Rhinoceros at PSI Theatre at the Durham Arts Council

Switch Theatre Company kicks off their four-show 2026 season with Eugene Ionesco’s classic allegory, Rhinoceros. The play follows reluctant hero/everyman Berenger as he decides whether to join the overwhelming tide of friends, coworkers, and loved ones who inexplicably transform into rhinoceroses - or to endure the terrifying solitude of remaining himself.

Short Description

Friends, coworkers, and loved ones transform into rampaging beasts. A dark comedy

masterpiece about the chilling ease of mass conformity.

Synopsis

Why are the residents of a small, sleepy French town turning into rampaging beasts? Apathetic

everyman Bérenger becomes the last bastion of humanity, fighting against the stampede of the

collective mind in Eugene Ionesco’s dark-comedy masterpiece. As his coworkers, loved ones,

and best friend are eventually lured into the transformation, Berenger’s appreciation of the

world he’s taken for granted grows – but will it be enough to stop the stampede? A timely

allegory about the ease of totalitarianism and the struggle to maintain one’s individuality in a

world where nonsensical things happen.

.....

History

Rhinoceros is a pivotal work of absurdist drama that explores the themes of conformity, logic, and

existential isolation. The action unfolds in a provincial French town where, one by one, the inhabitants embrace their most bestial selves. Phillip Solano plays dissolute alcoholic Berenger, whose friendship with persnickety perfectionist Jean (John Paul Middlesworth) and burgeoning office romance with idealistic Daisy (Alexa Griffin) are threatened by the arrival of the rampaging beasts.

The ensemble cast portrays various perspectives on the problem: conspiracy theorist Botard (Gus Hummings), romantic rival Dudard (Jayden Peszko), the nonsensical Logician (Archil Megrelishvili), and loyal but practical wife Mrs. Boeuf (Lola Ureña) provide real-world reactions to an incomprehensible situation, further illustrated by the rest of the townspeople (Ali Patalano, Dylan Atwood, and Lydia Sayers).

lonesco wrote the play in 1959, but his inspiration may have come during his college years in Romania in 1927, as his fellow students, professors, and intellectuals began to succumb to the “ideological contagion” of political fanaticism and the rise of Nazi Germany. “Seventy years later, that slow slide into conformity still feels familiar,” says director Adam Traylor. “Today’s social media landscape accelerates that drift and makes it harder to pull yourself out once the crowd starts moving.” But the play avoids both preachiness and direct comparisons to the political movement that inspired it. “It broke the mold when it debuted,” continues Traylor. “It uses humor and movement to say something deeply human. The play lets people laugh, then suddenly recognize themselves in the behavior onstage.

Rhinoceros gives audiences a way to confront reality with humor, while still feeling the weight of the

choices we make.

Performances run from January 22 through February 1 at the PSI Theater at the Durham Arts Council, 120 Morris St., Durham.

Tickets for all performances range from $20 - $35, with discounts available with season ticket purchases. Tickets are available online at https://switchtheatreco.org/shows/rhinoceros.

About Switch Theatre Company:

Changing times require new ways to look at the world. At STC, our goal is to tell stories with modern and diverse voices and derive new meanings that are relevant today. Our mission is to engage, entertain, and inspire residents of the greater Triangle area with productions of new works and reimagined classic plays, and to provide opportunities for aspiring theater professionals of all ethnicities and gender identifications to grow through experience and education.

Location

PSI Theatre at the Durham Arts Council, 120 Morris St., Durham NC 27701

Dates and Times

- Thursday, 1/22 (7:00pm)

- Friday, 1/23 (7:00pm)

- Saturday, 1/24 (7:00pm) Sunday, 1/25 (2:00pm)

- Thursday, 1/29 (7:00pm)

- Friday, 1/30 (7:00pm)

- Saturday, 1/31 (7:00pm)

- Sunday, 2/1 (2:00pm)

Cost

- General admission: $20

- Center seating: $25

- Preferred VIP seating: $35

Website URLs

- Info: https://switchtheatreco.org/shows/rhinoceros/

- Tickets: https://switchtheatreco.ludus.com/

- Facebook:  https://www.faebook.com/switchtheatreco

More information

- Email: info@switchyardtc.org

- Phone: 919-926-9906

Authors

• Eugene Ionesco