"Laurel, Maryland seems like a trek—with nearly 20 whole miles between it and the glamour of downtown DC, with it’s flashy, national venues like Arena Stage and Kennedy Center—but it’s a journey worth taking; Venus Theatre reminds us with God Don’ Like Ugly not only what art is, but how it can be made anywhere and with anything. Half an old VW Bug, a rickety screen door, some shabby furniture, and about 500 square feet can spin magic in the right hands.

The right hands being those that belong to an exquisite cast, a gifted director, and a poetic wordsmith.

Whether or not God likes ugly doesn’t matter. This show is anything but and one of the best in the DMV this year."

- Kelly McCorkendale, DC Theatre Scene

"... the play takes the audience on an intense journey through a one-time special day for a family that takes many twists and turns along a road, ending up tragic for some and a freedom experience for others."

- Gwendolyn Glenn, Baltimore Sun 

"Venus artistic director Deborah Randall’s staging makes a lot of Esme’s high-spirited singing, and that unbridled expressiveness is intriguingly suggestive next to the controlled wariness of Fraistat’s S.J. There’s a sense of mystery and no lack of urgency; your heart goes out to these characters." 

- Nelson Pressley, Washington Post

Venus Theatre is among the longest running women's theaters in the world. 

Meet the playwrights: Doc Andersen-Bloomfield, Cecelia Racker, Claudia Barnett, and Amy Bernstein