Saartje Baartman, a girl from the South African Khoikhoi tribe known for their uniquely large posteriors, was bought, sold and displayed all over the world as the sideshow oddity The Hottentot Venus. This production of Venus looks at this persona through the distorted lens of a carnivalesque freak show. Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks explores Venus's rise and fall from the spotlight, the dealers involved, and the ways she became an object of the world?s desire.
Director's Statement:
Baartman's short life (1790-1815) is one of the earliest and forgotten documented examples of sexual exploitation of ?the other?. As a woman of color, I enter this play with a profound curiosity around the question "Who let this show go on?" In my production, I will resurrect this dark chapter of history that still reverberates in pop culture today, by inviting audiences to look, listen, and experience the complex ride that is Venus.
Admission/Cost: General Admission
Date and Times:
Wednesday, January 28 - 7:00 PM (Preview)
Friday, January 30 - 7:30 PM (Opening)
Saturday, January 31 - 2:00 PM (Matinee)
Saturday, January 31 - 7:30 PM
Wednesday, February 4 - 7:30 PM
Thursday, February 5 - 7:30 PM
Friday, February 6 - 7:30 PM
Saturday, February 7 - 7:30 PM
For more information, please visit:
www.theatre.ucsd.edu
Director's Statement:
Baartman's short life (1790-1815) is one of the earliest and forgotten documented examples of sexual exploitation of ?the other?. As a woman of color, I enter this play with a profound curiosity around the question "Who let this show go on?" In my production, I will resurrect this dark chapter of history that still reverberates in pop culture today, by inviting audiences to look, listen, and experience the complex ride that is Venus.
Admission/Cost: General Admission
Date and Times:
Wednesday, January 28 - 7:00 PM (Preview)
Friday, January 30 - 7:30 PM (Opening)
Saturday, January 31 - 2:00 PM (Matinee)
Saturday, January 31 - 7:30 PM
Wednesday, February 4 - 7:30 PM
Thursday, February 5 - 7:30 PM
Friday, February 6 - 7:30 PM
Saturday, February 7 - 7:30 PM
For more information, please visit:
www.theatre.ucsd.edu
