When freshman Deja Mackey auditioned for Vagina Monologues in late November, she felt proud of how well she did considering how nervous she was underneath the surface.

Now, four months later, she is dressed in a tailored black jumpsuit with a bright red blazer standing in front of a sold out Missouri Theater with Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin sitting in the audience.

It’s the second performance of the day and she felt a totally different vibe from the first audience.

“Because it was a lot more parents and kids at the 2 o’clock, they were more reluctant to respond,” Mackey said. “So before the show we had to tell them it’s okay to laugh when we say ‘vagina’ or other taboo things, and when we talk about more serious things like genital mutilation it was okay to clap after because it was still being performed really well.”

But the second time she walked out on stage Saturday she knew she had friends supporting her from all different parts of her life, including the cast and crew who sit in the front row.

“I felt a lot more comfortable and I didn’t feel nervous at all, I felt excited,” Mackey said. “People were cheering my name. I felt like I was owning this, and this was my moment to be a part of the movement.”

This was the 14th year MU women have performed Vagina Monologues. The show was sponsored by Stronger Together Against Relationship and Sexual Violence, an organization that helps to educate the campus about abuse and how to prevent it.

All of the proceeds from the show go back into the community to places like True North, a local domestic and sexual violence center and shelter that offers counseling to victims. Funds also went to the The L.E.A.D Institute, which offers counseling and other services for deaf victims who might struggle getting help from other places because of the communication barrier they face.

The Central Missouri Stop Human Trafficking Coalition, an organization to prevent and end forced labor and sexual exploitation of innocent children, women and men, also received a portion of the proceeds.

One of the reasons Mackey felt so excited to be a part of the movement was because she was doing it with a group of such passionate, intelligent, and brave women.

“It’s such a family, and you’re joining a family of strong women who have been performing in this for so many years,” Mackey said.

There were funny performances like “Because He Liked To Look At It,” about a man named Bob who loved the way vaginas looked, and then there were the more serious monologues, like “Not–So-Happy Fact,” which focused on female genital mutilation.

Senior Jodie Sabino has performed in the monologues over the last four years and said she enjoyed the opportunity to perform twice this year.

“I feel like the more opportunities we get to share these women’s stories and spread awareness about ending violence against women and girls, the better,” Sabino said. “Also, having two shows gave us the chance to raise so much more money with ticket sales and contribute to some great local organizations in Columbia.”

Sabino said she participated in Vagina Monologues due to the love and support she gets from the women she has met through this movement.

“I have learned so much about myself, my vagina, and what it means to identify as a woman,” she said.