Arts & Entertainment
Arts news in brief: Feb. 10
Scarlet’s Bake Sale, D.C. Front Runners featured in mini doc, Rainbow Families dance and more
Jose Guttierez at last year's Scarlet's Bake Sale (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Scarlet’s Bake Sale benefit returns
The 41st annual Scarlet’s Foundation Bake Sale is Sunday at the Eagle (639 New York Ave., N.W.) with cake drop-offs from noon to 3 p.m., judging at 3:30 p.m. and the auction beginning at 4 p.m.
Proceeds from the auction will benefit Moveable Feast, an organization based in Baltimore that provides food and other services in order to preserve quality of life for people with HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening conditions, and Pets D.C., which provides public health education, exercise, pet food, veterinary care, grooming, foster care and adoptions services at no cost to individuals living with HIV/AIDS or other disabling conditions and their pets.
There are five categories being judged including Best Individual Entry, Best Commercial Entry, Best Club Entry, Most Creative Entry and the Directors Award.
For more information, call 202-347-6025 or visit dceagle.com.
Morabito at Cobalt; return of Flashback
DJ Susan Morabito is spinning at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) as part of Just Circuit, an event that happens every second Saturday of the month at 10 p.m.
Cobalt is also bringing back its popular Tuesday Flashback retro event next week (Valentine’s Day) with DJs Jason Royce and Erik Lars Evans in the 30 Degrees Lounge area. Rail drinks are two for one and there’s no cover.
Morabito has been playing for audiences for more than 25 years and has released seven CD collections. She has played at events such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institutes Benefit Gala, Stonewall Honors, Atlantis Gay Cruise and more.
She has recently been nominated for three Just Circuit Awards including Best DJ/Producer, Best DJ Podcast and Best DJ — Hall of Fame.
There is a $10 cover for this event. For more information, visit cobaltdc.com or Morabito’s official website, susanmorabito.com.
Gay running group featured in local doc
The Our City Film Festival, started by Yachad, a D.C. non-profit committed to affordable housing and community development, is Saturday and Sunday.
The festival begins with an opening night party featuring Christylez Bacon, a Grammy-nominated artists, Party Girl, a Costello cover band and Edge Theory, a progressive jazz band at the Sixth and I Synagogue (600 I St., N.W.) at 8 p.m. Entry is free with a film ticket or $8 without.
Starting Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at the Goethe Institute (812 7th St., N.W.) the various films will be screened in groupings based on topic. At 12:45 p.m., the grouping, “Our Body” will feature a 13-minute documentary by Brian Beary and Marcel Acosta called “Fast Forward,” which provides a glimpse into the struggles and successes of founding D.C.’s now thriving gay and lesbian running club, The Front Runners.
Tickets are $10 for each film grouping and can be purchased online.
For more information on the festival, including a full schedule of films, visitourcityfilmfestival.com.
Gay art collective hosts monthly performance show
Hillyer Art Space (9 Hillyer Court, N.W.) is teaming up with local gay arts collective Boys Be Good for this month’s Soapbox, a monthly performance art showcase increasing exposure to this art form, on Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m.
The show will include performances by Armando Lopez Bircann, whose performance uses shadows and light; Andrew Fogle, whose poetic work stumbles into themes of lack, trauma, dislocation and more; Devon Hopkins, a Wesleyan grad, who works in social psychology, group dynamics and the intersection of social networking with post-modern choreography; and Jason Edward Tucker, who focuses on challenging the gaze through a concealment and confounding of gender and constructed identity.
There is a $5 suggested donation at the door.
For more information and a sample of past performances, visitartsandartists.org/hillier/
Rainbow Families hosting kid-friendly dance
Rainbow Families is having its Mid-Winter Family Dance on Saturday at the Washington Ethical Society (7750 16th St., N.W.) from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
The event will feature a family friendly DJ, dance games and activities. There will also be pizza, beverages and dessert.
This event is ideal for children ages 4 and over. A quiet room will be provided for younger children and their parents.
Registration is $10 for adult members and $13 for non-members. Registration for all children 5 and older is $5 and children 4 and younger can be registered for free.
For more information and to register for the dance or join Rainbow Families, visit rainbowfamiliesdc.org.
Crimsyn and Tatianna hosted the new weekly drag show Clash at Trade (1410 14th Street, N.W.) on Feb. 14, 2026. Performers included Aave, Crimsyn, Desiree Dik, and Tatianna.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Theater
Magic is happening for Round House’s out stage manager
Carrie Edick talks long hours, intricacies of ‘Nothing Up My Sleeve’
‘Nothing Up My Sleeve’
Through March 15
Round House Theatre
4545 East-West Highway
Bethesda, Md. 20814
Tickets start at $50
Roundhousetheatre.org
Magic is happening for out stage manager Carrie Edick.
Working on Round House Theatre’s production of “Nothing Up My Sleeve,” Edick quickly learned the ways of magicians, their tricks, and all about the code of honor among those who are privy to their secrets.
The trick-filled, one-man show starring master illusionist Dendy and staged by celebrated director Aaron Posner, is part exciting magic act and part deeply personal journey. The new work promises “captivating storytelling, audience interaction, jaw-dropping tricks, and mind-bending surprises.”
Early in rehearsals, there was talk of signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for production assistants. It didn’t happen, and it wasn’t necessary, explains Edick, 26. “By not having an NDA, Dendy shows a lot of trust in us, and that makes me want to keep the secrets even more.
“Magic is Dendy’s livelihood. He’s sharing a lot and trusting a lot; in return we do the best we can to support him and a large part of that includes keeping his secrets.”
As a production assistant (think assistant stage manager), Edick strives to make things move as smoothly as possible. While she acknowledges perfection is impossible and theater is about storytelling, her pursuit of exactness involves countless checklists and triple checks, again and again. Six day weeks and long hours are common. Stage managers are the first to arrive and last to leave.
This season has been a lot about learning, adds Edick. With “The Inheritance” at Round House (a 22-week long contract), she learned how to do a show in rep which meant changing from Part One to Part Two very quickly; “In Clay” at Signature Theatre introduced her to pottery; and now with “Nothing Up My Sleeve,” she’s undergoing a crash course in magic.
She compares her career to a never-ending education: “Stage managers possess a broad skillset and that makes us that much more malleable and ready to attack the next project. With some productions it hurts my heart a little bit to let it go, but usually I’m ready for something new.”
For Edick, theater is community. (Growing up in Maryland, she was a shy kid whose parents signed her up for theater classes.) Now that community is the DMV theater scene and she considers Round House her artistic home. It’s where she works in different capacities, and it’s the venue in which she and actor/playwright Olivia Luzquinos chose to be married in 2024.
Edick came out in middle school around the time of her bat mitzvah. It’s also around the same time she began stage managing. Throughout high school she was the resident stage manager for student productions, and also successfully participated in county and statewide stage management competitions which led to a scholarship at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) where she focused on technical theater studies.
Edick has always been clear about what she wants. At an early age she mapped out a theater trajectory. Her first professional gig was “Tuesdays with Morrie” at Theatre J in 2021. She’s worked consistently ever since.
Stage managing pays the bills but her resume also includes directing and intimacy choreography (a creative and technical process for creating physical and emotional intimacy on stage). She names Pulitzer Prize winning lesbian playwright Paula Vogel among her favorite artists, and places intimacy choreographing Vogel’s “How I learned to Drive” high on the artistic bucket list.
“To me that play is heightened art that has to do with a lot of triggering content that can be made very beautiful while being built to make you feel uncomfortable; it’s what I love about theater.”
For now, “Nothing Up My Sleeve” keeps Edick more than busy: “For one magic trick, we have to set up 100 needles.”
Ultimately, she says “For stage managers, the show should stay the same each night. What changes are audiences and the energy they bring.”
Friday, February 13
Center Aging Monthly Luncheon With Yoga will be at noon at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. Email Mac at [email protected] if you require ASL interpreter assistance, have any dietary restrictions, or questions about this event.
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Happy Hour Meetup” at 7 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant. This is a chance to relax, make new friends, and enjoy happy hour specials at this classic retro venue. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Women in their Twenties and Thirties will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social discussion group for queer women in the D.C. area. For more details, visit the group on Facebook.
Saturday, February 14
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host a screening of “Love and Pride” at 1:30 p.m. This event is a joy-filled global streaming celebration honoring queer courage, Pride, and the power of love. It’s a bold celebration of courage and community — a fearless reminder of what we’ve overcome, how love is what makes us unstoppable, and how we have always turned fear into fierce. For more details, visit the Center’s website.
Sunday, February 15
LGBTQ+ Community Coffee and Conversation will be at 12 p.m. at As You Are. This event is for people looking to make more friends and meaningful connections in the LGBTQ community. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Monday, February 16
Queer Book Club will be at 7:00p.m. on Zoom. This month’s read is “Faebound” by Saara El-Arifi. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam ([email protected]).
Tuesday, February 17
Center Bi+ Roundtable will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is an opportunity for people to gather in order to discuss issues related to bisexuality or as Bi individuals in a private setting.Visit Facebook or Meetup for more information.
Wednesday, February 18
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.
Thursday, February 19
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. To be fair with who is receiving boxes, the program is moving to a lottery system. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.
Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breath work and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
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