The agony and the ecstasy of childbirth will be celebrated on Vashon during several arts and community events coming to the Island Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 20 and 21.

During what is being billed as “A Weekend of Birth on Vashon,” Islanders can attend a critically acclaimed play and film about the childbirth experience, listen to a panel discussion by Island birth professionals and also have a chance to share their own birth stories in a supportive setting.

All the activities and events are affiliated with BOLD (Birth on Labor Day), an international movement dedicated to raising awareness of the birth experience and maternity-care options.

The weekend will kick off from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, with the BOLD Red Tent at the Vashon Youth & Family Services Playspace (former YMCA), at Vashon Highway and Gorsuch Road.

Organizers say that the Red Tent will be “a safe, intimate space” where mothers can gather to share birth stories.

Many BOLD Red Tents are videotaped with each mother’s permission — the videotape is then used to lobby local leaders to help improve maternity care conditions in the Seattle area.

To register to participate, visit www.vashonredtent.eventbrite.com.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, the action will shift to the Vashon High School Theater for a performance of “Birth,” a play by BOLD founder Karen Brody. Hailed by one critic as “the Vagina Monologues of birth,” the play is a documentary-style account of the birth stories of eight women, painting an alarming picture of how low-risk, educated mothers are giving birth today.

More than 100 performances of “Birth” are happening in cities across the nation during September, with the goal of raising awareness and money for childbirth choices that work for mothers.

Performed on Vashon as a staged reading last year, “Birth” will get a full production this time around, directed by Vashon resident Deborah King and featuring Vashon actress Tami Brockway Joyce in the cast.

Joyce, who is also a doula and the mother of an almost-2-year-old daughter, has been playing the role of Amanda for three years in productions of “Birth” throughout the Puget Sound region. She said she experiences “a swell of emotions” every time she performs in the play.

“It takes me back to the birth of my daughter,” she said, “and it takes audiences back to their own birth experiences. I’ve heard that at intermission, audience members are telling their own birth stories.”

The performance, which is sponsored on Vashon by Integrative Body Work for Women and Island Doulas, will be followed by a panel discussion with local birth professionals.

Tickets cost $16 and are available in advance from www.boldinseattle.com or at the door on the evening of the play. The play is not recommended for children.

The weekend will conclude at 1 p.m. Sept. 21, with a screening of the documentary “Orgasmic Birth” at Vashon Theatre.

Filmmaker Debra Pascali-Bonaro chronicles what BOLD organizers said is “a revolutionary approach to birth that is statistically safer and healthier for both mother and child than the birthing and delivery methods that are standard in many parts of the world today.”

The film takes viewers on the journey of 11 women who are shown laboring and giving birth. The evocative score for the film was created by John McDowell, composer of the score for the Oscar-winning documentary “Born Into Brothels,” with additional composition by Sabina Sciubba of the group “Brazilian Girls.”

Tickets to the film cost $10, and can be bought in advance at www.boldinseattle.com or at the door. Again, the film is not recommended for children.