This weekend, “The Vagina Monologues” will inform students about the issues women deal with in a funny, emotional and compelling way.

The collection of monologues was first performed by Eve Ensler in 1996, and the Women’s Liberation Collective is hosting the play Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7 p.m. in Oscar Ritchie Hall.

“(‘The Vagina Monologues’) really sheds light on a lot of different women’s stories,” said Diana Shope, senior art history major. “There will be at least one monologue that will speak to each woman at the event, if not more.”

Shope said tickets are $6 for students and $8 for general admission.

Shope is an actress and one of three directors of the play. She said the 90-minute performance highlights Eve Ensler’s interviews with more than 200 women from different backgrounds.

“It started out as a one-woman show performed by Ensler, and now it is performed by groups of women,” Shope said.

Cast member Meagan DeWitt, senior psychology major, said men should attend the event, too.

“It’s not something that’s exclusive to women,” DeWitt said. “Men can find the play to be just as amusing, and they can find out things they may not know about women’s issues.”

DeWitt said the cast has been practicing every Sunday since the beginning of spring semester. She said the play includes comedy, while also discussing serious issues that relate to women.

“These are very touchy subjects,” said cast member Jennifer Cline, a senior Pan-African Studies major. “The monologues illustrate the experience of hateful crimes like rape and the impact this sort of violence has on a woman’s relationship with her body.”

Junior math major Ola Sobieska attended last year’s performance. She said the show is informative, funny and shocking.

“I’ve never felt particularly plagued by any of the problems the women shared in it, but I could empathize with them completely,” Sobieska said. “I laughed and I cried. It was an overall great experience.”

Shope said she enjoys working as a director and actress for the play.

“The girls (in the cast) are amazing and keep things interesting,” she said. “It’s been a lot of work, but it’s been nice to see the girls develop their characters.”

Contact Megan Wilkinson at [email protected].