SOTA Year 4 Theatre presents: Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco

School of the Arts Year 4 Theatre students present Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco.

First performed in 1959, Rhinoceros is a classic absurdist play that serves as commentary about dangers of conformity. The play begins with Berenger, an alcoholic, arriving late for his meeting with his good friend Jean. Jean, neat and dignified, berates Berenger for his habits when suddenly, everyone in the town square is shaken by the presence of a rhinoceros across the street. As the play unfolds, the rhinoceroses grow in number as more townspeople decide to join them.

Written as an allegory for the rise of fascism in Europe in World War II, the play still asks the same confronting questions today about the nature of (in)humanity - how long might we hold out before succumbing to the prevailing groupthink of our time? How far do the beliefs of the majority shape our own beliefs? What would it take to hold fast to moral convictions in a world that continues to perpetuate and justify the most heinous of acts?