About the Play:

Venus in Fur has long been a favourite of acting teachers for Female Monologues, Male Monologues, and Female/Male Scenes.

Venus in Fur is a full-length comedic thriller by David Ives. Loosely inspired by the infamous erotic novella of the same name. Behind the scenes of an audition for a stage adaptation of an erotic novel, a man and a woman blur the lines between fantasy and reality, seduction and power, love and sex. She's determined to land the leading role in his new production – despite seeming wrong for the part. Over one evening in downtown Manhattan their charged meeting becomes a seductive dance to the end.

Venus in Fur is a crackling exploration of sexual control and desire. Thomas Novachek, a beleaguered playwright/director, is desperate to find an actress to play Vanda, the female lead in his adaptation of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's classic sadomasochistic tale Venus in Fur. Into his empty audition room walks a volatile and equally desperate actress – oddly enough, named Vanda. Though utterly wrong for the sophisticated part, enigmatic actress Vanda Jordan exhibits a strange command of the material, piquing Thomas' interest with her seductive talents and secretive manner. As the two work through the script, they blur the line between play and reality, entering into an increasingly serious game of submission and domination that only one of them can win. An exploration of gender roles and sexuality, in which desire twists and turns in on itself, Venus in Fur is also a witty, unsettling look at the art of acting – onstage and off.

Venus in Fur premiered to acclaim in early 2010 in a production by off-Broadway's Classic Stage Company. It then transferred to a celebrated Broadway run in 2011 and earned a 2012 Tony Award nomination. Since it ended its acclaimed Broadway return in 2012, Venus in Fur has become a favourite scene study vehicle in acting classes and workshops and is a popular staple among regional theatres.

Cast: 1 female, 1 male

What people say:

"The teeter-tottering test of wills that takes place in Venus in Fur makes even the most fraught encounter between a domineering director and a sensitive performer seem like a play date in the sandbox. Actors may be pleased to hear that in this ninety minutes of good, kinky fun, the upper hand does not necessarily belong to the usual suspect." — New York Times

"Venus in Fur invites both carnal and cerebral excitement…." — Village Voice

"Wildly intelligent and sometimes frightening." — New Yorker

"Ives has crafted a modern take on a classic tale, skillfully twisting his plot and characters in a fast-paced journey into one man's entrapment by a clever, vengeful female." — Associated Press

"David Ives ... has grown into a playwright of considerable consequence – which doesn't mean that he's lost his sense of humor. Venus in Fur ... actually feels a bit like one of Mr. Ives's one-act plays writ large, though it cuts much deeper, both intellectually and emotionally." — Wall Street Journal

"You want funny? You want sexy? Then you'll want to see Venus in Fur." — New Jersey Newsroom

About the Playwright:

David Ives is an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist who was born in Chicago and educated at Northwestern University and Yale School of Drama. He is perhaps best known for his evenings of comic one-act comedies, a reputation which resulted in the The New York Times referring to him as the "maestro of the short form". A former Guggenheim Fellow in playwriting, he has also written dramatic plays, narrative stories, and screenplays. He lives in New York City.