Heartland Theatre Company opens its 39th season with Venus in Fur, marking a return to the director's chair for Kathleen Kirk — who, after a hiatus, was unable to refuse the play she's loved since she first read it.
Venus in Fur by David Ives is based off a 19th century novel by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch and was developed into a play in 2010 in New York, as well as a movie in 2013. But Kirk said it is a contemporary piece; she likes to think of it as an outrageous comedy for adults that focuses on the battle of sexes.
The play features a parallel story through time, jumping between the modern day and the late 1800s. Playwright Thomas [Kyle Redmon] is is the process of mounting his adaptation of Sacher-Masoch's work in a dingy New York theater when he meets Vanda [Mia Katz], who's running late for her audition.
The idea of a "play within a play" is hardly new, but Kirk said she's had a blast working with the play's only two actors, Redmon and Katz, as they play multiple roles in two very distinct time periods. Kirk said audiences will have no problem telling what is real in the play and the play within the play.
“The actors change their clothes on stage, so costume changes are visible to you; the lighting changes and they're speaking in dialect,” Kirk said.
This allows audience members to see a distinct change in the actors and follow through the switches.
“So, there's reality, and then there's the play, and then there's this other element of surreality — the blurring is fun,” Kirk said.
The bigger picture
Although Venus in Fur is a comedic play, there is much more than a few laughs to take away from watching it. Kirk said this play has a focus on how men and women can communicate better.
To direct the play, Kirk said she did some research over the summer, a lot of which involved reading contemporary works on feminism and some history.
“I think it's a play for our times," she said. "When it was first produced in 2012, a whole bunch of other stuff has happened since then that keeps this the conflict between men and women and the particular issues in the entertainment world,” Kirk said.
The play looks at the ties between femininity and what that means from multiple perspectives, and what it means to be a man or woman — but Vanda is not your typical feminist.
“This particular character is a weird way of achieving the balance, a different way of seeing the equality of the sexes, so a serious play and funny play,” Kirk said.
Differences in the creative process
Kirk was not alone in directing Venus in Fur, as she worked hand in hand with Peoria-based assistant director Blake Stubbs, who like Kirk loved the show and could not resist the chance to produce it.
When looking at the parallels between the play and real life, it may seem difficult for both a man and a woman to direct, but Kirk could not agree less.
“We had the same ideas about it; we saw, where is the humor, when we got together to talk about it, we were in agreement about this,” Kirk said. “I thought it was a good idea for a woman to direct this play right now, and I also thought it was a great opportunity. I was thrilled that there was a man interested in being the assistant director.”
The original playwright, David Ives, hoped that through his play, the man and woman acting would achieve their own equality, but Kirk saw this happening between the two directors.
“I wanted to be able to turn to the man's perspective, what we found, I think, was we agreed, and that's a wonderful thing about the play,” Kirk said.
Venus in Fur runs Aug. 28 through Sept. 13 at Heartland Theatre Company, 1110 Douglas St., Normal. Tickets are $21 at 309-452-8709 and heartlandtheatre.org
