Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: Feb. 24
Parties, concerts, meetings and more through March 1
The Washington National Opera presents ‘Così fan tutte’ at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. (Photo by Richard H. Smith for the Royal Opera House, courtesy Kennedy Center)
TODAY (Friday)
The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) is hosting a community conversation on the National Strategy for Black Gay Youth tonight at 6:30 p.m. with featured guests Frank Walker and Ezra Littleton from Youth Pride Services.
Busboys & Poets will be hosting ASL open mic poetry 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 to recite a poem or sign a song by e-mailing [email protected]. There is a $5 cover.
D.C. Women4Women presents “Tryst,” a monthly professional lesbian happy hour at its new location, Topaz Bar (1733 N St., N.W.) tonight from 7 to 10 p.m.
Fab Lounge (1805 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) presents “Honey, I Shrunk the Queers!” tonight from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. featuring music from the ‘80s and ‘90s. All attendees to this free event must be 21 or older.
Phase 1 of Dupont (1415 22nd St., N.W.) presents “Talkin’ Bout’ Dub,” a queer dubstep night featuring DJ Encryption from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Attendees must be 21 and older and there is a $10 cover.
DJ Chad Jack will be spinning at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight. Cover is $8 before 11 p.m. and $12 after. Attendees must be 21 or older. Doors open at 10 p.m.
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) is having a military party tonight with DJ Sean Morris on the main floor and DJ Keenan Orr in the 30degrees lounge. Doors open at 10 p.m. and the open vodka bar starts at 11.
Saturday, Feb. 25
SpeakeasyDC is performing as part of Intersections tonight at the Sprenger Theater at Atlas (1333 H St., N.E.) from 7 to 9:30 p.m. SpeakeasyDC will be exploring the impact of queer culture featuring Regie Cabico, Andrew Korfhage, Natalie E. Illum and Sandra Faria.
Irish music ensemble Cherish the Girls plays Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd., Vienna) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and available online at wolftrap.org.
Tom From Prague brings “Tainted Love: An International ‘80s Dance Party” to Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. There is a $5 cover.
“Several Species: The Pink Floyd Experience” is at Rams Head Live (20 Market Place, Baltimore) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advanced, $25 day of show and can be purchased online at ramsheadlive.com.
Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) presents Hellmouth Happy Hour where every week an episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” will be screened and drink specials will be offered. This week the episode is “Consequences.”
The Duke D.C. LGBT Network is hosting a networking social at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) today at noon as the Blue Devils take on Virginia Tech.
Sunday, Feb. 26
Busboys & Poets presents “Mature Voices,” an open mic for performers 55 and older, hosted by Saleem Wayne Waters tonight in the Zinn room of its Hyattsville location (5331 Baltimore Ave., Suite 104) at 6 p.m. There is a $5 cover. For more information, visit busboysandpoets.com.
The Washington Ballet honoring choreographer Twyla Tharp is at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) tonight at 8 p.m., in a program showcasing her work spanning two decades. It will include performance of Tharp’s “Nine Sinatra Songs,” “Push Comes to Shove” and “Surfer at the Styx River.” Tickets range from $20 to $125 and can be purchased online at kennedy-center.org.
The Lodge (21614 National Pike, Boonsboro) presents Saving Grace with the Draghetti Sisters, starring Araya Sparxx, Dannica Lauder and Jayden Elyse with special guest performances by Nicole James and Chi Chi Ray Colby at 6:45 p.m. followed by karaoke from 8 p.m to close. Doors open at 6 p.m. There is no cover.
Monday, Feb. 27
Out singer/songwriter Melissa Ferrick plays Jammi’ Java (227 Maple Ave., E Vienna) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online atjamminjava.com.
Tuesday, Feb. 28
GLAA is having a membership meeting tonight in the second floor community room at the Reeves Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Lace Lounge (2214 Rhode Island Ave., N.E.) presents “Meet the Chef Tuesdays” tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. with Chef Raymond. There will be cooking tips, recipes, food samples and live demonstrations.
The Washington National Opera presents “Così fan tutte” tonight at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) at 7:30 p.m. The show follows two friends as they make a bet about their fiancées fidelity. The opera is performed in Italian with English supertitles. Tickets range from $25 to $300 and can be purchased online at kennedy-center.org.
Wednesday, Feb. 29
Singer/songwriter Lauryn Hill plays Warner Theatre (513 13th St., N.W.) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $55 to $150 and can be purchased online atlivenation.com.
Grammy-winning band Buckwheat Zydeco plays Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd., Vienna) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $24 and available online at wolftrap.org.
Busboys & Poets’s monthly book club is meeting tonight at its Shirlington location (4251 S. Campbell Ave., Arlington) at 7 p.m. to discuss the book “The Change I Believe In: Fighting for Progress in the Age of Obama” by Katrina vanden Heuvel. The book will be available for purchased in the Global Exchange store.
The Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., SE — across from Marine Barracks) for duplicate bridge. No reservations needed; newcomers welcome. Visit lambdabridge.com if you need a partner.
Thursday, March 1
Gregory Lawson of Morgan Stanley Smith will be presenting a seminar in wealth planning for LGBT couples at the MAA Carriage House (1781 Church St., N.W.) tonight starting at 6:30 p.m. with a reception. Space is limited so attendees are asked to RSVP to [email protected].
SAGE Metro D.C. is having a steering committee meeting today at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) at 12:30 p.m. The center is also is hosting a transmen discussion group tonight at 7 p.m.
D.C. Lambda Squares, a local gay square dancing group, is having its annual meeting tonight as well as its weekly club night with mainstream and plus dancing at the National City Christian Church (5 Thomas Circle, N.W.) from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
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)
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
‘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.
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