Theatre Rhinoceros

The Theatre Rhinoceros is a theatre in San Francisco, California that celebrates the gay, lesbian and transgender lifestyle. The theatre began in the summer of 1977 when the late Allan B. Estes, Jr. brought together a group of talented actors for a performance of The West Street Gang. The first performance was staged in a South of Market leather bar. The Rhino is the world's oldest continuously running professional queer theater. Following the success of the first performance, the theater company moved into its first home in the Goodman Building on Geary Boulevard. Now located in the Mission District in the historic Redstone Building, the theater seeks to educate and entertain. The Rhino received national attention in 1984 when Estes died of AIDS and the theater performed The AIDS Show: Artists Involved with Death and Survival. This was the first national theater performance drawing attention to the disease. Other notable accomplishments of the theater include employing actors under a professional seasonal agreement, offering numerous critically acclaimed performances and receiving a GLAAD Media Award in 2008. Even after three decades of production, the theatre remains true to the original goal of Estes to develop and produce works of theatre that enrich, enlighten and explore the ordinary and extraordinary in the queer community.