JESSICA COREY-BUTLER: THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES >>>

Begun more than 10 years ago (last year was the 10th Anniversary of V-Day) as a one-woman show, The Vagina Monologues were playwright/performer/activist Eve Ensler’s pet project to raise awareness of violence against women. The result of interviews with more than 200 women, the monologues dish up more than the standard gossipy girl chat; examples include “I Was Twelve, My Mother Slapped Me” (a chorus of first-period descriptions), “My Angry Vagina” (a rant about vaginal injustices such as tampons, douches, and OB/GYN tools), “The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could” (recalling sexual healing) and “Because He Liked to Look At It (or, how a guy named Bob helped bring a woman to warm fuzzy thoughts about her genitalia.)

Of course, not all the pieces are filled with levity, and each year brings a new “spotlight” subject or area of concern. This year’s performance will be no exception to that, with the spotlight being on injustices occurring in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where rape and torture are used as weapons of war. Awareness will be raised to that area through the use of a spotlight video, and then money will go toward raising funds to build shelters that will enable women to leave their bad situations for better ones; additionally, awareness will help bolster ongoing political work toward peace efforts and aid.

For more information on tonight's staging of The Vagina Monologues, check out the Weekly Volcano Web site.

[Pantages Theater, Saturday April 11, 7 p.m., $15-$45, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.591.5894]