The Gender Equity Center will be hosting the Original Womxn’s Narratives (OWN) where actors will present individual pieces that discuss the experiences of gender, being a woman or being socialized as a woman.
OWN will feature two performances on Saturday, April 23 in the Performing Arts Center. The first showing will start at 2 p.m. and the second will begin at 7 p.m.
OWN was originally started in 2016 with the intention to “highlight and literally put a spotlight on stage” about stories of womanhood and gender while giving students and community members a venue to tell it through, according to the coordinator for Womxn and Gender Equity initiatives Olivia Tran.
“I think for the students it is really important that their voices and experiences have a place to be expressed here on campus,” Tran said.
The performance isn’t a play, but a series of monologues, dialogues and ensemble pieces. These pieces are submitted by a writer but are usually performed by an actor. One piece in particular, where the actor was on a phone call with her mother and came out to her, specifically spoke to Tran and she hopes audience members find a performance that connects with them.
“That piece really resonated with me and made me cry the first time,” Tran said. “Something like that is what I want audience members to come, see and really feel that there is something in there that they can relate to.”
Gender is not the only topic that pieces during OWN touch on. It also talks about race, class, culture and other intersecting identities that contribute to the various experiences of women, according to the Gender Equity Center website.
“It is always something that feels very empowering and they [students and faculty] look forward to seeing some part of themselves reflected in the production,” Tran said.
Tickets are $7 for those who want to attend the event.
