Rhinoceros at The Catastrophic Theatre

“Oh, a rhinoceros!”

A rhinoceros gallops and trumpets through a sleepy town, trampling all in its path as it goes. Soon there’s another, then another and another until it comes clear that the general population is opting out of humanity, to “move with the times.” A subversive comedy filled with biting wit and nightmarish anxiety, absurdist master Eugène Ionesco wrote Rhinoceros in reaction to the fascism, conformity, and senseless violence that surrounded him during WWII.

Catastrophic co-artistic director Tamarie Cooper returns to direct Rhinoceros following triumphant productions in 2017 and 2003. George Parker reprises Berenger from the 2017 production. Kyle Sturdivant reprises Jean from the 2003 and 2017 productions.

According to director Tamarie Cooper, “It’s not surprising that Rhinoceros is onstage now at American Repertory Theatre (ART) and was recently produced by Yale Repertory Theatre. Our world has become more and more polarized and dangerous and the question looms: as more and more people accept circumstances that once seemed inconceivable, how do we hold onto our humanity?"

Parker and Sturdivant are joined by an all-star cast: Noel Bowers, Karina Pal Montaño-Bowers, Sara Jo Dunstan, Jovan Jackson, Mara McGhee, Jenna Morris Miller, Rebecca Randall, Abraham Zapata.