In Cal Poly’s Gender Equity Center’s production of OWN — a full-length student-run play of “Original Women’s Narratives” — students who identify as women will have a chance to tell their stories.
“We’re not telling fictional stories and we’re not telling the stories of strangers — these are the stories of your friends, classmates, lab partners, the people you sit next to on the bus — these are your peers,” English senior and OWN director Taylor Steinbeck said.
In a production seeking to empower and inspire, OWN will explore feminism, social justice movements, race, ethnicity, culture and class among additional topics meant to explore the narrative of women from all walks of life.
Replacing The Vagina Monologues, OWN looked to include any and all people who self-identify as women, opening the conversation to include topics of gender.
“Our show is about the multifaceted nature of womanhood and how the definition fluctuates based on the experiences of different identities,” Steinbeck said.
Students involved in OWN hope the audience will walk away with a stronger understanding of the women of Cal Poly.
“I want for every person in the audience to understand what the women of our school have been through,” Steinbeck said. “I want our audience to laugh and cry and feel with our women.”
The performance, along with a gallery of memorabilia and a resource fair, will take place on May 13 from 7-10 p.m. in Chumash Auditorium. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased with cash in the Gender Equity Center (UU 219) or at the door.