Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: event listings through Oct. 21
Friday, Oct. 15
Raging Stallion adult star Adam Killian will be live and nude on stage tonight at Secrets. Cover is $5 before 10:30 p.m. and $10 after. Doors open at 9 p.m. For more information, visit secretsdc.com.
Baltimore Black Pride starts today with a meet and greet with the Board of Directors at Club Bunns (608 W. Lexington St., Baltimore) from 7 to 9 p.m.
Dakshina Dance Company presents Mallika Sarabhai and the Darpana Dance Company’s performance of Sampradayam (Traditions) at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. This event is part of D.C.’s seventh annual Fall Festival of Indian Arts. Visit dakshina.org for more information and to purchase tickets.
The VelocityDC Dance Festival returns for a second year at the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St., N.W.) at 8 p.m. featuring CityDance Ensemble, Urban Artistry, the Washington Ballet and more. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased at Shakespearetheatre.org.
Factory 449 presents “The Saint Plays” by Erik Ehn tonight at 8 p.m. at the Church Street Theatre (1742 Church St., N.W.).
The Black Squirrel (2427 18th St., N.W.) hosts its weekly LGBT night tonight at 9 p.m. There’s no cover charge. Must be 21 or older to enter. Visit blacksquirreldc.com to see a menu.
Sugarloft CraftsFestival starts today at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.. For more information, visit sugarloafcrafts.com.
This is the last weekend for Ganymede’s production of the gay-themed “Falsettos” at Noi’s Nook on 14th Street. Final performances are tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 7. Tickets are $30. Go to www.ganymedearts.org for more information.
Saturday, Oct. 9
Cotton Candy, a new 18-and-up gay dance party from event planner Jacob Pring, is tonight from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Green Lantern. It will continue on the second Saturday of each month. Admission is $5 but is free for those with a college or military ID. Vodka drinks are free from 10 to 11 p.m. DJs David Merrill and Bryan Yamasaki will spin. Ten percent of proceeds go to the D.C. Center.
Baltimore Black Pride continues with the Living Red Ribbon Campaign from 9 a.m. to noon, rain or shine, at Rash Field, at the base of Federal Hill park, in Baltimore. Representatives from the Guinness World Records are expected to attend as attendees attempt to create the largest living red ribbon ever.
The 14th annual Human Rights Campaign national dinner is tonight at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (801 Mount Vernon Place, N.W.). The dinner is sold out but people who still want to attend can be added to the wait list. Visit hrcnationaldinner.org for more information.
The VelocityDC Dance Festival continues today at the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St., N.W.) at 2 and 8 p.m. The 8 p.m. event includes performances by EDGEWORKS, Erica Rebollar, Furia Flamenca and more. The 2 p.m. event features the same performances as Friday night.
The eighth annual Cultural Affair, a part of Baltimore Black Pride, will be at the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center (847 N. Howard St.) from 7 to 11 p.m. tonight.
Logo and RCN present Morgan McMiachels and Shannel from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “Drag U” tonight at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) as part of the drag show starting at 10:30 p.m. Doors open at 10 p.m. Cover is $8 before 11 and $12 after. Attendees must be 21 or older.
Sunday, Oct. 10
LAMBDA SCI-FI will be holding its monthly meeting and social of LGBT science fiction, fantasy and horror fans at Brunswick House (1414 17th St., N.W.) at 1:30 p.m. for the meeting and 2 p.m. for the social. For more information call James at 202.232.3141 or e-mail to [email protected].
COLAGE celebrates its 20th anniversary today from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Mansion (O St., N.W.) Wilson Cruz, Angel from “Rent” will be emceeing the event.
Baltimore Black Pride will be having a National Coming Out Day party at the Comfort Inn Downtown Baltimore (8 E. Pleasant St.) from 2 to 4 p.m. Dress is casual and comfortable.
Pocket Gays hosts Sour Patch Sunday School today from 3 to 9 p.m. on the rooftop of Local 16 (1602 U St., N.W.). There will be drink specials and raffles including list spots to the “WTF” (What The Fuck?) party at Town the same night.
The fall festival ends Baltimore Black Pride at Club Bunns (608 W. Lexington St.) from 4 to 11 p.m. There is a $3 cover charge.
Women of Color Productions presents 10-10-10 The Unveiling of Epiphany Toi Williams from 6 p.m. to midnight tonight at Remington’s (639 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.). This event is the true life account of Williams shared through spoken word, musical performances, dance ensemble and more.
Monday, Oct. 11
Zoom presents a picnic brunch at the National Arboretum (3501 New York Ave., N.E.) today from 1 to 4 p.m. There will be garden games including, twister, tug of war and more. Attendees are to bring their own picnic baskets. Well-trained pets are welcome. This event is free.
West Coast Swing Flash Mob choreography will be taught at Remington’s (639 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.) tonight at 8:30 p.m. The choreography will be used to join a group from the D.C. area doing a flash mob on Oct. 16.
Hope Operas, whose founder is openly gay, has its second week of five new shows tonight to raise money for charity. The shows are at 8 p.m. at the Comedy Spot, in Ballston Mall (4238 Wilson, Blvd.), in Arlington. Each show benefits a different charity. Tickets are $12 per show. For more information call 323.788.8970 or e-mail [email protected].
Tuesday, Oct. 12
SpeakeasyDC will be at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight at 8 p.m. with “Coming Out: Stories about revelations, debuts and proclamations” in honor of National Coming Out Day. There is a $10 cover and attendees must be 21 or older. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Mautner Project presents a stress relief workshop tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. at Metropolitan Community Church (474 Ridge St., N.W.). Vanita Leatherwood will lead a small group through six sessions of ways to relieve stress. There is a $30 registration fee. E-mail to [email protected] or call 202-332-5536 for more information and to register.
Masters and Slaves Together will be holding its monthly meeting tonight from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.). For more information about the group, visit its website, mastwashington.org.
Wednesday, Oct. 13
Rainbow Response will be holding its monthly meeting tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. at D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence (5 Thomas Circle, N.W.). The meeting is open to all who are interested.
Green Lantern (1331 Green Court, N.W.) will host the weekly Poz D.C. happy hour upstairs from 8 p.m. to midnight. DJs, C-Dubz, Keith Hoffman, Jason Horswill and T-N-T Music factory will be spinning. Jacob Nathaniel Pring will host and bartend.
Thursday, Oct. 14
A new party dubbed “Homolicious” is at MOVA tonight from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. from MAG 7 Productions. Drag queen Stormy Vain and Allen Sexton will host. Downstairs from 7 to midnight, Jacob Pring and Justin Croft will bartend. Erik Lars Evans and Bryan Yamasaki will spin. Upstairs Mr. Gay D.C. 2010 Aaron Alexander will bartend and David Merrill will spin. “Homo” snow cones will be served. Those with birthdays the week of Oct. 10 to 16 will get a free drink.
DCBiWomen will be having its monthly dinner at Café Luna (1633 P St., N.W.) tonight from 7 to 8 p.m For more information, visit dcbiwomen.org.
Zenith Gallery (1111 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) has extended its Transparency exhibit of glass sculptures by Jackie L. Braitman. The gallery is open weekdays from 8 am to 7 p.m. For more information, visit zenithallery.com.
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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