Arts & Entertainment
ARTS NEWS IN BRIEF: ‘Homo’ performance at Dance Place
Thomas to perform, pro-gay African Bishop in town and Richmond Pride slated


Gay dancer Vince E. Thomas performs a gay-themed work in D.C. this weekend. (Photo courtesy of Thomas)
Vince E. Thomas brings his VTDance to the D.C. area to present his newest solo work, “iWitness,” a three-part performance, at Dance Place (3225 8th Street, N.W.) on Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m.
“I Pledge” explores the simple truths in human behaviors and the implied truths found in human documents. Another part, “Render & Proceed” investigates the convolution of media and its impact on the human spirit. The last part, “Come Change,” considers the past and present for a hopeful tomorrow.
The evening will also include a work called “Homo Will Not Inherit,” a collaboration with Iron Crow Theatre based on the poetry of Mark Doty dealing with the transformation of space physically and culturally.
Tickets are $22 for general admission, $17 for Dance Place members, seniors, teachers and artists, $10 for college students and $8 for children and teens 17 and younger.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit danceplace.org or call 202-269-1600.
Pro-gay Uganda bishop makes Lutheran, Episcopal weekend appearances
The Lutherans Concerned, Metro-Washington, D.C. is having its chapter banquet tonight at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation (212 E. Capitol St., N.E.) starting at 6:30 p.m. with a social hour followed by the banquet at 7:30.
Bishop Christopher Senyonjo, the retired Anglican bishop in Uganda and leader of St. Paul’s Reconciliation and Equality Centre in Kampala, is the guest speaker. He’ll also be speaking at All Souls Memorial Episcopal Church (2300 Cathedral Ave., N.W.) on Sunday morning at its 11 a.m. Mass. A discussion time will be held in the church hall after the service.
There will also be a silent auction to benefit SYMAL, the Trinity Place Shelter for LGBT youth in Manhattan, and the St. Paul’s Foundation for International Reconciliation, the U.S.-based organization that supports the Bishop’s work in Uganda.
Tickets are $25 and $40. Contact Philip Moeller at 202-543-1282 or by e-mail at [email protected] to RSVP.
Richmond, Va., has Pride event Saturday

Local gay singer/songwriter Tom Goss plays PrideFest in Richmond this weekend. (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Virginia Pride PrideFest 2011 is Saturday starting at noon at Kanawha Plaza in Richmond with performances by local and national performers including Martha Wash, Amy Henderson and Tom Goss.
The festival will also include the athletic wear and swimwear rounds of the Mr. VA Pride competition. The four finalists are Mr. Richmond Julius Smith, Mr. Fairfax Brian Reach, Mr. Arlington Chip Clapp and Mr. Virginia Beach Matt Belcher.
For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit vapride.org.

The 2025 Silver Pride Resource Fair and Tea Dance was held at the Eaton Hotel on Wednesday, May 21.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)










Out & About
Queer film festival comes to D.C.
DC/DOX to showcase LGBTQ documentaries made by LGBTQ filmmakers

DC/DOX will host a film festival beginning on Thursday, June 12, at the Regal Gallery Place, Eaton Cinema, and the U.S. Navy Memorial Burke Theatre.
This festival will premier LGBTQ documentaries made by LGBTQ filmmakers. Each screening will be followed by in-person Q&As with the filmmakers.
For more details, visit dcdoxfest.com
Movies
Gay director on revealing the authentic Pee-wee Herman
New HBO doc positions Reubens as ‘groundbreaking’ performance artist

In the new HBO two-part documentary, “Pee-wee as Himself,” director Matt Wolf gives viewers a never-before-seen look into the personal life of Paul Reubens, the comedic actor behind the much loved television persona, Pee-wee Herman.
Filmed before Reubens passed away in 2023 from cancer, Wolf and his creative team created the riveting documentary, interspersing several interviews, more than 1,000 hours of archival footage, and tens of thousands of personal photos.
Determined to set the record straight about what really happened, Reubens discussed his diverse influences, growing up in the circus town of Sarasota, Fla., and his avant-garde theater training at the California Institute of the Arts.
Ruebens joined the Groundlings improv group, where he created the charismatic Pee-wee Herman. He played the quirky character during the Saturday morning show, “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” and in numerous movies, like “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and “Big Top Pee-wee.” He also brought Pee-wee to Broadway, with “The Pee-wee Herman Show.”
To get an enigma such as Reubens to open up was no easy task for Wolf.
“I felt determined to get Paul to open up and to be his authentic self,” acknowledged Wolf at a recent press conference. “And I was being tested and I wanted to meet my match in a way so I didn’t feel frustrated or exhausted, I felt determined but I also, it was thrilling to go this deep. I’ve never been able, or I don’t know if I ever will, go this deep with another human being to interview them in an intimate way for over 40 hours.”
Wolf described the collaborative interview experience as a dream, “like we were in a bubble where time didn’t matter.” he also felt a deep connection to the material, having come of age watching “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.”
“I wouldn’t have been able to put words to it at the time, but I think it was my first encounter with art that I felt emotionally involved in,” noted Wolf.
“He continued: “I recognize that that show created a space for a certain kind of radical acceptance where creativity thrives. And as a gay filmmaker, I also recognize things like Pee-wee Herman marrying a bowl of fruit salad at a slumber party or dancing in high heels to the song, ‘Fever.’ That stuff spoke to me. So that was my connection to it.”
During the documentary, Reubens comes out as a gay man.
“Paul went into this process wanting to come out,” said Wolf. “That was a decision he had made. He was aware that I was a gay filmmaker and had made portraits of other gay artists. That was the work of mine he was attracted to, as I understood. And I wanted, as a younger person, to support him in that process, but he also was intensely sensitive that the film would overly emphasize that; or, focused entirely from the lens of sexuality when looking at his story.”
Their complicated dynamic had an aspect of “push and pull” between them.
“I think that generational difference was both a source of connection and affinity and tension. And I do think that the level to which Paul discusses his relationships and intimacy and vulnerability and the poignant decision he made to go back into the closet. I do have to believe to some extent he shared that because of our connection.”
Wolf hopes that the “Pee-wee as Himself” positions Reubens as one of the most “groundbreaking” performance artists of his generation who in a singular way broke through into mainstream pop culture.
“I know he transformed me. He transformed how I see the world and where I went as a creative person. And it’s so clear that I am not alone in that feeling. For me, it was fairly abstract. I couldn’t necessarily put words to it. I think people who grew up on Pee-wee or were big fans of Pee-wee, seeing the film, I hope, will help them tap into intangible and specific ways how transformative his work was for them. It really is a gift to revisit early seminal experiences you had and to see how they reverberate in you.”
He added: “So, to me, this isn’t so much about saying Paul Reubens is a genius. I mean, that’s overly idealizing and I don’t like hero worship. It’s more about understanding why many of us have connected to his work and understanding where he lives within a legacy of performance art, television, and also, broader pop culture.”
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