Why is it that violence and vaginas often go together while art and activism rarely combine beyond the dusty basement of a performance space somewhere in Brooklyn?

The Columbia campus, thankfully, chooses to mark Valentine's Day with the art-activism combo in order to combat violence and sexism against women. Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues returns to campus theatre for the eighth consecutive year, just in time for the holiday in which her title-subject generally plays a large role.

V-Day, Ensler's organization with a mission to respond to violence against women worldwide, began its college campaign, then called the College Initiative, in 1999. The V-Day group on campus has been active ever since, producing Ensler's show every year on Valentine's Day. In the past two years, the club has worked to broaden its focus from the show to education and discussion through efforts like last year's Vagina Awareness Week, which included a bake sale where customers could decorate and eat their own vagina-shaped pastry.

But the heart of V-Day is still the annual production of The Vagina Monologues, proceeds from which will benefit the Rape Crisis Center on campus and the NYC organization STEPs to End Family Violence. Whether you're a Vagina virgin or you've seen the show every year since freshman year of high school, V-Day's production is a must-see for artists and activists alike, especially since each year's performance strives to stand out from the previous years'.

Each year, different monologues from Ensler's compilation are selected to be performed. This year's theme is transition, according to the show's director, Barnard alumna Abby Cooper. "Every character has gone through a major change," she explained. "The ensemble embodies this through their movement, their bodies' metamorphoses." Other production innovations include the addition of an original monologue by one of the students in the show and a focus on the use of the body through elements like body sculpture.

Forget perceptions that the show is about hating men. "It's about hating violence," countered Stephanie Davidson, CC '08, this year's producer. "There is one monologue in which the man is the catalyst for change." And though the audience will no doubt be filled with women, she noted that a variety of people tend to show up. This year, the AEPi fraternity is rumored to be bringing its entire membership, and V-Day is also reaching out to sororities.

This is in addition to the larger network of groups trying to increase tolerance with which V-Day collaborates, among them the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Program, Alice!, and Columbia Men Against Violence. V-Day's contribution to these awareness efforts is decidedly unique. "Sexual violence is so often reduced to statistics," said Davidson. "Art reaches people in a more personal way. It makes us look at the small ways we participate in that violence."

Brett Murphy, BC '07, last year's producer, emphasized the show's call to action. Like others who have been involved with the show, she hopes that it demonstrates more than their joy of working on it by inspiring the audience. "It's not only about hearing, 'Wow, that was a great show!,' but also getting people to engage with it," she said. "The point of the show is for people to work with their communities."

Even the show's production methods speak to the diversity of experience that Ensler's monologues collectively convey. Ensler intended the monologues to be accessible to everyone, not just actors. "Many of our actors have never acted before," said Davidson. Cooper used this to the show's advantage: "I cast people who brought something to the character I didn't see. What I hope I have offered them is fertile ground in which to develop." These actors come from every school at Columbia, including GS, SIPA, and Teachers College. "Abby is great at pulling out the meaning from them," added Davidson. "She has more energy than anyone I've ever worked with before."

Rounding out the eclectic cast and crew is John Brauer of University Event Management who, during meetings with the production team, expressed so much enthusiasm for the show that he began to come up with his own ideas for set design. He's not the lone man working on the show either; V-Day's treasurer is also male.

Although the show usually runs for only two or three performances in Roone Arledge each year on Valentine's Day, this year will feature five performances, including three in the Lerner Party Space during the weekend before the holiday. Davidson believes that the extra performances in a more intimate, coffeehouse-type atmosphere will allow more people to experience the show and, ultimately, raise more money for its beneficiaries.

The production team is rightfully proud to be associated with Ensler's effort to bridge art and activism. "It's a creative way of empowering women to learn about their bodies, openly, in a way that is life affirming, enabling them to have healthy sexual experiences," said Davidson. "I love that I am living in an age when such a celebration and frank discussion is possible," added Cooper. Yet she is quick to acknowledge the flip side. "This isn't the case everywhere. There is still a tremendous need for The Vagina Monologues."