Every year, theater groups around the world host benefit performances of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” and other works to raise funds for local women’s organizations. These annual events are part of V-Day, a global movement to end violence against women and girls.

This year marks Portsmouth’s third annual V-Day, and the event has grown significantly since it was first held at The Players’ Ring two years ago. V-Day Portsmouth 2012 has a larger venue—the Seacoast Repertory Theatre—and more buzz, both of which could lead to a much bigger audience. The featured work, “The Vagina Monologues,” will be staged for three nights, from Friday to Sunday, Feb. 17 to 19.

Ensler’s play is a theater-style performance of monologues based on interviews with women and girls from around the globe. Each monologue deals with issues that affect women everywhere on a daily basis, from sexual exploration and empowerment to explicit accounts of sexual violence.

Local theater group Back Alley Productions is responsible for the organization of this year’s events. Joi Smith, one of the group’s co-founders, said Back Alley was conceived over a cup of coffee five years ago. Since that time, she and co-founder Danica Carlson have begun putting on annual V-Day events in the hopes of promoting activism and raising awareness and funds for local nonprofits like Sexual Assault Support Services and A Safe Place.

“I think it is easy to forget in such a creative and outspoken community that there still exists so much tragedy behind closed doors,” Smith said. “The stories we share in our V-Day campaigns each year are not just happening in large cities or other war-ravaged countries. They are happening in our own backyards, to our own friends and family members, every day.”

SASS community outreach coordinator Olivia Korpi said she hopes this year’s production will broaden the conversation and reach out to more people. She said it is important to acknowledge that while acts of sexual violence do happen, even in small communities, it is also important to note there are safe places.

“I think (Seacoast Repertory Theatre) allows more people to enjoy the show, which in and of itself offers more potential,” Korpi said. “I expect a good turnout of both men and women at the show. As cheesy as it sounds, you laugh, you cry, you do the whole bit. That’s a big part of how you connect.”

Smith said the cast of the play has made an effort to bring something unique to each individual monologue. She noted that while some of the monologues are depressing or dark, many of them are funny and topical.

“One thing that always fascinates me is the audience’s reaction to hearing the word ‘vagina’ for the first time of the evening,” Smith said. “You can just feel the anticipation in the air, and once that word has been put out there, you get this wave of nervous laughter, and you can almost hear people thinking, ‘What did I get myself into?’ for just a brief moment. But by the end of the show, you hear the audience flinging the word ‘vagina’ around like it’s nothing.”

One of the catchphrases that has been associated with the play since it was written in the 1990s is “vagina is not a bad word.” Ensler, a self-proclaimed feminist, activist and writer, has mentioned the taboo surrounding discussion of the vagina in several interviews about her work. She believes being open to discussion about sex and sexual violence is vitally important.

The “stop the violence” movement began on Valentine’s Day in 1998 with a single production of “The Vagina Monologues” in New York City. The play had just finished a five-year off-Broadway run and a national tour. After many of the performances, Ensler met women who wanted to share their own stories. Thus began a conversation between the play itself and the women it sought to represent.

“V-Day’s mission is simple,” the V-Day website reads. “It demands that violence against women and girls must end.”

The Portsmouth production is among nearly 6,000 annual events that take place all over the world in support of the cause. Most of the proceeds in Portsmouth will go to SASS, a local non-profit organization serving sexual assault victims in the counties of Rockingham, Strafford and southern York.

The organization also runs a prevention education program throughout the Seacoast called “Safe Kids, Strong Teens,” which gives age-catered presentations about personal safety and other issues associated with sexual violence.

Korpi said the current state of the economy makes funding for preventative education programs hard to come by. Events like V-Day provide necessary funding to continue expanding these programs to larger audiences, she said. There are approximately 40,000 students in the organization’s service area, and only about 10,000 are able to participate in the prevention education program. Korpi hopes V-Day and other events will continue to raise awareness and funds to grow the program over time.

The hour leading up to the show will offer more entertainment. The Rep’s lobby will have live acoustic performances by local musicians, an art gallery, vendor booths, a raffle with more than 40 prizes, and baked goods donated by Ceres Street Bakery, Mrs. P’s Pastries, and the Beach Pea Baking Company. All participants—and all cast members of the show—are locals from the Seacoast community.

“The Vagina Monologues” will be staged on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 17 and 18, at 8 p.m., and on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m., at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre, 125 Bow St., Portsmouth, 603-433-4793. Tickets are $25 to $20. For more information, visit www.seacoastrep.org.