Model, student and sustainability advocate Bridget Gao-Hollitt is starring in Adelaide Fringe Festival show Venus in Fur, originally written by David Ives. Adapted by Hollit and Wil King, it is a physical theatre piece commencing its run at the festival from March 4, 2022.

Gao-Hollit drew from personal experience when conceptualising the adaptation of Ives’ original work, with the plot looking at sexual power dynamics in the workplace reimagined in a post-#metoo era. Under the direction of Daniel Lammin, Gao-Hollit and King wholeheartedly transform into characters Vanda and Thomas, making for an enthralling affair.

In her own words, Gao-Hollit talks us through Venus in Fur from her own perspective.

"Venus in Fur takes a nuanced look at the power dynamics between an actor and a director in the audition room. I think this play has an all new meaning in 2022, post me-too, versus in 2010 when it was written and first produced.

“Chemistry” in a power disparity is no longer a triviality, but a thing to be treated with care and delicacy. There is often a perspective of abusers, that it is the victim's job to prevent or halt abuse in its tracks. That safety is solely the responsibility of the individual.

To me, this perspective is what this play interrogates, now more than ever: how certain spaces are inherently unsafe, and the emotional labour expected from individuals within institutions for their own safety.

I don’t believe it is our job, but I do believe it is our right to scream at abuse and that’s what this play is. A battle scream."

Tickets for Venus in Fur are available for purchase with the show running through to the conclusion of the Adelaide Fringe on March 20.

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