Keratin

Development scheduled for 2026

Keratin is an ambitious new theatre project inspired by an article I read in the National Geographic (2016) on the plight of rhinoceros horn poaching.

On the black market, rhino horn generally sells for between $20,000 and $100,000 per kilogram, making it one of the most lucrative illegal commodities in the world—often rivaling or surpassing the value of gold and cocaine.

Because an average adult African rhino horn weighs between 3 to 6 kilograms, a single intact horn can have a final street value ranging from $60,000 to over $300,000

Wildlife conservation organizations like Save the Rhino International emphasize that these extreme black market prices are fueled entirely by misinformation and status.

Biologically, rhino horn consists entirely of keratin—the exact same fibrous protein that makes up human hair and fingernails. Extensive scientific and clinical testing has proven that consuming rhino horn has zero medicinal value, yet unproven cultural myths claiming it can cure everything from fevers to cancer continue to drive the illegal poaching crisis

With initial development support through a Kildare County Council Tyrone Guthrie Centre Residency Bursary and an Arts Council Agility Award, the project will know apply for an Arts Council Project Award to fully develop the piece.