Meet the girls bringing the Vagina Monologues to UCSB – Part one

They’re the ones in the Vagina suit

So you’re probably walking to class, with your earphones on and you’re about to head down the Arbor. Ready to ignore all the campus clubs trying to offer their flyers, you can’t help but to see a life-size Vagina coming after you yelling “Come to the Vagina Monologues!” Maybe you ran away, maybe you laughed and maybe you were genuinely interested in the chocolate covered Vagina Pops we were selling.

Despite the suits being extremely funny, the Vagina Monologues is a production about sexuality, love, sexual assault, reclaiming your body and feminism. This production will bring you laughs, tears, and will have you questioning about the gender system we have in society. We’re not just exciting happy dancing Vaginas, but strong empowered women ready to share experiences and interesting discussions about feminism.

These are the women behind UCSB’s version of the hit show, showing tomorrow Friday the 5th, at 7pm and Saturday, the 6th at 2pm and 7:30pm.

Ashley Baker, fourth year Film & Media Studies Major and a Black Studies and Labor Studies Double Minor, Whittier CA

Baker is involved in the Black Student Union Demands Team, she is a Black Resource Committee Intern and is extremely involved with various activist groups. This is Baker’s first year being involved with The Vagina Monologues and Herstories cast and she is performing in “The Body Is My Revolution Piece”. She said: “It means that I need to prioritize self-care…I am recovering from an eating disorder and I’m learning how to put myself first and take control of my life decisions”. Baker sees herself as a representation of women who are silenced and is using her voice to speak up for them.

Alyssa Evans, third year CCS Literature, Orange County CA

Alyssa is a UCSB tour guide and CLAS writing tutor who proudly manages the UCSB Instagram account (@ucsantabarbara if you’re intrigued #shamelessplug). She is in a sorority, and has plenty of fun explaining to people just how possible it is to be both a feminist and a sorority girl. Other than that Alyssa loves writing, likes telling people what to do, enjoys challenges (and happens to be entering the real world in June ’16 so if you want to add her on LinkedIn, please feel free).

Alyssa is performing a monologue entitled “My Angry Vagina”. She connects with this piece in a number of ways. At the most primal level, Alyssa also feels that tampons are dry wads of fucking cotton and believes much could be done to improve treatment of vaginas all around the world.

Bridget Kyeremateng,  third year Black studies and Feminist Double Major, Fontana, CA

Bridget works at the Women’s Center, is a Senior Ambassador Tour Guide and works for the Orientation Program. Throughout her time here at UCSB, Bridget has evolved tremendously in her black feminist framework, has learned the importance of being inclusive and learning about the world.

Her desire to travel and learn more about cultures is driven by her complex identity. Aside from directing Herstories in this production, Bridget is also performing “The Flood”, a piece about a woman who gets wet too easy “down there”. “Women shouldn’t be ashamed of being sexually aroused…it’s a gift  many women wish you have”. She hopes you enjoy the production.

Clara Glassman, second year Physics Major and Italian Minor, Los Angeles, CA

Clara  is involved in Vocal Motion and she is part of the Physics Circus, an outreach program that teaches elementary and middle school student about the excitement of physics! This is Clara’s second year doing the Vagina Monologues & Herstories and her piece this year “The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could”, brings awareness to “reclaiming your body & sexuality after a sexual assault” she believes this is truly important to the feminist movement today.

Gema Hernández Nava, third year Political Science major pursuing minors in Portuguese and Education, San Diego, CA

 Gema is involved with Take Back the Night and the Office of Statewide Affairs where she works closely on policies surrounding sexual violence within the UC system and other statewide issues. This is her first year performing in The Vagina Monologues & Herstories. She is performing a piece with four other women called “My Revolution Begins in the Body” and an original piece titled “Curly Hair.” Both pieces resonate deeply within her because both speak upon parts of the journey towards self love and reclamation of identity, body and mind.

Julia Miller, fourth year Communication major, Martinez, CA

Julia is the Co-President of the Women’s Ensemble Theatre Troupe here at UCSB and is particularly proud of this years performance. She is a MC for The Vagina Monologues and Herstories as well as taking part in performing a piece entitled “I Saw Myself”. This piece finally gives a voice to individuals who do not conform to “normal” gender roles. Julia cannot wait to shock, excite, and teach the audience a little something new!

Kate Kesner, second year Global Studies and Comparative Literature major, Bay Area, CA

Kate works at the Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity and Associated Students’ Womxn’s Commission.   She is also a co-founder of Queers in the Outdoors and an officer for Friendly Undergraduate Queers in It Together, and teaches poetry classes in a local middle school.  Kate is seeking a career in international human rights, possibly working with youth, and to publish her poetry and prose.  In Fall Kate will be studying and interning abroad in Mumbai! This is her first year in Vagina Monologues and Herstories.  She will be performing an original piece called “Give.”  As a survivor and a bisexual woman, this piece is empowering as an unabashed and reclaiming declaration of sexuality.

Korrin Alpers, third year Literature Major in the College of Creative Studies, Camarillo, CA.

Korrin is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Spectrum Literary Journal, a UCSB lit magazine which seeks to represent diverse human experiences through prose, poetry, and art. She is performing the piece, “My Vagina Was My Village.” Her portion of the piece is full of innocence, nostalgia, and adoration for a connection to home and the body––making the other half of this piece more harrowing. This piece and the entire Vagina Monologues & Herstories resonates with Korrin as she has grown up surrounded by powerful women – she does this for her mother, sisters, and all the women who’ve supported her.

Leilani Leila Riahi, Honolulu, Hawaii Leilani is a writer – she writes for the Daily Nexus opinion section and is a new columnist for the Bottom Line. She is a writer for self forgiveness and revolution in loving other women.

Leilani is in the piece “I Was There In The Room When” about watching a live birth. Her inspiration for her piece was her sister: “My soulmate and the one who always reminds me I’m capable to care for people, because I care for her like no one else”. Leilani also wrote a piece called STD which she will not perform.  A true story about how she got chlamydia last year from one of my staff member bosses in a national student political organization and how their friendship never made her think he was the one. A story about her  “bad judgment and coming to terms with forgiving myself, healing, and feeling and feeling so deeply until healing  just happened”.

Megan Mashal, fourth year Psychology major from Los Angeles, CA

Megan is involved in the Self & Social Identity lab, which focuses on the research of stigma and resilience. She is also involved in Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi, a Jewish-interest multicultural sorority. This is her first year performing in the Vagina Monologues & Herstories. She is performing a student-written piece called “Musings from a Mixed Minx while Traveling Abroad.” This performance is especially important to Megan because she can relate to the hassles which come with racial ambiguity and exotic features. This piece is empowering for all those who have been forced in a box by society, to know they are not alone and they are more than what box they are placed in.

The rest of the cast to be revealed in part two.

You can purchase tickets at Campbell Hall, the day of the show or you can buy your ticket at the A.S Ticket Office!

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