Comments (3) Best Theatrical Act of Political Defiance - 2009

Theatre Rhino

The debacle surrounding Proposition 8 — the state's Constitutional ban on same-sex marriage — particularly outraged the local performing arts community, many of whose members are gay. After the election, Theatre Rhino, America's longest-running queer theater company, declared itself "an extraterritorial state that recognizes, encourages, and condones same-sex marriage." According to the company's artistic director, John Fisher, Theatre Rhino decided to symbolically secede from the Golden State "to create a safe/legal space for Married Same-Sex couples in the State of California." The company marked the decision with a special secession ceremony at its base in the heart of the Mission on November 21, following a performance of the show One Hundred Years of Queer Theatre. Fisher later conceded that the whole thing was a publicity stunt, but not for the theater. "It's a publicity stunt for same-sex marriage," he said.

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