Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: Aug. 31
Parties, concerts, exhibits and more through Sept. 6
Ben Harper plays Wolf Trap Wednesday night. (Photo courtesy Wolf Trap)
TODAY (Friday)
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts Bear Happy Hour tonight from 6-11 p.m. This event is for people 21 and older. There is no cover charge. For details, visit towndc.com.
The Bachelor’s Mill (1104 8th St., S.E.) is having its happy hour tonight starting at 5 p.m. All drinks are half off until 7:30 p.m. After 9 p.m., admission is $10. The dance floor opens at 11 p.m. with DJ Tim-Nice and DJ Cameron. For details, visit thebachelorsmill.com.
Special Agent Galactica plays Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) tonight from 6-9. Music includes songs made famous by Pat Benatar, Judy Garland, Stevie Nicks, Nancy Sinatra and Ray Stevens. Admission is free. For more information, visit pinkhairedone.com.
Black Cat (1811 14th St., NW) holds its Dr. Who Happy Hour tonight starting at 7 p.m. The evening includes drink specials and there is no cover. For more information, visit blackcatdc.com.
Phase 1 has its weekly dance party with DJ Jay Von Teese tonight at 7:30. Cover is $10. For more information, visit phase1dc.com.
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s multiple Tony-winning classic “The King and I” will be performed tonight at Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Road, Vienna) starting at 8. Tickets range from $20-$80. For more information, visit wolftrap.org.
Saturday, Sept. 1
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, is helping in food preparation and packing groceries for Food and Friends (219 Riggs Road, NE) this morning at 8. Later today, the group volunteers with the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation at Falls Church PetSmart (6100 Arlington Blvd, Falls Church) at 11:45 a.m. The organization is looking for dog handlers for its adoption events. For more information, visit burgundycrescent.org.
Town (2009 8th St., NW) hosts DJ Randy White tonight at 10. Cover is $8 before 11 p.m. and $12 after 11p.m. There are $3 drinks before 11 and the drag show begins at 10:30. For more information, visit towndc.com.
Black Cat (1811 14th St., NW) holds its “Hellmouth Happy Hour” tonight at 7. Drink specials are available as attendees watch one episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” There is no cover for this event. Later in the evening, Black Cat hosts its “Moon/Bounce Dancing Affair,” a high energy dance night with hip hop, ‘90s pop and others. Admission is $7 and the doors open at 9:30. For more information, visit blackcatdc.com.
Sunday, Sept. 2
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) holds its weekly Martini Sundays and Homowood Karaoke tonight. Karaoke starts at 10 p.m. and there’s no cover. For details, visit cobaltdc.com.
WTF returns to Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) with its party “FreakShow” tonight at 10. The party includes unusual attractions including shows, games and bearded ladies. Cover is $5. For more information, visit towndc.com.
Monday, Sept. 3
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts its Martini Monday tonight at 10 p.m. There’s no cover charge and martinis are $5. For more information, visit cobaltdc.com.
The Bachelor’s Mill (1104 8th St., S.E.) holds a Labor Day cook out tonight from 6-10 at its upstairs bar with karaoke hosted by Karlton. The downstairs dance floor opens at 10 p.m. featuring DJ Rodney. Cover is free. For more information visit thebachelorsmill.com.
Whitman-Walker Health (1701 14th St., NW) holds its HIV+ Newly Diagnosed Support Group tonight at 7. It is a confidential support group for anyone recently diagnosed with HIV and the group welcomes all genders and sexual orientations. For details, visit whitman-walker.org.
Tuesday, Sept. 4
Award-winning musician Ben Harper gives a rare performance tonight at Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Road, Vienna) beginning at 7:30. The French “Rolling Stone” named Harper Artist of the Year. The performance features a special appearance by Rickie Lee Jones. Tickets range from $35-$50. For more information, visit wolftrap.org.
Whitman-Walker Health provides HIV Testing this evening at Miriam’s Kitchen (2120 West Virginia Ave., NE) beginning at 4 p.m. For details, visit whitman-walker.org.
Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) hosts its Safer Sex Kit-packing program tonight from 7-10:30. The packing program is looking for more volunteers to help produce the kits because they say they are barely keeping up with demand. Admission is free and volunteers can just show up. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W) hosts its Flashback dance night with DJ Jason Royce starting at 10 p.m. tonight. No cover. For more details, visit cobaltdc.com.
Whitman-Walker Health (1701 14th St., NW) holds its Coming Out-Women support group tonight at 7 p.m. This is a 10-week confidential discussion group for women who are exploring their interest in other women. It is open to all women regardless of age or experience in the coming out process. Registration is required to attend. For details, visit whitman-walker.org.
Wednesday, Sept. 5
The Washington premiere of “Raid of the Rainbow Lounge” happens tonight at the Marvin Center Amphitheatre (800 21st St., NW) at 7-9:30 p.m. The documentary recounts events surrounding the controversial raid of a Fort Worth, Texas gay bar in 2009. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Whitman-Walker Health (1701 14th St., NW) holds its HIV+ Newly Diagnosed Support Group tonight at 7. It is a confidential support group for anyone recently diagnosed with HIV and the group welcomes all genders and sexual orientations. For details, visit whitman-walker.org.
Thursday, Sept. 6
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W) is hosting its weekly Best Package Contest tonight at 9 p.m. There is a $3 cover and there are $2 vodka drinks. Participants in the contest can win $200 in cash prizes. The event is hosted by Lena Lett and music by DJ Chord, DJ Madscience and DJ Sean Morris. For details, visit cobaltdc.com.
The D.C. Center holds its “Freedom from Smoking Class” for members of the community who are trying to quit smoking this evening starting 6:30. The class is an adaptation of the American Lung Association’s group clinic that has helped thousands of smokers, however it has been modified to be more relevant to the LGBT community and people living with HIV/AIDS. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
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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