Regent University Theatre Presents: Rhinoceros

Follow the herd to Regent University Theatre’s production of Rhinoceros.

This avant-garde drama follows the story, set in provincial France, overrun by rhinoceroses – with a human population that suspiciously disappears as the pack grows.

Performances open on Regent’s Studio Theatre stage Friday, March 4 and continue March 5-6 and March 18-20. Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m.

Purchase tickets at the University Box Office.

The farcical three-act play, written by Eugene Ionesco, is often interpreted as a portrait of conformity and mob-mentality. Director for the production, Michael Salsbury, says the play comes at a timely moment in the culture’s current climate. And the evidence, according to Salsbury, is online.

“‘Rhinocerisis’ is all around us,” said Salsbury. “Whatever the issue, everything is a debate which quickly becomes uncivil, impolitic and boorish.”

Besides introducing them to what he calls “absurdist” theatre, Salsbury hopes the performance will engage audiences into thinking for themselves.

“Will believers in Jesus Christ have the strength…to rise above the crowd, crying, ‘I’m not capitulation?’” asked Salsbury. “May Ionesco’s warning help you decide.”

Following Friday performances, the audience will have the opportunity to meet and greet the players of Rhinoceros.

Learn more about Regent University’s School of Communication & the Arts and the 2016 Regent Theatre season.