LEWISTON – Elizabeth Brady, a junior at Bates College, is directing the sixth annual Bates production of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” today and Saturday, Feb. 11. Performances will begin at 7 p.m. in Olin Arts Center Concert Hall, 75 Russell St.

Ensler based “The Vagina Monologues” on interviews she conducted with more than 200 women about their sexuality, their bodies and their stories of violence and sexual abuse. The result is a collection of women’s stories that are personal yet universal, comic and poignant, brazen and mysterious.

Premiering 10 years ago, the play has enlightened, shocked and entertained audiences all over the world.

In 1998, Ensler founded the organization V-Day as a means to parlay the play’s success into a force for social and political change. For more information, see the V-Day Web site: http://www.vday.org/contents/vday.

“While there are funny skits, there are also serious skits, and even the funny skits have a point to them about women having a choice and not being silent. We all really stand behind that,” said Brady, a chemistry major who’s making her directorial debut.

Since its Obie-winning premiere, Ensler’s play has been performed to broad acclaim worldwide. Productions have featured such top actors as Glenn Close, Cate Blanchett, Susan Sarandon, Marisa Tomei, Rosie Perez, Lily Tomlin, Kate Winslett, Melanie Griffith and Calista Flockhart.

Admission is $3, with proceeds supporting both the Auburn-based Abused Women’s Advocacy Project and V-Day, an international effort to end violence against women and girls. For more information, call (207) 786-6135.