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Theatre Rhinoceros Presents THE RITA HAYWORTH OF THIS GENERATION

Performances run April 6 - 23, 2023.

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Theatre Rhinoceros Presents THE RITA HAYWORTH OF THIS GENERATION Image

Theatre Rhinoceros has announced the return of the electrifying Tina D'Elia (Overlooked Latinas) and her crazy collection of show biz types. A one-woman comedy noir, The Rita Hayworth of this Generation is the story of Carmelita Cristina Rivera, a queer Latina whose love of Rita Hayworth and desire for movie stardom lead her to Las Vegas, where she labors to win the heart of Jesus Antonio Atano, the Latino Transgender Blackjack King of Vegas. Originally premiered at the San Francisco Fringe Festival in 2015, versatile playwright and captivating performer Tina D'Elia now resurrects her cast of queer Latine characters at Theatre Rhinoceros.

A one-woman comedy noir, The Rita Hayworth of this Generation is the story of Carmelita Cristina Rivera, a queer Latina whose love of Rita Hayworth and desire for movie stardom lead her to Las Vegas, where she labors to win the heart of Jesus Antonio Atano, the Latino Transgender Blackjack King of Vegas. Originally premiered at the San Francisco Fringe Festival in 2015, versatile playwright and captivating performer Tina D'Elia now resurrects her cast of queer Latine characters at Theatre Rhinoceros. The Rita Hayworth of this Generation is written and performed by Tina D'Elia, and directed by D'Elia's longtime collaborator Mary Guzmán.

Tina D'Elia (Writer, Performer) is a mixed-race Mexican, lesbian/queer-identified feminist multi-hyphenate artist. She stars in the award-winning webseries Assigned Female at Birth, and co-wrote an episode in The Sins and Secrets of Tabar Lake a radio play created by AJ Baker. D'Elia received an Executive Producer Award (2019), Best Actress Award (2017), Diversity Casting Award (2017), and the Trailblazer Award (2015) from the Equality International Film Festival. She was the solo performer in Eye Zen Presents' Out of Site: Haight-Ashbury. Her solo shows include: The Break-Up! A Latina Torch Song, Overlooked Latinas, The Rita Hayworth of this Generation, which garnered Best of Fringe and Best of Sold-Out Shows with the San Francisco Fringe Festival (2015), Groucho: A Day in the D'Elia Soup, and Forgotten Angel. She is the co-writer of the short film Lucha, which received The Audience Award at Frameline Film Festival (2009) and nominated for the prestigious Iris Prize Award (2009).

Mary Guzmán (Director) is a long-time resident and prolific theater director based in the Bay Area. Her start was assistant directing at Theatre Rhinoceros and at Shotgun Players, where she directed the very funny Bright Ideas. Mary directed new plays; Elana Dykewomon's final play Death's Door; Veronica Mejano's live-cinema piece Remember Los Siete; and Ghost Limb by MFA Playwright Marisela Treviño Orta. Guzmán has directed "Best of" Award winning shows: Enrique Urueta's hilarious Learn to be Latina and Tina D'Elia's The Rita Hayworth of this Generation. Guzmán was awarded a Shotgun Grant, invited to Boxcar Theatre Directing Lab and was selected for the Directors' Lab West at Pasadena Playhouse.

Theatre Rhinoceros was founded in San Francisco 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. Over the years Theatre Rhinoceros has received many awards of recognition including: Theatre Rhinoceros Day in the City Proclamation from Mayor Gavin Newsom, 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.

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