The Southern Miss Theatre program’s first production of the 2025-26 season, Eugène Ionesco’s “Rhinoceros,” has officially closed its curtains. The play had a six-show run in Marsha R. Tatum Theatre, spanning two weekends and culminating in a final matinee performance on Oct. 5.
The absurdist play starred Benaiah Anderson and Addison Driskell in the two leading roles of Jean and Bérenger, respectively. It was directed by Matthew Earnest and produced by David Coley.
Often associated with the “Theatre of the Absurd,” “Rhinoceros” tells the story of an everyman newspaper worker, Bérenger, living in a rural community in France. He battles his shy tendencies and drinking habits early in the play, particularly in arguments with his friend Jean. But his mundane life is brought to a halt when, one by one, townspeople begin to morph into rhinoceroses, leaving Bérenger paranoid and isolated.
The play comments on the rise of totalitarianism, particularly in Europe during the years leading up to World War II. Ionesco’s experiences with the Iron Guard, a militant fascist movement in his home country of Romania, are often thought by critics to have influenced his writing. The spreading of the rhinos symbolizes what happens when a community succumbs to mass conformity and abandons the principles it was raised on.
By the end of the play, Bérenger is the only human remaining, and he struggles with the decision to either maintain his individuality or join the mob mentality as the rhinos gather outside his home. Though the performance contained comedic moments and lighthearted elements, it’s the tiny daggers of morality and commentary on the human condition that linger the most.
For those who were unable to catch a performance of “Rhinoceros” during its run, they can still support the theatre program at its other productions this fall. Next, Southern Miss Theatre will present four performances of Lisa D’Amour’s “Anna Bella Eema” between Oct. 30 and Nov. 2. Then, to close the semester, “The Colored Museum” by George C. Wolfe will have a six-show run from Nov. 13 to 23. Both productions will be shown in the Gilbert F. Hartwig Theatre.
Producer David Coley said the 2025-26 season will emphasize community.
“We see the community of family, in all its positive and negative aspects, in Lisa D’Amour’s ‘Anna Bella Eema.’ Individuals form a community through a host of shared experiences in the exhibits of ‘The Colored Museum,’” Coley said. “But in ‘Rhinoceros,’ we confront the question of what happens when the community we once embraced transforms into something we no longer recognize.”
In spring 2026, the Southern Miss Theatre program has two productions scheduled. From Feb. 26 to March 8, students can attend performances of William Shakespeare’s “Othello” in the Marsha R. Tatum Theatre. The final production of the 2025-26 season, an adaptation of Austin Winsberg’s book “First Date,” will run from April 23 to May 3 in Hartwig Theatre.