Venus in Fur (Lipstick Theatre)

The purpose of our project is to perform the Tony award–winning play Venus in Fur by David Ives (a Northwestern alum!) on the Northwestern campus. Venus in Fur deals with many important and topical concepts including male/female power dynamics in the workplace, sexism, and sexual harassment. Particularly in light of recent current events, this play will inspire and support students and audience members as they continue the crucial conversation around women’s struggles and the need for women’s voices to be heard and validated. Venus in Fur is a two-person play about an actress, Vanda Jordan, who comes to audition for a play to be directed by another character, Thomas Novachek. The audition begins with Thomas belittling Vanda and wielding his dominance. However, as the play continues, Vanda uses her strength and brilliance to completely reverse the power dynamic in the audition room and take back her power. The play leaves the audience considering the real-life threats to women, and how women can be supported to use their voices and strength. Due to the nature of the show, all of the leadership roles on the production team, including producer, director, and stage manager, are filled by female students.