Arts & Entertainment
Arts news in brief: Nov. 4
Chely Wright doc screening, Sig. ‘Hairspray’ party and more
Chely Wright at Capital Pride in 2010. (Blade photo by Michael Key)
Wright doc gets local screening tonight
The fifth annual Alexandria Film Festival has already kicked off with “Ed Hardy Tattoo the World,” but it will continue through the weekend with many more films, including a few with LGBT angles.
First up tonight at 9:15 p.m. is “Wish Me Away,” the documentary that tells the story of Chely Wright and the process she went through to become the first country music star to come out on national television.
Then on Saturday, at 5 p.m. is the East Coast premiere of “Cancerpants,” a documentary that shows Ro Poulson’s battle to survive after being diagnosed with stage III breast cancer with the help of her partner and their friends, family and community.
Both movies will be screened in the north lodge of George Washington Masonic Memorial (101 Callahan Drive). Tickets are $10 for individual screenings or $75 for a Fest Pass. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit alexandriafilm.org.
Signature teases ‘Hairspray’ opening
In celebration of Signature Theatre’s (4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington) upcoming production of “Hairspray,” the theater will be transformed for “The Big Hair Ball” on Saturday at 8 p.m.
The party will feature Baltimore favorites like crab cakes, sliders and Natty Boh and attendees can mingle with cast members of the musical as well as take dance classes or get their hair teased at “Big Hair Salon.”
“Hairspray” will play from Nov. 21 to Jan. 29 with Robert Aubry Davis of WETA’s “Around Town” and Sirius/XM Radio making his musical theater stage debut as Edna Turnblad.
Tickets for the ball range from $75 to $250 and can be purchased online at signature-theatre.org.
Several gay films planned for Rehoboth fest
The 14th annual Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival starts Wednesday and runs through next weekend at the Movies at Midway in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Several gay-themed films are planned including “The Green” with gay actor Cheyenne Jackson which tells the story of a gay couple who face crisis when one of them, a teacher at a private school, is accused of acting inappropriately with a student.
Sundance hit “Circumstances” tells of two teen girls who experiment with their sexuality in a repressive society in Tehran. And “Loose Cannons” is an Italian film about a gay man who comes out to his conservative family in hopes of getting out of joining the family business.
The Chely Wright documentary (see above) will also be shown as well as a documentary on Broadway legend Carl Channing.
Tickets can be purchased in person, by mail or e-mail. E-mail to [email protected] or visit rehobothfilm.com for details.
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.
The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.
Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.
Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.
Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.
The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”
“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”
“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”
“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”
Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week
Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.
The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.
Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.
“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”
Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.
Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.
Event Details:
📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026
⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP
Blade Foundation awards 9th journalism fellowship to AU student
Jason Collins dies at 47
Polish government to recognize same-sex marriages from EU countries
America’s broken pipeline of mental healthcare for trans youth
GLAA releases ratings for 18 candidates running for D.C. mayor, Council, AG
Learn more about queer love
Comings & Goings
New Hungarian prime minister takes office
DJ Chanel Santini is bringing the heat and some gender-fluid diversity to XBIZ Miami
