Check out the final shows in Suzan-Lori Parks' Residency One: The Red Letter Plays: Fucking A & In The Blood.
Traveling from her home in southern Africa for what she hoped would be a better life, Saartjie Baartman became an unfortunate star on the 19th Century London freak show circuit. This Obie Award-winning play gives vibrant life to the story of Baartman’s journey to London, her rise to fame as the “Hottentot Venus,” and her eventual relationship with a French scientist. Inspired by the true story of Baartman, Venus is a tragic-carnival, an intense and devastating journey honoring the life of Baartman and examining the way we live and love today.
"Devastating! Has lost none of its power to upset and appall."
- Sandy MacDonald,
Time Out New York
"Vivid and visually striking! Resilience, humor and love run through the show."
- Elisabeth Vincentelli,
Newsday
Pictured above: Zainab Jah in Venus by Suzan-Lori Parks. Photo by Joan Marcus.