Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: June 8
Parties, exhibits, concerts and more through June 14
Sharon Needles (Photo by Austin Young)
TODAY
Special Agent Galactica performs tonight at Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave. NW) from 6-9 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, visit blackfoxlounge.com or pinkhairedone.com.
Sharon Needles, winner of this season’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and fellow “Drag Race” contestants Phi Phi O’Hara and Dida Ritz perform this evening at Town (2009 8th St. NW). Doors open at 9 p.m. and the drag show begins at 10:30. Tickets are $20 for all guests 18 and over. For more details, visit towndc.com.
Women in Their 20s, a social discussion group for all lesbian, transgender and bisexual women, meets tonight from 8-9 p.m. at the D.C. Center (1318 U St. NW). Dinner at a nearby restaurant follows the discussion. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
DJ Drew G and DJ Keenan spin tonight at Cobalt (1636 R St. NW). Vodka cocktails are served free of charge from 11 p.m.-midnight. For more details, visit cobaltdc.com.
The Queen Extravaganza, the official Queen tribute band, plays tonight at the 9:30 Club at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit 930.com.
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Saturday June 9
The D.C. Center for the LGBT Community (1318 U St. NW) provides free HIV testing from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. today. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Phase 1 (525 8th St. SE) hosts Apocalypto: Post Pride Parade Dance Party this evening. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and admission is $5. For more details, visit phase1dc.com.
Town (2009 8th St. NW) has the largest party of Pride weekend tonight, D.C.’s Pride Party. Doors open at 9 p.m. and tickets are $20. Admission is limited to guests 21-and-older with valid government-issued ID. Tickets can be purchased in advance on GrooveTickets.com, and more details on the event are on towndc.com.
The Lambda Sci-Fi group hosts a gaming party today for LGBT science fiction, fantasy and horror fans at 1425 S St. NW at 3 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring a snack and non-alcoholic drink to share, and their favorite board, card, RPG or other game to play. The group will take a break to watch the Pride parade and get dinner. For more information, visit lambdascifi.org or call 202-483-6369.
Adventuring, a D.C.-area LGBT outdoor group, hikes on Maryland Heights today overlooking Harpers Ferry, W.V. The group meets at 9 a.m. at the Grosvenor-Strathmore metro station. Please bring your own beverages, lunch, sturdy boots and bug spray. Transportation, admission and trip fees are $15. For more details, visit meetup.com/Adventuring-Gay-Lesbian-Hiking-Biking.
The Black Cat (1811 14 St. NW) hosts Hellmouth Happy Hour tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. One episode of the gay cult classic series “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” screens and a drink special is served. Tickets are free. For more information, visit blackcatdc.com.
The Black Cat (1811 14 St. NW) hosts Gay/Bash! tonight at 10 p.m. DJs Joshua and Dean spin rock and pop hits all night. The event is open to people of all ages and admission is $5. For more details, visit blackcatdc.com.
Sunday June 10
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers today from 9 a.m.-noon for the D.C. Central Kitchen (425 2 St. NW). The activity is limited to 15 group members. Volunteers will help cook, but no prior experience is required. For more details, visit burgundycrescent.org.
“Pariah,” a film about a teenage black woman’s lesbian identity and her rocky familial relationships, screens tonight at Busboys and Poets (2021 14 St. NW) from 8-10 p.m. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Phase 1 (525 8 St. SE) hosts the D.C. Kings Show tonight with performances by local drag kings. Doors open at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 and limited to 21-and-older guests. For details, visit phase1dc.com.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, helps out today at the Capital Pride festivities. If interested in participating, visit burgundycrescent.org.
Monday June 11
The Whitman-Walker Clinic (1701 14 St. NW) hosts an HIV+ Newly Diagnosed Support Group tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. Registration is required to attend the meeting, so call 202-939-7671 if interested. For more information, visit whitman-walker.org.
Nellie’s (900 U St. NW) has its weekly Poker Face night starting at 8 p.m. this evening. Texas Hold ‘Em is the featured poker game for guests. For details, visit nelliessportsbar.com.
Tuesday June 12
DC Bi Women has its monthly group gathering tonight at the Dupont Italian Kitchen (1637 17 St. NW) from 7-9 p.m. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
The D.C. Kings, a local drag king troupe whose performances are not limited to just male impersonation, have a meeting tonight at Café Collage (1346 T St. NW) for current members and those interested in joining the group. The meeting for new kings begins at 7 p.m., and the general meeting begins at 7:45. Those interested should visit dckings.com for more information.
Adventuring, a D.C.-area LGBT outdoor group, has its Arlington Evening Bike Ride tonight. The group meets at the Clarendon Metro at 6:25 p.m. and the bike ride begins promptly at 6:30. Bring a helmet, water and $2 for the club. For more details, visit adventuring.org.
Wednesday June 13
Center Women, a group within the D.C. Center, gathers tonight at Mova (2204 14 St. NW) for the iCandy Happy Hour from 6-8 p.m. For details, visit thedccenter.org.
Rainbow Response, a group that addresses domestic partner violence among LGBTQ people in the D.C. area, meets tonight at 6 p.m. at the D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence (5 Thomas Circle NW). For more information, visit thedccenter.org or rainbowresponse.org.
The Lambda Bridge Club meets at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Dignity Center (721 8 St. SE) for duplicate bridge. No reservations are needed to participate and newcomers are welcome. For more details and if you need to find a partner, visit lambdabrige.com.
Thursday June 14
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington hosts an open mic night this evening from 8-11 p.m. at Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave. NW). Admission is free and those who sing get a free drink. For more information, visit blackfoxlounge.com.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, helps Food and Friends (219 Riggs Rd. NE) with food preparation and grocery packing tonight from 6-8 p.m. The volunteer group size is limited to 10 per shift and will fill quickly. If interested, email [email protected] and visit burgundycrescent.org or foodandfriends.org for more information.
Cobalt (1639 R St. NW) hosts its weekly “best package contest” tonight with hosts Lena Lett and Ba’Naka. Participants in this exhibitionistic contest can win up to $200 in prizes. Tickets are $3, and 21-and-older attendees can buy $2 vodka drinks from 9-11 p.m. For more details, visit cobaltdc.com.
Celebrity News
Silky Nutmeg Ganache talks sex and dating, gender, politics, weight loss journey
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ semifinalist grew up in Bible Belt
Uncloseted Media published this interview on July 7.
By SPENCER MACNAUGHTON, ISABEL STOKES, and BELLA SAYEGH | After appearing on the 11th season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the first season of “Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. the World,” the sixth season of “RuPaul’s All Stars” and now the 11th season of “All Stars,” Silky Nutmeg Ganache, known by many as the Reverend, is undoubtedly a legend.
Born and raised in Moss Point, Miss., Ganache bears all in this episode of “UNCLOSETED with Spencer Macnaughton.” She speaks about her relationship with gender, her 100-pound weight loss, what it’s like living as a queer person of color in a red state and why she’s calling on allies to stand up for the trans community.
Patrons enjoyed a night out at the popular LGBTQ venue Crush Dance Bar on Friday, July 3.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
Theater
‘My Favorite Sociopath’ debuts at Shepherdstown’s CATF
Gay playwright Aurin Squire’s take on D.C. journalism in the ‘90s
‘My Favorite Sociopath’
Contemporary American Theater Festival
July 10-Aug. 2
Shepherdstown, W.Va.
Catf.org
Discernment. It’s a thing some people have, explains playwright Aurin Squire, especially when you’re gay or Black in America (Squire is both).
“You instinctively know when the mob is teaming up for the best interests of the powers that be. You can feel it in the air.”
In his sharp new satire “My Favorite Sociopath,” Squire writes about life experiences but set in a different time and place: It’s the 1990s, early days of the 24-hour news cycle, and three ambitious journalism students are pursuing success in D.C.
And now, Squire’s play, along with other new works, are making their world premieres at the annual Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) at Shepherd University in historic, queer-friendly Shepherdstown, W.Va. (just a 90-minute drive from D.C.).
“All of my plays are queer in some way,” says Squire, 46. “This one touches on harmless and dangerous lies. The characters are on the spectrum sexually, and it’s interesting how all that falls out.”
And he’s given it a lot of thought.
“Already as a kid, it seemed to me that the rage against rap music and sex was coming from closeted people resisting their own urges and temptations. For me, it was interesting to see a witch hunt led by witches. Queer people can always call out a lie.”
Since September, Squire has also been working with a TV show about the tech industry set in Silicon Valley. He says, “It seems the general flow of the tech industry is that humanity and civilization is finished and it’s just about accumulating as many goods as possible before everything collapses. In fact, those who are profiting actually agree. But for those who disagree, they believe the solution is to build bigger gates, but activists believe we can stop this”
Yet, he’s learned from folks associated with the show. “Many say the quickest way to divorce yourself from any responsibility or regulations — smash and grab. Otherwise, you have to stop and think and regulate your desires for greed and power”
Squire possesses a penchant for pithy titles. He laughs, explaining the first thing he wrote as a student at Juilliard was “Obama-ology,” the comedy with contemporary message. While a lot of people liked the name, it didn’t necessarily vibe with the author. He concedes that he chooses names based on “easy to remember” and titles that won’t be easy to lose as a file.
Another is “Defacing Michael Jackson,” a coming-of-age dramedy set in rural Florida in 1984, specifically Squire’s native town Opa-locka, Miami, a fantastical place famed for its fanciful Moorish revival architecture.
Living in the shadow of exotic structures, he wasn’t particularly fazed. Squire says “It wasn’t until returning to visit after my freshman year at Northwestern University in Chicago that I realized how weird it was: When you grow up in a place, you take surroundings for granted no matter how over the top.”
Now based in New York (where for two happy years, 2017-2019, he shared digs with drag king Murry Hill), Squire returns frequently to Miami to be with family, but this summer has been filled with both work and travel.
Currently, he’s in Shepherdstown with CATF shaping up “My Favorite Sociopath.” Later this summer he will travel to South Africa for research, followed by a silent writing retreat in Santa Fe, N.M.
Much of Squire’s work reflects the Latino, African, Caribbean, African-American, and Jewish cultures he grew up around in South Florida.
When asked if today’s winds of anti-multiculturalism worry him, he replies, “No, because that’s going to pass. Most people don’t like, people are seeing the negative results of it, and the young people coming up despise it. White male gamers were tricked momentarily through the algorithms into voting against their own interests and they’re now seeing how it’s not working out for them.
“Conservatives always try to stop progress and eventually they always lose. It’s just a question of where we’ll be in the middle of the end of civilization before that happens. I’d like to hope we can turn the ship around before then.”
In addition to “My Favorite Sociopath,” CATF summer season features three other world premieres (Lisa D’Amour’s comedy “The Smoker,” “Refugee Rhapsody” by Yussef El Guindi, “Best Line Wins: A Play Inspired by the Improvised Lives of Elaine May & Mike Nichols” by Beth Kander) and “¡VOS!” by Christina Pumariega.
CATF runs from July 10-Aug. 2 in three venues on the Shepherd University campus: Frank Center, Marinoff Theater, and Studio 112.
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‘My Favorite Sociopath’ debuts at Shepherdstown’s CATF
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