Ten women on the edge. Unguarded. Unconcealed. Baring their souls in search for answers. Each with a unique story to reveal. Joyce Carol Oates has created these women in her drama, I Stand Before You Naked, opening Feb. 18 at Hollywood's West Coast Ensemble. Alison Vail directs this "collage of voices," which will be mounted on the same set where Hunting Humans currently plays in repertory.

Featured in Oates' play of multiple monologues are Caerthan Banks, Natalie Barish, Angela DeCicco, Crystal Jackson, Molly Maslin, Joyce Meadows, Cynthia Monique, Marilyn Watt, Tina Witek and Stephanie Zachar.

Titles of some of the monologues within Naked include, "The Orange," "Good Morning, Good Afternoon," "Nuclear Holocaust" and "Pregnant." Oates is best known as a novelist (National Book Award winner them), but in recent years she's become a prolific playwright. Other plays include The Eclipse, In Darkest America, Procedure and Toneclusters. Oates co-won the 1990 Heidman Award for One-Act Plays and serves as the Roger S. Berlind Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at Princeton University.

For tickets ($15) and information on I Stand Before You Naked, which begins previews Feb. 16, call (213) 525-0022.

--By David Lefkowitz