The play “Sex Talk” presented a distinctive theatrical production about sex, romance, relationships and dating as it graced Sacramento State’s Hinde Auditorium Saturday and Sunday. “Sex Talk,” written and produced by Gaelika Brown, is a play composed entirely of three female monologists who share stories of sex and life. Brown said she wanted to write about a topic that would relate to college-aged students.

“People my age don’t really go to see theater and when they think of theater, they always think of Shakespeare and no one is really into Shakespeare, so I wanted to create something that I thought my peers would enjoy,” Brown said. “The first thing that comes to mind is sex.”

Brown started by writing just the opening monologue and eventually turned her work into a series of monologues. She describes “Sex Talk” as being an episodic play because the characters don’t have that much dialogue with each other.

The three women remained nameless throughout the play and rose from their chairs to tell their distinctive stories.

Each character represented a different female persona. Woman one is determined to find the perfect man, woman two does not believe in love, and woman three will do anything for love.

Julia Meese, senior theater major at Sac State, is woman three in “Sex Talk.” Meese said that in “Sex Talk,” each woman’s story is different, but all mold together to tell a meaningful narrative.

Meese’s character told stories of love and the hardships she experienced through her close relationships with others. Through monologue, woman three revealed her heart wrenching encounters with the death of both her mother and husband.

Messe said that although the play is called “Sex Talk,” it is not entirely about sex.

“Some sex stories are really fun and some are really sad. But, at the same time, it’s also deeper than that. It’s about these women and their encounters with men and how they deal with men in their own personal and private way,” Meese said.

Brown, who plays female two, said the three female characters are based on her life experiences and her own personal relationships with others.

“All (characters) come from friends and just people that I encounter. To me, it just seems like whenever I meet a person or a woman, not to stereotype, but you can fit them into a box,” Brown said. “I just created the three types of women that I think are the most common.”

Veronica Sander, an audience member at Saturday’s performance, said that she did not know what to expect from “Sex Talk.” Sander said that the issues addressed throughout the play are things that every woman faces throughout her life.

Although Sander could relate to many different aspects of the play, she said she identified more with Brown’s character.

“She is the kind that puts up walls and pushes people away and that is very much myself,” Sander said.

Laura Vidal, woman one in “Sex Talk,” is a graduate from UC Santa Barbara with a bachelor’s degree in Chicana/o studies. Vidal said she heard about “Sex Talk” and knew she wanted to play a part in its production after seeing a previous performance at Sac State.

Throughout the play, woman one struggles to find a man that meets her high standards.

“I think I relate to the character because I am picky,” Vidal said. “All the stuff with her standards, I struggle with that too.”

Vidal said she was curious to see the dialogue that people have on their car rides home because she thinks that “Sex Talk” is relatable to all audience members.

“I just like the topics that it brings up. I think they are funny and I think everyone can relate to one of the women,” Vidal said.

Jessica Spohn, senior nutrition and food major, said “Sex Talk” was a very interesting and thought provoking performance. Spohn said plays like “Sex Talk” are important to have at Sac State because the performance touches upon different perspectives of sex that are applicable to everyone.

“I think I can relate to kind of all of it at some time or another throughout my life. Each character has specific characteristics that we have all gone through,” Spohn said.

“Sex Talk’s” production was co-sponsored by Sac State’s Women’s Resource Center and the Student Health Center.

Part of the proceeds from last weekend’s performances will benefit the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition to benefit cancer awareness.

Last weekend’s performance was Brown’s third production of “Sex Talk.”

Miranda Marsalla can be reached at [email protected]