Poster design by Nadyaa Betts.
Cincinnati, OH- After a full season of virtual offerings last year, the Walnut Hills High School Theatre Department is eager to welcome back live audiences with Eugene Ionesco’s classic of the Absurdist Theatre, Rhinoceros.
The show runs November 11-13, 2021 at 7 p.m. with an additional 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, November 13.
The play follows the inhabitants of a small French town, as one by one, they inexplicably turn into rhinoceroses. One “sane” man, Beringer, tries his best to survive the onslaught while resisting the temptation to become one of the herd.
“Being an absurdist play, Rhinoceros doesn’t make a lot of sense on purpose,” says director Mike Sherman. “However, audiences will soon realize that it’s actually pretty brilliant social satire on a whole host of contemporary social issues. Also, there’s a lot about the current world we live in that doesn’t make a whole lot of rational sense, either.”
Owen Cummings as Berenger & Adeleigh Karoutchi as Daisy. Costume and mask design by Sadie Gray. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography.
The design concept of the play combines traditional French style clowning and masks, while also being influenced by the black and white episodes of The Twilight Zone. The design elements are all done in grayscale to make the audience feel like they are watching a black and white, B-horror movie right out of the 1950s- right down to the glorious campiness of it.
Wolf Singer as Jean. Costume and mask design by Sadie Gray. Photo by Mikki Schaffner photography.
“While there are some jump scares that happen, it’s also a dark comedy- there’s a lot about human behavior to laugh about,” says Sherman.
Tickets are now available, and can be purchased at: https://sites.google.com/view/whhstheatredepartment/tickets, where audience members can also read the COVID 19 policies for attending the performance.
This production and the entire WHHS Theatre Season is graciously sponsored by the Walnut Hills High School Class of 1964 Performing Arts Fund.
Featuring Owen Cummings as Berenger, Wolf Singer as Jean, Adeleigh Karoutchi as Daisy, Claire Graff as The Housewife, Loretta Rubin as The Grocer’s Wife, Azaria Cuff as The Logician, Leo Jenkins as The Old Gentleman, Jude Shotwell as The Grocer/A Fireman, Anika Vockell as The Cafe Proprietor, Josie Leanza as The Waitress, Nicholas Kaufmann as Mr. Papillon, Isabella Lachey as Botard, Nate Caudill as Dudard, Sophie Christian as Mrs. Boeuf, Andrew Canter as The Little Old Man, and Echo Lyons Siler as The Little Old Man’s Wife.
- Directed by Mike Sherman
- Technical Direction by Helen A. Raymond-Goers
- Production Stage Manager- Mary Sullivan
- Assistant Stage Manager- Abbie Kershner
- Costume and Character Mask Designer- Sadie Gray
- Lighting Designer- Sophie Glenn
- Master Electrician- Reagan Warvel
- Props, Puppet, and Rhinoceros Mask Designer- Laurel Prince
- Scenic Designer- Chloe Goodman
- Sound Designer- Maya Busche
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 