Thrillpeddlers was a San Francisco-based multigenerational queer theater company specializing in Grand Guignol plays and Theatre of the Ridiculous. The collection is arranged into four series: Production and Hypnodrome Theatre Materials, Photographs, Garments and Props, and Set Pieces and Signs.

Thrillpeddlers was a San Francisco-based multigenerational queer theater company specializing in Grand Guignol plays and Theatre of the Ridiculous. They also staged revivals of the Cockettes musicals. The company was founded in 1991 by Russell Blackwood, who also served as the Artistic Director and performed in many of the company’s stage productions. In 2004, Thrillpeddlers moved into the Hypnodrome Theatre located in the SOMA district of San Francisco. Thrillpeddlers also developed an arts education program in 2006 called Creepshow Camp, which taught horror and science fiction performance skills to youth. Thrillpedders was operational for over 25 years until closing in 2017 when the owners of the Hypnodrome Theatre decided to sell the building.

53 linear feet

Collection is open for research. Funding for processing this collection was provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).