Arts & Entertainment
Queery: Justin Croft
The MOVA general manager answers 20 gay questions
Justin Croft (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Managing and bartending in various restaurants and bars has been conducive to Justin Croft’s bouncing around.
The 32-year-old New London, Pa. (near Philly) native went to college here at George Washington, moved to Los Angeles, returned here, went back to L.A., returned briefly to Philadelphia, then ended up here — at least for now — in May 2010.
He’d known the MOVA owner, Babak Movahedi, since Croft was in college and started bartending there shortly before MOVA moved from P Street (where Nine is now) to its current location at 2204 14th Street, N.W. (movalounge.com).
“I don’t know, it was kind of wanderlust — it was just my 20s, that’s mostly what I tell people,” Croft says. “I kind of moved back here for someone. … I just kind of went with the flow.”
So Los Angeles gay guys versus D.C.’s?
“Everybody says L.A. is pretentious but I think there are pretentious groups in every city,” he says. “I actually think L.A. guys might be a little more inviting at first. They’re more willing to get to know someone they don’t know there I think.”
MOVA has a New Year’s Eve party called “Countdown With the Divas” event planned with DJ Jason. There’s a $5 cover that will go to the D.C. Center. A pair of Lady Gaga tickets will be given away. Guests who RSVP at [email protected] get VIP entry and open bar from midnight to 1 a.m.
Croft says things are going well for the business though it has had a significant transition from its former location. Once some of the big construction projects near it wrap — which should be soon — he expects business to take off.
Croft is single and lives in Washington. He enjoys working out, music, movies and trying new restaurants with friends in his free time.
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
Since I was 20, 12 years now. It was pretty easy. My family is very liberal. Looking back, coming to terms with myself was the most challenging.
Who’s your LGBT hero?
Adam Bouska and Jeff Parshley, the creators of the NOH8 campaign. They have done an amazing job at bringing together both straights and gays in a very creative way to foster acceptance
What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
Halo, which is now MOVA.
Describe your dream wedding.
Never really dreamed about it.
What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?
The environment — I am a bit of a tree-hugger at heart.
What historical outcome would you change?
Bush winning Florida in 2000.
What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?
Being in Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” video back when I lived in L.A.
On what do you insist?
Clean hygiene. BO is not a welcome scent; deodorant goes a long way.
What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?
Something about MOVA.
If your life were a book, what would the title be?
“Now” because life is really all about living in the present.
If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?
Pass on it. I am proud to be gay.
What do you believe in beyond the physical world?
Karma and life after death.
What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?
Keep up the great work.
Who would you walk across hot coals for?
Those whom I care most about.
What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?
The ignorant assumption that all gay men are/must be feminine and lesbians are hyper-masculine.
What’s your favorite LGBT movie?
“Broken Hearts Club”
What’s the most overrated social custom?
Shaking hands
What trophy or prize do you most covet?
My swimming trophy. When I was 6, I swam in a competition but did not win. I was devastated and so my father went out and got me a trophy.
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
How much better life is when you’re honest with yourself and others about who you are.
Why Washington?
Washington is a great city — worldly, dynamic and just a few hours from my family.
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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‘Amm(i)gone’ explores family, queerness, and faith
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