Venus Theatre focuses on women writers
The female-focused Venus Theatre, in Laurel, Md., is now presenting a series of one-act plays about the women’s suffrage movement in the early 20th century. Performers shown here, left to right, are Jean H. Miller, Christine Jacobs, Emily Sucher (back row); Allison Frisch and Erin Hanratty (front row).
Photo courtesy of Deborah Randall
Deborah Randall says her audiences have an “immersion experience” at the Venus Theatre in Laurel, and this could include, as it recently did, sharing a dinner being cooked up on stage.
In Soft Revolution, a play about Afghans in Australia, Venus founder-director Randall felt the recent production needed a sign of authenticity, so a pot of Kabuli palaw, the Afghan national dish, simmered on stage throughout the one-act play.
“I loved her very much,” Randall said of McCauley, her longtime friend and theater collaborator.
Upcoming shows
The Venus Theatre’s other 2017 season productions include:
Tunnel Vision, May 11-June 5, by Andrea Lepcio, in which two unacquainted women find themselves “stuck” in an unfamiliar, unidentified space. They are unsure how they got there, and struggle to maintain their composure and avoid confronting the circumstances that brought about their arrivals, as well as their growing attraction to one another.
Among the themes are the problems of balancing motherhood with a career, the stigma attached to not traveling the traditional gender path, the difficulty and fear that comes with love. The play ultimately is a “journey of acceptance and redemption from which truth, purpose and love unexpectedly emerge.”
Aglanike’s Tiger, Sept. 7-Oct. 1, is a world premiere by Claudia Barnett about Greece’s first female astronomer, who was able to predict lunar eclipses but whose science was suspect because she was a woman. To survive, she goes on to bill herself as a sorceress, claiming she can draw down the moon.
Her story is presented in a series of challenges, both scientific and magical, as the play draws on both ancient Greek traditions and postmodernism, with the use of masks and puppets to explore its political, ecological and scientific themes.
The Ravens, Nov. 2-26, a U.S. premiere by Alana Valentine, set in Sydney Australia, concerning a “sex worker” trying to quit her profession. She comes into a considerable payout of cash, which causes more of a problem than a relief.
The play, first presented on radio, won the 2015 BBC International Radio Writing Award. Its stage premiere at Venus Theatre explores lesbianism and prostitution as well as “fierce insights and compassion” about the struggle of women against violence.
Admission for each presentation at the Venus Theatre is $40 “for those who can afford it,” said Randall. “If you say you are a friend of Venus, the charge is $20,” she added.
Venus Theatre is located at 21 C St., Laurel. For more information and tickets, see www.venustheatre.org or call (202)-236-4078.
