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Arts briefs: Feb. 18

New ‘Joseph’ production to open, HRC to hold adoption forum and more

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Alan Wiggins as Joseph and Eleasha Gamble as the Narrator in ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ directed by David Hidler. Photo courtesy of Olney Theatre Center.

‘Joseph’ production slated for Olney

David Hidler’s take on “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” opens Wednesday at 8 p.m. on the mainstage Olney Theatre Center (2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd).

“When I think of ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,’ I think of a show as big as its title – splashy, flashy, big dance numbers, terrific music … it all feels epic, gigantic,” said Hilder in a press release. “And yet when I read the story … what strikes me is much simpler and, fundamentally more personal … It’s a powerful story we all can learn from.”

“Joseph” is the first full-length musical by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim price that began as a 20-minute “pop cantata” by Webber for a school choir to perform in 1968 and was produced on the London stage five years later. The show went on Broadway in 1982.

Joseph will be played by Alan Wiggins, a first time performer at Olney. His father is played by R. Scott Williams (who also plays Potiphar). Williams has performed at Olney in “Of Mice and Men” and has appeared locally on stage at the Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, the Shakespeare Theatre, Washington Stage Guild and Wayside Theatre.

Another performer returning to the center is Eleasha Gamble as the Narrator, a role in which she made her professional debut at Olney in 1999.

Joseph’s brothers will be played by Stephawn Stephens, Mardee Bennett, Nick Lehan, Kurt Boehm, Parker Drown, L.C. Harden Jr., Vincent Kempsi, Ben Lurye, Jeramiah Miller, Andrew Sonntag and Russell Sunday.

On Wednesday through Saturday, there will be a performance at 8 p.m with matinees on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. Sundays and March 8, a Tuesday, will also have a 7:30 p.m. performance. Two additional matinees will be on March 2 and 16 at 2 p.m.

Tickets start at $26 with discounts available to groups, seniors, military and students and can be purchased by calling the box office at 301-924-3400 or visiting olneytheatre.org. The show will run through March 20.

HRC plans adoption forum

This Wednesday, Human Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) is hosting an adoption forum.

Ellen Kahn, Family Project Direct at HRC says there are major adoption needs in the D.C. area.

“We are a city that has a large population of older children in foster care,” Kahn said.

These older children will age out of the system if they do not find a family, she said.

That’s why she is organizing this forum.

“The long term goal, of course, is to find families for some of these young people who might not otherwise have these connections,” Kahn said.

There will be a number of speakers from different organizations at the forum, such as Adoptions Together and D.C. Child and Family Services. These representatives will be talking about the work that they do and the ways in which they help find families for children in foster care.

They will share local resources and what the process of becoming a foster parent or adopting entails. The panelists will also answer frequently asked questions.

The questions Kahn always hears is whether these organizations trying to place children in families will allow a gay man or lesbian to adopt.

Kahn says a disproportionate number of youth identify somewhere on the LGBT spectrum and agencies are having trouble placing these children because not everyone is open to adopting or fostering an LGBT child.

Agencies are trying to find parents who are open to the idea of adopting an LGBT youth or who have experience or are knowledgeable about the LGBT community. They are looking for parents, gay or straight, who would be committed to supporting these youths.

According to Kahn, there will also be some people on the panel who are raising teens to share their experiences of going through the process and being a support for a child who was in the foster care system. She hopes they will have one or two youths who can share their experiences about being in the system and finding a family.

Kahn will be on the panel as well.

This is a free event that is opened to all families whether they are single, partnered, married, gay or straight. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the program begins at 7.

“If anybody has even the slightest instinct to be a resource, we want them to come through the door,” Kahn said.

Sandy LeBrun-Evans photograph titled "View of Cells" is part of the f11 exhibit, "A Room of Our Own," which opens March 1 at Pepco Edison Place Gallery.

Rooms explored in new exhibit

f11 Women’s Photography Collective presents “A Room of Our Own” which opens March 1 at Pepco Edison Place Gallery (702 8th St., N.W.).

Sponsored by The Art League in Alexandria, “Room” features more than 50 images created by the 18 members of f11.

“The images are as rich and varied as the methods used to make them, reflecting the different perceptions, styles and processes of f11’s members,” Rose O’Donnell, Gallery Director for The Art League said in a press release.

Some of the photographs on display include Sandy LeBrun-Evans images of the Eastern State Penitentiary in Pennsylvania and Sheila Galagan’s series of images from Rock Creek Cemetery in Petworth.

Pamela Viola’s “interpretive” Egyptian landscapes will also be on display.

“I consider my work interpretive photography; meaning I develop the image beyond the straight photographic capture — sometimes layering multiple images and textures together to create an embellished landscape,” Viola said in an artist’s statement on her website.

The exhibit will run from March 1 to Apr. 1. There will be an opening reception on March 10.

The gallery is open from Tuesday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. It will also be open March 12 and 26 from noon to 4 p.m. This exhibit is free.

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Books

Celebrate Pride month by reading these books

History, pop culture, and more

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(Photo courtesy of Terri Schlichenmeyer)

You’ve done your share of marching.

You’re determined to wring every rainbow-hued thing out of this month. The last of the parties hasn’t arrived yet, neither have the biggest celebrations and you’re primed but – OK, you need a minute. So pull up a chair, take a deep breath, and read these great books on gay history, movies, and more.

You probably don’t need to be told that harassment and discrimination was a daily occurrence for gay people in the past (as now!), but “American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives” by Robert W. Fieseler (Dutton, $34) tells a story that runs deeper than you may know. Here, you’ll read a historical expose with documented, newly released evidence of a systemic effort to ruin the lives of two groups of people that were perceived as a threat to a legislature full of white men.

Prepared to be shocked, that’s all you need to know.

You’ll also want to read the story inside “The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS” by Martin Padgett (W.W. Norton & Company, $31.99), which sounds like a novel, but it’s not. It’s the story of one man’s fight for a basic right as the AIDS crisis swirls in and out of American gay life and law. Hint: this book isn’t just old history, and it’s not just for gay men.

Maybe you’re ready for some fun and who doesn’t like a movie? You know you do, so you’ll want “Sick and Dirty: Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age and the Making of Modern Queerness” by Michael Koresky (Bloomsbury, $29.99). It’s a great look at the Hays Code and what it allowed audiences to see, but it’s also about the classics that sneaked beneath the code. There are actors, of course, in here, but also directors, writers, and other Hollywood characters you may recognize. Grab the popcorn and settle in.

If you have kids in your life, they’ll want to know more about Pride and you’ll want to look for “Pride: Celebrations & Festivals” by Eric Huang, illustrated by Amy Phelps (Quarto, $14.99), a story of inclusion that ends in a nice fat section of history and explanation, great for kids ages seven-to-fourteen. Also find “Are You a Friend of Dorothy? The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped Shape” by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Levi Hastings (Simon & Schuster, $19.99), a lively book about a not-often-told secret for kids ages six-to-ten; and “Papa’s Coming Home” by Chasten Buttigieg, illustrated by Dan Taylor (Philomel, $19.99), a sweet family tale for kids ages three-to-five.

Finally, here’s a tween book that you can enjoy, too: “Queer Heroes” by Arabelle Sicardi, illustrated by Sarah Tanat-Jones (Wide Eyed, $14.99), a series of quick-to-read biographies of people you should know about.

Want more Pride books? Then ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for more, because there are so many more things to read. Really, the possibilities are almost endless, so march on in.

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Music & Concerts

Indigo Girls coming to Capital One Hall

Stars take center stage alongside Fairfax Symphony

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The Indigo Girls are back in the area next week. (Photo courtesy of Vanguard Records)

Capital One Center will host “The Indigo Girls with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra” on Thursday, June 19 and Friday, June 20 at 8 p.m. at Capital One Hall. 

The Grammy Award-winning folk and pop stars will take center stage alongside the Fairfax Symphony, conducted by Jason Seber. The concerts feature orchestrations of iconic hits such as “Power of Two,” “Get Out The Map,” “Least Complicated,” “Ghost,” “Kid Fears,” “Galileo,” “Closer to Fine,” and many more.

Tickets are available on Ticketmaster or in person at Capital One Hall the nights of the concerts. 

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Calendar

Calendar: June 13-19

LGBTQ events in the days to come

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Friday, June 13

“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 2 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s new location at 1827 Wiltberger St., N.W. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected]

Women in Their Twenties and Thirties will be at 8 p.m. at Wundergarten. An update will be posted the night of the event on where to find WiTT’s table. There’ll be a Pride flag to help people find the group. For more details, join WiTT’s closed Facebook group

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Pride Month Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach bar and Restaurant. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite

Saturday, June 14

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Pride Month Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including Allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Rainbow History Project will host “Behind the Scenes With the Senior Curator of ‘Pickets, Protests and Parades’” at 7:30p.m. at Freedom Plaza. This behind-the-scenes experience offers a rare glimpse into the creative process behind this groundbreaking showcase of DC’s LGBTQ+ history. Learn about the bold design decisions that shaped the Quote Wall and Hero Cubes and the powerful stories that almost made the cut. Tickets cost $82 and can be purchased on Eventbrite

Monday, June 16

“Center Aging Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected]

Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary. Whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis. For more information, visit their website at www.genderqueerdc.org or check us out on Facebook

Tuesday, June 17

Bi+ Roundtable and Discussion will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is an opportunity for people to gather in order to discuss issues related to bisexuality or as Bi individuals in a private setting. Check out Facebook or Meetup for more information.

Wednesday, June 18

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

“Legends Live Loud: A Queer Karaoke Experience” will be at 7 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This will be a dynamic, Center-wide karaoke event celebrating the brilliance and cultural impact of some of our most colorful queer icons. The Center will honor legends through music, pop culture, dance, and inextinguishable liberation. For more details and to sign up, visit the DC Center’s website

Thursday, June 19

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Book Club” at 7:30 p.m. at Federico Ristorante Italiano. This book club is co-hosted by EQUALITY NoVa and is another opportunity to engage in a fun and rewarding activity. The group doesn’t discriminate when it comes to genres it reads – from classic literature to best selling novels to biographies to histories to gay fiction. For more details, visit Eventbrite

Cultivating Change Foundation will host “Cultivating Pride Happy Hour” at 5:30 p.m. at Dacha Beer Garden. This Pride month, the organization is inviting LGBTQ+ people and allies in food and agriculture to come together in communities nationwide. These informal gatherings are a chance to connect, celebrate, and build community, whether it’s over coffee, a cocktail, or a conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite

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