Connect with us

Arts & Entertainment

Calendar: Aug. 26

Parties, concerts, meetings and more through Sept. 1

Published

on

Judy Taylor's 11-panel ‘History of Labor in the State of Maine,’ removed from the headquarters of Maine's Department of Labor by Governor LePage in March, will be on display at Kaplan Gallery (155 Gibbs St.) in Rockville starting Tuesday. (Image courtesy of the Kaplan)

TODAY (Friday)

The Lodge (21614 National Pike) in Boonsboro presents Araya Sparxx’s All American Drag Off with specials guests Jessica Jade and Patti Lovelace. Seven contestants will be competing for a prize package worth over $1,000 including six guaranteed bookings at The Lodge, promo photo shoot by RAB2 Imaging and $500 cash prize. For more information, visit thelodgeMD.com/dragoff.

Grap Luva is hosting the Michael Jackson birthday celebration tonight at 9:30 Club with DJ Dredd spinning and Robin Bell providing video. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at 930.com. Door open at 9 p.m.

Gospel legends Maggie Ingram and the Ingramettes, a cappella group Naturally 7 and urban jazz harmonicist Frédéric Yonnet will be performing as part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Celebration Concert at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.). This is a free performance but tickets are required. Reserved seating tickets will be distributed today starting at 4 p.m. in the Hall of Nations.

Beat City, a queer lounge night, is tonight at Chief Ike’s Mambo Room (1725 Columbia Rd., N.W.) from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. There is no cover for this 21-and-older event.

Busboys & Poets will be having an American Sign Language open mic night tonight at 11 p.m. in the Langston room at its 14th and V streets location (2021 14th St., N.W.). Anyone with sign language knowledge may sign up by e-mailing [email protected]. There is a $5 admission at the door.

Saturday, Aug. 27

Rams Head Promotions and 103.1 WRNR present Silopanna Music Festival featuring 20 acts on three different stages, including Matt and Kim, Pasadena and Tobias Russell. General admission tickets are $39.50 in advanced and $45 the day of show and V.I.P tickets are $195 in advanced and $225 the day of show. V.I.P tickets include complimentary drinks, a dinner buffet, private bathrooms and more. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit silopannafest.com.

Southwest Renaissance Development Corporation is hosting a panel discussion as at Westminster Presbyterian Church (400 I St., S.W.) today from 1 to 3 p.m. as part of its series, “Thinking About Jazz.” This month’s program will duscuss women such as Mary Lou Williams, Marian McPartland and Dinah Washington. Several members of the case of “Sistas Can Sang” will be discussing their own experiences.

Burgundy Crescent Volunteers seeks help as its members help the National Park Service paint park benches in Dupont Circle. Volunteers will meet up with NPS staff at 9 a.m. by the fountain in the circle, wearing clothes they don’t mind getting paint on and should plan on being there until noon. Interested volunteers should e-mail [email protected].

Will Eastman, Kid Color and Jerome Baker III will be at U Street Music Hall (1115 U St., N.W.) tonight at 10 p.m. with “Bliss.” Tickets are $10 and available online at ustreetmusichall.com. Attendees ages 18 to 20 must purchase tickets in advanced to gain entry. Pre-sale ends an hour before doors open.

Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) hosts “Slippery When Wet” tonight from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. with prize packages and Manhunt giveaway. DJ Ace D.C. will be spinning.

Reportory Opera Theater of Washington has “A Grand Night of Opera” tonight at 8 at Immanuel Church on the Hill in Alexandria (3606 Seminary Road). Tickets are $15; $10 for ages 10-17 (under 10 free). Arias from operas by Mozart, Wagner, Gershwin and more will be performed. Visit repopera.org for details.

Sunday, Aug.  28

GLOE is having its sixth annual pool party “Tel Aviv (in D.C.) Beach Bash” today from 1 to 5 p.m. at the home of founder Stuart Kurlander and David Martin. Tickets are $5 and the exact address will be emailed upon registration. For more information, visit washingtondcjcc.org/gloe.

The fourth annual Summer Games with Shearon Van Riggins (Shea Van Horn and Aaron Riggins) and officiated by drag queen Summer Camp, is today from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at Meridian Hill Park and the theme this year is skin. Teams of four will compete in events for gold, silver or bronze metals. Events include all-you-can-eat bananas, Sharpie pen fencing and more. The games will be followed by the official after party at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.)

Camp Rehoboth and the Seashore Striders are holding the second annual “Sundance 5k: Run Walk or Sashay!” today in Rehoboth Beach, Del., with registration beginning at 6 a.m. The race kicks off at 7:30 a.m. General registration and sleepwalker registration is $25. For more information, visit camprehoboth.com.

Monday, Aug. 29

D.C. Different Drummers Capitol Pride Symphonic Band will rehearse tonight from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Reformation Lutheran Church, Capitol Hill (212 East Capitol St.). For more information, contact [email protected] or visit dcdd.org.

Brightest Young Things is having its happy hour tonight at the Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) at 8 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 30

Federal Triangles Soccer Club Summer of Freedom league is having its closing party tonight at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) starting at 6:30 p.m.

VisArts presents the work of Maine artist Judy Taylor whose 11-panel “History of Labor in the State of Maine” was removed from the headquarters of Maine’s Department of Labor by Govnernor LePage in March. The exhibition opens today at Kaplan Gallery (155 Gibbs St.) in Rockville, on the second floor. An opening reception and other events are scheduled for September. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit visartsatrockville.org.

Wednesday, Aug. 31

The Lambda Bridge Club will meet at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) across from Marine Barracks for duplicate bridge. No reservations are needed and newcomers are welcome. If a partner is needed, visit lambdabridge.com.

D.C. Different Drummer’s D.C. Swing! group will rehearse tonight from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Reformation Lutheran Church, Capitol Hill (212 East Capitol St.). For more information, contact [email protected] or visit dcdd.org.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is tonight at Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar (1101 H St., N.E.) with The Machine and special guest DJs spinning alternative music and obscure dance tracks from the ‘80s tonight from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Attendees must be 21 or older for this cover-free event.

Thursday, Sept. 1

“Shear Madness,” a comedy whodunit, will be performed tonight at the Kennedy Center Theater Lab (2700 F St., N.W.) at 8 p.m. “Madness” takes place in present-day Georgetown, in the Shear Madness Hair Styling Salon. Tickets are $42. Visit kennedy-center.org for more information and to purchase tickets.

Guttermouth, a punk band from California, will be performing at the Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) tonight with The New Threat and Bumpin Uglies. Tickets are $13 and doors open at 8 p.m. For more information, visit blackcatdc.com.

 

Advertisement
FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM
SIGN UP FOR E-BLAST

Theater

Talented pair of local queer actors tackles ‘Little Shop of Horrors’

Ford’s production features terrific score

Published

on

Chani Wereley (Audrey) and Derrick D. Truby Jr. (Seymour) in the 2024 Ford’s Theatre production of Little Shop of Horrors. (Photo by Scott Suchman)

‘Little Shop of Horrors’ 
Through May 18
Ford’s Theatre
511 10th St., N.W.
$33-$95
Fords.org 

Ever since premiering off-Broadway in 1982, “Little Shop of Horrors” has drawn a devoted following of avid audiences as well as performers eager to act in the show. Now playing at Ford’s Theatre, the doo-wop, dark comedy features a terrific cast including a wildly talented pair of local queer actors who’ve longed to appear in the show since they were kids. 

Set in the urban 1960s, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s hit show with a terrific score follows the wacky rise of Seymour, a nebbishy florist in a Skid Row shop who changes his fortunes by unintentionally marketing an exotic, human eating plant.  

Chani Wereley, 28, who plays Seymour’s love interest Audrey, a hyper femme downtowner with an edge, has had her on eye the role for years. Wereley says, “Audrey’s been around the block more than once, but I approach her as a person who moves through the world with love and hope.”

The queer D.C. native adds, “On long trips to visit family in Canada or Florida, the first thing we’d do is pop a ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ video [film version] into the car’s VHS player. I’ve watched is so many times, I could quote the whole movie to you.”

After auditioning to play Audrey in director Kevin S. McAllister’s production at Ford’s, Wereley never thought she’d book the part, and when they said she got it, she cried.  

Similarly, Tobias A. Young, 34, the pansexual actor who voices the part of the bloodthirsty plant affectionately dubbed Audrey II, explains his intense interest in the work: “I started watching the film in ’86. Growing up as a little gay boy in Calvert County, Md., I wanted to be blonde Audrey [played by Ellen Green in the movie]. I didn’t know much about musicals at the time, but I was absorbed.” 

When asked by Ford’s to play the voracious plant Audrey II without auditioning, his reply was an unhesitant “yes.” 

Voicing a role requires Young to sing from backstage in a black box rigged with monitors and a mixing board. He says, “people ask if I’m singing from inside of the ever-growing, scary plant. No, I’m not, and that’s fine. But let’s face it, actors love to be seen on stage, but I don’t feel entirely unseen as Audrey II.”

He’s worked hard and successfully with formidable puppeteers Ryan Sellers and Jay Frisby to bring parts of himself to the carnivorous plant — his sassiness, own movements, and even a tilt of his head; their efforts have drawn the actual Young into the show. 

Both Wereley and Young possess gorgeous, emotive voices as evidenced by Wereley’s striking rendition of Audrey’s “Suddenly Seymour,” and Young’s soulful “Feed Me (Git It).” Additionally, both actors are also big on queer representation in theater. 

When her young pals were listening to Britney Spears, Wereley was dancing to retro tunes like “Mashed Potato Time,” and her favorite song to this day, the Shirelle’s girl group anthem “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.” As Audrey, Wereley eschews the character’s usual platinum hair for a bouncy brunette, cherry-streaked wig, tight pencil skirts, swing coats, and her very own half-sleeve tattoo. 

“It’s important for people to see themselves on stage,” she says. “Seeing me or someone like me is inherently interesting. Being that person on Instagram or with the institution, cast, or audiences is meaningful. It’s important.”

In 2011, a couple years after finishing high school, Young landed a part in “Dream Girls” at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, and he’s been working professionally ever since. Growing up, he didn’t see a lot of himself – Black and queer – on social media. He now wants to be open and honest for those out there who might not feel seen, he says

An introvert who lets everything loose on the stage, Young says, “theater is a safe space for queer people. That’s the first place we feel safe, particularly in school. And this is why we need theaters in schools, now more than ever.”

He adds, “What’s great about Ford’s is its surprises, especially when they switch up casting. It’s meaningful to see the shows you love, but why not see them with a twist? Using unexpected actors and incorporating queer people just makes it that much better.”

Continue Reading

Nightlife

D.C.’s gay DJ collective CTRL returns

Electropop group resurfaces at Trade on March 30

Published

on

CTRL is back after a six-year absence.

Finger lasers, confetti cannons, drag shows, photo booths, throwback tunes, and a touch nerdy: after a long break, D.C.’s gay DJ collective CTRL is throwing its first party in six years.

Born in an Eritrean restaurant more than a decade ago, this longstanding gay nightlife electropop group is resurfacing with a comeback event at Trade on March 30.

Gay DJs Adam Koussari-Amin, Jeff Prior, Devon Trotter, and Brett Andreisen hosted the first CTRL party at now-closed restaurant Dahlak, on the corner of 18th and U Streets. After a year of hosting pop-ups in that restaurant’s dining room, they upgraded down 18th Street to now-closed gay club Cobalt. There, the parties grew: drag shows, a pop-up photo booth from David Claypool, and quirky activations like throwing hot dogs into print-outs of Putin’s mouth. Their productions grew as well, like producing the now-defunct Brightest Young Gays (BYG) Pride events at Wonderbread Factory and Union Market and the ‘Get Wet’ pool party with David Brown’s Otter Crossing at the Capitol Skyline Hotel.

CTRL wasn’t done. The group received its biggest stage yet after a call from Ed Bailey, the owner of now-closed gay club Town, as well as current gay bars Number 9 and Trade. At Town, the opportunity “allowed our creativity to flourish with even bigger performances, bigger photo experiences, crazier hand-outs, and the same electropop dance vibes our fans had come to know us for,” says Koussari-Amin.

CTRL pressed pause when Town shut down, which “was a huge loss to the LGBTQIA+ community and D.C. nightlife in general,” says Koussari-Amin. After that, it hosted an occasional spinoff called QWERTY. Post-pandemic, Koussari-Amin has spent a few nights solo as DJ at Trade and other venues.

After connecting with Jesse Jackson, the Trade general manager, as well as with Bailey, who agreed to host the inaugural event, Koussari-Amin was determined to shift CTRL back to life.

However, getting the old band back together proved to be a challenge. While the rest of the group have either left Washington, D.C., or are pursuing other projects, Koussari-Amin received their blessing to stay on and find new members. 

“When it came to finding new partners, both DJ Dez [Desmond Jordan] and DJ Lemz [Steve Lemmerman] were obvious choices,” he says, noting that “they also have distinct styles and interests.” Dez has a residency at Pitchers and Kiki as well as pop-ups, and Lemz throws events like Sleaze and BENT.

 “It seemed important to come back to the nightlife table with an experience that could complement all the amazing experiences that have even built up since CTRL threw its last event at Town. Bringing back both the DJ collective and the CTRL event with Dez and Lemz means new voices, perspectives, sounds, and excitement.”

“CTRL is an opportunity for the community to come together, enjoy music, drinks, and good vibes,” adds Jordan, noting that for him, it’s an event that celebrates queer identity.

And after months of planning, CTRL will kick off its monthly party series at Trade on March 30 for the first gig after its glow-up.

The trio says that its core inspiration “is driven by the indie and electropop favorites of new and old, like Goldfrapp, Ava Max, Charli XCX, … We’re also all huge fans of slut and trash pop music like Kim Petras, Slayyyter, Cupcakke,” as well as pop diva remixes, new bops, and songs that reside inside and far beyond the expanse of Top 40.

CTRL is also bringing back its activations that complement the tunes. Summer Camp is set for drag performances, David Claypool is back with his photo booth, and Koussari-Amin promises “to have all sorts of weird and wacky handouts like we used to.”

After the March premiere, April’s party is “CTRLella”, a Coachella send-up. Future events will feature various different themes, and they plan to throw a party during Capital Pride; they’re also looking to be a central part of Trade’s expansion into the adjacent space.

 Koussari-Amin says that “the event’s signature experience [is] a lynchpin in connecting D.C.’s expanding generations of queer folks, giving everyone a safe space to let loose and feel a rush no matter who they are.” 

For his part, Bailey continues to support CTRL and its collective intention, expressing its essential nature as a party for partiers by partiers. “CTRL is the kind of party that represents what people want. It’s just a real party by real people that just want to hear good music and dance with their friends.”

Continue Reading

Celebrity News

HRC releases ‘Queer Renaissance Syllabus’

Beyoncé’s hit album inspired curriculum

Published

on

Beyoncé performs at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., on Aug. 6, 2023. The Human Rights Campaign has released a curriculum that her "Renaissance" album inspired. (Washington Blade photo by Isabelle Kravis)

In a move aimed at celebrating the beauty, brilliance and resilience of the LGBTQ community, the Human Rights Campaign unveiled the “Queer Renaissance Syllabus” that Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” album inspired. 

Curated by Justin Calhoun, Leslie Hall and Chauna Lawson of the HRC’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program, the syllabus includes a variety of academic articles, essays, films and other media rooted in Black queer and feminist studies. Each piece is directly inspired by the tracks on Beyoncé’s Billboard 200-topping dance album, “Renaissance.”

Beyoncé’s album “Renaissance” stands as a cultural milestone, celebrating the Black queer roots of dance music while shedding light on overlooked Black queer artists. Inspired by her late-Uncle Johnny, the album not only garnered critical acclaim but also shed light on the often marginalized contributions of Black queer artists. Winning four Grammys and yielding chart-topping hits like “Break My Soul” and “Cuff It,” the album sparked discussions about economic impact and cultural representation.

Amid its success, legislative challenges arose, with Florida and Texas enacting bans on DEI initiatives in public colleges. Recognizing the album’s transformative potential, HRC developed the “Queer Renaissance Syllabus” to leverage its impact for education and activism.

Tailored for educators, youth-serving professionals, DEI practitioners, higher education leaders and admirers of Beyoncé’s artistry, the syllabus aims to encourage meaningful discussions, enrich lesson plans, and explore innovative ways to honor the vibrancy and significance of LGBTQ individuals and their culture.

With six themes anchoring the syllabus, ranging from “intersectionality and inclusivity” to “social justice and activism,” it provides a comprehensive exploration of various facets of LGBTQ experiences and expressions. Fan-favorite tracks from the album are paired with scholarly readings, offering insights into empowerment, self-acceptance and the transformative power of artistic expression. The syllabus also reinforces HRC’s efforts to highlight, amplify and re-center Black and queer voices.

By providing links to articles, books, podcasts and interviews, each associated with a song from the album, it celebrates the rich cultural heritage and contributions of the Black queer community.

The concluding section of the syllabus includes Beyoncé’s tribute to O’Shea Sibley, a young Black queer person who was murdered in Brooklyn, N.Y., last July while voguing to “Renaissance” songs at a gas station. HRC also includes a statement that condemns hate crimes.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Sign Up for Weekly E-Blast

Follow Us @washblade

Advertisement

Popular