CMU School of Drama


Friday, August 28, 2026

Harvard's American Repertory Theater puts on revival of Ionesco's 'Rhinoceros'

NPR: The American Repertory Theater at Harvard University premiers a revival of Eugène Ionesco's landmark play, "Rhinoceros." NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer talks to director Diane Paulus and actor John Turturro.

1 comment:

jackjanovsky said...

I found this article on A.R.T.’s current production of “Rhinoceros” interesting and thought-provoking, both in its discussion of how the production explores the play's themes and in the questions it raised for me in the design choices. The article made me dig deeper into the design team, which includes an abundance of talent: Jen Schriever as the lighting designer, Riccardo Hernández for scenic design, and stage management by Ryan Gohsman - between the three, their credits are deeply familiar to me, and I am excited to see further content from the production. I found (artistic) director Diane Paulus's comment on the political impact of the show to be interesting - while I am not familiar with the piece itself, it seems to be able to function as an extended metaphor of Rhinoceroes, which seems to be a captivating choice. Paulus, along with the narrator, made a resonating comment on how A.R.T. is located in an ultra-liberal location and whether the political impact will really “change” anyone. Concluding, this production promises to have a wide impact both artistically and politically - questioning whether individuals should follow the crowd or stick up for what is right. A poignant question in today's political climate.