Theatre Rhinoceros Presents the World Premiere of THE LEGEND OF PINK

Theatre Rhinoceros presents the world premiere of The Legend of Pink by Kheven LaGrone.

Directed by AeJay Mitchell, performances take place on Sept. 13 - Sept. 30, 2017, with Opening Night on Sat. Sept. 16, 2017 - 8:00 pm (reception to follow) at the Gateway Theatre (formerly the Eureka Theatre), 215 Jackson St., (at Battery St.) SF, CA 94111

Learn more at www.TheRhino.org.

The time is the late 20th Century, the place is the streets of West Oakland, CA. Drug wars rage and the beautiful drag queen, Pink, does her best to bring a bit of beauty to the harsh environment. But people are watching Pink as she tries to form a connection with a beautiful young man, and they don't like it. Things turn dangerous and deadly.

THE LEGEND OF PINK features a beautiful drag queen named Pink. The story is set in 1989, in a West Oakland street controlled by a violent drug gang. However, Pink believes she was meant for the diva life. She thinks she might have found a ticket to that diva life when she meets a flashy young man who takes an interest in her. Her friend Ace, who has more than just friendly feelings for Pink himself, warns her that inviting the mysterious stranger to visit her could be dangerous. Some in the neighborhood have seen the young man and have their suspicions. When Pink continues to see him, it's discovered that, indeed, the man isn't who she thinks he is. Things turn violent and deadly, and Pink's life is in jeopardy. Pink's life--and the West Oakland street--will change forever.

THE LEGEND OF PINK is a World Premiere. It was presented as a staged reading
by Theatre Rhinoceros at the GLBT History Museum in San Francisco on April 3, 2017.

Shows are at The Gateway Theatre (formerly the Eureka Theatre), 215 Jackson St.,
(at Battery St.) SF, CA 94111- Embarcadero BART

Tickets are $20 - $40 and available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3065710.

CAST - THE LEGEND OF PINK - features Bay Area Actors:

R. Shawntez Jackson (ACE); Charles Peoples III (PINK); André San-Chez (BRADFORD / DESHAUN); Phaedra Tillery (NIKKI).

Tech Credits:

AeJay Mitchell (Director); Sarah Gasser (Stage Manager); Sean Keehan (Lighting Designer); Kitty Muntzel (Costume Designer); Bert vanAalsburg (Scenic Design and Construction).

Performance Dates: Sept. 13 - Sept. 30, 2017

Previews (4):

Wed. Sept. 13 - 8:00 pm; Thur. Sept 14 - 8;00pm; Fri. Sept. 15 - 8:00 pm; Sat. Sept. 16 - 3:00 pm (matinee); (No Press at Previews Please.)

Opening Night - Sat. Sept. 16, 2017 - 8:00 pm (reception to follow)

Perf. Dates & Times: Wed., Thurs., Fri. & Sat. - 8:00 pm, Sat. Matinees - 3:00 pm

Individual Performance Dates & Times

Wed. Sept. 13, 2017 8:00 pm (Preview)

Thurs. Sept. 14, 8:00 pm (Preview)

Fri. Sept. 15 8:00 pm (Preview)

Sat. Sept. 16 3:00 pm (Matinee Preview)

Sat. Sept. 16 8:00 pm (Opening Night - Reception to follow)

Wed. Sept. 20 8:00 pm

Thurs. Sept. 21 8:00 pm

Fri. Sept. 22 8:00 pm

Sat. Sept. 23 3:00 pm (Matinee)

Sat. Sept. 23 8:00 pm

Wed. Sept. 27 8:00 pm

Thurs. Sept. 28 8:00 pm

Fri. Sept. 29 8:00 pm

Sat. Sept. 30 3:00 pm (Matinee)

Sat. Sept. 30 8:00 pm

Selected Bios:

AeJay Mitchell (Director) recently did the choreography for The Rhino's hit production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. AeJay is an educator, actor, singer, dancer, director, and choreographer based in Oakland, California. Originally from Louisiana, he has been granted opportunity to study, perform and teach for the past decade across the United States. He trained in dance, theatre, and musical theatre at Centenary College and Wake Forest University in North Carolina and is an alumni of Jacob's Pillow Dance Apprenticeship Program where we took classes from Monica Bill Barnes, Camille A. Brown, Hofesh Schecter, and Barak Marshall among others. He has also worked with dance theatre and performance artists Yin Mei, Tim Miller, Joe Goode, and the Architects. He is currently a company member of Black Artist's Contemporary Cultural Experience, a company which recently produced a critically-acclaimed production of Robert O'Hara's Booty Candy for which AeJay portrayed Sutter. He is proud to be making his San Francisco directing debut to share this poignant story about the search for sanctuary, the reclaiming of identity. Dive into Pink Passion!

Kheven LaGrone (Playwright) is a Bay Area native whose writing has appeared in Transition Magazine, Media Ethics, Journal of African American Men, Race, Poverty and the Environment and The Journal of Civil and Human Rights. An advocate for the Bay Area homeless community, his essays have appeared in Street Spirit. Television commentator and writer Michael Eric Dyson called Kheven "a very sharp cultural critic." Kheven has also edited a collection of scholarly essays on Alice Walker's The Color Purple. Kheven has curated/created a number of art exhibits in San Francisco, New York, and Atlanta, including "I Am San Francisco: (Re)Collecting the Stories of Native Black San Franciscans," "I Am America: Black Genealogy Through the Eyes of an Artist," "Coloring Outside the Lines: Black Cartoonists as Social Commentators," and "BABA: Black Artists' Expressions of Father." His art show titled, "My Art Makes My Life Matter," recently exhibited at the San Francisco Main Public Library. As the curator/creator of several exhibits featuring Black cartoonists, Kheven contributed to Encyclopedia of Black Comics. Kheven has an MA from Emerson College in Boston. The Legend of Pink is his first full-length play.

John Fisher (Producer) most recently directed Theatre Rhino's 2017 summer hit Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Recent playwriting: Flim-Flam (March 2017); Shakespeare Goes to War (nominated for six 2016 Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards) and To Sleep and Dream (2014 Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award Winner for Best Script.) He directed and acted in the TBA Award Recommended Productions of Breaking the Code (nominated for five 2016 Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards) and Equus. In 2016 John received two nominations from the BATCC as Best Leading Actor for his performances in Shakespeare Goes to War and Breaking the Code. John is the only two-time winner of the Will Glickman Playwriting Award for Medea: The Musical and Combat! His plays have been performed in NY, LA and across the country. In 2017 John appeared as Lear in Lear! in SF. In October 2017 at the United Solo Festival in Manhattan John will star in his one man show A History of World War II. www.johnfisher.biz

Theatre Rhinoceros - Founded in 1977, The Rhino is the longest running LGBT theatre in the nation. We develop and produce works of theatre that enlighten, enrich, and explore both the ordinary and the extraordinary aspects of our queer community. Our emphasis is on new works, works about under-represented members of the larger queer community, and revivals of lesser known queer classics. Over the years Theatre Rhinoceros has received many awards of recognition including: Theatre Rhinoceros Day in the City Proclamation from Mayor Gavin Newsome, State Assembly Certificate of Recognition from Senator Mark Leno, recognitions from Congressperson Nancy Pelosi and Assembly Persons Tom Ammiano and Carole Migden, numerous Cable Car, BATCC and TBA Awards and Nominations, and the GLAAD Media Award for Best LGBT Theatre.

To post a comment, you must register and login.