FARMINGTON – In honor of National Women’s History Month, the University of Maine at Farmington Women’s and Gender Studies Center program will present a benefit performance of the play “The Vagina Monologues.”

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, March 21-22, at Nordica Auditorium, UMF Merrill Hall.

Created by Eve Ensler in support of women’s rights worldwide, “The Vagina Monologues” is based on interviews with more than 200 women about their memories and experiences of sexuality.

This Obie Award-winning play has been translated into many languages and gives a voice to real women’s stories of intimacy, vulnerability and self-discovery. It made its debut at the off-Broadway Westside Theatre in 1996 and has since been performed in cities and at college campuses across America.

This year’s UMF production of “The Vagina Monologues” is in keeping with the foundation of V-Day, the grassroots movement inspired by Ensler’s play to end violence against women around the world. It features a cast and crew of UMF students and is directed by Liz Winfeld and produced by Stephanie Wright. Proceeds will benefit SAVES (Sexual Assault Victims Emergency Services Inc.), a nonprofit organization that provides help to victims of sexual assault in Franklin County and the Mulukuku Project, led by Dr. Connie Adler of Farmington, which seeks to support a medical clinic in Mulukuku, Nicaragua.

Tickets are $10 for community members, $8 for faculty and staff, and $4 for UMF students with I.D. They can be purchased in advance by calling 778-7387; and at the UMF Women’s and Gender Studies Center, the UMF Olsen Student Center, and both the Calico Patch and Mickey’s Hallmark stores in downtown Farmington. Tickets will also be sold at the door.

“The Vagina Monologues” is suitable for mature audiences only.