Stories about passion, injustice, pain, romance and heartbreak filled Vender Vennet auditorium during the SMC Monologues performed this past weekend.
The Monologues used stories submitted by Saint Mary's students.
"It means a lot to me being able to act in the Monologues because you make people aware of the things that for some hit really close to home - especially since these are stories submitted by our own," freshman Anabel Castaneda said.
Saint Mary's junior Britt Hall said she believed the SMC Monologues needed to be told.
"The Monologues are important for Saint Mary's students to hear," Hall said. "They are our stories from our students, so I feel it is my responsibility to get these stories out there."
The students who participated in this year's Monologues said they were touched by the stories.
"I am moved by all the stories in a new way each time I hear them and see other people react to them," SMC Monologues director Becki Faunce said.
"When I am choosing one to perform myself, I always try to choose a funny one because I love making the audience laugh. Sometimes, we need to cry together over a painful story, express our rage about injustice, but one of the most powerful ways to change the world and ourselves is to laugh," she said.
The piece Castaneda portrayed was about heartbreak.
"The hard part is knowing when it's okay to laugh," she said. "Many of these pieces are serious, but crying and feeling sorry for each one of them doesn't help anyone."
Participating students faced many challenges while preparing their pieces for the performance.
"The most difficult part is definitely making sure that we do not change the stories in any way," Hall said. "We need to portray these stories the way the writer would like it to be portrayed."
Despite some struggles, Faunce, Hall and Castaneda said they all felt the experience was worthwhile.
"My favorite part of working on the Monologues is being a part of this great women's movement on campus to share our experiences and combat inequality together," Faunce said.
"I am continually amazed by how we are all part of this community of strong, powerful women who are all united by the drive to work toward a just future for everyone."
