Arts & Entertainment

Strongly brewed ‘Tea’

Black gay performance piece gives author one-man tour de force

Published

14 years ago

September 22, 2011

Patrick Folliard

‘Sweet Tea’
Through Oct. 9
Signature Theatre
4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington
703-820-9771
signature-theatre.org

E. Patrick Johnson in ‘Sweet Tea,’ a pastiche-based performance piece on stage now at Signature. (Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy Signature)

As a chubby little gay boy growing up in Hickory, N.C., E. Patrick Johnson staved off bullies by making them laugh. His specialty was imitations. The moment would-be tormentors planned to attack, Johnson typically averted imminent pain by breaking into an uncanny impersonation of a less-than-loved teacher.

Today Johnson, a performance artist and professor of performance studies and African-American studies at Northwestern University in Chicago, is neither class clown nor chubby, but mimicry remains an integral part of his skill set. In his one-person performance piece “Sweet Tea” — now in production at Signature Theatre — Johnson portrays himself as well as a dozen other gay black characters drawn from real life interview subjects. With names like Countess Vivian, Chaz/Chastity and D.C., the men Johnson brings to life are a part of the South that sometimes goes unnoticed.

Amiable and soft spoken offstage, Johnson says, “I can assure theatergoers that they haven’t seen this play before — these kind of gay black experiences have never been shared before in a theater. LGBT audiences in particular will connect with these men’s stories in ways that may even surprise themselves.”

Johnson’s desire to record black gay men’s stories was sparked on a visit to Washington back in 1995. “I was at a cookout for Us Helping US, and I became engrossed with a group of African-American gay men who were sitting around a table sharing experiences about growing up in the day in the South. Then and there, I vowed that when I had the time and the resources to collect these stories I would. I feel it’s important to create an archive of these never-before-documented lives.”

Eventually, Johnson followed through: In 2004, he took a sabbatical from Northwestern and began collecting narratives from 77 African-American gay men ages 19 to 92 from all the southern states as well as Oklahoma and Missouri (both of which had been slave states). In 2008, he published an oral-history anthology titled “Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South.”

It was about a year into the project when Johnson realized that in addition to making a book, the interviews would also make a great performance. The material is rich and covers a wide range of topics: coming out, love and relationships, HIV/AIDS, bullying (Freddie recounts carrying a razor blade for protection), religion, mama drama, and of course sex (another character had sex with the entire football team in high school). Full of humor and poignancy, the tales are ultimately universal.

“In the past,” says Johnson, 44, “I’ve done staged readings of collected monologues in which I’d sit on a stool giving vocal impressions of different characters. But with ‘Sweet Tea’ it’s different — it’s a play and I fully embody the characters.”

“From the start, I intuitively knew that I was part of the ‘Sweet Tea’ story but it took me a while to understand that it’s my story too. While we were workshopping the play in Chicago, the show’s producer Jane Saks and others involved in the project agreed that I needed to interject my own story into the work. As it turned out, my own experiences are a through line: I’m in search of something and the other men help me to find it.”

Johnson has enjoyed electrifying rapport with audiences. He remembers a specific sold out performance of “Pouring Tea” (an earlier performance piece also comprised of gay black men’s stories) at the University of Pennsylvania.

“The crowd was mostly black and gay, and they were identifying with the show’s coming out stories, the church stories. The energy was unreal. We were levitating.”

His audiences at Signature will most likely be drawn primarily from a different demographic. Does that worry Johnson?

“I’ve been schooled about Signature’s blue-haired crowd, but I learned long ago never to make assumptions about audiences. I remember performing at the main library in downtown Mobile, Alabama, for a mostly white, straight crowd. During the post-show Q&A session, a minister thanked me for bringing the show to town. He approved of open talk about sexuality. After all, he said, God was there for the first wet vagina and the first erection. A hush fell over the room, and after what felt like an endless silence, I offered up an ‘Amen!’ It seemed right.”

Related Topics:E. Patrick Johnson Out & About Signature Theatre Sweet Tea

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Books

Celebrate Pride month by reading these books

History, pop culture, and more

Published

4 hours ago

June 14, 2025

Terri Schlichenmeyer

(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.

Music & Concerts

Indigo Girls coming to Capital One Hall

Stars take center stage alongside Fairfax Symphony

Published

2 days ago

June 12, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

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.

Calendar

Calendar: June 13-19

LGBTQ events in the days to come

Published

2 days ago

June 12, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

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.