The Vagina Monologues is not a play with a misleading title.

“I didn’t realize it was about the vagina, graphically and explicitly about the vagina,” said Heather Hanks, junior in LAS, who volunteered selling tickets for the play. “It was surprising, but now I love the show.”

The show completed its fourth year running at the University with three performances over the weekend.

And as the title indicates, the play’s 18 scenes covered topics related to the vagina and other aspects of women’s sexuality.

“The show is about having women speak about their sexuality, and that’s not done enough,” said Nicolette Pawlowski, senior in LAS and the play’s director. “Sexuality is talked about, but it’s very much through the male perspective.”

The play was written 12 years ago when activist Eve Ensler interviewed a diverse group of women about their vaginas, asking questions such as “What would it wear?” or “What would it say?” actresses said, as an introduction to the play.

“The Vagina Monologues” counters the male perspective by presenting the experiences of the women Ensler interviewed in an artistic form.

Some viewers who are not used to hearing open discussions about sexual encounters, orgasms or pubic hair said the play made them feel a bit uncomfortable.

“Some of it was a little intense,” said audience member Ali Timm, freshman in LAS. “We don’t normally think about things in that way.”

But the play’s intent is not to offend anyone, said actress Janel Bailey, sophomore in the Institute of Aviation. It only aims to increase the amount of discussions about the positive side of female sexuality, she said.

“You can put us on a board half-naked advertising for chocolate, but as soon as we talk about vaginas or vibrators, it’s like, ‘Oh no, none of that,'” Bailey said.

Other actresses were not immediately comfortable with the play’s content.

“When I first became part of (The Vagina Monologues) it took a while to get used to the semi-explicitness of it,” Caitlin Jonassen, sophomore in LAS, wrote in her cast member biography. “But it grew on me and I’ve come to love it. More importantly, I thought it was a great tool used to create awareness about violence against women.”

Pawlowski said each director must follow Ensler’s rules, which include raising money for a local charity that works to stop violence against women.

Proceeds from the University’s presentation of the play will benefit A Woman’s Fund as well as Ensler’s charity, V-Day International. Pawlowski said she hopes to beat last year’s fundraising total of about $2,000.

Pawlowski said even if people’s initial reactions to the play include confusion or embarrassment, seeing the show usually has a positive effect.

“I think a lot of fears and insecurities are quelled when you see it,” Pawlowski said. “What you don’t see enough is women expressing their happiness, their pleasure.”