Valencia College issued the following announcement on March 5.
Valencia College Theatre is bringing the post-war, avant-garde drama and Tony Award winning play, “Rhinoceros,” to the stage this month. The thought-provoking play, which originally debuted in 1959 in post-World War II Germany, will appear in the Black Box Theater on Valencia College’s East Campus from March 27 – April 4, 2020.
The play takes its name from an unruly and unlikely subject at the heart of the play itself–a rhinoceros who suddenly appears in a sleepy provincial French town, trampling through the peaceful streets. Soon another appears, and another, and another until it becomes clear that ordinary citizens are actually transforming into beasts as they learn to “move with the times.”
Regarded as one of the landmark plays of the 20th century, “Rhinoceros” is considered a modern masterpiece that was written by Eugene Ionesco, exploring the themes of mob mentality, morality and conformity. The play’s themes are often linked to Ionesco’s response to the rise of fascism and Nazism during World War II.
Ionesco had a personal connection to the rising wave of fascism as it began to spread throughout his home country of Romania, forcing him to flee the country in 1938 as more and more of his acquaintances began to adhere to the fascist Iron Guard. Reflecting on how the impact and consequences of these movements influenced “Rhinoceros,” Ionesco noted that the power of the “current of opinion … its rapid evolution, its power of contagion … is that of a real epidemic” and “when people allow themselves suddenly to be invaded by a new religion, a doctrine, a fanaticism and no longer share your opinions … one has the impression of being confronted with monsters—rhinos, for example. They have that mix of candor and ferocity. They would kill you with the best of consciences.”
Valencia College Theatre’s presentation of “Rhinoceros” will be directed by Kathleen Lindsay and will be presented in the Black Box Theater, located on Valencia College’s East Campus 701 N. Econlockhatchee Trail, Orlando.
Tickets are $15 for general admission and $12 for students, Valencia faculty/staff/alumni, seniors and military. Tickets and more information are also available by calling the college box office at 407-582-2900 or visiting www.valenciacollege.edu/arts or call 407-582-2268.
Original source here.
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