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Venus in Furs

by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch


This performative tableaux vivant reimagines Venus in Furs by Leopold Masoch through a contemporary, queer-inclusive lens. While the original dynamic between Wanda and Severin is rooted in strict gender roles, this piece introduces a third character—Damien, a non-binary, modern interpretation of Cupid—who disrupts these binaries and challenges the idea that sexual identity shouldn’t define one’s position, power, or fate. Within the performance, Ingrid embodies Mother Earth and a primal, magnetic force; Vaast represents the fractured and conflicted present shaped by insecurity and societal expectations; and Damien symbolizes a liberated future that refuses traditional norms. Together, the three performers create a living tableau that confronts inherited myths of dominance, submission, desire, and identity. The work transforms a historically patriarchal narrative into a space where past, present, and future collide, inviting the audience to rethink power, intimacy, and autonomy while embracing the fluidity of self-defined identity.