POTSDAM -- The SUNY Potsdam Department of Theatre and Dance is gearing up to present its spring mainstage production, "Venus," by the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, which will run from March 20 to 25 in the Performing Arts Center’s Proscenium Theater.

The student cast and crew includes Matthew Drake of Massena, NY, who is a member of the chorus.

The play is the theatrical story of the so-called "Hottentot Venus." In 1810, Saartjie Baartman, a young South African woman, was enticed to go to Europe to gain fortune and fame as the "African Dancing Princess." She arrived in London, and within days was put in a cage and displayed along with other human "oddities" in Piccadilly, where men and women would come to "peek and poke."

Baartman's shapeliness, typical of her people, was deemed extraordinary and exotic, and she became famous, if not rich. The play is rooted in the historical truth of the life of Baartman while she lived in Europe, including her rise to even more notoriety in Paris, after being brought there by a doctor for his "personal study," and where she later died in 1815, at 26 years of age.

"The focus of the production at SUNY Potsdam is the life of Saartjie, who finds herself in a circus sideshow world that is comedic and tragic, often at the same time. Her life story intrigued me. Like most of us, she wanted to have a better life and to find happiness and love," said Associate Professor Kimberley Bouchard, who directs the show. "While the play documents her exploitation, it also portrays her courage, determination and intelligence. She does not succumb to the world. Instead, we see her actively work to negotiate a life on her own terms. It is a story that continues to resonate 200 years after her death."

There will be daily evening performances at 7:30 p.m. from Tuesday, March 20 through Saturday, March 24, with one afternoon matinee offered, at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 25. There will be a post-show discussion offered following every performance.

“Venus” tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for SUNY Potsdam faculty and staff, and $8 for students and senior citizens. Seating is general admission, and the doors will open a half hour before each performance.

To purchase tickets, contact the Community Performance Series Box Office at (315) 267-2277 or www.cpspotsdam.org, or visit the box office, located in the PAC lobby. For more information about this production, contact the Department of Theatre and Dance at 315-267-2556.

To learn more about the SUNY Potsdam production of "Venus," including more details about the full cast and crew, please visit http://www.potsdam.edu/newsandevents/031218theatrevenus.