The Gender Issues Education Center will sponsor the first performance of the Coming Out Monologues Wednesday, in celebration of Gay Awareness Week.
The show will be similar to the Vagina Monologues, except that the monologues have been written by Aggie students, staff and faculty members to convey their experiences with coming out.
Twin directors, Vanessa and Carissa Delgado, began production soon after they finished with the Vagina Monologues in early February. Vanessa and Carissa edited submissions and pieced the monologues together to make a cohesive show.
“We found the original script from the University of California at Riverside and were motivated to construct our own unique version to be A&M specific,” said Vanessa, who is a junior psychology major.
“It is amazing that students, faculty, staff and community members are all confident enough to share their experiences with our audience,” Vanessa said. “It is inspiring to see talent, passion and emotion carried in these monologues and the are so special because they are part of the Aggie Family.”
Ashley Babjack, a junior psychology major, aided the twins and the rest of the creative team in editing the submissions and will be performing an original monologue in the show.
“The fact that most of the monologues are originals makes the show more are originals makes the show more personal and relevant to the audience,” Babjack said. “Most Aggies have no idea what its like to come out, after the show they will have some understanding and appreciation for what can be a difficult process for a GLBT person.”
Vanessa and Carissa co-wrote the introduction and a duet piece for the show telling one story from two perspectives.
“We have a unique story to tell – the same story – from two very different points of view,” said Carissa, a junior sociology major. “We contribute to the show in our own unique way because when a coming out story is heard, you never get to hear the perspective of both the person coming out and the person who is being come out to, and with us, you do.”
“These monologues are real stories, not performance pieces,” said Michael Koenig who will be performing his original monologue in the show.
“These stories are also important because so many people, especially here, have never actually met a gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender individual. Their concepts of what each of those terms mean are based on unchallenged stereotypes and uninformed assumptions,” said Koening, a junior English major.