Our Autumn Play will be Rhinoceros by Eugène Ionesco, directed by Jasper Holmes, and will be performed at the Woodclyffe Hall, Wargrave, from 21st to 24th October 2026.
We will be giving a presentation about the play on 2nd July in the Green Room at Woodclyffe Hostel, Church Street, Wargrave, followed by auditions on 5th and 7th July, all starting at 7.30pm.
First performed in Paris in 1960, Rhinoceros is a sharp edged political allegory that reaches back to the 1930’s and remains startlingly relevant in our time. It is also a fully formed piece of absurdist theatre that shakes to the root our sense of ourselves as rational individuals, or individuals at all.
The action takes place in a provincial French village, whose citizens succumb one by one to the wave of rhinoceritis sweeping the country. As he sees his neighbours, colleagues and friends sacrifice their humanity and turn into rampaging rhinoceroses, one man remains unchanged and in the end resolute as the last of his kind.
The script is lively and gives plenty of opportunities for laughs and spirited cross-talk. There will be an emphasis on physical performance and on using performance, props and scenery to create scenes in the audience’s imagination. We don’t so much break the fourth wall as move it right to the back of our theatre.
If you are interested in taking part, whether on or off stage, do please come along on at least one of these dates to hear more about the play, and to contribute your unique talents to our exciting production. If you have any questions, or can’t make any of those dates, feel free to contact me: jasper.holmes@gmail.com; 07963 850326.