Arts & Entertainment

Calendar: April 13

Concerts, exhibits, parties and more through April 19

Published

13 years ago

April 12, 2012

In ‘The Adventures of White-Man’ part of ‘White Like Me: A Honky Dory Puppet Show,’ openly gay puppeteer Paul Zaloom operates diminutive characters and sets in a toy theater history. The action is live hi-def video-fed onto a large screen behind Zaloom so the audience can see what is going on. (Photo by Leigh Ann Hahn)

TODAY (Friday)

Violinist Rachel Barton Pine plays Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd., Vienna) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35 and available online at wolftrap.org.

Women in Their Twenties, a social discussion and dinner group, meets tonight from 8 to 9:30 p.m. at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.).

Town’s (2009 8th St., N.W.) Bear Happy Hour presents “Bearaoke” tonight from 7 to 10 p.m. on the first floor, with mistress of ceremonies Tre. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Special Agent Galactica’s Happy Hour Cabaret Show is tonight at the Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) from 6 to 9 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, visit pinkhairedone.com.

Strathmore’s Friday Night Eclectic continues tonight with Chelsey Green and the Green Project with Synchronicxity at the Mansion (10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda) at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Doors open at 8 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit strathmore.org.

Saturday, April 14

Mixtape D.C. is tonight at the Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.), a dance party for queer music lovers and their pals that features DJs Shea Van Horn and Matt Bailer playing an eclectic mix of electro, alt-pop, indie rock, house, disco, new wave and anything else danceable. There is a $10 cover for this event. Doors open at 9:30 p.m.

Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) and 495 Bears presents “Bears Can Dance” tonight at 9 p.m. with DJ Bobby T. There is no cover for this event.

Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) has a couple things going on tonight. Raja, winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will appear, Kristine W. (see interview on page 51), an international dance music icon, will perform and DJ Jerome Farley will be spinning. Doors open at 10 p.m. Cover is $8 before 11 p.m. and $12 afterward.

Australian quartet the Jezabels play Red Palace (1212 H St., N.E.) tonight at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 day of the show and available online at redpalacedc.com. Doors open at 8 p.m.

DJ vANNIEty Kills presents “Anniething Goes” tonight at Jimmy Valentine’s Lonely Hearts Club (1103 Bladensburg Rd., N.E.) at 10 p.m. with back-to-back sets featuring guest DJs Juan and Hugo Zapata, Slant, Charles Martin and Prab K.

Openly gay puppeteer Paul Zaloom brings his latest solo comic puppet show “White Like Me: A Honky Dory Puppet Show” to Dance Place (3225 8th St., N.E.) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $22 for general admisison, $17 for DP Members, seniors and teachers, $10 for college students and $8 for children 17 and younger. Zaloom will also perform on Sunday at 7 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit danceplace.org.

Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church (6601 Bradley Blvd., Bethesda), Bethesda Jewish Congregation and the River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation are co-sponsoring the“Community Of Caring AIDS Benefit Concert” tonight featuring jazz pianist, Fred Hersch at 7:30 p.m. There is a suggested donation of $35, $25 for seniors and students. The proceeds will be divided equally among Dennis Avenue Health Center HIV/AIDS Program, La Clinica del Pueblo of D.C. and the Association of Francois-Xavier Bagnoud South Africa Program. For more information, visit bradleyhillschurch.com.

Sunday, April 15

The All-American Rejects play 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) tonight. Tickets are $30 and available online at 930.com. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Busboys & Poets presents “Borderlines: A Bilingual Spanish-English Open Mic” tonight at 5 p.m. in the Zinn room of its Hyattsville location (5331 Baltimore Ave., Suite 104) hosted by Henry Mills. The sign-up sheet opens at 4 p.m.

Rams Head OnStage (33 West St., Annapolis) is having a salute to Elton John with tribute artist Almost Elton John and the Rocket Band tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45 and available online at tickets.ramsheadonstage.com.

Monday, April 16

Regie Cabico and DonMike Mendoza host “La-Ti-Do D.C.” tonight at Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Cover is $10 and includes a rail cocktail or house wine.

Busboys & Poets presents an author event featuring Michael G. Long tonight in the Langston Room of its 14th and V streets location (2021 14th St., N.W.) at 6:30 p.m. Long will be discussing and signing his new book, “I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin’s Life in Letters.”

Tuesday, April 17

Say Anything performs at Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) tonight. Tickets are $18 in advance, $12 day of show and available online at blackcatdc.com. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Javier Colon, winner of NBC’s “The Voice,” plays Rams Head OnStage (33 West St., Annapolis) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $28.50 and available online attickets.ramsheadonstage.com.

Wednesday, April 18

D.C. Ice Breakers hosts its monthly open skate tonight from 8 to 9 p.m. at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex, on top of the Ballston Common Mall parking garage (627 N Glebe Rd.) in Arlington. After skating the group will hit a local bar for a social hour. Skating is $8 plus $3 for skate rental. For more information, visit dcicebreakers.com.

The Tom Davoren Social Bridge Club for gay bridge players meets tonight for social bridge at the Dignity Center (721 8th Street, S.E.). No partner is needed. Visit lambdabridge.com for details and click on “social bridge in Washington.”

Thursday, April 19

Fountains of Wayne plays 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) tonight. Tickets are $25 and available online at 930.com. Doors open at 7 p.m.

There is a University of Maryland graduate and professional student happy hour tonight at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) from 6 to 8 p.m.

Openly gay comedian Erin Foley plays Riot Act Comedy Theater (801 E St., N.W.) starting tonight at 8 p.m. with John Betz Jr., and Will Hessler opening. Tickets are $20 and available online at riotactcomedy.com. She will also perform Friday and Saturday.

Related Topics:dc events Out & About Washington Blade

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Theater

‘We Are Gathered’ a powerful contemplation of queer equality

Arena production dives fearlessly into many facets of same-sex connection

Published

3 days ago

May 31, 2025

Patrick Folliard

Nic Ashe (Free) and Kyle Beltran in ‘We Are Gathered.’ (Photo by T Charles Erickson Photography)

‘We Are Gathered’
Through June 15
Arena Stage
1101 Sixth St., S.W.
$70-$110
Arenastage.org

Aptly billed as a queer love story, Tarell Alvin McCraney’s terrific new play “We Are Gathered” (now at Arena Stage) dives deeply and fearlessly into the many facets of a same-sex connection and all that goes with it.

McCraney’s tale of two gay men’s romance unfolds entertainingly over two acts. Wallace Tre (Kyle Beltran), a tense architect, and his younger partner Free (Nic Ashe), a campy and fun-loving musician with a deep sense of quiet and peace are contemplating marriage after five years together, but one of the two isn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of imminent matrimony.

At 14, Wallace Tre (nicknamed Dubs) first learned about gay cruising via renowned British playwright Caryl Churchill’s seminal work “Cloud Nine.” It was an intoxicating introduction that led Dubs to an exciting world of sex and risk.

Soon after, a nearby park became a thrilling constant in his life. It remains a source of excitement, fun, danger, and fulfillment. The local cruising zone is also a constant in McCraney’s play.

One memorable evening, Dubs experienced a special night in the woods, a shadowy hour filled with exhilaration and surprise. That’s when Dubs unpredictably learned something he’d never felt before. That night in the park, he met and fell madly in love with Free.

In addition to being a talented playwright, McCraney is the Academy Award-winning Black and queer screenwriter of “Moonlight,” the 2016 film. He’s happy to be a part of WorldPride 2025, and grateful to Arena for making space for his play on its stage. McCraney says he wrote “We Are Gathered” as a contemplation of queer marriage and the right for same-sex couples, like opposite-sex couples, to marry anywhere in the United States.

For Dubs, it’s important that Free speak openly about how they met in the park. He’d like Free to share the details of their coming together with his supportive grandparents, Pop Pop (Craig Wallace) and Mama Jae (out actor Jade Jones). As far as they know, their grandson met Dubs at a lovely gathering with a nice crowd assembled under a swanky canopy. When in truth it was a park busy with horny guys cruising beneath a canopy of leafy verdure.

Understandably, Free is more than a tad embarrassed to reveal that he enjoyed al fresco sex with Dubs prior to knowing his boyfriend’s name. Clearly, in retrospect, both feel that their initial meeting is a source of discomfort, tinged with awkwardness.

There is a lot more to “We Are Gathered” than cruising. Dubs and Free are ardently liked by friends and family. Both are attractive and smart. Yet, they’re different. Free is quite easy going while Dubs is, at times, pricklier.

While Free is part of a happy family, Dubs’s people aren’t entirely easy. He grew up with a strung-out mother and a cold father (Kevin Mambo). Yet, his sister Punkin (Nikolle Salter), an astronaut, is very caring and close to him. While she doesn’t necessarily like “the gay stuff,” she very much wants to live in a world where there’s room for her gay brother.

Adeptly directed by Kent Gash, the production is memorable, and it’s not his first collaboration with McCraney. Ten years ago, Gash, who’s Black and queer, staged McCraney’s “Choir Boys” at Studio Theatre, another well-written and finely staged work.

“We Are Gathered” is performed in the round in Arena’s cavernous Fichandler Stage. The space is both a forest and various rooms created by designer Jason Sherwood and lighting designer Adam Honoré. It’s a world created by elevating a circular platform surrounded by charming street lamps both hanging overhead and lining the perimeter.

Ultimately, what takes place in “We Are Gathered” is a party, and something even more; it’s a paean to marriage, and a call to a sacrament.

Out & About

Justice-centered theater production comes to D.C.

Mexican Cultural Institute to host ‘La Golondrina’

Published

3 days ago

May 31, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

(Poster via Mexican Cultural Institute)

The Mexican Cultural Institute will host “La Golondrina” on Friday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m. at its location on 2829 16th St. NW.

“La Golondrina” is a theater production that aims to elevate the conversation around hate crimes and the urgent need for dialogue and healing. It is also a powerful and deeply moving story that brings to the stage the emotional legacy of the Pulse nightclub shooting. The play explores that tragedy through an intimate encounter between two characters, Amelia (Luz Nicolás) and Ramón (Victor), whose connection unveils grief, love, and the enduring shadow of homophobia.

Tickets for this event are available on the Cultural Institute’s website.

Out & About

Celebrate Pride with a thoughtful book club

Second edition of ‘Books and Wine’ held at Urban Grape DC

Published

3 days ago

May 31, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

(Photo by gOrlica/Bigstock)

Meet the World Image Solutions will host the second edition of “Books and Wine” on Thursday, June 5 at 5:30 p.m. at Urban Grape DC, a Black- and woman-owned winery in Washington, D.C.

The featured authors are: Beautiful Lawson, Chanele Ramos, and Pamela Coleman. All will read from works that reflect love, resilience, and queer identity across genres. For more details, visit Eventbrite.