"Please turn off your cell phones, or make your vaginas happy and set them on vibrate."
Those were the first lines of the "Vagina Monologues" performed this weekend in Room 100 of the Social Sciences building.
The student production of the popular play by Eve Ensler was put on as an extension of Vday.org, a nonprofit organization that gives different groups the rights to perform the play.
Ashley James, a studio art and art history junior, organized the entire production by signing up for it through Vday.org and recruiting the actresses and crew.
She was impressed by the turnout of both women and men.
"Last year we had a lot of guys, and I'm surprised at the number of men that came this year. That's what we were hoping for," James said.
About 200 people showed up Friday night. Another 300 people showed up Saturday night.
The production is based on Ensler's interviews with more than 200 women. It celebrates women's sexuality and strengths while showing some of the violations women endure around the world.
There were monologues that showcased the "moan," "the flood," what "my vagina wants," and "periods."
The audience was laughing and clapping throughout the show. It even shouted "cunt" in unison when the performer asked it to.
"It was hilarious, somewhat vulgar but very informative," said Josh Sloane, a biology sophomore.
Women in the audience responded positively to the monologues.
"It was in some senses provocative but was very empowering. I really liked it," said Emily Byrne, a studio art junior.
Some of the monologues also focused on sexual assault and brutal torture methods used by people all over the world.
"It shows that women can be fun, but the parts that were serious were good to be reminded of," said Rose Aldaghi, a friend of one of the performers.
The performers also took pride in the performance.
"It's a really accurate portrayal of a lot of women's views that aren't often expressed. It's not man-bashing, it's woman- loving," said Diana DeRosa, a biochemistry and biosystems engineering sophomore and a performer in the show.
All of the proceeds from the show were donated to the Oasis Center for Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence to fund the training of self-defense instructors for classes that the center offers.
Last year, the proceeds also went to Oasis, which was able to send two people to self-defense training classes. This year's proceeds will train those instructors more extensively and will also train two more people so the center can offer more classes.
In October, the center lost its $250,000 grant from the Department of Justice, which caused the center to reorganize, losing its director.
"Some people sought positions elsewhere that weren't grant-funded," said Tina Haag, program coordinator for Oasis.
Haag wants students to know the loss of funding does not mean the program is gone. She said it is there to help anyone in need of its services.