Studio Theatre sponsored the second annual UD Monologues this past weekend in the Black Box Theater.

This collection of student-written, directed and performed monologues debuted last year with great success. The brainchild of Josh Richardt and Leslie Singel, this year's production was passed to the capable hands of Caitlin Cronin, Rebecca Russo and Steve Weishampel.

'Last year was really unbelievable,' Weishampel said. 'We sold out each show, and the audience response was really surprising. After each show, the whole audience would come up and mention that they'd had similar thoughts or experiences.'

The success of the show has a lot to do with the fact that all monologues were written by UD students. The monologues seek to create future dialogue about campus issues in order to create a stronger campus unity.

In Weishampel's eyes, 'the monologues are a way for students to recognize that other people share their thoughts, and a way for both performers and the audience to move forward together.'

The main ideas discussed within the monologues related to gender issues on campus. Some individual monologues covered the difficulties associated with having large breasts, stereotypical images of men, romantic relationships, body image, sexual experiences and family. A take on one of the Vagina Monologues, Eric Eble's 'My Angry Penis' made for a very powerful finale.

Because of the power of these monologues, the cast hosted a 10-minute talk-back session so the audience and cast could discuss the performance and the issues covered.

Written by cast members and non-cast members alike, there were 27 monologues this year. Those who attended the monologues last year saw a completely different show this weekend.

As a result of last year's success, this year's cast was also much larger. Including the three directors, the cast was comprised of three male and 10 female undergraduates.