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PresentsRHINOCEROSby Eugène IonescoDirectorKatherine JohnsonProducerMichael Rebekah FleischmanStage ManagerIsabella Anastasia LeighAssistant DirectorElliott PucketteSound Designer/ComposerClaire KannapellSet DesignerColemanProperties DesignerMichelle DaytonLighting DesignerTom LittrellDramaturgMichael Y. BennettChoreographerLoryn JonelisRhinoceros Head ConstructorAbigail GrafThe Bartell Theatre on the Drury StageMadison, WisconsinNovember 3rd - 18th, 2017Running Time is 2 hours and 30 minuteswith a 15 minute intermissionPlease turn off all cell phones and other electronicsPhotography and video/audio recording of this production are stricly prohibited.Rhinoceros is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, New York.Rhinoceros1
CAST OF RHINOCEROSBerenger.Stacey GarbarskiJean.Nick KaprelianDaisy.Stephanie DrahozalDudard.Zachary SheaBotard/Grocer.Matthew KordaThe Logician.Steven E. SmithOld Gentleman.Carl CawthorneMrs. Boeuf.Lauren RuschMr. Papillon.Rosy BayukHousewife.Sunny SchomakerProprietor/Little Old Woman.Ashley GordonLittle Old Man/Waitress/Fireman.Arwen SadlerGrocer’s Wife.Robyn NortonPRODUCTION STAFFDirector.Katherine JohnsonAssistant Director.Elliott PucketteStage Manager.Isabella Anastasia LeighScenic Designer.ColemanProperties Designer.Michelle DaytonLighting Designer.Tom LittrellSound Designer/Composer.Claire KannapellMask Design.PaperPetShopDramaturg.Michael Y. BennettSound Technician.Elliott PucketteScenic Artists.Teresa Sarkela, Erin S. Baal,Michael Rebekah FleischmanPainters.Elliott Puckette, Seamus Fleischman,Jude Fleischman, Isabel RodinLighting Assistants.Perry Sadler, Jon Miner, C. John Shimniok,Stephanie Drahozal, Zach SheaCostume Team.Michael Rebekah Fleischman, Abigal Graf,Elliott Puckette, Isabella Anastasia LeighSet Execution.Nick Miller, Josette Belant, Teresa Sarkela, Erin S. Baal,Michael Rebekah Fleischman, Isabella Anastasia Leigh,Katherine Johnson, Elliott PucketteProducer.Michael Rebekah FleischmanPerformance Photography.Jon MinerVideographer.Luke KokinosPoster Design.Katherine Johnson2Rhinoceros
SPECIAL THANKSThis production was made possible with the special contributions of so many people. A specialthanks is in order for these individuals and organizations.CTM, Madison Arts Production Center, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Full Compass, MercuryPlayers Theatre, Madison Theatre Guild, StageQ, The Gerrald A Bartell Community TheatreFoundation and Kirk Stantis, The Madstage Podcast, The Isthmus, Madison Community Foundation, Electronic Theatre Controls, Suzan Kurry, Buzz Kemper, Phil Koenig, Marie Schulte,C. John Shimniok, Zoe FleischmanDIRECTOR’S NOTEWhen I first read Rhinoceros, I was drawn to the transition at the heart of the play. In the courseof a few days, the characters adjust from one reality to another, morals reversed, the unthinkablenormalized. This is a play about the relationship between people and ideas; how we approachthem, spread them, and adopt them. The personal relationships between these people shift asthey struggle to adjust to the things happening around them.I love that the show is larger than life, and I’ve fallen for the characters, their humor, their problems, and their arguments. Everything is so personal, so relatable, and yet the stakes are so veryhigh. When I picked up the play for the second time, in November of last year, the rhetoric ofthe characters didn’t feel fantastical. It felt overwhelmingly familiar. They speak in clichés, looping familiar arguments. The fantastic is a device, cleverly designed by a thoughtful playwright.While the play almost certainly draws on Ionesco’s own life, he wrote it for the future more thanfor the past. The unreal element shows how quickly the unreal can become real, and truth isconstantly in question. With a little rationalization, the reality we construct can be rearranged.The threat in this world is real, and so are the people. They are funny and dangerous, sympathetic and temperamental, and human. As Berenger says: “Good men make good Rhinoceroses.”Katherine Johnson - 2017DRAMATURG’S NOTEEugene Ionesco’s Rhinoceros is a farcical romp. Long considered a prime example of the “Theatre of the Absurd,” the play has traditionally been seen as a bleak indictment of humanity andits future. However, the “absurd” label has started to erode in theatre scholarship, and with it,so, too, have the dark elements of this play. What is left is a comedic masterpiece that relieson metaphor and satire to examine a range of human fallacies. That is not to say that Rhinoceros did not find some inspiration from the horrors and madness of WWII and the Holocaust.However, premiering a decade and a half after the end of WWII, Ionesco realized that acerbiccomedy is often more biting and makes a greater and longer-lasting impact. In short, you shouldlaugh away, but make sure you vigilantly tend to the faults exposed in the play. In this day andage of fake news and low-effort thinking, one must combat such facile logic at every turn, lestthe spread of rhinoceritis will return.Michael Y. Bennett – 2017Rhinoceros3
BIOGRAPHIESRosy Bayuk (Mr. Papillon) thanks the cast andcrew of Rhinoceros for this wonderful theatre experience, and thanks the audience forcoming out to support us! Muchas smoochasto Ken. XOMichael Y. Bennett (Dramaturg) is Associate Professor of English and affiliated facultyin Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He is the author or editor ofeleven books in the field of theatre studies. Inaddition to serving on the Advisory Boards ofComparative Drama and the Journal of American Drama and Theatre, he is the Series Editorof New Perspective in Edward Albee Studies.In 2014, he was a UW System Fellow at theInstitute for Research in the Humanities, andhe received the 2015 UW-Whitewater Outstanding Research Award. In Summer 2019, hewill be a Visiting Fellow at Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, where he will be workingon his current book, The Problems of ViewingPerformance.Carl Cawthorne (Old Gentleman) is delightedto appear again on the Drury Stage in this wonderful example of the theatre of the absurd. Hefirst saw Ionesco’s one-acts, The Bald Sopranoand The Lesson in Paris back in 1975 and haswanted to explore this theatrical form on stageever since. More recently he has played Tobiasin A Delicate Balance, the Old Man in Preludeto a Kiss, Tarleton in Misalliance, and Gonzalo in The Tempest. Much love to family andfriends for all your kind support.Coleman (Set Designer) mostly works as anactor, or director, or playwright, or hell. Ifit’s theatre he’ll do whatever it takes. That’swhy he’s also designed a number of Bartellshows, including: Madison Theatre Guild (AllMy Sons, A Christmas Twist, Secret of the OldQueen, The Nance), Strollers Theatre (Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Rhinoceros). His twoact dramady, A Contest of Wills, will premiereat Broom Street this June. And this February,Coleman will direct the Strollers production ofArborophilia. Thanks to Erin and Teresa forstepping up.4RhinocerosMichelle Dayton (Property Designer) is happyto join this creative team to bring Rhinoceros tothe stage. Past Strollers Theatre prop designs:Steel Magnolias and Prelude to a Kiss. Lastproject was stage managing Edward Albee’s ADelicate Balance. Michelle is grateful to be apart of the rich history of local theatre here atthe Bartell and with Strollers Theatre. In addition, she is thankful to have family and friendswho support her in her love of theatre.Stephanie Drahozal (Daisy) is delighted tomake her Strollers Theatre debut with thiswonderful company. She directed Rhinocerosin high school, and it has been so fun to revisitit! She has previously been seen in Sondheimon Sondheim, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Oklahoma!, Big Fish, & many other shows with groupsin the area. Stephanie holds a BA in Theatrefrom Washington University in St. Louis. Inher free time, she enjoys knitting and hangingout with her cat, Cordelia. Thanks so muchto family, friends, and the incredible cast ofRhinoceros. Enjoy the show!Michael Rebekah Fleischman (Producer).It took a small village to put this show together,and Michael is grateful for the immense creativity, passion, and hard work from the cast,crew, and numerous volunteers. Recent creditswith Strollers include appearing as Annelle inSteel Magnolias, and producing Prelude to aKiss. She will be directing Strollers’s upcomingproduction of The Winter’s Tale. Love & thanksto her family, the Fitchburg police department, Elliott’s red argyle sweater, and all dogseverywhere.Stacey Garbarski (Berenger) graduated fromEdgewood College in 2016 with a Theatre Performance degree. Her past year in summary:a performance of The 800th Annual Salvation Swing Off at New York Fringe Festivalthat lead to a positive review in the New YorkTimes, a broken ankle requiring twelve piecesof hardware while doing two productions, andshe and her partner welcoming a fiery puppyand another whimsical rabbit into their family.She thanks her friends, family and Zach for alltheir help, love, and care that allows her to dowhat she loves and occasionally sleep. Enjoy
BIOGRAPHIES cont.Ashley Gordon (Proprietor/Little Old Woman)is thrilled to be making her theatrical debutwith Strollers Theatre in Rhinoceros. A nativeof Detroit, Michigan, her other hobbies includeswing dancing, trivia, and French conversationgroups. Ashley would especially like to thankthe cast for such a wonderful introduction tothe world of theatre, Mom, Dad, the Gordongang, and special thanks to Benjamin for getting her involved.Abigail Graf (Costume Team/Rhino HeadConstructor) is delighted to be working on hersecond show with Strollers, after costumingPrelude to a Kiss last winter. Other designcredits include Returning Home with WilderTheater, A Diamond Never Lies with MadisonCollege, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream withMonona Grove High School. She would like tothank her friends and family for continuing tobe the greatest, her rhino head assembly teamextraordinaire for their enthusiastic craft skills,and the multi-talented cast, design team, andcrew of this strange, important, and completelyrhinocerotic show.Claire Kannapell (Sound Designer) loves allthings music and is so excited to have theopportunity to bring her compositions to Rhinoceros. Previously, Claire worked as co-composer of the scene change music for August:Osage County. She also plays double bass inthe jazz group Barley Wine and the bluegrassgroup Long Lost Family Band. Big thanks toBen and coffee for inspiring me and keepingme motivated.Nick Kaprelian (Jean) is excited to make hisStrollers debut in this timely and thoughtfulproduction. He has worked with many othertheatre companies in the Madison area. Recentshows include Dumpster Flower (Paul), Clybourne Park (Karl/Steve), Bonedance (CorpseBride) and The Grapes of Wrath (Pa).Matthew Korda (Grocer/Botard) is very excitedto be working with this cast and productioncrew on a fantastic piece of theatre that is veryrelevant to the current political climate. Pleasesit back and enjoy the ride, keeping your handsand feet inside the theatre at all times.Isabella Anastasia Leigh (Stage Manager) isthrilled to be a part of Rhinoceros - her firstshow with Strollers. She is a director andstage manager studying Theatre and Gender& Women’s Studies at UW-Madison. Recentstage managing, directing, and assistantdirecting credits include: Non-Refundable inQueer Shorts 2.1 (StageQ), Love’s Labour’sLost (ALATT), A Christmas Carol (CTM), TheGrapes of Wrath (Madison College), and TheTempest (MTG). Lots of love to Libby the kitty.Tom Littrell (Lighting Designer) is happy to belighting another show for Strollers and happyto be working with this great director, cast,and crew! He has lit shows for Four SeasonsTheatre, Forward Theater, Music Theatre ofMadison, Madison Theatre Guild, MercuryPlayers, OUT!Cast/StageQ, and UW’s University Theatre. He works at Electronic TheatreControls. In a sordid past life, he toured withconcert performers such as David Bowie,Genesis, Paul McCartney, and Led Zepplin. Asalways, love to Stacey for her support.Robyn Norton (Grocer’s Wife) is new to theMadison stage, and wishes to thank Katherine,Elliott, and Isa, for giving her the opportunityto be in Rhinoceros. Previously, she appearedin Wisconsin Rapids Community Theaterproduction and was most recently in a one-actperformance in Nashville, Tenn., Back-alleybar. Photography, spoiling grandbabies, andmaking bad puns are her other hobbies.Elliott Puckette (Assistant Director) is delightedto be working with Strollers again. Over the lasttwo years, Elliott has been active in the Madison theater community as a director (TwelfthNight, Macbeth, Love/Sick) assistant director(August: Osage County), actor (DumpsterFlower, Love’s Labour’s Lost) and stage manager (Hamm in Love and War, Laughter onthe 23rd Floor, Arlington). In her spare time,Elliott likes analyzing texts and pretending sheknows French.Rhinoceros5
BIOGRAPHIES cont.Lauren Rusch (Mrs. Boeuf) is very excited tomake her Strollers debut in Rhinoceros. Shewas recently on stage in Perfect Arrangementand Queer Shorts (both StageQ), and behindthe scenes stage managing Casa Valentina(StageQ) and making mountains of food propsfor August: Osage County (Mercury PlayersTheater). Thanks to B & D for their constantsupport, and to all my fellow rhinos for a greatshow!Arwen Sadler (Waitress/Fireman/Little OldMan) is very excited to be making their debutwith Strollers Theatre in Rhinoceros. Currentlyin a gap year, Arwen plans on attending OlinCollege of Engineering in the fall of 2018 asan undecided major. They also enjoy painting,drawing, and ridiculously complicated boardgames. Arwen has previously appeared onstage at Broom Street Theater in Gepetto andin various productions at Young ShakespearePlayers. They’d like to thank the cast and crewfor making the show such a fun experience.Teresa Sarkela (Scenic Artist) paints, designs,and may be nocturnal. Most recent work hasbeen seen at sea (HMS Pinafore with MadisonSavoyards), on land (Madagascar with Children’s Theatre of Madison), and soon-to-besome aeronautic adventure to round it all out.hopefully.Sunny Schomaker (Housewife) makes hertriumphant return to the Madison stage aftera period of exile in the Deep South. Previously seen in Macbeth (Madison ShakespeareCompany) and The Tempest (Madison TheatreGuild), she has also been known to writecomedy (Broken Dart Players) and tragedy (herdissertation). She thanks Pierre Bourdieu andMary Tyler Moore for their assistance.Zachary Shea (Dudard). “Well of all things!It’s Zach, acting on stage. The same Zach I sawstage managing MTGs From Awkward Spaces.” “No, stage manager Zach is in all blacks.That Zach is an amateur writer.” “I was almostcertain it was Zach the actor.” “It couldn’t havebeen, Zach hasn’t been seen acting since college, where he performed in such productionsas Peter Pan and Alcestis.” “But neverthelesshe wants to thank the cast and crew for being ajoy to work with, that you can’t deny.”Steven E. Smith (The Logician) is making hisStrollers debut with this absurd show. Hehas thoroughly enjoyed performing the roleof “The Logician” and collaborating with allthe fine folks involved with this production.Theatre is a big part of his life and he has beenfortunate to have taken part in several showswith various performance groups. A few of hisfavorite previous roles include Willy Wonka,Petruchio, and Felix Ungar. You can catch himnext playing Ebenezer Scrooge in Monroe’sproduction of A Christmas Carol. Please, enjoythe show, for that would be logical!Katherine Johnson (Director) has past workthat includes co-directing Nicholas Nickleby,and directing 25 scenes from Shakespeare andSid Caesar. She’s had the pleasure of workingwith Strollers once before as an ASM. Thisproject is a foray into new territory, and oneshe’s incredibly proud of. She is indebted to theamazing designers and crew for everything yousee and hear onstage, and to Michael for theexistence of the show. She is grateful to Elliott,Isa, and to the intrepid cast for every ounceof themselves they poured into rehearsal.She could not ask for better people to createtheatre with.Loryn Jonelis (Choreographer) likes to wigglehis body around the dance floor. Enjoy theshow!STROLLERS THEATRE ANNOUNCEMENTAUDITIONS!ArborophiliaBy Jacob M. AppelDirected by ColemanMonday, Nov 6th and Tuesday, Nov 7thDetails at StrollersTheatre.org6Rhinoceros
STROLLERS THEATRE, LTD. DONORSAnn Aswegan, Anna Biermeier, Ann Brink, Deborah Cardinal, James Chiolino, Charles Cornwell, Judith Dilks, Rosemary Dorney, Richard Eggleston, Jacqueline Erwin, Jon Friske, DavidFurumoto, Helen Hamilton, Thomas Herold, Fred Kamps, Jeffrey Knupp, Beverly McKelvey,Aileen Nettleton, Christian Neuhaus, James O’Brien, Paula Pachciarz, Jeanne Parus, FranklynnPeterson, Rebecca Raether, Jeanette Rutschow, Gary Schultz, Peter Weiler, Sarah Whelan Blake,Kristi Braswell, Corey Helser, Deborah Cardinal & Walter Hurt, Robert E Jones, Malcolm & JaneMcGowan, Zen Desk, Full Compass Systems, Madison Motorcycle Club (On Behalf of AngelaTroia), Amit Hose, Pam Tollefson, Jordan Debbink, Elizabeth Whitely Scherer, Jacqueline Erwin,Delicious Ensemble LLC, Land’s End Inc, Richard Eggleston, Helen & Charles Hamilton, SusanHagstrom, Chandler & Beverly McKelvey, Ricki Jo Benton, Nancy Parsons, Montgomery Baker,Lou & Nancy BruchSTROLLERS THEATRE, LTD. BOARD OF DIRECTORSPresident.Scott Albert BennettVice President.Kathleen TissotSecretary.Michelle DaytonTreasurer.Erin S. BaalPublicity.Benjamin BarlowFacilities Cordinator.Teresa SarkelaSeason Subscriptions.Michael FleischmanMembership.Karl StollAt Large.Jack NeeFor more information on Strollers Theatre, please visit our website at StrollersTheatre.orgSTROLLERS FRIENDSRhinoceros7
NOW PLAYING OR COMING SOON AT THE BARTELLMadison Theatre GuildWait Until DarkNovember 3rd-18thMercury Players TheatreHarry Potter and the Pet RockDecember 15th-30th8RhinocerosStageQThe Twilight of the GoldsDecember 1st-16thStrollers TheatreArborophiliaFebruary 23rd-March 9, 2018
STROLLERS FRIENDSgraphic designerFREELANCEH AY L E Y B O L I N D E R@GMAIL.COMRhinoceros9
STROLLERS FRIENDS10Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros 5 BIOGRAPHIES cont. Ashley Gordon (Proprietor/Little Old Woman) is thrilled to be making her theatrical debut with Strollers Theatre in Rhinoceros. A native of Detroit, Michigan, her other hobbies include swing dancing, trivia, and French c
