Diane Paulus’s last play at the American Repertory Theater’s last season in the Loeb Drama Center will also be a first.
She’s directing French avant-garde playwright Eugene Ionesco for the first time, with a new adaptation of the 1959 play “Rhinoceros.” The cast features actors John Turturro, Tatiana Maslany, and Paul Giamatti, none of whom have previously appeared at the A.R.T. All three actors have won Emmy Awards.
Paulus, who has been artistic director at the A.R.T. for almost two decades, said she had been looking at the theatrical canon for a play, but the idea to produce “Rhinoceros” came from Turturro. “I had read it in high school in French and hadn’t really looked at it since,” Paulus said. “It’s a striking play for our time.”
She has not directed any of the actors before and said she has “admired all their work from a distance,” calling herself “a major superfan.” She said working with the actors is “an extraordinary opportunity” for her and for the A.R.T. audiences. Paulus said for actors who are in demand in television and film, “when they do theater, it’s because they really want to do theater. They are all three passionate about this play.”
“Rhinoceros” opens Aug. 12.
The other two A.R.T. shows on the Cambridge side of the Charles will be musicals.
The first is the world-premiere rock opera, “1972,” which the A.R.T. is producing in collaboration with musician-activist Chadwick Stokes — familiar to fans of the local indie bands Dispatch and State Radio — and director Jessie Nelson. The musical is inspired by the Janes, a hidden network in Chicago that helped women get safe, though illegal, abortions from 1969 through 1973.
Paulus said “1972” “is a project we’ve been watching.” Stokes and Nelson have done concert versions of the show. Paulus said she saw a chance to create a residency for them to develop it into a full-scale rock opera.
That show is scheduled to debut Oct. 27 at Harvard’s Farkas Hall. Stokes will be one of the actors.
The third show is the hip-hop musical “MEXODUS,” which tells the story of the underground railroad that took freedom-seekers across the Rio Grande into Mexico. “It’s been on our radar for years, and we saw the production and were knocked out by it. We wanted to be part of the tour,” Paulus said. She said she has worked with co-creator Brian Quijada in the past and was eager to do so again.
“MEXODUS” will be the final musical by the A.R.T. at the Loeb Center. It starts December 4.
Catalyzing conversation
Paulus said all three shows fit well with the A.R.T.’s mission of expanding the boundaries of theater.
“I always have an interest in picking shows that catalyze conversation,” Paulus said. “Theater is not just on the stage, but a catalytic force for audiences to empathize and hear stories and be moved. And after being moved, being really engaged to have further conversation about what the stories are about.”
The A.R.T. also noted that five shows it developed or commissioned and premiered are currently in performance in the United States and abroad.
The fourth show of the 2026-27 season has not yet been announced. It will be the first performed at the Goel Center for Creativity & Performance in Allston, which is expected to open in May 2027.
A stronger
Please consider making a financial contribution to maintain, expand and improve Cambridge Day.
We are now a 501(c)3 nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible.
Please consider a recurring contribution.