Arts & Entertainment

Calendar: May 6

Parties, meetings, plays and more through May 12

Published

13 years ago

May 5, 2011

'Trees at Lock 24' by Harvey Kupferberg is part of the photography exhibit, 'Infrared: The Invisible Light' at Touchstone Gallery. An opening reception is schedule for tonight.

TODAY (Friday)

The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) is hosting an open mic night tonight from 8 to 10 p.m. hosted by Mike Brazell.

RAW, hosted by DJs Bil Todd and Shea Van Horn with special guest DJ Sirlinda, will be at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Free entry before 11 p.m. with a $5 cover after. There will be an open bar from 10 to 11 p.m. Attendees must be 21 or older.

DJ Tracy Young will be spinning at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) tonight at 10 p.m.

Aja Feen is giving same-sex argentine tango lessons at Ballet Teatro Internacional (1643 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) tonight from 8 to 9:30 p.m. with practice time and social dancing from 9:30 to 10:30 p.m. For more information, call 202-588-8282.

Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., N.W.) is hosting an opening reception tonight from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for its newest exhibit “Life Is Too Serious” featuring paintings and drawings by Marcia Coppel and “Infrared: The Invisible Light” featuring photographs by Harvey Kupferberg.

The Lodge (21614 National Pike) in Boonsboro is hosting May Madness featuring drag performers Stephanie Michaels, Nicole James, Sasha Renee, Chi Chi Ray Colby and Araya Sparxx tonight at 9 p.m. There is a $5 cover from 9 to 10:30 p.m. and an $8 cover after. For more information, visit thelodgemd.com.

Saturday, May 7

The Beltway Poetry Slam, The Fridge D.C. (516 8th St., S.E.) and the D.C. Center present two-time world poetry slam champion Buddy Wakefield tonight at 7:30 p.m.

DJ Drew G will be performing at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight with music and video downstairs by Wess. Doors open at 10 p.m. There is an $8 cover before 11 and $12 after. All attendees must be 21 or older.

52 O Street Studios is holding open studios today from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be workshops, discussions and performances. This event will continue on Sunday. For more information, visit 52ostreetstudios.org.

Cobalt’s (1639 R St., N.W.) second annual amateur DJ contest starts today at 4 p.m. The club will provide CDJs and turntables for participants to use. To enter, send your name, DJ name, phone number and e-mail to [email protected]. For more information, visit cobalt.com.

Code has its monthly installment tonight at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.). Gear, rubber, skin, uniform or leather dress code will be strictly enforced. Music provided by DJ Frank Wild. Admission is $10. All attendees must be 18 or older. There will be an open bar from 9 to 10 p.m.

The Lodge (21614 National Pike) in Boonsboro is hosting “Villains and Hos: The Slutty Party” tonight from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Prizes, including $40 cash, $20 bar tab and free drinks, will be given for best costume.

Sunday, May 8

Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) has its weekly drag brunch hosted by Shi-Queeta Lee today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The brunch buffet is $20, which includes a free mimosa.

The Capitol Hill Restoration Society’s 54th annual Mother’s Day House and Garden Tours are today from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 on the tour weekend. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit chrs.org.

Monday, May 9

Professionals in the City and the D.C. Center are hosting a speed dating event for lesbian and bisexual women at Chi-Cha Lounge (1624 U St., N.W.) from 7 to 9 p.m. Attendees will date for about an hour and then be able to mingle with everyone. After the event, matches can be made online. Tickets are $20. For more information, visit prosinthecity.com.

Bears do Yoga at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court N.W.) tonight at 6:30 p.m. Class lasts for an hour and serves as an introduction to yoga for people of all different body types and physical abilities. It’s taught by Michael Brazell. For more information, visit dccenter.org.

Tuesday, May 10

Beeswax, a newly formed, Washington-based arts promotion and advisory service working with artists, dealers, collectors and galleries, is hosting its second monthly D.C. Artists Networking Happy Hour tonight at the Science Club (1136 19th St., N.W.) from 6 to 9 p.m. There is a $5 cover.

“Follies,” an award-winning musical starring Bernadette Peters, will be performed tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $45 to $150 and can be purchased online at kennedy-center.org.

The Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance will hold a membership meeting tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archive (1201 17th St., N.W.).

DCBiWomen will have its monthly dinner at Dupont Italian Kitchen (1637 17th St., N.W.) tonight from 7 to 9:30 p.m. For more information, visit dcbiwomen.org.

Wednesday, May 11

Washington Wetskins Water Polo team is having its monthly happy hour at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) tonight from 5 to 8 p.m.

The Academy is hosting a panel discussion featuring Mame Dennis, Destiny B. Childs and Carlton Stevens as part of its 50th anniversary tonight at the National Trust for Historic Preservation (1785 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.) from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

The Big Gay Book Group will meet tonight at 7:00 p.m. at 1155 F Street, N.W., Suite 200. The book discussed will be “The 19th Wife” by David Ebershoff. For more information, visit biggaybookgroup.com or e-mail [email protected].

Thursday, May 12

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington has its monthly piano bar/open mic tonight from 7 to 10 p.m. at Black Fox Lounge (1723 Conn. Ave., N.W.). Singers of all levels are welcome to sing alone or with members of the Chorus.

Photos

PHOTOS: Night of Champions

Team DC holds annual awards gala

Published

2 days ago

April 21, 2024

Michael Key

Team DC President Miguel Ayala speaks at the 2024 Night of Champions Awards on Saturday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Team DC, the umbrella organization for LGBTQ-friendly sports teams and leagues in the D.C. area, held its annual Night of Champions Awards Gala on Saturday, April 20 at the Hilton National Mall. The organization gave out scholarships to area LGBTQ student athletes as well as awards to the Different Drummers, Kelly Laczko of Duplex Diner, Stacy Smith of the Edmund Burke School, Bryan Frank of Triout, JC Adams of DCG Basketball and the DC Gay Flag Football League.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Photos

PHOTOS: National Cannabis Festival

Annual event draws thousands to RFK

Published

2 days ago

April 21, 2024

Michael Key

Growers show their strains at The National Cannabis Festival on Saturday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The 2024 National Cannabis Festival was held at the Fields at RFK Stadium on April 19-20.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Covering the @NatlCannaFest at RFK Stadium for @WashBlade . Stop by the LGBTQ+ booth and pick up a paper if you are here. pic.twitter.com/is7hnsaPns
— Michael Patrick Key (@MichaelKeyWB) April 20, 2024

Theater

‘Amm(i)gone’ explores family, queerness, and faith

A ‘fully autobiographical’ work from out artist Adil Mansoor

Published

3 days ago

April 20, 2024

Patrick Folliard

Adil Mansoor in ‘Amm(i)gone’ at Woolly Mammoth Theatre. (Photo by Kitoko Chargois)

‘Amm(i)gone’
Thorough May 12
Woolly Mammoth Theatre
641 D St., N.W.
$60-$70
Woollymammoth.net

“Fully and utterly autobiographical.” That’s how Adil Mansoor describes “Amm(i)gone,” his one-man work currently playing at Woolly Mammoth Theatre.

Both created and performed by out artist Mansoor, it’s his story about inviting his Pakistani mother to translate Sophocles’s Greek tragedy “Antigone” into Urdu. Throughout the journey, there’s an exploration of family, queerness, and faith,as well as references to teachings from the Quran, and audio conversations with his Muslim mother.

Mansoor, 38, grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and is now based in Pittsburgh where he’s a busy theater maker. He’s also the founding member of Pittsburgh’s Hatch Arts Collective and the former artistic director of Dreams of Hope, an LGBTQ youth arts organization.

WASHINGTON BLADE: What spurred you to create “Amm(i)gone”?

ADIL MANSOOR: I was reading a translation of “Antigone” a few years back and found myself emotionally overwhelmed. A Theban princess buries her brother knowing it will cost her, her own life. It’s about a person for whom all aspirations are in the afterlife. And what does that do to the living when all of your hopes and dreams have to be reserved for the afterlife?

I found grant funding to pay my mom to do the translation. I wanted to engage in learning. I wanted to share theater but especially this ancient tragedy. My mother appreciated the characters were struggling between loving one another and their beliefs.

BLADE: Are you more director than actor?

MANSOOR: I’m primarily a director with an MFA in directing from Carnegie Mellon. I wrote, directed, and performed in this show, and had been working on it for four years. I’ve done different versions including Zoom. Woolly’s is a new production with the same team who’ve been involved since the beginning.

I love solo performance. I’ve produced and now teach solo performance and believe in its power. And I definitely lean toward “performance” and I haven’t “acted” since I was in college. I feel good on stage. I was a tour guide and do a lot of public speaking. I enjoy the attention.

BLADE: Describe your mom.

MANSOOR: My mom is a wonderfully devout Muslim, single mother, social worker who discovered my queerness on Google. And she prays for me.

She and I are similar, the way we look at things, the way we laugh. But different too. And those are among the questions I ask in this show. Our relationship is both beautiful and complicated.

BLADE: So, you weren’t exactly hiding your sexuality?

MANSOOR: In my mid-20s, I took time to talk with friends about our being queer with relation to our careers. My sexuality is essential to the work. As the artistic director at Dreams of Hope, part of the work was to model what it means to be public. If I’m in a room with queer and trans teenagers, part of what I’m doing is modeling queer adulthood. The way they see me in the world is part of what I’m putting out there. And I want that to be expansive and full.

So much of my work involves fundraising and being a face in schools. Being out is about making safe space for queer young folks.

BLADE: Have you encountered much Islamophobia?

MANSOOR: When 9/11 happened, I was a sophomore in high school, so yes. I faced a lot then and now. I’ve been egged on the street in the last four months. I see it in the classroom. It shows up in all sorts of ways.

BLADE: What prompted you to lead your creative life in Pittsburgh?

MANSOOR: I’ve been here for 14 years. I breathe with ease in Pittsburgh. The hills and the valleys and the rust of the city do something to me. It’s beautiful, it’ affordable, and there is support for local artists. There’s a lot of opportunity.

Still, the plan was to move to New York in September of 2020 but that was cancelled. Then the pandemic showed me that I could live in Pittsburgh and still have a nationally viable career.

BLADE: What are you trying to achieve with “Amm(i)gone”?

MANSOOR: What I’m sharing in the show is so very specific but I hear people from other backgrounds say I totally see my mom in that. My partner is Catholic and we share so much in relation to this.

I hope the work is embracing the fullness of queerness and how means so many things. And I hope the show makes audiences want to call their parents or squeeze their partners.