As a young man living in Romania, Eugène Ionesco experienced the rise of fascism in the 1930s. He watched as friends and family slowly joined the Iron Guard—many who claimed to be against Naziism, yet began to surrender to the mass ideology. Later, he experienced how the French intellectual left embraced Stalin. It was the conformity and infection of so many around him that inspired, in Ionesco’s own words, “the zoo my play Rhinoceros came from.”

It is Ionesco’s powerful use of metaphor that allows us to hear the play timelessly. Ionesco wrote Rhinoceros in 1959 while living in France. In rehearsal, John Turturro shared a quote from the French filmmaker Jean Renoir that really stuck with me throughout our process: “The awful thing about life is this: everyone has their reasons.” As we revisit this play over sixty years later, its provocation resonates as clearly in our contemporary world as it did in the wake of World War II: Why do people become rhinoceroses?

In partnership with the Ionesco estate, we have created our own adaptation of Rhinoceros, working from Derek Prouse’s English translation and our own translation of the original French text. An extraordinary creative company has come together to bring this production to life. We are thrilled so many of these artists are making their A.R.T. debuts, and are equally excited to welcome back many beloved collaborators.

It is an emotional milestone that Rhinoceros will be the final production I direct at the Loeb Drama Center, having staged my first show here when I was an undergraduate at Harvard in 1987. We have a transformative chapter ahead of us, as A.R.T. moves to our new home in Allston at the David E. and Stacey L. Goel Center for Creativity & Performance at Harvard University. I can’t wait to see you there beginning in May for the inaugural show which I will be directing. Life on Mars is an immersive theatrical production brought to life by the music of David Bowie. Until then, I hope you’ll join us for the rest of the season at 1972 and Mexodus.

In a 1983 interview published in the Paris weekly Le Nouvel Observateur, Ionesco said: “We will never understand totalitarianism if we do not understand that people rarely have the strength to be uncommon.” As we gather together for this play, I am grateful for what theater has the power to do: cultivate a space for imagination, empathy, curiosity, and the courage to remain human.

Diane Paulus
Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director

American Repertory Theater

presents

RHINOCEROS

First performance at the Loeb Drama Center on August 14, 2026.

Principal Foundation Support of Rhinoceros is provided by The Roy Cockrum Foundation.

Production support of Rhinoceros is provided by Katie and Paul Buttenwieser, Alan Jones, Linda and Winfield Perry, Janet and Irv Plotkin, and Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP.

Media Support of Rhinoceros is provided by WBUR.

A.R.T. Season support is provided by Harvard University, The Barr Foundation, The Bob and Alison Murchison New Work Development Fund, The Shubert Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Barton & Guestier, and Meyer Sound.

The A.R.T. 2026/27 is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which receives support from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Runtime: Two hours, including one fifteen-minute intermission. 

This production contains heavy fog and haze, flashing lights, loud noises, and air raid sirens.

Understudies never substitute for listed players unless a specific announcement for the appearance is made at the time of the performance.

A.R.T. Staff

Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director
Diane Paulus

SENIOR STAFF

Director of Facilities and Capital Projects: Peter Atkinson
Public Relations Director: Rebecca Curtiss
General Manager: Connor Davis
Managing Director: Anna Fitzloff
Director of Finance: Julia Goldmacher
Senior Theater and Facilities Manager: Tracy Keene
Director of Artistic Programs & Dramaturg: Ryan McKittrick
Associate Artistic Director: Dayron J. Miles
Producer: Evan O’Brient
Chief Marketing Officer: Jennifer Weissman

STAFF

Special Thanks

Rehearsed at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music)
Scenery Provided by Hudson Scenic Studio
Additional Lighting Equipment provided by PRG
Additional Sound Equipment provided by PRG
Additional Atmospheric Equipment provided by Christie Lites

Madame Marie-France Ionesco; Véronique Marty, Clemente Olchanski, and Josette Sinephro of SCAD
The Mignone Center for Career Success at Harvard University
Amy DiGiovine, Leanne Rowe, and the Harvard Summer Funding Opportunities Office
Laurent Lambert; Ciprian Ticula
Trim World Inc., Sloyer Foreman Inc., Maria Ficalora, T.O. Dey, John Kristiansen, Custom Costume Shop, Henry Johnson, Alexander Zeek Costumes and Tailoring Inc., Solelil NYC Textiles; The Charles Hotel

Photo, video, and audio recording of this production is prohibited.

The actors and stage managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

^†Supported by the Paul M. and Harriet L. Weissman Fellows Fund, administered by Harvard University’s Mignone Center for Career Success.

The director and choreographer of this production are members of the STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS SOCIETY, a national theatrical labor union.

United Scenic Artists represents the designers and scenic painters for the American Theatre.