Dramatic Repertory Company Presents VENUS IN FUR

Dramatic Repertory Company (Keith Powell Beyland, Artistic Director) is pleased to
announce a Portland Premiere production of VENUS IN FUR by David Ives. The show will run for 9 performances only, March 2 - 12, 2017 at the Studio Theatre at Portland Stage, 25A Forest Avenue, Portland, Maine.

Starring Joseph Bearor ("John Lennon" in the film Rubber Soul; Good Theater's Next Fall, ) and Casey Turner (Portland Stage Co's Lost Boy in the Whole Foods; DRC's My Name Is Rachel Corrie), this production is being co-directed by Peter Brown (Fenix Theater Co's Much Ado About Nothing; DRC's Equivocation) and Keith Powell Beyland (DRC's The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence).

Thomas, a beleaguered playwright/director, is desperate to find an actress to play Vanda, the female lead in his adaptation of the classic sadomasochistic tale Venus in Fur. Into his empty audition room walks a vulgar and equally desperate actress-oddly enough, named Vanda. Though utterly wrong for the sophisticated part, Vanda 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. A mysterious, funny, erotic drama from the master of literate theatre, David Ives.

Tickets for Venus in Fur range from $10 - $20 with Premium Tickets also available. Tickets are available now from Brown Paper Tickets --online at www.dramaticrep.org or by phone at 800-838-3006.

Venus in Fur will play will play March 2 - 5 at 7:30pm and then March 8 - 12 at 7:30pm at the Studio Theatre at Portland Stage, 25A Forest Avenue, Portland, Maine.

Venus in Fur cast & creative:

JOSEPH BEAROR (Thomas) Venus in Fur will not only be Joe's first time working with the Dramatic Repertory Company, but also his first production since returning home to Maine, after a five-year-long stay in Los Angeles, CA where he found work onscreen, most notably, as "John Lennon" in the film Rubber Soul and "Alex Mind" in the ABC miniseries Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Double Agent, as well as behind the scenes on MTV's Teen Wolf. In Portland, he has worked with the Good Theater as "Luke" in Next Fall, the American Irish Repertory Ensemble as "Johnny" in Juno and the Paycock, and with Mad Horse as "Trent Conway" in its production of Six Degrees of Separation and "Hansy Rilow" in Spring Awakening. Please, enjoy the show, dear reader!

CASEY TURNER (Vanda) is a Portland based actor. She received her BA in Theatre from the University of Southern Maine and has studied at the Celebration Barn Theater. Theatre credits include: Portland Stage Company (Lost Boy Found in Whole Foods),
Seven Stages Shakespeare Company (Othello, Lear), Fenix Theatre Company (Much Ado About Nothing), Mad Horse Theater Company (Stupid f-ing Bird), Dramatic Repertory Company (My Name is Rachel Corrie, Tigers be Still), Good Theater (4000 Miles, The Little Dog Laughed), The Theater Project (Eurydice), SPACE Gallery (Killer Joe), AIRE (The Lonesome West, Eclipsed), The Originals (Dancing at Lughnasa). Film credits include Fractal, The Hannover House, Tickle, and See Girl Run.

David Ives (Playwright) first came to wide notice in the theatre with his one-act plays, of which he has written over three dozen both for theatre and the radio. The greater part of them are collected in the anthologies All In The Timing (originally an evening of
six one-acts that won the Outer Critics CirclePlaywriting Award), Time Flies, and The Other Woman and Other Short Plays. He has been included in the Best Short Plays series seven times to date. His full-lengthplays include Venus In Fur; The Liar (adapted
from Corneille's comedy, and winner of the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play); The Heir Apparent (adapted from J-F. Regnard's comedy); New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza (winner of the Hull-Warriner Award); The School for Lies (adapted from Molière's The Misanthrope); Is He Dead? (adapted from Mark Twain); Irving Berlin's White Christmas; Ancient History; Don Juan in Chicago; The Land of Cockaigne; and Polish Joke. He has translated Feydeau's A Flea In Her Ear (winner of a Joseph Jefferson Award) as well as Yasmina Reza's A Spanish Play, wrote the libretto of an opera (The Secret Garden, with music by Greg Pliska, which premiered at the Pennsylvania Opera Theatre in 1991), and has adapted 32 shows for New York's celebrated Encores! series of American musicals in concert. He is also the author of three young-adult novels: Monsieur Eek, Scrib, and Voss. A former Guggenheim Fellow in playwriting and a graduate of Yale School of Drama, he lives in New York City. He is on the Council of the Dramatists Guild of America.

Peter Brown (Director) is honored to be helping his friend and working on this production. Peter is a Portland-based actor, director, theater educator, and proud new dad, who has appeared in Dramatic Repertory Company's productions of Equivocation, Swimming In The Shallows and Life During Wartime. He is the director of the Portland High School Shakespeare Club, an Affiliate Artist at Portland Stage Company and former Associate Artistic Director of Mad Horse Theatre Company. A few of his MHTC
credits include acting in The Normal Heart, The Pillowman and Long Day's Journey Into Night, and directing The History Boys and Six Degrees Of Separation. He frequently collaborates with Fenix Theatre Company, having performed in Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo & Juliet, Twelfth Night and Taming Of The Shrew, and directed As You Like It and A Midsummer Night's Dream. For Crosby & R.J., whose love and support make this possible.

Keith Powell BEYLAND (Director) recently directed the critically-acclaimed DRC productions of The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence, Equivocation (co-directed, Theatrical Highlight of 2014 - Portland Phoenix), My Name Is Rachel Corrie, (Theatrical
Highlight of 2014 - Portland Phoenix) A Bright New Boise (co-production with Fenix Theatre, Theatrical Highlight of 2013 - Portland Phoenix), Topdog/Underdog (Best Production - 2013 PEER Award, Theatrical Highlight of 2012 - Portland Phoenix), [title of show], Tigers Be Still, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, Life During Wartime and Blue/Orange. Keith also wrote the Libretto for two ballets for children - Around the World with Flat Stanley: The Case of the Red Shoes and Red Riding Hood and the Big "Bad" Wolf which are currently in repertory with the Portland School of Ballet. He spent the last two decades working on and off Broadway with respected organizations like Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Signature Theatre Company (NY), The New Group, Berkshire Theatre Festival and Irondale Ensemble Project. Keith studied with Athol Fugard, John Patrick Shanley, Paula Vogel, Maria Irene Fornes, Anne Hamburger, Carey Perloff and Venable Herndon, among others. He holds a degree with Honors from the Dramatic Writing Program at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

VENUS IN FUR creative team also includes Zoe LevinE SPORER (Scenic Design), MICHAELA WIRTH (Lighting Design) and ANDREW HESSELBART (Stage Manager).

FuturePatrons - Theatre-goers 25 and under can see DRC shows for FREE!! Theatre is
habit forming, and DRC wants to be a catalyst. DRCs innovative program strives to help build the next generation of theatre-goers. FuturePatron tickets are available day-of only, and require government-issued photo ID as proof of age. Seating is first-come, first-served and subject to availability.

Dramatic Repertory Company aims to make a dramatic difference in the community. DRC continues to establish a burgeoning reputation for provocative and professional productions. DRC intends to produce new and overlooked works that otherwise may never be seen in Maine, as well as provide fresh perspectives on classic works.

For more information, visit www.dramaticrep.org.

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