Notre Dame student government and Show Some Skin collaborated in hosting “Notre Dame: Unfiltered,” a free performance showcase and dinner held in the LaFortune Student Ballroom on Tuesday.
The event consisted of four monologues, each touching on different aspects of identity, performed by Notre Dame students. Following each monologue, facilitators seated at the tables with the attendees led group discussions about the respective monologue.
Senior Elizabeth Steiner, Show Some Skin’s associate producer for community outreach, said the event offered participants the opportunity to explore similarities and differences within the community.
“Show Some Skin is a student-run monologue series that explores identity and difference in the Notre Dame community,” Steiner said. “We take anonymous submissions from students, faculty or alumni about their identities and allow other students to perform them in order to share the original story while allowing the person who submitted it to remain anonymous.”
Show Some Skin worked with student government to select certain monologues that would promote discussion and direct students experiencing similar situations to campus resources, Steiner said.
“For example, we take a story about LGBTQ+ students who feel unheard, and we pair that with resources such as ND Prism and others,” she said.
Steiner said the event was put on to let students know they are not the only ones who are dealing with a specific issue or feel a certain way.
“Here at Notre Dame, it can feel like our campus is somewhat homogeneous and that everybody has the same identity and experience,” Steiner said. “I hope this event showed students the amount of diversity there is on campus and the amount of resources there are for students to get the help they need.”
Student government was also heavily involved in putting on the event, which is now in its third year of existence.
Senior Nicholas Ottone, director of university policy for Notre Dame student government, said “Notre Dame: Unfiltered” starts important conversations. (Editor’s Note: Nicholas Ottone is a former Observer writer.)
“The purpose of the event is to connect students to each other and existing campus resources related to race, socioeconomic status, LGBTQ+ and mental health,” Ottone said.
Sophomore Ben Fecher said he attended the event to learn more about different perspectives at Notre Dame.
“I attended because at Notre Dame, the minority voices are not always heard from the community, and I think this event is a great opportunity to hear what those voices have to say,” he said.
‘Notre Dame: Unfiltered’ starts conversations regarding identity
Show Some Skin presented four monologues exploring aspects of identity and shared experience, and directing listeners to campus resources.
