Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco.
Daramalan Theatre Company at Daramalan College April 18 - 25, 2026
By arrangement with ORiGiN Theatrical, on behalf of Samuel French.
Bookings:
https://events.humanitix.com/rhinoceros-cnbc99wn
Reviewed by Frank McKone
April 18
Directed by Joe Woodward. Translated by Derek Prouse
OUTSTANDING THEATRE IN EDUCATION
If
there’s one lesson to be taken seriously, in a world of instant
communication, it has to be about the problem of going along with the
crowd. Australia is ahead of the international pack by restricting the
dangers of AI, of ‘influencers’, and the bubble-power of Instagram,
TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, and YouTube, to those of us who are at least
16 years old.
“As of 10 December 2025, age-restricted social
media platforms need to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians
under the age of 16 from creating or keeping an account.”
https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/industry-regulation/social-media-age-restrictions
Going to see live theatre, or even better taking part in performing a play like Rhinoceros, is the key to young people, their parents – in fact anyone – coming to grips with the issue of too much social conformity.
French
playwright Eugene Ionesco saw what happened when so many in his country
collaborated with Nazism during World War II. Though that was an
extreme case, by the 1950s he wanted to alert people that this kind of
thing can happen again -- long before what happened in 2003, when Mark
Zuckerberg and Harvard University dorm room friends (all male) created
"Facemash," an internet site that allowed users to rate the
attractiveness of students, launched as Facebook in February 2004.
Within 24 hours, over 1,000 Harvard students signed up. By June 2004, it
had expanded to over 30 universities.
The professional standing of the 19 teaching staff creatives and crew shines through this production of Rhinoceros,
using humour and emphasising the satire, in a highly choreographed
style involving – and so training in the practice of theatre, and
educating through Ionesco’s writing – a student cast of 19, with a
student backstage crew of 18.
Set up as the Daramalan Theatre Company, managed by Drama teacher Joe Woodward as director/designer, Rhinoceros represents top quality youth theatre production.
Very
highly recommended for audiences young, older and even as old as
octogenarians like me, because in a lively entertaining manner it raises
those serious questions about individuality and social responsibility
which we all must take on board, as parents and children, and simply as
members of our local and national community.
The season is
limited, naturally, to this coming week through to a special matinee at
1:00pm on ANZAC Day, next Saturday, April 25th.
Not to be missed.
©Frank McKone, Canberra
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