The show never fails to shock.
It pushes society, fights and doesn't give up its goals of female empowerment, ending violence and comfortable sexuality.
"The Vagina Monologues" presses against societal norms again this weekend, with a new piece about transgender women.
The profits of the 30-woman show will be donated to the Battered Women's Clemency Project at the University of Michigan and TransGender Michigan.
Organizers expect to raise about $8,000 to $10,000 from ticket sales.
"We do it to raise awareness and get people involved, and to support local organizations," said co-Director Leah Swartz, a social work senior.
Every year, "The Vagina Monologues" author Eve Ensler rewrites the show to include optional pieces from which directors can select.
Swartz said the inclusion of the new monologue titled "They Beat the Girl Out of My Boy? Or So They Tried," inspired her to choose TransGender Michigan as a recipient of part of the funds from "The Vagina Monologues."
Rachel Crandall, executive director of the organization, said the funds are needed to continue providing safe environments and educational services for transgender individuals in Michigan.
"Them choosing to do this optional monologue and choosing to donate some of the proceeds to TransGender Michigan shows really how far things have come over the last few years," Crandall said. "It really shows that, more and more, women are really seeing transgender women as women."
The MSU performance of "The Vagina Monologues" is part of a nationwide V-Day celebration, in which more than 300 colleges put on the show and hold events to promote awareness about domestic violence.
"Violence against women and girls is unacceptable, and it's up to us to stop it," Swartz said.
In a 2000 survey by the U.S. Department of Justice, 25 percent of women said they were raped or physically assaulted by an intimate partner or date at some time in their lives.
V-Day - the "V" can stand for victory, valentine or vagina - always falls around Valentine's Day because people are automatically thinking about relationships, Swartz said.
"It's a time when there are vulnerable people to think about celebrating womanhood," she said.
The emphasis on women should not deter men from attending the shows. Swartz said the audience is usually dominated by women, but men are encouraged to attend.
"Men are afraid to attend because they think it's a male-bashing fest, but it's not at all," she said. "We love it when there are lots of men in the audience."
Swartz said it's important for the audience to remember the performers are not actors, but women who feel passionately about the issues at hand.
As a director, Swartz said she tried to create a professional show, but it is important the audience remember there is no interpretation taking place.
Performer Kristen Karnosky, a journalism sophomore, agrees.
"You get into it and you kind of become the role, but you're not that person, you're still telling the story," Karnosky said. "When we're doing this, we're just a voice box for what's taken place."
