What happens when people inexplicitly begin turning into rhinoceroses? That is the premise of the next play to be presented by the Socorro Community Theater at the Garcia Opera House the weekend of Nov. 14.

The play Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco was written in 1959. Set in a small town in France, it is considered a Theater of the Absurd play. Widely seen as an allegory for modern times, the play explores themes of conformity, mass movements and individuality.

“I chose this play in part because of its relevance to current affairs, but mostly because reading the script made me both laugh and go ‘wow there’s so much to unpack here’,” said Dillon Dong, who with Jay Blanchard is directing this production.

The play starts off with a diverse cast of characters, each with their own beliefs, desires, and struggles. “But when things get stressful, people lose their individuality and the whole town turns into one big echo chamber,” said Dong.

“The way it happens is funny and absurd,” he said. “But it’s funny because it has a grain–or maybe more than just a few grains–of truth to it.”

The play will be presented three times:  At 7:00pm on Friday, Nov. 14 and Saturday, Nov. 15 and 2:00pm on Sunday, Nov. 16 at the Garcia Opera House.

Lead cast and roles include:  Jess Bice, Berenger; Amy Kimball, Jean; Minnie Mao, Daisy; Jal Peña, Dudard; and Willa Obringer, Botard. John Leeper plays The Logician, while John Stokes plays the Old Gentleman. Warren Marts is Mr. Papillon, and Mari Beltran plays Mrs. Boeuf. 

Rounding out the cast are Bailey Rippy as the Cat Parent while Lenore and Jack Hill are the Grocer and her husband. Akram Mostafanejad, Waitress; Estevan Ortega, the Cafe Proprietor; and Faith Valdez, the Little Old Lady.

Dillon Dong has considerable experience in the theater, having started in sixth grade. By the time he graduated high school he had been in eight plays and musicals. He took a break from acting while in college. 

“When I moved to Socorro in 2023, I watched SCT’s absolutely stellar performance of Little Shop of Horrors, and was inspired to get back into theater,” he said. “I picked up right where I left off in high school.”

He was Oliver in As You Like It and played Fester in the Addams Family Musical. He starred as Malcolm in Macbeth and was Billy in Anything Goes.

“Rhinoceros is my first time directing and I’ve really enjoyed it so far,” Dong said. “I’m super fortunate to be working with such talented actors and such a great co-director!”

Co-director Jay Blanchard’s involvement with theater is more local. “I started with theatre when my best friend Minnie dragged me to 'support her audition' and then I somehow ended up being cast in A Midsummer Night's Dream,” he said. Since then he has acted in As you like it, Little Shop of Horrors and Anything Goes. He co-directed 'Macbeth' with Jess Bice. His most recent play was Horror Channel.

Tickets to the play run from $10 to $18. For more information visit www.nmt.edu/pas and/or straight to buying tickets at:  https://tinyurl.com/pas-tickets