Arts & Entertainment

Gay couple takes stage at Renaissance Festival

Marylanders relive 1544 England each weekend

Published

14 years ago

September 30, 2011

The year is 1544. The location is Revel Grove, a small village in the county of Oxfordshire, England. The Royal Court of King Henry VIII is paying a visit to this village as part of its annual summer progress. Attending on His Majesty is the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, and his partner, the diplomat Sir Ralph Sadler.

Wait a minute! If you don’t remember reading that in a history book, perhaps some clarification is needed. Revel Grove is a fictitious name given to the site at The Maryland Renaissance Festival. And while no history book mentioned a relationship between the Archbishop and Sir Ralph, the actors who portray those characters have been together for 17 years.

Steven Edward Kirkpatrick (Archbishop Cranmer), and Charles Boyington (Sir Ralph), currently live in Hyattsville but make the drive to 16th century England each weekend as part of the acting company of the Maryland Renaissance Festival.

Not surprisingly, theater is what drew the couple together. They met in Memphis, Tenn., while working at the Playhouse on the Square. Charles was directing the play, “Marvin’s Room,” and Steven was supposed to audition but someone had told him there was no role for him in the play.

“It worked out for the best since I would not have been open to dating him if I was also directing him at the time,” says Charles.

“Looking at pictures of those years, we look like mere kids,” muses Steven. “The amazing thing is that it doesn’t seem like that long.”

Both have been performing for more than 20 years but do not often act together.

“More often than not we do our own thing,” says Charles. “We were in a production of Jekyll and Hyde, which was written for us. I was Jekyll and Steven was Hyde.”

“We haven’t performed together in several years,” notes Steven, “so the festival has been fun. Once we did play the same role in the same show. There was a period back in Memphis when Charles somehow ended up being my unofficial understudy for several roles. He took over for me as Sebastian in The Tempest when I had to step in as Prospero. It’s amusing to see photos of us playing the same role and wearing the same costume, but I will say he always played the character very differently from me.”

While both feel a major benefit for a couple performing in the same show is the ability to carpool, is there ever a strain to being in the same production?

“Theater has always been a primary bond between us, so it is far more positive than a negative. If we don’t get a chance to perform regularly we both suffer, so this way we’re both getting an important need met,” says Steven.

“Most of the time it is great fun,” says Charles. “The only issue is I like to arrive early to rehearsals and performances and then stay later than necessary to hang out. Steven wants to arrive later and leave earlier. This is true in just about everything we do though.”

Actors can be sensitive regarding their work. Shelley Winters claimed her husband, Vittorio Gassman, once gave her a black eye when she confessed she preferred Olivier’s Hamlet to his. As a couple, do they ever critique each other’s work?

“As the years have gone by, we have learned how to critique each other without tripping on toes,” laughs Steven.

Steven first performed at the Festival in 2002, and Charles in 2008. Steven was on a hiatus for a few seasons, so this is the first year they have performed together at the venue. As a gay couple, they have they found the Renaissance Festival a positive performing environment.

“It can appear different on the surface since there is an emphasis on machismo by some of the guys in the cast,” says Charles. “But most of that is just trying to play up the time period. Once you get to know these folks, they are perhaps the most accepting people on the face of the earth. They come from all walks of life and have a ‘live and let live’ philosophy.”

Stephen agrees, “Because so many actors love this venue and are given a chance to return, there is definitely a sense of this being like a second family. I’ve always felt that I can truly be me in all of my many aspects and have complete acceptance in this venue. And I don’t always feel that way in certain sectors of the gay community! The cast and vendors are wonderful, so it’s been great.”

Steven and Charles will be performing at The Maryland Renaissance Festival weekends through Oct. 23.

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PHOTOS: Cupid’s Undie Run

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Published

12 hours ago

February 21, 2026

Michael Key

A dance party was held at Union Stage before Cupid's Undie Run on Saturday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

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Out & About

Sweat DC expands to Shaw

Community workout and social planned for March 14

Published

14 hours ago

February 21, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

Sweat DC is officially expanding to Shaw, opening a new location at 1818 7th St., N.W., on Saturday, March 28 — and they’re kicking things off with a high-energy, community-first launch event.

To celebrate, Sweat DC is hosting Sweat Fest, a free community workout and social on Saturday, March 14, at 10 a.m. at the historic Howard Theatre. The event features a group fitness class, live DJ, local food and wellness partners, and a mission-driven partnership with the Open Goal Project, which works to expand access to youth soccer for players from marginalized communities.

For more details, visit Sweat DC’s website and reserve a spot on Eventbrite.

Calendar

Calendar: February 20-26

LGBTQ events in the days to come

Published

2 days ago

February 20, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

Friday, Feb. 20

Center Aging Monthly Luncheon with Yoga will be at noon at the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center. Email Mac at [email protected] if you require ASL interpreter assistance, have any dietary restrictions, or questions about this event.

Trans and Genderqueer Game Night will be at 7 p.m. at the D.C. Center. This will be a relaxing, laid-back evening of games and fun. All are welcome! We’ll have card and board games on hand. Feel free to bring your own games to share. For more details, visit the Center’s website.

Go Gay DC will host “First Friday LGBTQ+ Community Social” at 7 p.m. at Hotel Zena. This is a chance to relax, make new friends, and enjoy happy hour specials at this classic retro venue. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Saturday, Feb. 21

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community 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.

LGBTQ People of Color will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This peer support group is an outlet for LGBTQ People of Color to come together and talk about anything affecting them in a space that strives to be safe and judgement free. There are all sorts of activities like watching movies, poetry events, storytelling, and just hanging out with others. For more information and events, visit thedccenter.org/poc or facebook.com/centerpoc.

Sunday, Feb. 22

Queer Talk DC will host “The Black Gay Flea Market” at 1 p.m. at Doubles in Petworth. There will be more than 15 Black queer vendors from all over the DMV in one spot. The event’s organizers have reserved the large back patio for all vendors, and the speak easy for bar service, which will be serving curated cocktails made just for the event (cash bar.) DJ Fay and DJ Jam 2x will be spinning the entire event. For more details, visit Eventbrite.

Monday, Feb. 23

“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 information, contact Adam at [email protected].

Tuesday, Feb. 24

Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so — by sharing struggles and victories the group allows those newly coming out and who have been out for a while to learn from others. For more details, visit the group’s Facebook.

Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. 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 percent cis. For more details, visit genderqueerdc.org or Facebook.

Wednesday, Feb. 25

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. 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.

Asexual and Aromantic Group will meet at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a space where people who are questioning this aspect of their identity or those who identify as asexual and/or aromantic can come together, share stories and experiences, and discuss various topics. For more details, email [email protected].

Thursday, Feb. 26

The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center. To be more fair with who is receiving boxes, the program is moving to a lottery system. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.

Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breathwork and meditation that allows LGBTQ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.