Arts news in brief: Nov. 18

Robert Aubry Davis and Carolyn Cole star in Signature Theatre's production of ‘Hairspray’ opening Monday. (Photo by Christopher Mueller; courtesy Signature)

‘Hairspray’ at Signature

Signature Theatre’s production of ‘Hairspray’ opens Monday. The musical will star radio host Robert Aubry Davis as Edna Turnblad, Carolyn Cole as Tracy Turnblad and Patrick Thomas Cragin as Link Larkin.

Performances will run Tuesday through Sunday evenings, expect Thanksgiving, after the Monday night opening, with matinees on Saturdays and Sundays.

Tickets range from $62 to $86 and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com.

The show runs through Jan. 29.

 Capital Queer Prom hosts meet and greet

The Capital Queer Prom Committee is having its official “Meet and Greet” happy hour on Tuesday at Hank’s Oyster Bar (1624 Q St., N.W.) from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

At the event, attendees will be able to mix and mingle with members from the committee as well as learn about Transgender Health Empowerment, this year’s prom beneficiary. They will also be the first to know about announcements, early bird tickets and how to sign-up to be Prom King or Queen.

There will also be spiked bunch and free appetizer platters and drink specials running until 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $10 and the funds will benefit Capital Queer Prom and T.H.E. The sixth annual Capital Queer Prom will be held March 24. For more information, visit capitalqueerprom.com.

Thanksgiving brings volunteer opps

With Thanksgiving coming up next week, there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer and help the community.

Food & Friends (219 Riggs Rd., N.E.), an organization that provides meals for people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses, has a couple different opportunities for people to help this Thanksgiving.

From Monday to Wednesday, volunteers will be needed to help with turkey box deliveries. These are boxes put together for clients who live further away and need the delivery sooner to make their Thanksgiving dinner. Volunteers will also be needed to assist with food preparation and packing groceries in two hour shifts at 8 and 10 a.m., and 1 and 5 p.m.

On Tuesday, volunteers are needed to help with “Slice of Life,” a program where people can buy pies for themselves or clients and each pie bought equals one day of meals. People will be needed to set up pie distribution and assist customers as they arrive with shifts from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

On Thanksgiving, volunteers will be needed to deliver holiday meals to two or three clients in the D.C. area during one of four delivery shifts at 7:30, 9 and 10:30 a.m. and noon. The organization also needs volunteers to assemble the meals and to help with the logistics of the day.

For more information about volunteering for Good & Friends, visit foodandfriends.org.

The Washington Renegades gay rugby team will be helping out Food & Friends on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. as an annual event.

The team will be prepping turkeys, chopping vegetables and packing bags of prepared food. After volunteering the group will be having a gathering.

Burgundy Crescent Volunteers has some opportunities to volunteer as well. Besides helping with Food & Friends, the organization will be holding its ninth annual “Clear OUT Your Closets” clothing drive for the homeless at Rosemary’s Thyme (1801 18th St., N.W.) with donation drop-off running from 10 a.m. to noon.

The group also needs volunteers to help with providing Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless and needy at Rosemary’s Thyme from noon to 2 p.m. Volunteers are needed to help set up starting at 10:30 a.m., clean up after and bring a dish of some kind to serve.

For more information about volunteering with Burgundy Crescent, visitburgundycrescent.org.