DOODLER has extended with new dates and a new venue. DOODLER tells the tale of the “Doodler,” who terrorized San Francisco in the 1970s. All of his victims were gay men. He picked them up in the Castro and Polk Gulch neighborhoods, had sex with them in the Outsidelands, and then stabbed them to death. When he met each man he presented him with something, something that charmed him. This is the story of a gay man who is determined to find the Doodler and avenge the death of one of his victims.
Fifty years later, the case is still open, and the yet unidentified “Doodler” is the subject of John Fisher's latest one-man show.
In a unique “take” on the on the one-man show format, for the four weeks of Doodler's performance run, John Fisher will truly be a one-man show - running his own lights and sound from the stage, house managing, even selling concessions and merchandise, while enacting a complex, true San Francisco story with a still-beating heart, for the Doodler case was recently re-opened.
Doodler was presented as a two-part E.S.P. (Essential Serviced Project) performance on Zoom and Facebook Live during the Pandemic. It was a production of Theatre Rhinoceros. Doodler was developed as a live performance piece and presented in a workshop production at The Tank in New York City in January 2025. It originally played at Theatre Rhinoceros in February and March of 2025.
Theatre Rhinoceros was founded in 1977 and is the longest running LGBTQ+ 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.
San Francisco / Bay Area Awards - Live Stats
Best Musical - Top 3
1.
URINETOWN (Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble)
16.7% of votes
2.
THE DAY THE SKY TURNED ORANGE (San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company / Z Space)
8.6% of votes
3.
SWEENEY TODD (Cabrillo Stage)
8.4% of votes
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