Children's Theatre of Charlotte Presents Eugène Ionesco’s RHINOCEROS, 5/10-12

What if, one by one, all your friends and family started turning into rhinoceroses? That's the unlikely premise explored by the Children's Theatre of Charlotte's Ensemble Company. Made up of talented high school actors, The Ensemble Company presents Eugène Ionesco's "Rhinoceros" today, May 10 through 12 in the Wells Fargo Playhouse at ImaginOn.

When rhinoceroses suddenly appear on the peaceful streets of a small village, the townspeople are horrified – until they themselves begin to turn into the clumsy, unthinking animals. Only one man, Berenger, resists and must decide if he should try to stop the brutal transformations. Written by one of the fathers of the theatre of the absurd, "Rhinoceros" combines nonsense and fantasy into an unsettling examination of maintaining individuality in a world of conformity.

The production is the culmination of The Ensemble Company's year, and Director Mark Sutton picked the tricky "Rhinoceros" to push his actors. However, because of the show's absurdist nature and mature themes, Sutton recommends the play for kids 12 and older.

"I pick very challenging material so that (The Ensemble Company) will be forced to work hard, to rely on one another and to grow," he said.

Sutton said the production uses its absurdist nature to explore serious themes and questions, such as would you hold tight to your humanity even if it meant surviving in the minority, or would you be more likely to "go with the flow" and become one of them?

"This cast has a great sense of humor, so we've been having a lot of fun with this absurd nightmare," Sutton said. "Fortunately, they also exhibit a collective curiosity about the concepts in Ionesco's script and have begun to grasp the impact that working together as a group will have on an audience."

Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. May 10-12 and 3 p.m. May 12. All tickets are $10. For more information or to order, visit www.ctcharlotte.org or call the Customer Sales & Service Center at 704-973-2828.

The Ensemble Company provides pre-professional training to high school actors who possess evident theatrical talent and a strong commitment to theatre work. Selected by audition, the students can receive school credit as part of the partnership between Children's Theatre of Charlotte and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

Ensemble meets for classes most Saturdays and Sundays throughout the school year to study voice, movement, characterization, script analysis, improvisation and production. The company produces a full-scale production at the end of the season. Many Ensemble members go on to pursue acting in college and in their careers. Students have advanced to nationally recognized theatre programs at NYU, Northwestern, Boston University and UCLA.

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