Twin Masks Performing Arts Center (TMPAC), located at 9076 Church Street in Twinsburg, is proud to announce auditions on Sunday, June 7 and Monday, June 8, both nights at 7pm, for Venus in Fur, written by David Ives. Directed by Brian Westerley. Performance Dates are July 31, August 1, 7, 8, 14 and 15, 2020. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. Please use the following link to sign up for an audition slot. Walk ins welcome: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084da5a62da2fb6-venus. THE STORY: 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 that represents yet another departure for the multifaceted David Ives. “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.” —NY Times. “VENUS IN FUR invites both carnal and cerebral excitement…” —Village Voice. “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. “You want funny? You want sexy? Then you’ll want to see VENUS IN FUR.” —New Jersey Newsroom. PLEASE NOTE: PLAY CONTAINS STRONG ADULT LANGUAGE AND SITUATIONS. CHARACTER BREAKDOWN (AGES ARE APPROXIMATE): VANDA (mid to late 20s; early 30s): an actress; seemingly ditzy and flighty, but she is actually fiercely intelligent in an instinctive way; a manipulator who stunningly transforms in and out of her roles of “desperate actor trying to get the job” and worshipped goddess; highly charismatic and sexual; eventually takes on the dominant position of the character she is auditioning for; funny, sexy, and scary all at the same time; able to switch from quirky girl to seductive woman in the blink of an eye; note: *role requires actress being comfortable undressing on stage in lingerie/ dominatrix style attire.* THOMAS (mid to late 30s): a hot “up and coming” writer-director with a great respect for art and literature; intellectual and entitled, he expects others to live up to the high standards he has set for himself and his work; handsome, tortured, and virile, and is easily brought into the world of his play by his sexual drive; willing to grovel and worship the character’s idea of femininity, and is both excited and terrified of it at the same time; must have the acting chops to handle the character in the play he is directing (a 19th century Austrian aristocrat obsessed with his maid). Venus in Fur is secured with rights granted by Dramatists Play Service, Inc. TMPAC is a registered 501c3 non profit entity and is a proud member of OCTA and AACT.