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Drives and desires

War-injured photojournalist ponders work vs. domesticity in new Studio production

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‘Time Stands Still’
Through Feb. 12
The Studio Theatre
1501 14th  Street, NW
$35-$69
202-332-3300

 

In “Time Stands Still” (now at Studio Theatre) playwright Donald Margulies takes us to war zones without ever leaving his characters’ Brooklyn loft.

After being seriously injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq, photojournalist Sarah (Holly Twyford) goes home to New York to heal. The angry red scars on her face aren’t her main worry. She’s more concerned about getting back on her feet and returning to the Middle East where she can continue bearing witness with her Nikon. But when Sarah’s reporter boyfriend James (Greg McFadden) asks her to join him in a quieter, safer life (a potential novelty for both), she is forced to consider doing things differently.

Holly Twyford and Greg McFadden in Studio Theatre’s production of ‘Time Stands Still.’ (Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy Studio)

While Sarah is unparalleled at capturing the difficult images of war, she is less adept at navigating emotional battles on the home front. For years she and James traveled to the world’s most dangerous conflict zones chronicling atrocities, but after James saw one too many civilians blown up in Iraq, he suffered a sort of breakdown and called it quits. Weeks later Sarah was injured.

At home, she resists James’ coddling and feels trapped and bored by domesticity. But she loves him and is in her way very invested in the relationship. She owes it to herself to try and make things work despite having never signed on for a normal life.

Like Margulies’ Pulitzer-winning play “Dinner with Friends,” this newer work’s cast is also comprised of two straight couples. James and Sarah are visited by their worldly editor Richard (Dan Illian) and his much younger new girlfriend Mandy (a delightful Laura C. Harris) who mistakenly thinks jaded, grouchy Sarah might appreciate a tacky bunch of “get well” balloons and a barrage of small talk. An unlikely addition to the sophisticated friends’ longtime circle, Mandy acknowledges that she’s an intellectual lightweight while making it clear that she’s a lot more than Richard’s mid-life crisis.

Mandy also questions Sarah on the ethics of her profession. How can she stand by and photograph death and destruction without somehow intervening or offering some kind of assistance? Sarah responds rather mechanically that photojournalists are there to record life and not to change it; but later in the play, Sarah reconsiders her reply more emotionally, wondering if it’s somehow indecent to make a living from the suffering of others.

Timely, thought provoking and entertaining, Margulies’ nuanced script is wonderfully written. Sarah and James’ pitch-perfect dialogue is subtly infused with affecting and sometimes disturbing references to people they’ve encountered in Iraq, most especially Sarah’s translator and sometime lover Tarek. The play gives a bit of humanity to the tens of thousands of faceless civilian Iraqi casualties about whom Americans seldom hear anything.

Helmed by New York director Susan Fenichell, the thoughtful production is smartly staged and well acted by a splendid cast. On Broadway, Laura Linney created the part of Sarah. At Studio, Twyford (openly gay) makes the role of the brave, witty, complicated woman her own. Twyford’s approach to Sarah’s physicality is particularly memorable — whether she’s walking tentatively on her painfully broken leg or clenching her good hand from the intense anxiety brought on by being away from the action.

Sarah and James’ loft — realistically rendered by John McDermott from its fully functioning kitchen sink to raindrops hitting the skylight — serves as both refuge and starting gate. It’s up to Sarah whether to stay or go.

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Calendar

Calendar: March 27-April 2

LGBTQ events in the days to come

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Friday, March 27

Center Aging Monthly Luncheon With Yoga will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. Email Mac at [email protected] if you require ASL interpreter assistance, have any dietary restrictions, or questions about this event.

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Dupont Italian Kitchen. 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

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

Trans Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This event is intended to provide an emotionally and physically safe space for trans people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression to join together in community and learn from one another. For more details, email [email protected]

Saturday, March 28

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.

The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Sunday Supper on Saturday” at 2 p.m. It’s more than just an event; it’s an opportunity to step away from the busyness of life and invest in something meaningful, and enjoy delicious food, genuine laughter, and conversations that spark connection and inspiration. For more details, visit the Center’s website

Black Lesbian Support Group will be at 1 p.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-led support group devoted to the joys and challenges of being a Black Lesbian. For more details, email [email protected]

Monday, March 30

“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 ([email protected]).

“Tea Time! A Local DC Drag Comedy Show” will be at 3 p.m. at Spark Social. This is a live drag comedy show where drag legends TrevHER & Tiara Missou Sidora host spill all the tea in the DMV. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite

Tuesday, March 31

Visibili-TEA Party will be at 6 p.m. at Restoration Station. Guests are encouraged to come sip, celebrate, and shine together. This event is a Trans Day of Visibility celebration and a special collaboration between Auntie’s Home and Damien Ministries. This is a boozy tea party with intention and the dress code reflects the vibe. More details are available on Eventbrite

Wednesday, March 1

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.

Thursday, April 2

The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. 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.  

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Out & About

Celebrate cherry blossoms the drag way

Unconventional Diner hosts bingo party

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The cherry blossoms are here. Celebrate at a unique event hosted by Unconventional Diner. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Unconventional Diner will host “Cherry Blossom Drag Bingo Party” on Friday, April 3, at 6:30 p.m.

Guests will be treated to an unforgettable night of drag performances, bingo, food and drink and prizes. Highlights of the evening include themed cocktails, drag performances and bingo prizes.

Tickets can be secured via Resy.

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Sports

New IOC policy bans trans women from Olympics

New regulation to be in effect at 2028 summer games in Los Angeles

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(Photo by Greg Martin; courtesy IOC)

The International Olympic Committee on Thursday announced it will not allow transgender women from competing in female events at the Olympics.

“For all disciplines on the Sports Program of an IOC event, including individual and team sports, eligibility for any Female Category is limited to biological females,” reads the new policy.

The policy states “eligibility for the Female Category is to be determined in the first instance by SRY Gene screening to detect the absence or presence of the SRY Gene.”

“On the basis of the scientific evidence, the IOC considers that the SRY (sex-determining Region Y) Gene is fixed throughout life and represents highly accurate evidence that an athlete has experienced or will experience male sex development,” it reads. “Furthermore, the IOC considers that SRY Gene screening via saliva, cheek swab or blood sample is unintrusive compared to other possible methods. Athletes who screen negative for the SRY gene permanently satisfy this policy’s eligibility criteria for competition in the Female Category.”

The policy states the test “will be a once-in-a-lifetime test” unless “there is reason to believe a negative reading is in error.”

The new regulation will be in place for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

“I understand that this a very sensitive topic,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry on Thursday in a video. “As a former athlete, I passionately believe in the rights of all Olympians to take part in fair competition.”

“The policy that we have announced is based on science and it has been led by medical experts with the best interests of athletes at its heart. The scientific evidence is very clear: male chromosomes give performance advances in sport that rely on strength, power, or endurance,” she added. “At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”

(Video courtesy of the IOC)

Laurel Hubbard, a weightlifter from New Zealand, in 2021 became the first trans woman to compete at the Olympics.

Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer, won a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Khelif later sued JK Rowling and Elon Musk for cyberstalking after they questioned her gender identity.

Ellis Lundholm, a mogul skier from Sweden, this year became the first openly trans athlete to compete in any Winter Olympics when he participated in Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.

President Donald Trump in February 2025 issued an executive order that bans trans women and girls from female sports teams in the U.S.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee last July banned trans women from competing in female sporting events. Republican lawmakers have demanded the IOC ban trans athletes from women’s athletic competitions.

“I’m grateful the Olympics finally embraced the common sense policy that women’s sports are for women, not for men,” said U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on X.

An IOC spokesperson on Thursday referred the Washington Blade to the press release that announced the new policy.

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