Vagina. Cunt. Coochi snorcher. Penis?

Northwestern’s fourth annual production of “The Vagina Monologues” includes something new this year — men.

The play is part of NU’s celebration of V-Day, a worldwide campaign initiated by playwright Eve Ensler to stop violence against women by raising awareness and funds for anti-violence groups.

Five male students were asked by the show’s director to write and perform an original ensemble piece about violence against women from the male perspective to the show before the actual Ensler play. A second original piece, written by and starring four female NU students, also will precede the main attraction.

“The men’s perspective deserved to be voiced, and it wasn’t before,” said ensemble member Marley Seaman.

The Medill junior said he left last year’s performance feeling helpless.

“I left wondering, ‘OK, violence against women is terrible,’ but the show didn’t provide any answers,” Seaman said. “I know I’m not the problem — I’m not the type of guy to hit a woman or sexually assault a woman, and, by and large, the kinds of guys coming to see ‘The Vagina Monologues’ aren’t those kinds of guys.”

Seaman said having men act in “The Vagina Monologues” is a small step toward solving the larger problems of violence against women.

“Women alone aren’t going to end violence against women,” he said. “It’s an effort from everyone.”

According to artistic producer Jacqui Lazo, the theme of the new ensemble pieces is, “What would the world look like without violence against women and young girls?”

Lazo, who is featured in the female ensemble piece, said the question is hard to answer.

“There really isn’t a rhetoric in our language at present that describes a nonviolent world,” said Lazo, a Weinberg senior. “We need to describe everything with violence. The first thing I thought of was silence.”

Seaman, along with Communication sophomore Dave Holstein, Weinberg senior Bassel Korkor and Weinberg junior Tyler Wood, filled that silence with stories. According to Seaman, the men did not follow the theme exactly because then they would be depicting utopia.

“Women in the show talk about women, and guys, to a degree, should be talking about themselves,” Seaman said.

He and the other men decided to make their pieces personal. Seaman’s strand centers around the true story of one of his close friends getting raped.

“The show isn’t sacred. It should be personalized,” Seaman said. “The more personal something is, the more impact it has.”

That principle also holds true for the monologues themselves. Director Amanda Burr said she worked with her actresses to personalize their roles and create a connection between the audience and the play. Burr, a Communication senior, also focused on giving the play “a collective sound” by overlapping the independent narratives.

“We wanted to make our individual experiences translate into more universal experiences that we’re trying to give to audiences through our play,” she said.

Weinberg sophomore Caitlin Kelley, who plays a Bosnian woman raped by soldiers, said sharing the stage with 13 other women created a support network for the actresses.

“It’s not just one person doing a monologue,” Kelley said. “We are all there.”

Kelley said she and the other cast members became close while rehearsing.

“Each time we come to rehearsal, it’s like we’re like a big group of girlfriends,” Kelley said.

And, Kelley said, another result of her performance was becoming more comfortable with her own vagina.

“A few weeks ago the word ‘vagina’ was a lot ickier to me,” Kelley said. “Like ‘panty’ or ‘sanitary napkin,’ it just sounded strange and medical. Now it’s just another word. We need to get away from stupid taboos about it.”

Burr also said she is less ashamed about talking about her sexuality because of the show.

“I say the word ‘vagina’ almost 700 times a day, and it doesn’t bother me,” Burr said. “I’ll talk to people and say ‘vagina, vagina, vagina,’ and they’ll be like ‘ahhhh,’ but the taboo wore off.”

Burr said “The Vagina Monologues” is not just about women, though.

“It’s about everyone’s chance to be heard and feel empowered,” she said.

Burr said 90 percent of the proceeds from NU’s show will go to the Chicago Women’s Health Center. The other 10 percent will go to the national V-Day charity, which this year works with Native American women on reservations to change patterns of abuse.

‘The Vagina Monologues’

7 p.m. Saturday

Pick-Staiger Concert Hall

What: The 4th annual V-Day celebration

Tickets: $6 students, $10 faculty, $12 public. Available at Norris Box Office.