpiece so riveting that the audience collectively held its breath, with no sound of the typical candy wrappers, coughing or other types of fidgeting to be heard.

Other monologues with notably new takes included the famed "The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy" (often nicknamed by those involved with the production as "Moan"). It began with the spotlight on Ashley Lynette '13, but the focus eventually shifted to three silhouettes in the background, silently enacting varied types of moans as Lynette provided the soundtrack. Another, "Reclaiming Cunt" featured Carly Lenhoff '13 as she dynamically delivered her monologue, contorting and undulating her body to match the monologue's cacophony and the self-love it encourages.

Through observing the skills of her cast and tapping into their varied talents, Grant successfully reinvented the Vagina Monologues experience for this University and her cast, many of whom are repeat attendees and participants. Looking back on the many hours spent bonding and rehearsing together, Grant remarks, "I am so proud of my cast this year, and I credit the success of the show to their talent, drive and commitment to the experience."

A truly collective effort and cohesive execution, this year's Vagina Monologues provided a moving call to action to fight injustice against women everywhere.