Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: Oct. 15-21
Lesbian rocker Mara Levi has an album release party Friday at the Phase
Friday, Oct. 15
Heroes Latinos, the fifth annual Hispanic LGBT heritage month reception, is tonight at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. There will be light appetizers and refreshments as attendees view the Heroes Latinos photography exhibit and observe the annual Community Leaders Awards ceremony.
Enigma, a new monthly event for those who abstain from substances and their friends that are in recovery, is tonight at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. There will be a separate entrance at the side door that goes directly to the second floor. DJs MAJR and John Thompson will be tag-teaming. Cover is $5.
The Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery (1632 U St., N.W.) hosts an opening reception and meet the artist of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence: Identity Writ Large featuring photography by Matthew Black tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. Black has documented the gay/drag social activist group since 2007. This show features portraits of the Seattle chapter of the group.
DC Women in their 30s, a new group for LGBT woman in their 30s, will have its kick-off event tonight at 8 at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.). For more info or to RSVP e-mail [email protected] or visit the Facebook Group, DCW30s.
Charm City Kitty Club presents Homo Rogue: Do Ask, Do Tell! tonight at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson (3134 Eastern Ave.) in Baltimore. There will be a cocktail hour at 7 p.m. and the show will being at 8. The event will feature Gina Carduci’s exploration of sex and violence in “All That Sheltering Emptiness”, D.C. band noon:30, drag artist Delicio Del Toro, the Baltimore Experimental Dance Collective and scenes from “Jay Dreams” by Baltimore filmmaker Catherine Pancake.
Mara Levi, local lesbian writer and performer, is holding a release party for her latest CD tonight at 8 p.m. at Phase 1 (525 8th St., S.E.). “We Listen to Fools” is Levi’s third solo album and the follow-up to 2008’s “What are You?.” Levi is a classically trained jazz musician. Levi describes the album as a compilation of “heartbreaking love songs that make you want to skip and sing along.”
The D.C. Capital Classic, a National Gay Basketball Association-sanctioned basketball tournament held in D.C., has its registration event tonight at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) from 7 to 10 p.m. on the second floor. All players must register for the tournament at this event. There will be a captains meeting at the event at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 16
Get a head start on Halloween at the “Bowled and the Beautiful” drag show hosted by Barbara Bush tonight at 8 p.m. at Apex (1415 22nd Street, NW). Proceeds benefit the charities of the IGBO Midyear Bowling Tournament: Food & Friends, SMYAL and the Daniel Fissell Music Foundation. $5 suggested door donation.
The Organization of American States has organized a “Backpacks for Haiti’s Children” event tonight at the OAS Headquarters from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. OAS has joined with the Diplomatic Community and Staff Associations to collect and donate backpacks and school supplies to help Haiti’s children. Visit oas.org/en/member_states/haiti/backpack/default.html to make a donation.
MIXTAPE D.C. is tonight at EFN Lounge (1318 9th St., N.W.) from 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. MIXTAPE is a dance party for queer music lovers and their pals that features DJs Shea Van Horn and Matt Bailer playing an eclectic mix of electro, alt-pop, indie rock, house, disco, new wave and anything else you danceable. $5 cover for 21 and over.
Reel Affirmations presents “Bear City” starring Gerald McCullouch from “CSI,” tonight at 7 p.m. at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St., N.W.).
The D.C. Capital Classic dinner is tonight at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) from 6 to 9 p.m. This dinner is for players who signed up and paid for it at registration. The tournament itself starts earlier in the day and will be held at the Capital Sports Complex (6417 Marlboro Pike) in District Heights.
Sunday, Oct. 17
Burgundy Crescent Volunteers and D.C. Ice Breakers are co-hosting their second men’s singles part tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. at ACKC Cocoa Bar (1529C 14th St., N.W.). Friends welcome but no dates.
The Academy of Washington, Inc., will be holding its annual show benefiting the Rainbow History Project today at Ziegfeld’s (1824 Half St., S.W.). Doors open at 2 p.m. and the show begins at 3. There is a $10 entry fee.
The D.C. Capital Classic will be having its closing happy hour tonight at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) from 7 to 10 p.m. on the roof deck. The closing party will be at Café Asia (1720 I St., N.W.) starting at 11 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 18
Hope Operas, whose founder is openly gay, has its third 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].
Midnight Intrigue Events presents Intriguing Women’s Speed Dating tonight at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) from 7 to 10 p.m. Check in is at 6. There is a $15 cover. No-pressure dates and $3 drinks.
Tuesday, Oct. 19
Women Over 40, a new women’s social group to connect local women who are 40 or older, will be holding its first meeting tonight at 6 p.m. at the DC Center (1318 U St., N.W.)
A Glee watch parties will be at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) tonight at 9 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 20
BOOKMEN D.C., an informal group of men interested in gay literature, meets at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Charles Sumner School and Archives (1201 17th St. N.W.) to discuss selections from “A Casualty of War: the Arcadia Book of Gay Short Stories,” edited by Peter Burton. All are welcome. For more information visit bookmendc.blogspot.com.
GayParazzi, the new GLBT Photo Group, will meet at ACKC on 14th Street for a photo share and friendly critique. Sign up at meetup.com/GayParazzi.
SAGE Metro D.C. will be holding a senior educational seminar, Medicare and Social Security — policy and legal considerations in the absence of legal marriage today from 8 to 9:30 a.m. The event will be at the Residences at Thomas Circle (1330 Massachusetts. Ave., N.W.). Stop by the front desk to be directed to meeting room. Continental breakfast will be available.
The Tom Davaron Social Bridge Club will meet tonight at 7:30, at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for social bridge. No partner is needed. For more information, visit lambdabridge.com; click “Social Bridge in Washington, D.C.”
DCJCC is holding its annual literary festival and tonight features “Keep Your Wives Away from Them: Orthodox Women, Unorthodox Desires” edited by Miryam Kabakov. Contributors Goldie Goldbloom and Elaine Chapnik will share personal stories of how their Judaism coexists with life in and out of the closet. This event will be at the Ina and Jack Kay Community Hall (1529 16th St., N.W.) from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $9 for discounted members, seniors, and those under 25 and $11 for everyone else.
Tonight marks the kick-off of the 12th International Drag King Extravaganza presented by the Baltimore Gender Justice Collective and Charm City Boys with a meet and greet at 7 p.m. at Grand Central Station (1001 N. Charles St.) in Baltimore. Visit idkexii.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
Thursday, Oct. 21
IDKE continues today with the first day of a three day art and film festival and workshops at 2640 Saint Paul St., in Baltimore. A three-day pass is $45. Ottobar (2549 N Howard St.) is also holding an event, Dragdom, at 8 p.m. Cover is $12. Visit idkexii.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
Thomas Middleton’s play “Women Beware Women,” in which “three couples engage in a dangerous game of strategy as they vie for the power and pursue their lust,” adapted by Jesse Berger and directed by Allison Arkell Stockman, will be performed by the Constellation Theatre Company at Source Theatre (1835 14th St., N.W.) tonight at 8 p.m. Jesse Terill, who’s openly gay, composed all the show’s music and Constellation company member Ashley Ivey, who’s openly gay, places the Cardinal.
PHOTO: Mara Levi (Blade file photo)
Theater
Ford’s ‘First Look’ festival showcases three new productions
A chance to enjoy historical dramas for free before they’re completed
The Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions: A First Look – 2026
Jan. 16 & 17
Ford’s Theatre
511 Tenth St., N.W.
FREE
Fords.org
When Ford’s Theatre debuted its new plays festival, “A First Look,” in 2023, it was unclear whether people would come for the staged readings.
“Before the pandemic if you announced the reading of a play, 12 people might show up,” says José Carrasquillo, director of artistic programming at Ford’s Theatre. “Since then, we’ve experienced comparatively massive turnout. Maybe because it’s cheap, or because of the very newness of the works.”
This year’s fourth edition showcases readings of three pieces currently in varied stages of development. The free, two-day festival offers audiences a chance to encounter historical dramas long before they’re completed and fully produced. None are finished, nor have they been read publicly. And befitting the venue’s provenance, the works are steeped in history.
The festival kicks off with “Springs” by playwright Jeanne Sakata and directed by Jessica Kubzansky. Commissioned by The Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions, it’s the both epic and personal story of Sakata’s Japanese American family including her grandfather’s experience in an internment camp.
“Sakata’s immigrant grandfather was an exceptionally skilled farmer who helped to stave off starvation in the camp. Still, he never gave up on the idea that he belonged in America. It’s very much a story of today,” says Carrasquillo.
Unlike “Springs,” the festival’s two other works weren’t commissioned by Ford’s. But they both fit the history brief and likely will benefit from the exposure and workshopping.
“Providence Spring,” by California based playwright Richard Helesen and directed by Holly Twyford, portrays Clara Barton (played by local favorite Erin Weaver) as a hero beyond the Red Cross whose then-radical initiatives included cataloguing the Civil War dead, many pulled from mass graves.
Directed by Reginald L. Douglas, “Young John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest” explores a slice from the life of the legendary civil rights activist and longtime congressman. With book and lyrics by Psalmayene 24 and music by Kokayi this collaboratively staged reading between Ford’s and Mosaic Theater is slated to premiere fully produced at Mosaic as a 90-minute musical in the spring of 2026.
“When I was hired at Ford’s in 2018, we began discussing hiring writers who do historical drama,” says Carrasquillo. “Our intention was resolute, but we didn’t do it right away. It took getting through the pandemic to revisit the idea.”
At the same time, the racial reckoning spurred Ford’s to hire playwrights of color to tell stories that had previously been forgotten or ignored.
For Carrasquillo, who is gay, the impulse to commission was crystalized when he saw the film “Hidden Figures,” a true story about “three brilliant African-American women — at NASA during the Space Race, overcoming racial and gender discrimination to make crucial contributions to America’s spaceflight success.” He says, “the film floored me. How many stories like this are there that we don’t know about?”
One of the festival’s happiest experiences, he adds, was the commission of playwright Chess Jakobs’s “The American Five” and its subsequent success. It’s the story of Martin Luther King Jr. and his inner circle, including Bayard Rustin (MLK’s brilliant, unsung gay adviser) leading up to the 1963 March on Washington. The play later premiered fully produced in Ford’s 2025 season.
Increasingly, the readings at Ford’s have become popular with both artists and audiences.
At Ford’s, Carrasquillo wears many hats. In addition to selecting plays and organizing workshops, he serves as an in-house dramaturg for some of the nascent works. But he’s not alone. Also helming the festival are senior artistic advisor Sheldon Epps, and The Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions advisor Sydné Mahone.
Because the plays are in development, comments from directors, dramaturgs, and the audience are considered and may become part of the playwrights’ rewrites and changes. If and when the play resurfaces fully produced, audience members might find their suggestion in the completed work.
Is this year’s festival queer influenced? Yes, both by those involved and the topics explored.
Carrasquillo explains, “While Sakata’s “Springs” is primarily about immigration, its message is relevant to the queer community. Civil rights are being taken away from us. We need this playwright’s story to know what has happened and what can happen to any of us.
“Many of Ford’s legacy commissions underscore the importance of civil rights in our country and that’s important to all of us. Queer and not queer.”
Bars & Parties
Mid-Atlantic Leather kicks off this week
Parties, contests, vendor expo and more planned for annual gathering
The Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend will begin on Thursday, Jan 15.
This is an annual three-day event in Washington, D.C., for the leather, kink, and LGBTQ+ communities, featuring parties, vendors, and contests.
There will be an opening night event hosted the evening of Thursday, Jan. 15. Full package and three-day pass pickup will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Hyatt Capitol B. There will also be “Kinetic Dance Party” at 10 p.m. at District Eagle.
For more details, visit MAL’s website.
A protest was held outside of the White House on Saturday following the killing of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis. Across the Potomac, picketers held signs calling for “Justice for Renee” in Tysons, Va.
“ICE Out For Good” demonstrations were held in cities and towns across the country, according to multiple reports. A march was held yesterday in Washington, D.C., as the Blade reported. Further demonstrations are planned for tomorrow.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)









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