This year's annual production of The Vagina Monologues premiered last night to a nearly full house.

An integral part of the "V-Day" global movement to stop violence against women, the play presents 20 monologues, all related to the vagina.

The topics range from serious themes such as mutilation and rape to the slightly less serious subject of triple orgasms.

It begins with a monologue aptly titled "Introduction," which discusses the inspiration for the play and includes a rant about the word "vagina."

The play added a segment not seen in previous years, entitled "Crooked Braid," a segment about a Native American woman's experience with severe domestic violence.

All proceeds from the ticket sales go to Home Alive, a Seattle-based, non-profit, anti-violence organization formed after the death of Mia Zapata, a Seattle musician who was attacked and killed in a Seattle alleyway in 1993.

The premiere drew people of all kinds, such as student Catherine Quinn and her mother, Lise, who works in the Department of Neurobiology at the University's hospital.

"A girl in one of my classes told me about it," said Catherine, a senior. "I told my mom about it, and she seemed interested."

Lise Quinn had seen advertisements for the play and wanted to find out what it was all about.

"I've read about the play many times but had never seen it," Lise added. "So this seemed like a perfect opportunity."

Others attended for more dutiful reasons, such as freshman Tyler McKay, who came to see a friend perform.

"I'm taking a theology and feminism class, and my professor told me about it, so I decided to go," said Ashley Miller, a Seattle University student.

Reviews from audience members were overall very favorable, though some found it difficult to evaluate the performance.

"It changes so much from performance to performance," said Jason Copeland, an audience member and friend of the director.

"It's really hard to compare [this performance to others]," his wife added.

Some audience members attended to support the message of the play.

"The play is about women and violence, and that message would be impossible to get across with only lighthearted things," said Megan Farwell, a representative from Home Alive. "While rape and domestic violence are still happening on such a big scale, it's still an issue that people do not know enough about."

The play continues tonight and Saturday night.

Reach contributing writer Wayne Gerard at development@thedaily.washington.edu.