Origins of the project
We’re not the first to do this sort of thing.
our stories cwru is based on a legacy of initiatives that merged community action & personal performance.
the Vagina monologues
The Vagina Monologues is a pivotal play written 1996 by Eve Ensler which went on to gain wide recognition and to be performed worldwide. Using an array of individual, intimate confession-style monologues, the play explores consensual and nonconsensual sexual experiences, body image, reproduction, vaginal care, menstrual periods, sex work, and several other topics through the eyes of women of various ages, races, sexualities, and other differences.
Theatre of the oppressed
Created by Brazilian visionary, Augusto Boal, Theatre of the Oppressed is a form of popular community-based education that uses theatre as a tool for transformation. Originally developed out of Boal’s work with peasant and worker populations, it is now used all over the world for social and political activism, conflict resolution, community building, therapy, and government legislation. Inspired by the vision of Paulo Freire and his landmark treatise on education, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, T.O. invites critical thinking and action. It is about analyzing rather than accepting, questioning rather than giving answers. Everyone is invited to share their opinion on the issues at hand.
Show Some Skin started from a biweekly column circle for their college newspaper by students Edith Cho, JeeSeun Choi, and Hien Luu. With a mission to dedicate many words to diversity, the writers felt the need to take more action on issues of identity and race due to the lack of conversations about race relations at Notre Dame. The first year’s Call for Stories brought over a hundred original monologues from the ND community. In total, 700+ audience members attended the inaugural show in Carey Auditorium over two nights. The initiative was so successful that it went on to expand its scope into broader issues of identity on the Notre Dame campus and into community action projects. The student-led production has been put on annually since 2012, and Show Some Skin had a direct and profound impact on the creation of Our Stories CWRU.
The It Feels Like Project, created by the Executive Producer of Our Stories CWRU, utilizes the power of the phrase ‘it feels like’ to further general public appreciation for the severity of invisible conditions and their accompanying pain through video art enactments. The project collected anonymous accounts from individuals with chronic conditions that cannot be immediately seen by others. Performers enacted the submissions, embodying the lived experience of fellow students and community members.
become part of the lineage.
Get involved with Our Stories CWRU by volunteering or sharing your story through our anonymous form.