Circle Theatre Announces Cast and Creative Team for David Ives' VENUS IN FUR

Circle Theatre is proud to announce the full cast/creative team for David Ives' dark comedy Venus in Fur, directed by Charlotte Drover, February 18 - March 19 at The Heartland Studio in Rogers Park, 7016 N. Glenwood Ave. Previews areSaturday, Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 19 at 2:30 p.m. Press are invited to attend Monday, Feb. 20 or Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. Industry Nights are Mondays: February 27, March 6 and March 13 at 8 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $28 and available at CircleTheatreChicago.org.

Venus in Fur, a two-person play, introduces the audience to an ambitious actress, who may be more than she seems, and the director for whom she's auditioning. Ideas of power are exchanged, particularly within the confines of society's expectations for gender and sexuality.

Circle Theatre's production of Venus in Fur marks the second production of the 2016-2017 Season. First Lady Suite preceded it and the company will conclude its season with a remount of the 2015 hit Triassic Parq in the summer of 2017.

The cast includes Arti Ishak (currently in Men On Boats, American Theatre Company and upcoming in Johnny 10 Beers Daughter, Chicago Dramatists) as "Vanda," with Zach Livingston (Midnight Cowboy, Lifeline Theatre; Heat Wave, Cold Basement Dramatics at Steppenwolf Garage Rep Series) as "Thomas" with understudies Sahar Dika (Mosque Alert, Silk Road Rising; Ripped Fest, American Blues Theater) and Zachary Schley (Henry V, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre; Fifty Shades of Shakespeare, (re)discover Theatre).

The production team consists of Charlotte Drover, director; Emily Boyd, set designer; Elsa Hiltner, costume designer; Margi Hazlett, costume assistant; Maya Michele Fein, lighting designer; Melanie Kulas, production stage manager; Sasha Smith, intimacy/violence designer; Domonic McDaye, Sound Designer; Kelsey McGrath, dramaturg, with Bobby Arnold* and Nicholas Reinhart* as producers.

*Denotes Circle Theatre company member

ABOUT CHARLOTTE DROVER, director

Charlotte Drover is a Chicago based director/choreographer and teaching artist for Lookingglass Theatre. Past directing credits include festival pieces for Something Marvelous, an original adaptation of The Pit and The Pendulum (Chicago Mammals), The After (Collaboraction) and most recently associate directing Octagon (Jackalope Theatre) with Tara Branham. She has assisted at Collaboraction, Something Marvelous, Hypocrites and the Goodman. Up next, Drover will assist Joanie Schulz for Victory Gardens' Directors Inclusion Initiative for Madhuri Shekar's QUEEN.

ABOUT CIRCLE THEATRE

For more than 30 years, Circle Theatre Chicago has engaged the artistic vision of interdisciplinary artists to craft unique, challenging storytelling experiences spanning all creative mediums. The proud recipient of more than 40 Jeff Awards, it has presented countless world, regional and Chicago premieres including works by Rebecca Gilman, Charles Mee, Jon Steinhagen and Harry Connick Jr. Circle also has a reputation for staging chamber style productions of large Broadway musicals with such works as The Secret Garden, Urinetown and The Life, among countless others. In recent seasons, Circle Theatre has put its stamp on contemporary work in intimate and lauded productions of off-Broadway hits Triassic Parq and 35MM: A Musical Exhibition. Having appeared on every major paper's top ten lists numerous times, Circle is the recipient of the 2010 Jeff Award for special recognition of its 25th Anniversary.

Circle Theatre presents David Ives' dark comedy Venus in Fur, directed by Charlotte Drover, February 18 - March 19 at The Heartland Studio in Rogers Park, 7016 N. Glenwood Ave. Previews are Saturday, Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 19 at 2:30 p.m. Press are invited to attend Monday, Feb, 20 or Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. Industry Nights are Mondays: February 27,March 6 and March 13 at 8 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $28 and available at CircleTheatreChicago.org.

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