Being a part of the Rhinoceros crew was a very unique experience for me. It definitely taught me a thing or two about patience and diplomacy – some of the most trying experiences of my life have taken place in Brehmer. I can never stop being grateful to Simona (the director) for taking on the challenge of having a complete novice be her stage manager, especially for a difficult play like Rhinoceros.
I can only put it down as serendipity that I happened to get involved in a production that comments on a cause so close to my heart. I very firmly believe in the butterfly effect, and so even if this play has made one or two people think about the growing culture of apathy and ignorance that we have surrounded ourselves with, I consider the two months of hard work justified. Rhinoceros taught me what true passion means, and being a part of this production made me appreciate just how complex and intricately woven the process of creating a theater performance really is. It was only the hard work of the actors and the director that prompted me to give it all I had to offer.
Rhinoceros taught me some invaluable lessons, from learning how to balance being a full-time student and an active member of the Colgate community along with spending a minimum of four hours everyday in rehearsal, to learning how to maneuver out of tense situations. I loved the weeks leading up to the opening night, for although tempers were running high and everything seemed to be falling apart, that was actually the time when everything came together and the cast almost became kin. The feeling of accomplishment we felt when people commended the work is indescribable, I can only say that very few things in life would elicit the passion and love that theater does from people.
-Rupika Chakraverti ’20