Doug Holsclaw
Gay Comic, Playwright, Lecturer on Queer Theater
Doug Holsclaw - Bio
Doug Holsclaw is an award-winning playwright, solo-performer, humorist, teacher and artistic director. His last solo piece, THANKS FOR THE FEEDBACK, prompted Robert Hurwitt of the San Francisco Chronicle to call him “devastatingly funny.” In his twenty year association with the legendary Theatre Rhinoceros of San Francisco he served as playwright, dramaturge and Artistic Director, shepherding a generation of San Francisco playwrights on to the boards. His plays have been performed across the United States and in Europe. He was an original member of Theatre Rhinoceros' THE AIDS SHOW which toured nationally and was the subject of a PBS documentary directed by two-time Oscar-winner Rob Epstein and Peter Adair. In 1986 he won the Will Glickman Award for the best new play to premiere in the Bay Area that year for LIFE OF THE PARTY. In 1987 Theatre Rhinoceros received a $25.000 Gerbode Foundation grant to produce his next play IN THE SUMMER WHEN IT'S HOT AND STICKY. He is the author of GET REAL, an AIDS educational theater program for grade school students commissioned by The New Conservatory Theatre and funded by the Center for Disease Control. His play THE BADDEST OF BOYS was published in "Sharing the Delirium: Second Generation AIDS Plays and Performance" by Heinemann Press. He has been twice nominated by the Bay Area Critics Circle as Outstanding Solo Performer for his one-man shows DON'T MAKE ME SAY THINGS THAT WILL HURT YOU and TATTOO LOVE. His play THE LAST HAIRDRESSER premiered at Theatre Rhinoceros in 1998 and received the Bay Area Critics Circle Award for Best New Play. He has taught playwrighting for over ten years, also producing Rhino's annual Playwright's Stew festival of new works. He has served as dramaturge for over twenty plays including, THE LADY UPSTAIRS, UP JUMPED SPRINGTIME, JUMPING THE BROOM, THE BIG DRAG, QUISBIES and CRYING HOLY and has worked with Chay Yew, Guillermo Riaz, Kate Bornstein, Sara Felder and many other leading playwrights. He lectures on Queer Theater and Stand-up Comedy at UC Santa Cruz and is the Artistic Director of the University’s new play and film festival, Chautauqua. He is was funded by the San Francisco Arts Commission to write a book on Queer Theatre and has performed readings from the book, “A Little Light: Notes on Queer Theatre.” At the San Francisco Public Library. He has performed gay stand-up comedy for over 20 years, opening the SF LGBT Community Center’s Rainbow Room with his act, THANKS FOR THE FEEDBACK and can be seen on Wisecrack on the LOGO television network.
Doug Holsclaw is an award-winning playwright, solo-performer, humorist, teacher and artistic director. His last solo piece, THANKS FOR THE FEEDBACK, prompted Robert Hurwitt of the San Francisco Chronicle to call him “devastatingly funny.” In his twenty year association with the legendary Theatre Rhinoceros of San Francisco he served as playwright, dramaturge and Artistic Director, shepherding a generation of San Francisco playwrights on to the boards. His plays have been performed across the United States and in Europe. He was an original member of Theatre Rhinoceros' THE AIDS SHOW which toured nationally and was the subject of a PBS documentary directed by two-time Oscar-winner Rob Epstein and Peter Adair. In 1986 he won the Will Glickman Award for the best new play to premiere in the Bay Area that year for LIFE OF THE PARTY. In 1987 Theatre Rhinoceros received a $25.000 Gerbode Foundation grant to produce his next play IN THE SUMMER WHEN IT'S HOT AND STICKY. He is the author of GET REAL, an AIDS educational theater program for grade school students commissioned by The New Conservatory Theatre and funded by the Center for Disease Control. His play THE BADDEST OF BOYS was published in "Sharing the Delirium: Second Generation AIDS Plays and Performance" by Heinemann Press. He has been twice nominated by the Bay Area Critics Circle as Outstanding Solo Performer for his one-man shows DON'T MAKE ME SAY THINGS THAT WILL HURT YOU and TATTOO LOVE. His play THE LAST HAIRDRESSER premiered at Theatre Rhinoceros in 1998 and received the Bay Area Critics Circle Award for Best New Play. He has taught playwrighting for over ten years, also producing Rhino's annual Playwright's Stew festival of new works. He has served as dramaturge for over twenty plays including, THE LADY UPSTAIRS, UP JUMPED SPRINGTIME, JUMPING THE BROOM, THE BIG DRAG, QUISBIES and CRYING HOLY and has worked with Chay Yew, Guillermo Riaz, Kate Bornstein, Sara Felder and many other leading playwrights. He lectures on Queer Theater and Stand-up Comedy at UC Santa Cruz and is the Artistic Director of the University’s new play and film festival, Chautauqua. He is was funded by the San Francisco Arts Commission to write a book on Queer Theatre and has performed readings from the book, “A Little Light: Notes on Queer Theatre.” At the San Francisco Public Library. He has performed gay stand-up comedy for over 20 years, opening the SF LGBT Community Center’s Rainbow Room with his act, THANKS FOR THE FEEDBACK and can be seen on Wisecrack on the LOGO television network.
