Earning worldwide acclaim since its start in the 1990s, Eve Ensler?s “The Vagina Monologues” has had highly successful runs in cities such as New York and London. March 15 begins the play?s sold-out three-day run at Sacramento State?s Hinde Auditorium just in time for Women?s History Month.

The play intends to entertain and deliver a strong message. Although the show is fairly well known, the purpose behind it is not.

After performing her play in various cities around the United States, Eve Ensler heard stories from her fans about women who suffered from violent acts against them.

In 1998, Ensler joined forces with a group of women in New York to start a movement they called “V-Day.” Their objective was to dedicate time in February (around Valentine?s Day) to stop world violence against women by holding various theater and art productions. “The Vagina Monologues” is the centerpiece of the effort.

“The Monologues” consists of 10 to 12 different women sharing personal stories. Some are funny, and some heart-wrenchingly painful. In the play, the word “vagina” not only refers to the body part, but also to the female “soul.” In doing so, there are hopes that the public will have an easier time saying the “V” word.

“Language is a very important thing,” said Barbara Norris, the director of the show and a Sac State graduate student in theater. “The more that we speak about the vagina, the more it can become a part of our language.”

Among those spreading the word in the performance are Sac State students Monica Vejar, Janay Lovering and Xochitl Alicia Lopez. The rest of the cast is made up of entertainers and educators in the Sacramento area.

Proceeds go to the Women?s Recourse Center and the SHARE Institute.