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 ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

and lesbian 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 on its twenty-fifth anniversary and again as a pioneering organization at the twenty-fifth anniversary remembrance of assassinated

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

Supervisor

Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised in ...

History

Their first production, mounted in August 1977, was

Lanford Wilson Lanford Wilson (April 13, 1937March 24, 2011) was an American playwright. His work, as described by ''The New York Times'', was "earthy, realist, greatly admired ndwidely performed." Fox, Margalit"Lanford Wilson, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright ...

's '' The Madness of Lady Bright'', at the

Gay Community Center ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

(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 David Guerdon'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' ''The Baptism'' (directed by Estes) and Fred Puliafito's ''Para de Noya'' (directed by Baugniet) — but it was the monumental success of the next production,

Doric Wilson Doric Wilson (February 24, 1939May 7, 2011) was an American playwright, director, producer, critic and gay rights activist. He was born Alan Doric Wilson in Los Angeles, California, where his family was temporarily located. Originally from the ...

'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'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'',

's ''The Great Nebula in Orion'', and Cal Yeomans'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 Robert Hammond Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is an American actor. Known for portraying villains and honorable authority figures, he is a Saturn Award winner with four other nominations. Patrick dropped out of college when drama class sparke ...

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

'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 The California Arts Council is a state agency based in Sacramento, United States. Its eight council members are appointed by the Governor and the state Legislature. The agency's mission is to advance California through arts, culture and creativit ...

, and the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, and he had formulated a successful subscription campaign that was second only in numbers to the American Conservatory Theater in the San Francisco Bay Area.

1980–1981 season

The 1980–1981 season consisted of

's ''Forever After'', Joel Schwartz's ''Power Lines'', Noel Grieg's ''The Dear Love of Comrades'',

Harvey Fierstein Harvey Forbes Fierstein ( ; born June 6, 1952) is an American actor, playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for his theater work in '' Torch Song Trilogy'' and '' Hairspray'' and movie roles in '' Mrs. Doubtfire'', ''Independence Day'', an ...

's ''The International Stud'',

Victor Bumbalo Victor Bumbalo (born November 30, 1948) is an American actor and playwright. Early life and education Bumbalo graduated from the Masters Program in Theater at Bennington College. In New York City, Bumbalo became immersed in the Off- and Off-Off ...

's ''Kitchen Duty'' and ''American Coffee'', and Arch Brown's ''News Boy''. Theatre Rhinoceros also opened its studio theater during this season with Cal Yeomans' ''The Line Forms to the Rear'' and Dan Curzon'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 C.D. Arnold'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

'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 George Birimisa (February 21, 1924 – May 10, 2012) was an American playwright, actor, and theater director who contributed to gay theater during the 1960s, the early years of the Off-Off-Broadway movement. His works feature sexually explicit, em ...

's ''Pogey Bait'',

's ''Street Theater'', Noël Coward'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' ''My Blue Heaven'',

Arthur Laurents Arthur Laurents (July 14, 1917 – May 5, 2011) was an American playwright, theatre director, film producer and screenwriter. After writing scripts for radio shows after college and then training films for the U.S. Army during World War II ...

' ''The Enclave'',

's ''Niagara Falls'', C.D. Arnold's ''King of the Crystal Palace'' (one of the first produced plays to deal with AIDS), and a revival of ''A Perfect Relationship''.

1983–1984 season

The 1983–1984 main stage season included Bill Russell's ''Fortune'',

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thr ...

' ''

Vieux Carré The French Quarter, also known as the , is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans (french: La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Sq ...

'', Jane Chambers' ''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'',

's '' 5th of July'' (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 The GLBT Historical Society (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society) (formerly Gay and Lesbian Historical Society of Northern California; San Francisco Bay Area Gay and Lesbian Historical Society) maintains an extensive collection ...

in San Francisco and the Bancroft Library at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

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 ''The AIDS Show'' (''Artists Involved with Death and Survival)'' is a collaboratively written theatre piece created to address the social impact HIV/AIDS had on the LGBTQ community. A 1986 documentary film of the same name was developed by producer ...

: Artists Involved with Death and Survival'' and an updated version titled ''Unfinished Business'' that was the subject of a

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

documentary by

Rob Epstein Robert P. Epstein (born April 6, 1955), is an American director, producer, writer, and editor. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature, for the films '' The Times of Harvey Milk'' and '' Common Threads: Stories from the Quil ...

and

Peter Adair Peter Adair (November 25, 1943 – June 27, 1996) was a filmmaker and artist, best known for his pioneering gay and lesbian documentary '' Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives'' (1977). Early life Adair was born in Los Angeles County in 1943. ...

, Doug Holsclaw's ''Life of the Party'' and ''The Baddest of Boys'',

Leland Moss Leland Moss (died January 24, 1990 San Francisco, California) was an American theatre director, writer, and gay activist who died from AIDS at age 41. Life and work Moss graduated from Beverly Hills High School and was a National Merit Scholar ...

's ''Quisbies'', Robert Pitman's ''Passing'', Anthony Bruno's ''Soul Survivor'', and the Henry Mach–Paul Katz (not to be confused with cellist Paul Katz), musical ''Dirty Dreams of a Clean-Cut Kid'', as well as cult classics like

Tom Eyen Tom Eyen (August 14, 1940 – May 26, 1991) was an American playwright, lyricist, television writer and director. He received a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for ''Dreamgirls'' in 1981. Eyen is best known for works at opposite e ...

's ''

Women Behind Bars ''Women Behind Bars'' is a camp black comedy play by Tom Eyen, parodying the prison exploitation films produced by Universal, Warner Bros. and Republic Pictures during the 1950s. Plot Set in the Women's House of Detention in Greenwich Villa ...

''. Charles Solomon (1987-1988) and Kenneth R. Dixon (1988-1990) expanded The Rhino's boundaries of inclusiveness by staging several

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

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's ''

Porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises main ...

'' 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 Marga Gomez is a comedian, writer, performer, and teaching artist from Harlem, New York. She has written and performed in thirteen solo plays which have been presented nationally and internationally. Her acting credits include Off-Broadway and na ...

, 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, and

Ronnie Larsen Ronnie Larsen is a playwright and film director specializing in writing plays about sex. His play ''Making Porn'' was about the gay porn industry in the 1980s, and the production was notable for casting gay porn actors. Productions have starred Blu ...

as well as special performances by

Kate Clinton Kate Clinton (born November 9, 1947) is an American comedian specializing in political commentary from a gay/ lesbian point of view. Early life and education Clinton was born in Buffalo, New York. She was raised in a large Catholic family in th ...

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 Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English actor, author, playwright and screenwriter. Over his distinguished entertainment career he has received numerous awards and honours including two BAFTA Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and two ...

's ''Single Spies'' (two one-acts: "

An Englishman Abroad ''An Englishman Abroad'' is a 1983 BBC television drama film based on the true story of a chance meeting of actress Coral Browne with Guy Burgess, a member of the Cambridge spy ring who spied for the Soviet Union while an officer at MI6. The pr ...

" and " A Question of Attribution"), 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 and

Moss Hart Moss Hart (October 24, 1904 – December 20, 1961) was an American playwright, librettist, and theater director. Early years Hart was born in New York City, the son of Lillian (Solomon) and Barnett Hart, a cigar maker. He had a younger brother ...

's classic farce ''

The Man Who Came to Dinner ''The Man Who Came to Dinner'' is a comedy play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It debuted on October 16, 1939, at the Music Box Theatre in New York City, where it ran until 1941, closing after 739 performances. It then enjoyed a number of N ...

'', 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) at 215 Jackson Street.

References

External links

Theater Rhinoceros

Theater Rhinoceros
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YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

{{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