Theatre Rhinoceros or Theatre Rhino is a gay and lesbian theatre based in San Francisco. It was founded in the spring of 1977 by Lanny Baugniet (who became the theater's General Manager) and his partner Allan B. Estes, Jr. (who became the theater's Artistic Director). It is a non-profit theater company dedicated to the production of plays by and about gay and

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

people. Theatre Rhinoceros is the first gay theater company to employ actors under a professional seasonal agreement. The company was recognized by the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

on its twenty-fifth anniversary and again as a pioneering organization at the twenty-fifth anniversary remembrance of assassinated San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk.

History

Their first production, mounted in August 1977, was Lanford Wilson's ''

The Madness of Lady Bright ''The Madness of Lady Bright'' is a short play by Lanford Wilson, among the earliest of the gay theatre movement. The play was first performed at Joe Cino's Caffe Cino in May 1964. It then toured internationally, and has appeared in revivals to ...

'', at the Gay Community Center (then located at 330 Grove Street in San Francisco, now the site of the Performing Arts Parking Garage), produced by Baugniet, and directed by Estes. That first season continued with ''Gays at Play'', ''Stone Rhino'', ''Gayhem'', and

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's ''The Laundry'', directed by Baugniet. The operating budget for that first year was $3,900 — an amount which doubled every year for the company's first seven years of operation to $250,000 for its 1983–1984 season.

1978–1979 season

The 1978–1979 season opened with a revamping of ''Gays at Play'', which consisted of

LeRoi Jones Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroy Jones; October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays and music criticism. He was the author of numerous bo ...

' ''The Baptism'' (directed by Estes) and

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's ''Para de Noya'' (directed by Baugniet) — but it was the monumental success of the next production, Doric Wilson's ''West Street Gang'' (performed at the South of Market leather bar The Black & Blue), that won the company's first Cable Car Award and enabled the company to establish residence in its first home at the Goodman Building at 1115 Geary Street. The season concluded with ''Male Rites'', which included

C.D. Arnold A CD or compact disc is a thin plastic silvery disc for audio recordings. CD or cd may also refer to: Science and technology Astronomy and cosmology * Cordoba Durchmusterung, a star catalog of the southern sky * Cosmological decade or CÐ, a u ...

's ''Downtown Local'',

Robert Chesley Robert Chesley (March 22, 1943, Jersey City, New Jersey – December 5, 1990, San Francisco, California) was a playwright, theater critic and musical composer. Biography Chesley earned his B.A. in music from Reed College in 1965. Between 1965 ...

's ''Hell, I Love You'', Lanford Wilson's ''The Great Nebula in Orion'', and

Cal Yeomans Cal or CAL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Cal'' (novel), a 1983 novel by Bernard MacLaverty * "Cal" (short story), a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov * ''Cal'' (1984 film), an Irish drama starring John Lynch and Helen Mir ...

's ''Richmond Jim'', which production also toured to New York.

1979–1980 season

The 1979–1980 season was dedicated to a festival of plays by Robert Patrick which included ''See Other Side'', ''Fred and Harold'', ''The Loves of the Artists'', ''Haunted Host'', ''Kennedy's Children'', ''T-Shirts'', and ''My Cup Ranneth Over''. The season concluded with Doric Wilson's ''A Perfect Relationship''. By this time, Baugniet had written successful grants for the fledgling theater company from the City & County of San Francisco, the California Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts, and he had formulated a successful subscription campaign that was second only in numbers to the

American Conservatory Theater The American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) is a nonprofit theater company in San Francisco, California, United States, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. It also has an attached acting school. History The Ameri ...

in the San Francisco Bay Area.

1980–1981 season

The 1980–1981 season consisted of Doric Wilson's ''Forever After'',

Joel Schwartz Joel Schwartz (born December 12, 1947 in Long Island, New York, United States) is an American epidemiologist, and Professor of Environmental Epidemiology, at Harvard University, School of Public Health. He graduated from Brandeis University , ...

's ''Power Lines'',

Noel Grieg Noel or Noël may refer to: Christmas * , French for Christmas * Noel is another name for a Christmas carol Places *Noel, Missouri, United States, a city *Noel, Nova Scotia, Canada, a community *1563 Noël, an asteroid *Mount Noel, British ...

's ''The Dear Love of Comrades'', Harvey Fierstein's ''The International Stud'', Victor Bumbalo's ''Kitchen Duty'' and ''American Coffee'', and

Arch Brown An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vault ...

's ''News Boy''. Theatre Rhinoceros also opened its studio theater during this season with

' ''The Line Forms to the Rear'' and

Dan Curzon Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoir ...

's ''Beer and Rhubarb Pie'', and hired its third full-time employee, Raleigh Waugh, as Technical Director.

1981–1982 season

The 1981–1982 season opened with

's ''Dinosaurs'', the final production at the Goodman Building, after which the company moved into its quarters at the

Redstone Building The Redstone Building, also known as the Redstone Labor Temple (and formerly called "The San Francisco Labor Temple"), was constructed and operated by the San Francisco Labor Council Hall Associates. Initial planning started in 1910, with most c ...

at 2926 16th Street. The inaugural productions in the company's new theatre were Harvey Fierstein's ''Fugue in a Nursery'' on the main stage and

's ''Stray Dog Story'' in the studio. The remaining main stage productions for that year were George Birimisa's ''Pogey Bait'', Doric Wilson's ''Street Theater'',

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

's ''Design for Living'', and a revival of ''T-Shirts''.

1982–1983 season

The 1982–1983 main stage season consisted of Robert Graham's ''Sins of the Father'',

Jane Chambers Jane Chambers (March 27, 1937 – February 15, 1983) was an American playwright. She was a "pioneer in writing theatrical works with openly lesbian characters". Chambers was born in Columbia, South Carolina, but grew up in Orlando, Florida, where ...

' ''My Blue Heaven'', Arthur Laurents' ''The Enclave'', Victor Bumbalo's ''Niagara Falls'',

's ''King of the Crystal Palace'' (one of the first produced plays to deal with

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

), and a revival of ''A Perfect Relationship''.

1983–1984 season

The 1983–1984 main stage season included Bill Russell's ''Fortune'', Tennessee Williams' '' Vieux Carré'',

' ''A Late Snow'',

Richard Benner Richard Benner (1943 – December 2, 1990) was an American film director and screenwriter who worked predominantly in Canada.

's ''Crystal Blaze'', Adele Prandini's ''Safe Light'', Lanford Wilson's ''

5th of July ''Fifth of July'' is a 1978 play by Lanford Wilson. Set in rural Missouri in 1977, it revolves around the Talley family and their friends, and focuses on the disillusionment in the wake of the Vietnam War. It premiered on Broadway in 1980 and w ...

'' (it was during the run of this play that Estes died of AIDS), and Richard Gray's ''Bad Drama''. After Estes' death, Baugniet turned the theater over to his staff and retired into private life. Including studio productions and staged readings, he had produced over one hundred titles for the theater company. Baugniet's papers are housed at the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco and the

Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library in the center of the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, is the university's primary special-collections library. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retai ...

at the University of California, Berkeley.

1984–1990

Under the artistic direction of Kristine Gannon (1984–1987), The Rhino continued to realize Estes' vision. Committed to exploring the impact of AIDS on the gay community, The Rhino produced several important new plays, including the collaboratively written '' The AIDS Show: Artists Involved with Death and Survival'' and an updated version titled ''Unfinished Business'' that was the subject of a PBS documentary by Rob Epstein and Peter Adair, Doug Holsclaw's ''Life of the Party'' and ''The Baddest of Boys'', Leland Moss's ''Quisbies'', Robert Pitman's ''Passing'', Anthony Bruno's ''Soul Survivor'', and the

Henry Mach Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal ...

–Paul Katz (not to be confused with cellist

Paul Katz Paul Katz is an American cellist, who was a member of the Cleveland Quartet from 1969 to 1995.Katherine Millett "Cellist Paul Katz Puts His Students on Equal Footing" ''Strings'' August/Sept, 2007 He and his wife, pianist Pei-Shan Lee, reside in B ...

), musical ''Dirty Dreams of a Clean-Cut Kid'', as well as cult classics like Tom Eyen's '' Women Behind Bars''. Charles Solomon (1987-1988) and Kenneth R. Dixon (1988-1990) expanded The Rhino's boundaries of inclusiveness by staging several African-American productions.

1990–1999

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Adele Prandini (1990–1999), the Rhino forged partnerships with many groups, including Luna Sea, Teatro de la Esperanza, Black Artists Contemporary Cultural Experience, The Asian AIDS Project, and the Latino/a AIDS Festival. It received commendations from the City of Berkeley, the City and County of San Francisco, and the State of California on its fifteenth and twentieth anniversaries. Prandini continued as an artistic force writing and directing ''Coconut'', directing

Chay Yew Chay Yew () is a playwright and stage director who was born in Singapore. He was artistic director of the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago from 2011 to 2020. Career Yew's breakthrough work came from his early plays ''Porcelain'' and ''A Lan ...

's '' Porcelain'' and ''Beyond Bagdad'', a wildly successful musical written by Pamela Forrest and Doug Holsclaw. Holsclaw continued as Rhino's most important male writers, with works including ''Don't Make Me Say Things that will Hurt You'', directed by Sabin Epstein, ''Out Calls Only'', ''The Plunge'', and ''The Sensational Sin Sisters'', directed by Prandini, and ''The Last Hairdresser'', directed by Danny Scheie, which won a Critics Circle Award (tie) for Best New Play. ''Jumping the Broom'', produced in fall 1993, was a collection of sketches around the theme of gay marriage, commitment and domestic partnership.

1999–2003

Doug Holsclaw (1999–2003) presided over the premiere of new works by Marga Gomez, Latin Hustle, Jason Post, John Fisher, F. Allen Sawyer, Marvin White, and Guillermo Reyes. The entire twenty-fifth anniversary season was celebrated with world premiere works by Johari Jabir, Sara Moore, Fisher,

Kate Bornstein Katherine Vandam Bornstein (born March 15, 1948) is an American author, playwright, performance artist, actor, and gender theorist. In 1986, Bornstein started identifiying as gender non-conforming and has stated "I don't call myself a woman, ''and ...

, and Ronnie Larsen as well as special performances by Kate Clinton and Gomez.

2004–2009

Under the artistic direction of Fisher, Theatre Rhinoceros remained committed to Allan Estes' original vision of developing and producing works of theatre that enlighten, enrich, and explore all aspects of the gay community. 2004 saw the first full American staging of Alan Bennett's ''Single Spies'' (two one-acts: " An Englishman Abroad" and "

A Question of Attribution ''A Question of Attribution'' is a 1988 one-act stage play, written by Alan Bennett. It focuses on the British art expert and former Soviet agent, Sir Anthony Blunt. It was premiered at the National Theatre, London, in December 1988, along with ...

"), which was co-directed by John Fisher and Jeffrey Hartgraves. Featuring John Fisher, Jeffrey Hartgraves, Libby O'Connell, Matt Weimer, Greg Lucey, and Dominick Marrone. 2005 featured the holiday production of

George S. Kaufman George Simon Kaufman (November 16, 1889June 2, 1961) was an American playwright, theater director and producer, humorist, and drama critic. In addition to comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals for the Marx Brothers and others. ...

and Moss Hart's classic farce '' The Man Who Came to Dinner'', starring a collection of some of the Bay Area's best-known local actors, including Floriana Alessandria, David Bicha, P. A. Cooley, Matthew Martin, Kim Larsen, Matt Weimer, Libby O'Connell, and Jeffrey Hartgraves. 2006 featured the remounting of the critically acclaimed ''Family Jewels: the Making of Veronica Klaus'' by Jeffrey Hartgraves and Veronica Klaus, directed by Jeffrey Hartgraves. This production was subsequently brought back for another run in 2007. 2007 brought innovation and experimentation with the creation of The Studio Project ''There's Something About Marriage'' which explored the issues and opinions surrounding the topic of gay marriage. Conceived and created by John Fisher, David Bicha, and Maryssa Wanlass. With cameos by Drew Todd, Jeffrey Hartgraves, and Matthew Martin. This year also saw the first staging of ''Shark Bites (a very nearly solo show)'' written by and starring Jeffrey Hartgraves. Directed by Libby O'Connell and featuring Drew Todd, P. A. Cooley, David Bicha, davidmahr, and T.J. Lee. This show was remounted in 2008.

2009–present

In 2009, the rising cost of rent caused Theatre Rhino to vacate the

. Subsequent shows have been produced at multiple venues across San Francisco, primarily at the Gateway Theatre (once home of the

Eureka Theatre Company The Eureka Theatre Company was an American repertory theatre group located in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1972 as the Shorter Players by Chris Silva (director), Chris Silva, Robert Woodruff (director), Robert Woodruff and Carl Lumbl ...

) at 215 Jackson Street.

References

External links

Theater Rhinoceros

Theater Rhinoceros
- YouTube {{coords, 37.7967, -122.4001, display=title Theatre companies in San Francisco LGBT theatre companies LGBT theatre in the United States South of Market, San Francisco Arts organizations established in 1977 Performing groups established in 1977 1977 establishments in California Theatre company production histories