Christine Barksdale, Verity Platt and Lee Rayburn Set for Kitchen Theatre's VENUS IN FUR Special Events, Beg. 1/30

The Kitchen Theatre Company is offering several free events in conjunction with its production of Venus In Fur.

On Thursday, January 30 at 6:30 PM, there will be a reception followed by a talk by Christine Barksdale on "Defining Safe Sex - Sex Toys 101." Barksdale is the owner of Sustainable Passion, a woman-centric, sex-positive boutique dedicated to creating a safe, comfortable, non-judgmental space to find non-toxic erotic items. There will be a 7:30 PM performance of Venus In Fur that evening.

On Friday, January 31 at 9:30 PM, there will be a talkback with actors Brandon Morris and Maddie Jo Landers and director Rachel Lampert following the 8 PM performance of Venus In Fur. The talkback discussion will be facilitated by WHCU Radio's Lee Rayburn, host of The Morning Newswatch.

On Thursday, February 6th at 6:30 PM, there will be a reception followed by a talk by Verity Platt, who will speak on "Mighty Aphrodite: Meeting the Goddess of Love in Ancient Greece." Platt is an associate professor in the departments of Classics and History of Art at Cornell. She works on the relationship between images and texts in Classical Antiquity, with a particular interest in depictions of the Greek gods. She is the author of Facing the Gods: Epiphany and Representation in Greco-Roman Art, Literature and Religion. There will be a 7:30 PM performance of Venus In Fur that evening.

All three events are free and open to the public. Performances of Venus in Fur are not free; visit our website at www.kitchentheatre.org to purchase tickets or learn more about the Kitchen Theatre.

Bold, intimate, engaging... Kitchen Theatre Company (KTC), now in its 23rd season, is downtown Ithaca's critically acclaimed and nationally recognized year-round professional theater company, specializing in regional and world premiere plays and musicals. KTC's intimate 99-seat theater is in its newly renovated, LEED-certified building in the West End neighborhood of downtown Ithaca, New York. KTC is the first not-for-profit recipient of the David R. Strong Memorial "Small Business of the Year" Award from the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce and receives public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, and the Tompkins County Tourism Program. The Kitchen Theatre Company also receives general operating support from the Shubert Foundation.