For the third year in a row, “This is Not a Play About Sex,” opened to a packed audience. Written by Colgate alumna Christina Liu ’13 as her senior thesis, the university bought the rights to the show and has continued to put it on each year. This year, the play was co-directed by seniors Charity Whyte and Providence Ryan. The play ran on Friday, October 2, Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4 in Brehmer Theatre.

“This is Not a Play About Sex” contains a compilation of monologues and conversations about issues related to sex, the human body and identity. Before the show began, the co-directors took to the stage to explain that the scenes are all based on real interviews with Colgate students, some of whom are still at Colgate.

“It was amazing to be part of such a collaborative experience, and something that continues evolving as Colgate goes on. Also, the original playwright came to the show Saturday night and it was incredible to meet her,” sophomore

Mallory Shaner said.

The play starred current Colgate students, who had to audition for their roles. As a woman in the 3 person skit called, “Vag-ographies and Tit-orals,” sophomore Katie Jean Colman learned a lot about herself through the process.

“It helped me learn how to better practice self-love and be comfortable with who I am. I am not afraid to talk about my sexuality, and neither was my character,” Colman said.  

Senior Sofia Estay, who has acted in “This Is Not A Play About Sex” before, decided to participate again because of its strong message and

potential impact on students. 

“While I don’t think the play instantly solves complicated campus issues, if [after viewing the play] people were able to go back to their rooms and talk with their friends about sex, connection, community or just taking care of each other, that’s a success,” Estay said. 

The play did an excellent job of provoking self-thought and reflection from members in the audience. 

“I really enjoyed ‘This Is Not a Play About Sex’ because it made me reflect on the social scene at Colgate, both in how I participate in it and how it is experienced from perspectives other than my own,” sophomore Hannah Buser said.

“This is Not a Play About Sex” was a uniquely Colgate experience, filled with numerous references to distinctly Colgate events.  As a result, it hit home with a lot of audience members and was once again a huge success. Both the Friday and Saturday showings of the play were sold out.

“Seeing ‘This is Not a Play About Sex’ was a very inspirational and eye-opening experience. I heard opinions and experiences of Colgate students that I didn’t know other people thought too,” sophomore Lindsey Derbyshire said.

“This Is Not A Play About Sex” has become a Colgate tradition, impacting those who watched it and those who were a part of it. 

“It was an absolutely amazing experience. The cast was such a diverse group of the most caring, beautiful people that I’m thankful to know,” Colman said.