Arts & Entertainment
Baltimore arts briefs: June 22
Baltimore Theatre Project and Dance Baltimore presents ‘Ageless Grace,’ Throwback and more at Grand Central, Frederick Pride, and more
Maria Broom will perform in ‘Ageless Grace’ this weekend in Baltimore. (Photo courtesy Baltimore Theatre Project)
‘Ageless’ show explores dance in several genres
Baltimore Theatre Project (45 West Preston St.) hosts “Ageless Grace,” an annual concert presented by Dance Baltimore that features performances by dancers 40 and older, on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Dancers in this year’s production are both former professional dancers as well as “community” dancers who perform for fun in more recreational forms.
The show will feature dances from all genres include tap, modern, jazz and more. The companies participating include Tapischore, Itinerant Dance Theater, Dance Alchemy, Nyame Nti and New Era Dance Company. There will also be solo performances by Torens Johnson and Maria Broom.
Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door and $10 for seniors, students and Dance Baltimore members. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit theatreproject.org.
Throwback and more at Grand Central
Grand Central (1001/1003 N. Charles St.) has several events this week.
Tonight is the club’s weekly dance party with $2.50 drinks until 11 p.m. Sappho’s is having its own happy hour from 8 to 10 p.m.
Saturday has two-for-one drinks until 8 p.m. and Throwback, featuring all ‘90s music with DJ Arturo. Admission to Throwback is $5.
Monday and Tuesday, Grand Central has karaoke with host Nikki Cox from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Wednesday is “Hump Wednesdays,” an electropop, alternative, indie dance night with DJ Arturo.
The week ends Thursday with ladies night featuring DJ Lems and $2.50 drinks until 11 p.m. and happy hour from 4-8 p.m.
Weekend Pride event in Frederick, Md., Saturday
Frederick’s LGBT Community Center is hosting a “Picnic in the Park” on Saturday at Ballenger Creek Park (5420 Ballenger Creek Pike) at noon.
The day will include kid-friendly music provided by a DJ, games, speakers and community resources, including at least six non-profits on hand to provide information.
Participants are expected to bring their own food and beverages. Leashed social dogs are permitted.
The picnic will be held rain or shine as there is covered seating for more than 100 people. The group will be meeting in shelter No. 1 and has also reserved the adjacent ball field.
New Fells Point show opens tonight
Fells Point Corner Theatre (251 South Ann St.) has a new show “Shana Unsettled,” opening tonight at 8 p.m.
The show follows Shana Uzali, who lives in a state of constant turmoil and instability. She is stuck in a fantastical world she created and is visited by various character trying to help her get out of a place of indecision and fear.
Directed by Jim Knipple and Janel Miley, “Shana” stars Alisa Brock, Kelly Cavanaugh, Jamie Driskill, James Giza and Judy Pojda.
Showtimes are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. and June 29 and July 12 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12. The show will run through July 15.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit fpct.org.
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.
The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.
Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.
Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.
Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.
The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”
“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”
“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”
“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”
The Washington Blade will update this article with additional reaction when it becomes available.
Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week
Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.
The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.
Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.
“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”
Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.
Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.
Event Details:
📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026
⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP
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