Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: Jan. 6
Parties, club meetings, concerts and more through Jan. 12
The D.C. Kings are at Phase 1 Sunday night. (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
TODAY (Friday)
Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) presents “The Workers’ Party,” a night featuring Black Cat staff bands, Mean Season, Booze Riot, The Red Moon Preachers and Raindeer. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased online at blackcatdc.com. Doors open at 9 p.m.
Gilded Lily Burlesque presents “Anything Goes” tonight at Red Palace (1212 H St., N.E.) at 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 and available day of show. Doors open at 9 p.m. and attendees must be 21 or older. For more information, visit redpalacedc.com.
Busboys & Poets presents First Fridays: A Local Arts Exploration today at 5:30 p.m. in the Zinn room at its Hyattsville location (5331 Baltimore Ave., Suite 104). This event combines a reception, artist talk and the opportunity to meet local artists and see their work. This month’s presenters are Hermione Rhones, Joe’s Movement Emporium, Justin Fair, Ilana Silverstein and Lisa K. Rosenstein.
Comedian Tony Woods plays Riot Act Comedy Theater (801 E St., N.W.) tonight at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for each performance and available online atriotactcomedy.com. Woods will also have two performances Saturday.
Carbon Leaf, whose live performances have been compared to Dave Matthews Band and R.E.M., play Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd.) in Vienna tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and available online at wolftrap.org. The band also plays Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 7
DJ Randy White spins at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight with music and video downstairs by DJ Wess. There’s an $8 cover before 11 p.m. and $12 afterward. Doors open at 10 p.m.
Code has its monthly installment tonight at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.). Gear, rubber, skin, uniform or leather dress code will be strictly enforced. Music provided by DJ Frank Wild. Admission is $10. All attendees must be 18 or older. There will be an open bar from 9 to 10 p.m.
Black Cat’s (1811 14th St., N.W.) weekly Hellmouth Happy Hour will feature a special holiday screening of the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” movie starring Luke Perry and Kristen Swanson. This is a free event and doors open at 7 p.m.
Glen Echo Park (7300 MacArthur Blvd.) is having its annual holiday art show and sale today featuring glass, ceramics, jewelry and more in the Popcorn Gallery from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The show ends Sunday. For more information, visit glenechopark.org.
The Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) presents its production of “Billy Elliot: The Musical” directed by Stephen Daldry and featuring music by Elton John, today at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $150 and can be purchased online at kennedy-center.org.
MORE IN THE BLADE: M.A.L. WEEKEND COMING TO WASHINGTON
Sunday, Jan. 8
The D.C. Kings perform at Phase 1 (525 8th St., S.E.) tonight at 10 p.m. This show will be ASL interpreted. There is a $10 cover. Doors open at 7 p.m. and all attendees must be 21 or older. For more information, visit dckings.com.
Burgundy Crescent Volunteers will be helping fight hunger in the D.C. area today from 9 a.m. to noon, with D.C. Central Kitchen. Volunteers will help cook, working along chefs who have graduated from the Kitchen’s job training program. No experience is required, just an interest of cooking. The Kitchen provides job skills by using rescued and donated ingredients to teach unemployed and homeless individuals how to cook, then turns this food into free meal services. E-mail [email protected] for more information.
LGBT science fiction, fantasy and horror group Lambda Sci-Fi is having its monthly meeting today, including election of officers and social with annual blind book exchange at 1425 S St., N.W., at 1:30 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring a snack or a non-alcoholic drink to share. For more information contact James at 202-232-3141 or Peter and Rob at 202-483-6369, e-mail: [email protected], or visit the group’s website at lambdascifi.org.
Monday, Jan. 9
WEAVE, a support group for LGBT survivors of intimate partner violence/abuse, meets from 7 to 8 p.m. tonight at the Lighthouse Center for Healing (5321 First Place, N.E.). For more information and to register, call 202-280-6391.
Professionals in the City and the D.C. Center are hosting a speed dating event for lesbian and bisexual women at Chi-Cha Lounge (1624 U St., N.W.) from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight. Attendees will date for about an hour and then be able to mingle with everyone. After the event, matches can be made online. Tickets are $30. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Tuesday, Jan. 10
D.C. Bi Women will have its monthly dinner at Dupont Italian Kitchen (1637 17th St., N.W.) tonight from 7 to 9 p.m.
Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) presents Drink and a Movie tonight featuring the films “Can’t Hardly Wait” starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and “Clueless” starring Alicia Silverstone. This is a free event. Doors open at 8 p.m.
MORE IN THE BLADE: A TASTE OF TOKLAS
Wednesday, Jan. 11
Rainbow Response is holding its monthly meeting tonight at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) from 7 to 8 p.m.
Kicking off a series of special shows featuring comedians from one state or city, Riot Act Comedy Theater (801 E St., N.W.) presents Maryland Night with Todd Rexx tonight at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and available online at riotactcomedy.com.
The Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., SE — across from Marine Barracks) for duplicate bridge. No reservations needed; newcomers welcome. Visit lambdabridge.com if you need a partner.
MORE IN THE BLADE: TASTE OF NEW YORK
Thursday, Jan. 12
Christopher Cross plays Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd.) in Vienna tonight at 8 p.m. Cross is the only artist to win Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best New Artist Grammys on the same night. Tickets are $45 and available online at wolftrap.org.
Emmy Award-winning actress Holland Taylor comes to the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) with her one-woman play “Ann” today at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. The show tells the story of Ann Richards, the second female governor of Texas. Tickets range from $54 to $95 and can be purchased online at kennedy-center.org.
Photos
PHOTOS: ‘ICE Out For Good’ Sunday protests
Northern Virginia demonstrations among nationwide protest
“ICE Out For Good” demonstrations were held in the Northern Virginia municipalities of Haymarket, Annandale and Arlington, among others, on Sunday, Jan. 12.
Nearly 1,200 similar actions were scheduled nationwide over the weekend, according to a statement from organizers.
Demonstrations in D.C. against ICE included a protest march on Friday and a march around the White House on Saturday.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
View on Threads
View on Threads
Theater
Ford’s ‘First Look’ festival showcases three new productions
A chance to enjoy historical dramas for free before they’re completed
The Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions: A First Look – 2026
Jan. 16 & 17
Ford’s Theatre
511 Tenth St., N.W.
FREE
Fords.org
When Ford’s Theatre debuted its new plays festival, “A First Look,” in 2023, it was unclear whether people would come for the staged readings.
“Before the pandemic if you announced the reading of a play, 12 people might show up,” says José Carrasquillo, director of artistic programming at Ford’s Theatre. “Since then, we’ve experienced comparatively massive turnout. Maybe because it’s cheap, or because of the very newness of the works.”
This year’s fourth edition showcases readings of three pieces currently in varied stages of development. The free, two-day festival offers audiences a chance to encounter historical dramas long before they’re completed and fully produced. None are finished, nor have they been read publicly. And befitting the venue’s provenance, the works are steeped in history.
The festival kicks off with “Springs” by playwright Jeanne Sakata and directed by Jessica Kubzansky. Commissioned by The Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions, it’s the both epic and personal story of Sakata’s Japanese American family including her grandfather’s experience in an internment camp.
“Sakata’s immigrant grandfather was an exceptionally skilled farmer who helped to stave off starvation in the camp. Still, he never gave up on the idea that he belonged in America. It’s very much a story of today,” says Carrasquillo.
Unlike “Springs,” the festival’s two other works weren’t commissioned by Ford’s. But they both fit the history brief and likely will benefit from the exposure and workshopping.
“Providence Spring,” by California based playwright Richard Helesen and directed by Holly Twyford, portrays Clara Barton (played by local favorite Erin Weaver) as a hero beyond the Red Cross whose then-radical initiatives included cataloguing the Civil War dead, many pulled from mass graves.
Directed by Reginald L. Douglas, “Young John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest” explores a slice from the life of the legendary civil rights activist and longtime congressman. With book and lyrics by Psalmayene 24 and music by Kokayi this collaboratively staged reading between Ford’s and Mosaic Theater is slated to premiere fully produced at Mosaic as a 90-minute musical in the spring of 2026.
“When I was hired at Ford’s in 2018, we began discussing hiring writers who do historical drama,” says Carrasquillo. “Our intention was resolute, but we didn’t do it right away. It took getting through the pandemic to revisit the idea.”
At the same time, the racial reckoning spurred Ford’s to hire playwrights of color to tell stories that had previously been forgotten or ignored.
For Carrasquillo, who is gay, the impulse to commission was crystalized when he saw the film “Hidden Figures,” a true story about “three brilliant African-American women — at NASA during the Space Race, overcoming racial and gender discrimination to make crucial contributions to America’s spaceflight success.” He says, “the film floored me. How many stories like this are there that we don’t know about?”
One of the festival’s happiest experiences, he adds, was the commission of playwright Chess Jakobs’s “The American Five” and its subsequent success. It’s the story of Martin Luther King Jr. and his inner circle, including Bayard Rustin (MLK’s brilliant, unsung gay adviser) leading up to the 1963 March on Washington. The play later premiered fully produced in Ford’s 2025 season.
Increasingly, the readings at Ford’s have become popular with both artists and audiences.
At Ford’s, Carrasquillo wears many hats. In addition to selecting plays and organizing workshops, he serves as an in-house dramaturg for some of the nascent works. But he’s not alone. Also helming the festival are senior artistic advisor Sheldon Epps, and The Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions advisor Sydné Mahone.
Because the plays are in development, comments from directors, dramaturgs, and the audience are considered and may become part of the playwrights’ rewrites and changes. If and when the play resurfaces fully produced, audience members might find their suggestion in the completed work.
Is this year’s festival queer influenced? Yes, both by those involved and the topics explored.
Carrasquillo explains, “While Sakata’s “Springs” is primarily about immigration, its message is relevant to the queer community. Civil rights are being taken away from us. We need this playwright’s story to know what has happened and what can happen to any of us.
“Many of Ford’s legacy commissions underscore the importance of civil rights in our country and that’s important to all of us. Queer and not queer.”
Bars & Parties
Mid-Atlantic Leather kicks off this week
Parties, contests, vendor expo and more planned for annual gathering
The Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend will begin on Thursday, Jan 15.
This is an annual three-day event in Washington, D.C., for the leather, kink, and LGBTQ+ communities, featuring parties, vendors, and contests.
There will be an opening night event hosted the evening of Thursday, Jan. 15. Full package and three-day pass pickup will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Hyatt Capitol B. There will also be “Kinetic Dance Party” at 10 p.m. at District Eagle.
For more details, visit MAL’s website.
Mark Levine running in ‘firehouse’ Democratic primary to succeed Adam Ebbin
PHOTOS: ‘ICE Out For Good’ Sunday protests
Ford’s ‘First Look’ festival showcases three new productions
Mid-Atlantic Leather kicks off this week
Stress-free lease renewals during winter months
Kennedy Center renaming triggers backlash
Colombians protest against Trump after he threatened country’s president
‘Hedda’ brings queer visibility to Golden Globes
Just say no to the felon in the White House
