Washed Away

Before seeing Eve Ensler's Vagina Monologues, it was hard to imagine that a show about sexual oppression and brutality could be funny. But it is, and no matter how many times you see it, the tears and laughter don't seem to lessen. Who knows how that bodes for the content of The Katrina Monologues: A Tribute to Hurricane Katrina Survivors, but you can check it out at 7 p.m. Wednesday at SMU's Hughes-Trigg student center, 3140 Dyer St. The show is based on accounts of the hurricane and its aftermath as told by survivors, many of them still scattered across the country more than a year after the disaster. Members of SMU's Interpretation of African American Folklore class will perform the stories. And to give the show some real NOLA flavor, a jazz band will accompany the monologues with traditional New Orleans tunes. These monologues are true too, based on accounts recorded and transcribed by professor, playwright, storyteller and actress Njoki McElroy, a graduate of Xavier University in New Orleans who's been honored as a "living legend" by the Black Academy of Arts and Letters in Dallas. Call 214-768-4380.
Wed., Nov. 8, 7 p.m.