Theatre Rhino’s 2012-13 Season

Hop on Board the Rhino

We’re celebrating thirty-five years of theatre! Please join us for an exciting new season of provocative, entertaining LGBT plays.

We begin our 35th Anniversary Season with a theatre story by John Fisher Slugs and Kicks, and then we ring in the New Year in the traditional Rhino way with The 2012 Rhino New Year’s Eve Spectacular starring Lea DeLaria.

We kick off 2013 with a rediscovered Tennessee Williams gem Something Cloudy, Something Clear. Then we have two spring offerings: the gorgeously romantic A Lady and a Woman by Shirlene Holmes and our annual Benefit Celebration.

We wrap up the season with the thought provoking and terribly clever Drunk Enough to Say I Love You by Caryl Churchill.

This season is our thirty-fifth adventure and we’re excited to take another entertaining journey as the longest-running LGBT theatre in the nation.

Queer Theater for the
Queer in Everyone

Current and Upcoming Performances

Drunk Enough to Say I Love You

By Caryl Churchill (Theatre Rhino Debut!)
May 30 – June 16, 2013
At the Costume Shop (1117 Market St, at 7th, SF, CA  94102)

Bay Area Premiere. Do countries really behave like gay men? Meet Sam and Jack and watch as they fall in love and become obsessed as only gay men can become obsessed. This masterfully provocative play comes from the hand of Britain’s most controversial and profound playwright.

Earlier in the Season

Slugs and Kicks

by John Fisher
November 24 – December 9, 2012
At Thick House (1695 18th Street, at Arkansas, SF, CA  94107) Map It

The closet is a wicked place! It's also boring!! Slugs and Kicks is a comedy about actors, college, love and other primeval phenomena.

Press Release

Catch a Moment

Slugs and Kicks Production Photos
Click on an image to see and download a full-size version

Pictured: Alexandra Izdebski as Anis in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros
production at Thick House. Photo by Kent Taylor. Action: Anis auditions for a school play.

Nicholas Trengove as Giles, Zachary Isen as Jerry, and Alexandra Izdebski as Anis in Slugs
and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House. Photo by Kent
Taylor. Action: Jerry the director gives some instruction to Anis and Giles.

Pictured left to right: Robert Kittler as Marty, Ben Calabrese as Rory and Nicholas Trengove as
Porter in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House.
Photo by Kent Taylor. Action: Marty and Rory encounter Porter, a lifeguard, on the beach in
Southampton, NY.

Pictured left to right: Robert Kittler as Marty and Ben Calabrese as Rory in Slugs and Kicks by
John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House. Photo by Kent Taylor. Action:
Marty and Rory get ready to take a dip in the Atlantic.

Pictured left to right: Robert Kittler as Marty and Ben Calabrese as Rory in Slugs and Kicks by
John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House. Photo by Kent Taylor. Action:
Marty and Rory enjoy the new James Bond picture.

Pictured left to right: Ben Calabrese as Rory and Zachary Isen as Jerry in Slugs and Kicks by
John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House. Photo by Kent Taylor. Action:
Rory and Jerry sing their favorite showtunes.

Pictured left to right: Ben Calabrese as Rory and Zachary Isen as Jerry in Slugs and Kicks by
John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House. Photo by Kent Taylor. Action:
Rory wakes up in Jerry’s apartment with a terrible hangover.

Pictured left to right: Ben Calabrese as Rory, Asali Echols as Cynthia, Nicholas Trengove as
Giles and Alexandra Izdebski as Anis in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros
production at Thick House. Photo by Kent Taylor. Action: Rory and Cynthia embrace
passionately as Giles and Anis sing of their love.

Pictured left to right: Ben Calabrese as Rory and Zachary Isen as Jerry in Slugs and Kicks by
John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House. Photo by Kent Taylor.  
Action: Jerry confronts Rory.

Pictured left to right: Ben Calabrese as Rory and Robert Kittler as Marty in Slugs and Kicks by
John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House. Photo by Kent Taylor. Action:
Rory finds out he’s falling for Marty.

Click on a photo to download a full-size version
Photos by Kent Taylor

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Pictured left to right: Robert Kittler as Marty, Asali Echols as Cynthia, Zachary Isen as Jerry, Ben Calabrese as Rory, Alexandra Izdebski as Anis, and Nicholas Trengove as Giles in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House.
Photo by Kent Taylor. 

Pictured left to right: Ben Calabrese as Rory, Zachary Isen as Jerry, Asali Echols as Cynthia, Alexandra Izdebski as Anis, Nicholas Trengove as Giles, and Robert Kittler as Marty, in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House.
Photo by Kent Taylor.

Pictured: Ben Calabrese as Rory in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House.
Photo by Kent Taylor. 

Pictured left to right: Robert Kittler as Marty and Ben Calabrese as Rory in Slugs
and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House.
Photo by Kent Taylor.

Pictured: Zachary Isen as Jerry in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House.
Photo by Kent Taylor.  

Pictured left to right: Asali Echols as Cynthia, Zachary Isen as Jerry, and Alexandra Izdebski as Anis in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House.
Photo by Kent Taylor.

Pictured left to right: Robert Kittler as Marty, Ben Calabrese as Rory, and Zachary Isen as Jerry in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House.
Photo by Kent Taylor.

Pictured left to right: Asali Echols as Cynthia and Alexandra Izdebski in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House.
Photo by Kent Taylor.

Pictured left to right: Asali Echols as Cynthia, Zachary Isen as Jerry, and Alexandra Izdebski as Anis in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House.
Photo by Kent Taylor.  

Pictured left to right: Asali Echols as Cynthia and Alexandra Izdebski as Anis in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House.
Photo by Kent Taylor.

Pictured left to right: Asali Echols as Cynthia, Nicholas Trengove as Giles, and Alexandra Izdebski as Anis as Giles in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House.
Photo by Kent Taylor.  

Pictured left to right: Robert Kittler as Marty, Zachary Isen as Jerry, Ben Calabrese as Rory, and Nicholas Trengove as Giles in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House.
Photo by Ken Taylor.  

Pictured: Robert Kittler as Marty in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House.
Photo by Kent Taylor. 

Pictured: Alexandra Izdebski as Anis in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House.
Photo by Kent Taylor.

Pictured: Nicholas Trengove as Giles in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House.
Photo by Kent Taylor.  

Pictured: Zachary Isen as Jerry in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House.
Photo by Kent Taylor.

Pictured: Asali Echols as Cynthia in Slugs and Kicks by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Thick House.
Photo by Kent Taylor.  

Click on a photo to download a full-size version

Robert Kittler as Marty

Nicholas Trengove as Giles

Asali Echols as Cynthia

Ben Calabrese as Rory

Alexandra Izbebski as Anis

Zachary Isen as Jerry

Download the Poster

The 2012 Rhino New Year’s Eve Spectacular

Starring Lea DeLaria
December 31, 2012
Two Shows Only! 7 pm and 9 pm
At the Victoria Theatre (2960 16th Street, at Mission) Map It

Tickets are available! Buy them now!

Lea Coverage from the 2011 Show

• SF Gate
• SF Examiner

Some Lea from her archives...

Press Release

Click on the poster for a full-size version

Photos below of Lea DeLaria are from the Katz Company, Inc.

Click on a photo for a full-size version suitable for print media

Something Cloudy, Something Clear

by Tennessee Williams

Performances January 2 through January 20, 2013 (Must close on the 20th!)
At Eureka Theater (215 Jackson - between Front and Battery) Map It

A young playwright plays a game of love and death with two drifters as his mind ruminates on theatrical success and the loss of the two great loves of his life.

August and Clare marvel at Kip's dancing.

Tennessee Williams called it “one of the most personal plays I’ve ever written.” Set in Provincetown, Cape Cod, in 1940, the play records Williams’ experiences during that “pivotal summer when I took a crash course in growing up.” On the brink of becoming a successful playwright, Williams was also to “come thoroughly out of the closet” and meet Kip, his first great love. Something Cloudy, Something Clear re-imagines that long ago time, now recollected through the filter of all the playwright’s successes and failures.

August and Kip have a negotiation of terms.

Creative Team: Jeffrey Biddle (Frank/Seaman/Maurice/Bugsy), John Fisher (Director), Colin Johnson (Stage Manager), Gilbert Johnson (Set Designer), Kayal Khanna (Kip), Gwen Kingston (Clare/Celeste), Katina Letheule (Costume Designer), Jon Wai-keung Lowe (Lighting Designer), Kai Morrison (Composer), Kent Taylor (Photography), Jimmy Walden (Assistant Director), Maryssa Wanlass (Hazel/Nurse/Tallulah Bankhead), Jimmy Whelan (Associate Producer), David Wilson (Graphics) and Aaron Wilton* (August).

*Member Actors’ Equity Association

Clare and Kip try to get their futures sorted out.

Here's what the critics have to say:

"A beautiful production of Tennessee Williams' Something Cloudy, Something Clear. It is indeed uncommon to see this play these days and Theatre Rhinoceros is presenting that rare look at one of the playwright’s most daring plays. It’s an astonishing work and gorgeously rendered by John Fisher and the Rhinoceros Company."

Richard Connema, Talkin' Broadway.

"Set in late-summer Provincetown, the overtly autobiographical work focuses on an ultimately doomed love triangle between a struggling young playwright, August (Aaron Wilton) his reluctant would-be-paramour Kip (Kayal Khanna), and Kip's frenzied faux-girlfriend, Clare (Gwen Kingston). Wilton's libidinous yet quirkily refined portrayal of August contrasts neatly with the painful shyness and sculpted abs of Khanna's Kip, and Kingston's manic unbalance which is at turns amusing and unsettling, while Jeffrey Biddle and Maryssa Wanlass take turns inhabiting an army of bit parts and fragments of the past, including a humorous turn as August's financial backer and a renowned actress who drop by his seaside shack to talk rewrites."

Nicole Gluckstern, SF Bay Guardian

"John Fisher has directed a profound and intensely erotic classic... The actors are an unqualified triumph!”

Lee Hargrave, Beyond Chron.

Press Release (Updated January 5, 2013)

Production Stills by Gilbert Johnson -- click on an image for a full-size version

Left to right: Aaron Wilton as August and Kayal Khanna as Kip in Tennessee Williams' Something Cloudy, Something Clear directed by John Fisher; a Theatre Rhinoceros Production.
Photo by Gilbert Johnson.
Action: August and Kip have a negotiation of terms. 

Left to right: Kayal Khanna as Kip, Gwen Kingston as Clare and Aaron Wilton as August in Tennessee  Williams' Something Cloudy, Something Clear directed by John Fisher; a Theatre Rhinoceros Production.
Photo by Gilbert Johnson.
Action: August and Clare marvel at Kip's dancing. 

Gwen Kingston as Clare and Kayal Khanna as Kip in Tennessee Williams' Something Cloudy, Something Clear directed by John Fisher; a Theatre Rhinoceros Production.
Photo by Gilbert Johnson.
Action: Clare and Kip try to get their futures sorted out.

Publicty photos by Kent Taylor -- click on an image for a full-size version

Click on an image for a full-size version

Kayal Khanna as Kip

Jeffrey Biddle as Bugsy

Gwen Kingston as Clare

Aaron Wilson as August

Maryssa Wanlas as Tallulah

Click below for a full-size Poster

Click on the photograph for a larger version

Tennesee Williams from Library of Congress. New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection. 

Bay Area Premiere

A Lady and a Woman

by Shirlene Holmes
     Starring Velina Brown* and Dawn L. Troupe*
     Directed by John Fisher
                                        *Member Actors' Equity Association

Performances: March 7 - 24
      Wednesdays - Saturdays @ 800 pm
      Sundays @ 300 pm

At The Eureka Theater (215 Jackson - between Front and Battery) Map It

At a time long before it was "ok," in the last place you'd think it was permissible, two African-American women forge a bond that will last forever.

The play A Lady and a Woman is about hope, devotion and the gifts awarded to the bold and true of heart. African-American playwright Shirlene Holmes’ critically-acclaimed love story recounts the courage of African-American women in the late 19th century using folklore and interlocking themes of spirituality and sexuality in the setting of a small southern town to tell the story of two women who find in each other the courage to begin a new life.

The 2 character play stars Bay Area favorites Velina Brown - Miss Flora (SF Mime Troupe), and Dawn L. Troupe - Biddie (AIDA – Willows Theatre).

Live Events

Associated with Theatre Rhino's production of A Lady and a Woman

Talk-Back with Playwright Shirlene Holmes

Friday, March 8, 2013 - 10:00 pm - Eureka Theatre

Immediately following performance of A Lady and a Woman

Portrayals of Same-Sex Love in African-American Plays

Sunday, March 17, 2013 - 5:00 pm

Immediately following the performance of A Lady and a Woman

A Panel Discussion led by Playwright/Poet/Activist Jewelle Gomez (Waiting for Giovanni) with Playwright Brian Freeman (Civil Sex) and Actors Velina Brown and Dawn L. Troupe (A Lady and A Woman)

The Panel Discussion is free and open to the public.

Watch the Trailer...

Listen to a Podcast

Playwright Shirlene Holmes talks with Raul Gallyot on KWMR about The Rhino's production of A Lady and a Woman.

Playwright Shirlene Holmes Discusses Her Play

The Critics Rave!

“A touching, heartfelt Lady and a Woman! As portrayed by the gifted Velina Brown in Theatre Rhinoceros’ local premiere, Miss Flora is regal, lonely, self-assured, devoutly Christian and full of yearning. Miss Flora is issuing that warning to the “woman” in question: a scruffy, butch-looking new guest at the inn, the good-natured Biddie, played with great, swaggering charm by Dawn L. Troupe. Best is the palpable connection between the women under John Fisher’s sensitive direction — that, and Holmes’ lyrical yet natural-sounding dialogue, captured by the actors with such ease and finesse. The many short scenes are glued together by the two women singing gospels, spirituals and the like, and their gorgeous, ringing voices make for a special pleasure. Toward play’s end, Miss Flora returns home from assisting at a very difficult birth, her apron splashed with blood, and Brown’s quiet, exhausted description of the event is truly transcendent.” Jean Schiffman, SF Examiner.

“A SURPRISING AND BOLD STORY ABOUT TWO AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY - DARE TO BECOME LOVERS The Playwright Shirlene Holmes, has brought the most endearing love story to the San Francisco Stage that I have ever seen. The simple sexual charm makes you want to hug them both. They know that the townspeople are spreading gossip about their unusual relationship. Gossip or not - these ladies immerse themselves in hope and love. They find the courage to dismiss what the neighbors think about them. Their lively discourse is a little uneasy at first -- but the relationship blossoms into sharp, lively captivating moments. And Oh - the humor is so provocative and sly. The performances are truly honest and compelling. "EXCELLENT GREAT ART!" NOW PLAYING AT THE EUREKA THEATRE Amazing Direction by John Fisher. The Stars are Velina Brown* and Dawn L. Troupe.* Time and place: The mid-1890's in the South. 
RATING: FOUR GLASSES OF CHAMPAGNE!!!! (highest rating)”  Lee Hartgrave, BeyondChron

“Director John Fisher's production deftly shapes each scene that can often involve a developing love, distressing imagery, and gentle humor in a single vignette. How fortunate he is to have Velina Brown and Dawn L. Troupe as Miss Flora and Biddie, characters who come to exquisite life in these two intimate and revealing performances. The playwright takes these characters on a journey that on the surface can seem unlikely for its time and place, but Holmes masterfully uses the colloquial dialogue to create a statement on the pursuit of happiness that never sounds like a polemic. There is blood and glory and sympathy in this story that finds timelessness in the very specific, very honest world it creates.” Richard Dodds, Bay Rea Reporter.

“Life wasn't easy in the South of the 1890s, particularly for single black women, but in Shirlene Holmes' A Lady and a Woman the focus is emphatically on rising above circumstance. When itinerant hog-cutter Biddie Higgins (Dawn L. Troupe) swaggers into the village inn run by Miss Flora Devine (Velina Brown) and demands a room, sparks fly almost instantaneously, as the two pragmatic and independent women become drawn to the strength they see in the other. A healer and midwife as well as an innkeeper, Miss Flora has endured enough abuse at the hands of men in her life to make her grateful to be able to live without one around, while Biddie, the only daughter in a household of fourteen, has become accustomed to a life of manual labor and clandestine trysts with willing women, never sticking around one place long enough to run out of either, declaring "it's been easier to live a hard life then a lie." Both Brown and Troupe embody their multi-dimensional characters with grace and backbone, never striking a false note as their tender courtship unfolds and they discover that the greatest strength of all is the ability to love freely. Gluckstern, San Francisco Bay Guardian

“Intimate and charming.” Piedmont Post.

“The Bay Area premiere of Shirlene Holmes’ "A Lady and a Woman" is a sound case for [Theatre Rhinoceros’s] continuing relevance… Director John Fisher and the rest of the Rhino Team have gifted "A Lady and a Woman" with a surprisingly evocative visual style. Scene designer John Wai-keung Lowe’s set of straight lines and sturdy structures compliment the story’s sense of plain and honest resolve, while the accents of purples and reds and the application of lighting effects that resemble late-day sun through paneled windows put a vivid and eye-catching fringe on things. Odd as it may sound, one of the best artistic decisions is the handling of the scene changes: A single soft light illuminates the stage as a nameless maid character rearranges the furniture and either Brown or Troupe sing folk songs until the lights come back up. It’s an easy and beautiful way to suggest the passage of time and cover up the mechanics of remaking the stage, and it lends a dreamy quality to the production. They are reassuring moments, dark and warm and comforting, that stimulate the audience’s sense of optimism. Optimism is an important word for "A Lady and a Woman." It’s a play where no problem is truly insurmountable. Tragedy and melancholy form the frame and the foundation of it, but while life may be hard living is still joyous for Flora and Biddie. The [play’s] finish is upbeat without becoming saccharine… a sense of wholeness and affirmation are to be found for those who come in looking for it.” Adam Brinklow, The Edge.

Press Release (February 11, 2013)

Production Photos

Pictured left to right: Dawn L. Troupe as Biddie and Velina Brown as Miss Flora in "A Lady and a Woman" by Shirlene Holmes
Directed by John Fisher; A Theatre Rhinoceros Production; 
Photo by David Wilson.

Pictured left to right: Dawn L. Troupe as Biddie and Velina Brown as Miss Flora in "A Lady and a Woman" by Shirlene Holmes; 
Directed by John Fisher; A Theatre Rhinoceros Production
Photo by David Wilson. 

Pictured left to right: Velina Brown as Miss Flora and Dawn L. Troupe as Biddie in "A Lady and a Woman" by Shirlene Holmes
Directed by John Fisher; A Theatre Rhinoceros Production
Photo by David Wilson. 

Pictured left to right: Velina Brown as Miss Flora and Dawn L. Troupe as Biddie in "A Lady and a Woman" by Shirlene Holmes
Directed by John Fisher; A Theatre Rhinoceros Production
Photo by David Wilson. 

Pictured left to right: Velina Brown as Miss Flora and Dawn L. Troupe as Biddie in "A Lady and a Woman" by Shirlene Holmes; Directed by John Fisher; A Theatre Rhinoceros Production; Photo by David Wilson. 

Pictured left to right: Dawn L. Troupe as Biddie and Velina Brown as Miss Flora in "A Lady and a Woman" by Shirlene Holmes
Directed by John Fisher; A Theatre Rhinoceros Production
Photo by David Wilson.  

Publicity Photos

Click on a photograph for a larger version

Pictured left to right: Velina Brown as Miss Flora and Dawn L. Troupe as Biddie in A Lady and a Woman by Shirlene Holmes.
Directed by John Fisher; a Theatre Rhinoceros production at the Eureka Theatre
Photo by Kent Taylor.

Pictured left to right: Velina Brown as Miss Flora and Dawn L. Troupe as Biddie in A Lady and a Woman by Shirlene Holmes.
Directed by John Fisher; a Theatre Rhinoceros production at the Eureka Theatre
Photo by Kent Taylor.

Pictured left to right: Velina Brown as Miss Flora and Dawn L. Troupe as Biddie in A Lady and a Woman by Shirlene Holmes.
Directed by John Fisher; a Theatre Rhinoceros production at the Eureka Theatre
Photo by Kent Taylor.

Pictured left to right: Velina Brown as Miss Flora and Dawn L. Troupe as Biddie in A Lady and a Woman by Shirlene Holmes.
Directed by John Fisher; a Theatre Rhinoceros production at the Eureka Theatre
Photo by Kent Taylor.

Pictured left to right: Velina Brown as Miss Flora and Dawn L. Troupe as Biddie in A Lady and a Woman by Shirlene Holmes.
Directed by John Fisher; a Theatre Rhinoceros production at the Eureka Theatre
Photo by Kent Taylor.

Pictured left to right: Velina Brown as Miss Flora and Dawn L. Troupe as Biddie in A Lady and a Woman by Shirlene Holmes.
Directed by John Fisher; a Theatre Rhinoceros production at the Eureka Theatre
Photo by Kent Taylor.

Pictured left to right: Velina Brown as Miss Flora and Dawn L. Troupe as Biddie in A Lady and a Woman by Shirlene Holmes.
Directed by John Fisher; a Theatre Rhinoceros production at the Eureka Theatre
Photo by Kent Taylor.

Additional Photos

Velina Brown	Publicity Poster by David L. Wilson	Dawn L. Troupe
	Photo-Illustration by David L. Wilson
Playwright Photos
Shirlene Holmes Shirlene Holmes

Celebrating 35 Years of Queer Theatre!

The 2013 Rhino Benefit Celebration

Starring: Connie Champagne, Dave Dobrusky, Mike Finn, Casey Ley, Matthew Martin, Jim McCunn, Tom Orr , ... and Surprise Guests!

Sunday, March 24 @ 7:30 pm (ONE performance only)
At The Eureka Theater (215 Jackson - between Front and Battery) Map It

All your favorite Rhinos are back for our annual blowout.

Our benefit boasts the very best in queer talent plus free drinks, free food and a big old Rhino celebration.

We’re thirty-five years old, the longest-running queer theatre anywhere, and now we’re ready to partay!

Join us for this special event and support this glorious institution in one of its new digs: The Eureka Theatre.

The ticket price ($25) includes drinks, food, and the big party before, afterwards and during!
Plus there’s a raffle, silent auction and loads of fun!

Press Release

Benefit Poster (Click to Download a full-size version)

Benefit Stars (click on a picture for a full-size version)

Matthew Martin, Photo by Kent Taylor

Tom Orr