Meet Satine Iskandaryan, a woman just as unique and interesting as her name! As a member of the upcoming Vagina Monologues and Her Stories show, Satine is spreading the word of women and feminists to the UCSB community.
Year: 3rd Year
Major: English/Sociology double major with a minor in Art History
Hometown: Glendale, CA
How did you get involved with the Vagina Monologues?
I saw the furiously magenta flyer the Women’s Ensemble Theatre Troupe were using as advertising for auditions my freshman year of college while I was in the dorms. My roommate of several weeks walked me to HSSB, butterflies madly fluttering internally and I walked into a room stuffed with tea, baked goods, and feminists. In essence, I’d heard my calling.
What has been your favorite part about preparing for the show?
The stout friendships that bloom throughout the several months the cast is growing together as women, story tellers, humans HANDS down. I’ve met some of the most influential, gumption-filled women who’ve shaped facets of my self over the past three years, and they’re most definitely the best part of preparing for performances.
Why do you think the Vagina Monologues is so important and how can it impact the UCSB campus in a positive way?
I personally think the Vagina Monologues is so extremely crucial (especially for our campus) as most, if not all, topics that the women performing touch upon are ridiculously taboo and frankly, make a LOT of viewers uncomfortable. Yet I think this may be one of the most important aspects of the show: the ill-at-ease discomfort which may come from listening to women express the horrors and pleasures we as a society push into the NC-17 corners of restricted access. Discussing said topics through lenses of pathos and ethos helps bring to light all of the untold experiences that so many women share – the feeling of unity and connection that comes from sharing similar experiences that only a fraction of humanity feels. For yes, we are smart; we are kind; and inevitable, we are important.