Ionesco's "Rhinoceros" to Appear in Westhoff Theatre

"Rhinoceros," the absurdist play by Eugene Ionesco that explores conformity, culture, philosophy and morality, will be presented by Illinois State University's School of Theatre from March 24 to 28 in Westhoff Theatre.

Directed by James Wagoner, a master of fine arts degree candidate from Normal, "Rhinoceros" will be presented at 7:30 p.m. March 24 to 27, with 2 p.m. matinees on March 27 and 28. Tickets are $10 for the general public and ISU faculty-staff and $8 for students and adults 60 and older. Tickets are available at the Center for the Performing Arts box office or by calling (309) 438-2535.

"Rhinoceros," which premiered in 1959, belongs to the school of drama known as the Theatre of the Absurd.. The play is often considered Ionesco's response to the upsurges he witnessed in communism, fascism and Nazism prior to World War II. In "Rhinoceros," Ionesco not only criticizes the horrors of those movements, but also explores the mentality of those who are so easily influenced by them.

The inhabitants of a small French town turn into rhinoceroses. The only human who does not succumb to the mass metamorphosis is the central character, Bérenger, a flustered everyman figure who is criticized throughout the play for his drinking and tardiness. The play is often read as a response to the sudden upsurge of Communism, faxcism and Nazism during the events preceding World War II, and explores the themes of conformity, culture, philosophy, and morality.