Join Theatre Rhinoceros for its 40th Anniversary Season
GLAAD Media Award Winner
Two world premieres, one classic, an historic figure, one musical, and a whole lot of fun. It’s the 2017-18 Rhino Fortieth Anniversary Season.
All shows produced at our permanent home The Gateway Theatre (formerly the Eureka theatre.)
More Information
The Legend of Pink
by Kheven LaGrone
215 Jackson St Map It
The Critics Raved about PINK!
“Comic gusto… Scary volatility…”
Kheven LaGrone has written four characters who are fascinating. His dialogue is authoritative and effective. The performances of all four actors are striking. Charles Peoples III is outstanding as Pink, as he flounces about, spouting phrases like “Sometimes I think in French.” Maurice André San-Chez is spellbinding as DeShawn. He comes stage forward midway in the drama in a bright white spotlight to declare his blackness. He will now and henceforth be himself, he says. R. Shawntez Jackson brings danger and helplessness to his role of Ace. Phaedra Tillery is wonderful as Nikki, the voice of the neighborhood. Scenic designer Bert vanAaslburg bathes the bedroom set in pink, and costume designer Kitty Muntzel has done chic pink outfits for Pink. AeJay Mitchell directs this absorbing drama with rapid speed. Bottom Line: THE LEGEND OF PINK is the riveting account of the drug wars in late 20th century Oakland, as Pink does her best to bring a bit of beauty to the harsh environment.”
The thought provoking and engaging THE LEGEND OF PINK by Kheven LaGrone receives its world premiere at Theatre Rhinoceros. Rhino has scored a casting coup with Charles Peoples III as Pink. He has both the convincing look and affect to characterize Pink, capturing fantasy and rejection with equal skill. Maurice André San-Chez as DeShawn, R. Shawntez Jackson as Ace, and Phaedra Tillery as Nikki round out the talented ensemble. Each has highlights, though there are times when they don’t seem totally true to character. Director AeJay Mitchell combines the stage and acting elements effectively. LaGrone’s play strikes many nerves and should satisfy anyone with interest in the topics, and hopefully those without any specific interest.”
“Directed sensitively by Oakland-based AeJay Mitchell, the terrific cast imbues all shades of emotion into all of the sympathetic characters. Charles Peoples III is mesmerizing and commanding as the title character, filling Pink’s flouncy mini dresses with confidence and authority. In the The Legend of Pink, [Kheven] LaGrone has created an appealing study of authentic characters in difficult situations with inner conflicts.”
“This is playwright Kheven LaGrone’s first full-length play, and it’s a marvelous debut. The dialogue crackles, and the characters are multi-dimensional and fascinating. It has much to say about race and identity, and it says it in a powerful, effective way. The performances by all four actors are memorable and heartfelt. R. Shawntez Jackson brings both menace and vulnerability to his role as Ace, and Charles Peoples III owns the stage as if he was born to it.”
Production Photos
Publicity Photos
Directed by AeJay Mitchell.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at the Gateway Theatre (Formerly the Eureka Theatre).
Photo by Steven Ho.
Wolves
Free Staged Reading!

Wolf, Jack, and Ben. We’re going to tell you their story. By the end, one will be dead, one will be a killer, and one will be a mess.
The Normal Heart
Directed by John Fisher
215 Jackson St Map It
Larry Kramer (Playwright)
Larry Kramer, a writer and AIDS activist, is a founder of Gay Men’s Health Crisis and ACT UP. His screenplays include the Oscar-nominated Women in Love, and his plays include the Obie-winning and Pulitzer finalist The Destiny of Me, and Tony Award-winning The Normal Heart, which was adapted into an Emmy Award-winning movie for HBO. His novels are Faggots (Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters) and The American People: Volume 1: Search for My Heart. His political writings include the books, Reports from the holocaust and The Tragedy of Today’s Gays. He is the subject of an HBO documentary Larry Kramer in Love and Anger. He was named a Master American Dramatist by the PEN/Laura Pels Int’l. Foundation for Theater. Volume 2 of The American People: The Brutality of Fact will be forthcoming from Farrar, Straus & Giroux. He recently received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Yale.

Larry Kramer
photo (c) David Shankbone

THE NORMAL HEART WAS A SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE BAY AREA ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT PICK OF THE DAY!
Production Photos
Pictured left to right: John Fisher as Ned, Jeremy Alan Howard as David, and Tim Garcia as Mickey in THE NORMAL HEART by Larry Kramer.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at The Gateway Theatre (formerly The Eureka Theatre.) Photo by David Wilson.
Pictured left to right: John Fisher as Ned and Jeremy Cole as Felix in THE NORMAL HEART by Larry Kramer.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at The Gateway Theatre (formerly The Eureka Theatre.) Photo by David Wilson.
Pictured left to right: Benoît Monin as Bruce, Tim Garcia as Mickey, Morgan Lange as Tommy and John Fisher as Ned in THE NORMAL HEART by Larry Kramer.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at The Gateway Theatre (formerly The Eureka Theatre.) Photo by David Wilson.
Pictured left to right: Tim Garcia as Mickey, John Fisher as Ned, Benoît Monin as Bruce, Nick Moore as Craig and Leticia Duarte as Emma in THE NORMAL HEART by Larry Kramer.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at The Gateway Theatre (formerly The Eureka Theatre.) Photo by David Wilson.
Pictured left to right: Morgan Lange as Tommy and Tim Garcia as Mickey in THE NORMAL HEART by Larry Kramer.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at The Gateway Theatre (formerly The Eureka Theatre.) Photo by David Wilson.
Pictured left to right: Jeremy Cole as Felix and John Fisher as Ned in THE NORMAL HEART by Larry Kramer.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at The Gateway Theatre (formerly The Eureka Theatre.) Photo by David Wilson.
Pictured left to right: Jeremy Cole as Felix and Robert Zelenka as Ben in THE NORMAL HEART by Larry Kramer.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at The Gateway Theatre (formerly The Eureka Theatre.) Photo by David Wilson.
Pictured left to right: Leticia Duarte as Emma and John Fisher as Ned in THE NORMAL HEART by Larry Kramer.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at The Gateway Theatre (formerly The Eureka Theatre.) Photo by David Wilson.
Publicity Photos
Pictured left to right: Morgan Lange as Tommy Boatwright, John Fisher as Ned Weeks, and Benoît Monin as Bruce Niles in THE NORMAL HEART by Larry Kramer, a Theatre Rhinoceros Production at The Gateway Theatre (formerly The Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.
Pictured left to right: Morgan Lange as Tommy Boatwright and Benoît Monin as Bruce Niles in THE NORMAL HEART by Larry Kramer, a Theatre Rhinoceros Production at The Gateway Theatre (formerly The Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.
Pictured left to right: Morgan Lange as Tommy Boatwright and John Fisher as Ned Weeks in THE NORMAL HEART by Larry Kramer, a Theatre Rhinoceros Production at The Gateway Theatre (formerly The Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.
Pictured left to right: Morgan Lange as Tommy Boatwright and Benoît Monin as Bruce Niles in THE NORMAL HEART by Larry Kramer, a Theatre Rhinoceros Production at The Gateway Theatre (formerly The Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.
Critical Acclaim for The Normal Heart
Theater Rhinoceros’ The Normal Heart might break your own heart.
The characters become real in their time upon the stage, and as they die on and off the stage. You will become involved in each as distinct individuals. … Jeremy Cole underplays his role to perfection. His transformation from charming and humorous to an AIDS patient with a deteriorating body is so heart wrenching to make you hold your breath. … Leticia Duarte gives a strong performance from her wheel chair and her explosion when the National Institute of Health offers a pittance for AIDS research is an appropriate shocker.
The Normal Heart is a moving chronicle of the birth of AIDS activism.
[The] cast isn’t afraid to ride an emotional roller coaster that leaves them shedding copious tears as the play moves toward the final curtain.
Director John Fisher’s “The Normal Heart” depicts the complex development of political resistance to HIV/AIDS, and ultimately, an existential struggle for the future of queer identity. Theatre Rhino reminds us that when silence is death, there is no choice but to speak up. … Fisher’s production is significant and impassioned, thanks to the spot-on cast and excellent acting
Transitions
215 Jackson St Map It
A surprising relationship between a young Republican and a no-nonsense drag queen almost sets the world on fire. But in a moment of international crisis this romance might just save the planet, as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are about to find out. A satirical drama ripped from the world’s headlines in the tradition of filmmakers Billy Wilder and Oliver Stone.

“Dark Eyes” from Transitions
Shh!
Bargain Hunters Discount Coupon/Code
The Ides of March
We have added a special price for the last few performances!
Go to our ticketing page, enter TIX2018 in the discount code box, click “SHOW AVAILABLE TICKETS”, and save up to 50%!
Charles Peoples III Becomes Ruby for Transitions
The Critics Speak …
Fisher has directed Transitions as a barking mad thriller sprinkled with easy laughs.
If you are looking for an off-the-wall satirical farce with political overtones then the world premiere of Transitions playing at the intimate Gateway Theatre should be just your ticket.
Charles Peoples III as drag queen Ruby steals the show and his three numbers are worth the price of admission as he controls center stage.
…in the moment, there is ramshackle charm and even a few meaningful scratches beneath the surface of life with No. 45.
In John Fisher’s no-holds-barred political satire “Transitions,” disruption rules the day…
Each actor does brilliant double and triple duty to bring a Saturday Night Live touch to the soap opera that springs daily from the headlines. Fisher’s satirical take on U.S. antics strikes home, hitting the target with wit and wisdom.
The show’s highest acting honors go to Charles Peoples III’s Ruby, who gives the most intense and most serious performance of the evening. Ruby is tough as nails and has no problem speaking her truth, such as when she rejects Ezekial’s advances because of Ezekial’s refusal to come out. Ruby has clearly been around the block a few times. She has no time for BS. She emerges as the evening’s most admiral character.
Charles Peoples as Miss Ruby makes this show worth a visit, and the cast is tight with the comic and drama timing.
I’ll tell you this about Fisher: if he’s crazy, our theatre needs a lot more mad men like this!
…
Fisher’s double turn as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is a wonder to watch; his caricature is uncanny, but he does more than that. In his hands, Trump and Putin have beating human hearts that we can recognize and for which we can feel empathy, even as we recoil in horror.
The BAR on Transitions
and John Fisher
More Media Attention for Transitions
KPFA Radio Interview
Kris Welch interviews John Fisher, starts at 54 minutes and @55 secondsKALW “Open Air”
(interview starts @30 minutes 20 seconds into the program)SF Gate
“The Rhino Stages a ‘Dr. Strangelove’ for our times”KPOO Radio Interview
Marilyn Flower discussion with John Fisher starts @ 47 minutes
Production Photographs

(L-R) Morgan Lange as Ezekial, Charles Peoples III as Ruby, Kathryn L. Wood as Dalanka, Katie Rubin* as Melania Trump, John Fisher* as Donald Trump and Gabriel A. Ross as Toray in John Fisher’s TRANSITIONS.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at the Gateway Theater (formerly The Eureka Theater).
Photo by David Wilson.
* indicates member of Actor’s Equity
Publicity Photographs
DareBnB
A New Comedy by John Fisher
Friday, June 22 at 8 pm
Saturday, June 23 at 8 pm
Friday, June 29 at 8 pm
Saturday, June 30 at 8 pm
SparkArts Gallery
4229 18th Street, San Francisco (Between Diamond and Collingwood Streets)
Theatre Rhinoceros presents Darebnb, a comedy about housing in San Francisco, for four shows only at SparkArts in The Castro.
Publicity Photos
Pictured L to R: Miriam Ani as Qarak, Heather Nguyen as Annie, Devin Goodman as DelMonico, Michael DeMartini as Neely, David Zubiria as Ryan, Gabriel Ross as Seano and John Fisher as Johno in DAREBNB by John Fisher; a Theatre Rhinoceros/SparkArts production at SparkArts. Photo by David Wilson.
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
The Musical
By Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott
Directed by John Fisher
May 26 – June 30, 2018
Gateway Theatre
215 Jackson San Francisco Map It
Run time: @ 2-1/2 hours
The glorious musical adventure about drag shows, Down Under, and what we will do for love.
Theatre Rhino’s hit from last season is returning for an encore engagement.
Priscilla at Pride 2018
YouTube lets you get close to that moment by clicking on this link!
Trailer for the 2018 Encore Production
Mr. WA Investigates Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Praise for Priscilla
[The] wonderfully garish Priscilla bus has pulled into Gateway Theatre full of its fabulously attired drag queens, shirtless twinks, and proudly prancing divas in sparkly wigs… plenty of chances for loud laughter amid the eye-popping visuals of wigs, dresses, and high heels gone gaga.
Production Photos for the 2018 Show!
Pictured L to R: David Tuttle and Lars 1, Rudy Guerrero* as Tick, Charles Peoples III*as Adam, Kim Larsen as Bernadette and Morgan Lange as Lars 2 in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, directed by John Fisher.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at the Gateway Theatre (formerly the Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.
*Member Actors Equity Association
Pictured L to R: Charles Peoples III*as Adam and Phaedra Tillery as Diva in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, directed by John Fisher.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at the Gateway Theatre (formerly the Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.
*Member Actors Equity Association
Pictured: Rudy Guerrero* as Tick in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, directed by John Fisher.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at the Gateway Theatre (formerly the Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.
*Member Actors Equity Association
Pictured L to R: Morgan Lange as Venus Boy, Dee Wagner as Venus Girl and David Tuttle and Venus Beau in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, directed by John Fisher.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at the Gateway Theatre (formerly the Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.
*Member Actors Equity Association
Pictured L to R: Caitlin Papp as Lead Diva, Suzy Jane Edwards as Leather Person, Charles Peoples III*as Adam, Dee Wagner as Pink Lady and Cameron Weston as Pink Boy in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, directed by John Fisher.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at the Gateway Theatre (formerly the Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.
*Member Actors Equity Association
Pictured L to R: Charles Peoples III* as Adam, Rudy Guerrero* as Tick and Kim Larson as Bernadette in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, directed by John Fisher.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at the Gateway Theatre (formerly the Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.
*Member Actors Equity Association
Pictured L to R: Rudy Guerrero* as Tick, Cameron Weston as Bob, Kim Larsen as Bernadette, Charles Peoples III*as Adam and David Tuttle and Lars 1 in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, directed by John Fisher.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at the Gateway Theatre (formerly the Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.
*Member Actors Equity Association
Pictured L to R: David Tuttle as Pop Musik Dancer 1, Dee Wagner as Pop Musik Dancer 2, Grace Liu as Cynthia and Morgan Lange as Pop Musik Dancer 3 in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, directed by John Fisher.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at the Gateway Theatre (formerly the Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.
*Member Actors Equity Association
Publicity Photos for the 2018 Show!
Pictured: Rudy Guerrero* as Tick in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, directed by John Fisher.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at the Gateway Theatre (formerly the Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.
*Member Actors Equity Association

Pictured L to R: Charles Peoples III* as Adam, Rudy Guerrero* as Tick, and Kim Larsen as Bernadette in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, The Musical, directed by John Fisher.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at the Gateway Theatre (formerly the Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.
*Member Actors Equity Association

Pictured L to R: Rudy Guerrero* as Tick, John Fisher the Director, Kim Larsen as Bernadette, and Charles Peoples III* as Adam in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, The Musical, directed by John Fisher.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at the Gateway Theatre (formerly the Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.
*Member Actors Equity Association

Pictured L to R: Rudy Guerrero* as Tick, Kim Larsen as Bernadette, and Charles Peoples III* as Adam in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, The Musical, directed by John Fisher.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at the Gateway Theatre (formerly the Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.
*Member Actors Equity Association

Pictured L to R: Kim Larsen as Bernadette, Rudy Guerrero* as Tick, and Charles Peoples III* as Adam in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, The Musical, directed by John Fisher.
A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at the Gateway Theatre (formerly the Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.
*Member Actors Equity Association
Oedipus at Palm Springs
Regional Premiere
By The Five Lesbian Brothers
Directed by Kathryn Wood
July 12 – 22, 2018
Gateway Theatre
215 Jackson Street Map It
Star and co-director of last season’s hit Gertrude Stein and a Companion, Kathryn Wood returns to direct this hysterical and shocking comedy by the masters of lesbian wit.
The play follows the dark adventure of two couples on a retreat to the desert resort town. While new parents Fran and Con try desperately to jump-start their sex life, May-December love bunnies Prin and Terri can’t keep their hands off each other. What begins as a hilarious, boozy weekend takes a horrific turn after a secret is revealed. Two parts comedy with a shot of tragedy shaken over ice, Oedipus at Palm Springs is a brave examination of the messy guts of relationships.
The New York Times called the play “brave, funny and quite lovable” when they reviewed it in 2005.
Lisa Kron talks to SF Gate about
Oedipus at Palm Springs
Read the story
Publicity Photos
Pictured L to R: Elaine Jennings as Prin and Jensen Power as Terri in OEDIPUS AT PALM SPRINGS by The Five Lesbian Brothers, directed by Kathryn Wood. A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at the Gateway Theatre (formerly the Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.

Pictured (L – R) Eliza Gibson (Fran); Aj Davenport (Joni); Desiree Rogers (Con); Jensen Power (Terri); Elaine Jennings (Prin) in OEDIPUS AT PALM SPRINGS by The Five Lesbian Brothers, directed by Kathryn Wood. A Theatre Rhinoceros Production at the Gateway Theatre (formerly the Eureka Theatre). Photo by David Wilson.