PHILADELPHIA, PA - The Philly Fringe will present New York based Firebrand Theory Theater Company's new work VENUS IN FURS playing at the Highwire Gallery at 1315 Cherry Street, 4th Floor, on September 3rd, 4th, 5th and 12th in the Gilbert building.

Firebrand Theory Theater Company has created a live performance of the 19th century classic novel of female domination of the male, VENUS IN FURS, by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, once banned for its super-sensual scenarios. "VENUS IN FURS explores the human urge for flesh and power," states director Michael Scott-Price, "The stage is the perfect medium to see up close what happens when one person follows his human urge and darkest fantasies to the end." The century long debate continues whether this novel is pornographic or poetic, yet it universally credited as the origin of the term masochism- the 'M' in S & M.

Firebrand Theory's VENUS IN FURS is a story of a man who has everything and does nothing, yet falls in love with a woman who gives him the courage to confess his deepest urges. She reluctantly accepts to role-play his long-buried super-sensual desires. They are both transformed by this, and the ingredients for love become the ingredients for hate. At its core, VENUS IN FURS is the exploration of the universal human need for primal connection and release.

Well over 100 years since its publication, this moving story about a man's strange expression of love still resonates and shocks today. VENUS IN FURS inspired the Velvet Underground, countless films, and an entire alternative lifestyle

Firebrand Theory Theater Company is based New York City and in addition to its regular home season, it has produced in various cities throughout the U.S. and abroad, including: Dublin, Winnipeg, and Minneapolis.

The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe run from September 2-17, 2005. Tickets prices range from free to $25, and can be purchased online beginning August 8 at www.livearts-fringe.org or after August 22 by calling 215.413.1318. Fringe guides which include dates, times, and venues for all performances for both festivals, will be available in the Philadelphia City Paper on August 25, 2005 and after this at all festival venues

The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe were originally founded in 1997 as the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Today, the Live Arts Festival serves as a series of selected cutting-edge, boundary-breaking performing arts events, created by some of the most renowned contemporary artists from our region and around the world.

The Fringe serves as a collective home for artists bringing their work to audiences in every conceivable form - in traditional and untraditional venues, using new artistic forms and established ones, breaking rules or refining them.