Danielle Hickey | Photo editor
Felicia T. Perez directs the ASUO Women’s Center production of “The Vagina
Monologues," which will run Friday through Sunday in Agate Hall.
The annual Women's Center production of'The Vagina
Monologues' promises a new crop of diverse voices
BY STEFANIE LOH
DAILY EMERALD FREELANCE REPORTER
What do words that begin
with ‘V’ have in common
with the big ‘V’ word, Vagi
na? Violence. Victory. Victim. Vice.
Vivacious. Oh, and the ‘W’ in
‘Women’ is two Vs put together.
This is the question Felicia T. Perez,
director of this year’s “The Vagina
vvcuuo pcu
pie to ask themselves.
This Valentine’s Day
weekend, Feb. 11-13, the
ASUO Women’s Center
will put on a production
of the Monologues as
part of an annual V-Day
campaign, as schools
diiu euimuumues nauonwiue also per
form and donate the play’s proceeds
to nonprofit organizations fighting to
end violence against women and to
support women’s rights.
To 28-year-old Perez, the Mono
logues are about helping women re
connect with themselves and heal by
celebrating the joy and creation that
“V” words can bring.
‘“The Vagina Monologues’ are sto
ries of creation,” Perez said. “You
don’t have to be a woman to appreci
ate the vagina. It reminds us that we
all came from the same place. ”
Perez is from Los Angeles, but was
brought to Eugene to direct this
year’s production.
A teacher by profession, she boasts
an extensive resume. She got her
start directing independent perform
ance-art pieces and later did work for
Highways Performance Art Space in
Los Angeles.
Lately, directing has taken a back
seat to Perez’s full-time job teaching
high school history in Los Angeles.
Still, Perez views directing and
teaching as an interconnected chain.
“Directing and theater work is all an
•extension of teaching. It’s all about
helping people to find their voice and
tell a story,” she said. “It’s no different
from teaching history, which is also
about storytelling anyway.”
This approach has brought renewed
energy to a production that was brutal
ly slammed last year for lacking diver
sity. In fact, Perez embodies the diver
sity this year’s cast and crew are trying
to bring to the production.
VAGINA MONOLOGUES
When: Friday and Saturday,
7:30 p.m., and Sunday, 1 p.m.
Where: Agate Hall
Tickets: Available at the UO Ticket
Office, $7 students and $10 public
a iuny
‘out’ lesbian
and as a Chi
cano history
teacher with tat
toos and a
shaved head,
my life has been
about not hav
ing a piace to can nome or to teei mat I
belong to,” she said. “My life has been
about making sure my voice is heard
in connection with everyone else’s.
That means that I’ve come into this
production understanding how impor
tant and empowering it is to know that
you have a voice and that you are
being represented. ”
Instead of having auditions, cast
members were selected via a nomi
nation process, thus opening the field
to people without acting experience.
Perez also did not assign parts to the
cast members. She said she hopes
this process will ensure the voices in
the Monologues are believable.
“I suggested roles according to the
preferences people had expressed.
Then I passed out the scripts and left
the room,” she said. “The cast decided
amongst themselves whether or not to
exchange parts. When I came back in,
they told me what changes they had
made, and we started rehearsing.”
So far, directing the Monologues
has been a journey of personal
discovery for Perez.
‘“The Vagina Monologues’ has giv
en me this amazing opportunity to
completely fall in love with vaginas. ”
The good-mood food
More than just candy, chocolate has
a special spot in humanity's heart
BY COLLEEN MCCLURE
DAILY EMERALD FREELANCE REPORTER
Valentine’s Day is, to some, the ulti
mate celebration of love, and there
is one thing this celebration brings
with it in droves: sweets. According to
www.holidayinsights.com, 75 percent of
chocolate purchases are
made by women — ex
cept during the days
leading up to Feb.
14, when 75 percent
of the chocolate pur
chases, or $1 billion
worth of chocolate,
are made by men.
Why would Ameri
cans spend so much mon
ey to satisfy a sweet tooth?
According to a study con
ducted at the University of
California, Berkeley, chocolate might alter
neurotransmitters in the brain that affect
mood and desire for different foods. British
Broadcasting Corp. reported that eating choco
late also increases the level of endorphins re
leased into the brain. Chocolate also affects anoth
er neurotransmitter, serotonin, which acts as an
anti-depressant. More recent findings, such as
those from Italian researcher Andrea Salonia, have
found an association between eating chocolate and
sexual fulfillment.
Even with these theories, it’s difficult to say how
and when chocolate and Valentine’s Day became
such a popular combination. St. Valentine was a
priest in the 400s who performed marriages for sol
diers in the Roman army and, in doing so, defied
the orders of Emperor Claudius. Although he had a
holy day named for him in the fifth
century, our current tradition of
exchanging notes and gifts
didn’t catch on until the
17th century in Great
Britain. In 1876, the first
chocolate was pro
duced in Switzerland and
soon found its way into
Valentine’s Day celebra
tions, according to
www.theholidayspot.com.
Eugene's Euphoria
Chocolate Company has
served customers chocolates
and truffles for more than 20
years. Its hand-dipped chocolate truffles have
won acclaim in magazines such as Chocolatier,
Success Magazine and Candy Industry and have
been featured in guides such as “The Chocolate
Lover’s Guide to the Pacific Northwest,’’ accord
ing to Euphoria's Web site,
Tim Matteson, manager
of the Euphoria Choco
late Factory Store, recom
mends a box of Cherries
Jubilee, a combination
of dark chocolate and
fresh cream mixed with
cherry pieces to make
up the centers. Other popular
Valentine truffles include
the Kahlua & Cream, Kona
Coffee, milk chocolate and
strawberry flavors.
Although Matteson estimates sales of chocolates
for Valentine’s Day mount to more than sales for
all of January, he notes that he and his staff
have been “planning and preparing for this holiday
since November to be completely set for the
last-minute rush.”
He expects this holiday will be the busiest, as cus
tomers scramble to purchase a last-minute gift.
Furnished 1, % & 4 bedroom apartments
with washer/dryer starting at $300.
Call today to ask about our $150 off move-in
For a limited time only*
0213091
TOMS ol ameahlts—coaw take a tow today!
338-4000
• Uniformed security 7 days a week
• Resident amenity cards
• Security Alarm System
• 2 and 4 Bedrooms w/ 2 bath
• Full Size Washers A dryers
• Fully furnished
• Bathtubs with showers
• Sand volleyball court
• Heated pool
• Cased basketball court
• Private balconies and patios
• Rouble entry locks/private patios
on all 4-bedroom apartments
umversiTY
COMMONS
apartments
90 Commons Drive, Eugene, Or 97401
Hours: M-F 9am-6pm, Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 12pm-5pm