Arts & Entertainment
Baltimore arts briefs: April 6
Iron Crow presents gay-themed ‘Dreams,’ Roller Girls gear up for battle and more
Iron Crow presents gay-themed ‘Dreams’
Iron Crow Theatre presents the Baltimore premiere of “The Soldier Dreams” by Daniel Macivor starting Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Baltimore Theatre Project (45 West Preston St.) and running through April 21.
Directed by Steven J. Satta-Fleming, “The Soldier Dreams” tells the story of David, whose illness inspires his family to come to the home he shares with his partner, Richard. David falls into a coma and dreams of his secret life while things change around him.
Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for seniors, military and students.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit theatreproject.org or ironcrowtheatre.com.
Roller Girls gear up for battle
The Charm City Roller Girls, a local roller derby league, are ending their home team season on April 14 at DuBurns Arena (1301 S. Ellwood Ave.) from 5:30 to 10 p.m.
The Speed Regime will be going up against the undefeated Night Terrors for the title of 2012 Donaghy Cup Champions. Following that bout, the nationally ranked CCRG All Stars, third in the WFTDA East, will kick off their season against the Chicago Outfit Syndicate, fifth in the WFTDAN Central.
Tickets to the bout are $12 for adult general admission, $5 for children under 12 general admission and $25 for VIP.
For more information on the Charm City Roller Girls and to purchase tickets, visit charmcityrollergirls.com.
Sedaris brings humor to Meyerhoff show
David Sedaris, a gay, Grammy-nominated comedian, author and radio contributor, David Sedaris, will be at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (1212 Cathedral St.) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Sedaris first became known when NPR broadcasted his essay “SantaLand Diaries.” He has had five collections of essays become New York Times best sellers. His humor is autobiographical and covers everything from his upbringing in North Carolina, various jobs, his life in France and more.
Tickets range from $43 to $48 and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com.
Gender blurred at punk performance event
Red Emma’s Bookstore Coffeehouse (800 St. Paul St.) presents “Gender EDGE: gender variant/trans/queer punk activism” tonight at 7 p.m.
This quarterly event will include performances by Corey Reidy, leah b. and Rahne Alexander.
Gender Edge is an event where trans, queer and gender-varied people are celebrated and accepted. It’s open to the public.
The Freddie’s Follies drag show was held at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 3. Performers included Monet Dupree, Michelle Livigne, Shirley Naytch, Gigi Paris Couture and Shenandoah.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)










a&e features
Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)


























