See DePauw Theatre’s Winter Term Production, Venus, February 2-5

January 23, 2006

January 23, 2006, Greencastle, Ind. - DePauw Theatre announces the public presentation of the Winter Term 2006 theatre project, Venus, by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Suzan-Lori Parks. Performances are in the Performing Art Center’s Moore Theatre, February 2 through 4 at 7:30 p.m. The Sunday, February 5 matinee is at 4 p.m.

Venusis based on the true-life tale of Sarah Baartman, a young South African woman who was persuaded to leave her home for a life of freak show stardom in early 19th century London. In her Obie Award-winning play, Parks resurrects the memory of the Venus Hottentot (Baartman’s show name) by weaving together historical texts and records with a distinctive playwriting style that addresses racism, colonialism, objectification and agency.

It was Baartman’s large buttocks that attracted audiences upon her arrival on the freak show circuit in 1810. This physical feature, typical for women of the Khosian tribe, was a source of controversy and titillation. Cartoons, songs and even a French light opera were crafted in response. An abolitionist group accused her exhibitors of enslaving her (slavery had recently been abolished in England) and brought a lawsuit on her behalf. The case was dismissed when Baartman submitted a statement claiming her complicity in the exhibitions.

After four years in London, Baartman was transferred to Paris and sold to an animal trainer. There, she captured the attention of many leading scientists including the prominent and influential Georges Cuvier, who performed an autopsy of Baartman upon her death in 1815. Her skeleton, a plaster cast of her body, and her brain and genitals were on display in the Musee de l’Homme in Paris until 1975.

Baartman was largely forgotten until the 1990’s when activists, including South African President Nelson Mandela called for her repatriation to South Africa. On May 1, 2002, after seven years of negotiations with the French government, Baartman’s remains were laid to rest in her homeland.

In 1989, the New York Times named Suzan-Lori Parks "the year's most promising new playwright." Venus premiered in New York in 1996 at the Joseph Papp Public Theatre. Parks was the recipient of a 2001 MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Award, and in 2002 received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play Topdog/Underdog.

Under the stage direction of Gigi Jennewein Fenlon and technical direction of Tim Good, over forty students in two DePauw Winter Term classes have labored to bring Suzan-Lori Park’s Venusto life for local audiences. The month-long courses devoted solely to producing the play are unique as they allow students to get a taste of production conditions in professional theatre.

Tickets for the production are $3 for students for $6 for adults, and are available for purchase at the DePauw University Performing Arts Center box office. Information and reservations are available by calling (765) 658-4827 or by sending an e-mail here. This production is recommended for mature audiences only.

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