Arts & Entertainment

Calendar: June 29

Parties, concerts, meetings and more through July 5

Published

14 years ago

June 28, 2012

The Waverly Street Gallery in Bethesda exhibits abstract paintings, including ‘Illumination’ by local artist Audrey Salkind. (Image courtesy Waverly)

Today (Friday)

Town hosts Bear Happy Hour (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight from 6-11 p.m. Admission is free and limited to guests 21 and over. For details, visit towndc.com.

Jazz and Soul musician Anita King performs tonight at the Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave. N.W.) from 9 p.m.-12 a.m. Tickets are $10. For more information, visit blackfoxlounge.com.

Whitman-Walker Health provides HIV Testing at Walgreens (4225 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) today from 3-7 p.m. for National HIV Testing Day. For more information, visit whitman-walker.org.

Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, helps the NAMES Project Foundation display the AIDS Memorial Quilt at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall. For more information, visit burgundycrescent.org.

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival hosts an evening concert in partnership with the National Museum of African American History and Culture, The Music of Monticello and the Blue Ridge, tonight in the Panorama Room on 12th Street on the National Mall from 6-8 p.m. For details, visit festival.si.edu.

Saturday, June 30

The Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) 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. Admission is free. Visit blackcatdc.com for details.

DJ Escape spins tonight at Town (2009 8^th St., N.W.). Doors open at 10 p.m. and the drag show starts at 10:30. Tickets are $8 from 10-11 p.m. and $10 after 11, and $3 drinks will be served until 11. For more details, visit towndc.com.

Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts its monthly “Raw” party tonight with DJs Shea Van Horn and Bill Todd. Raw celebrates retro gay bars, bathhouses and discos. Guests are encouraged to sport glam, leather, fetish and retro gay-inspired dress. Free rail vodka drinks are served from 10-11 p.m. For details, visit cobaltdc.com.

Sunday, July 1

Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts Homowood Karaoke with songs from film and show tunes tonight starting at 10 p.m. For more information, visit cobaltdc.com.

Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play, written by Anne Washburn and directed by Steven Cosson, has its last shows of the season today at the Woolly Mammoth Theater (641 D St., N.W.) at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. The play is about a group of Armageddon survivors who theatrically recreate their lost digital culture. Ticket prices start at $30. For more details, visit woollymammoth.net.

Strathmore Music Hall (5301 Tuckerman Lane North Bethesda, MD) presents Serenade! Festival Celebration this afternoon at 4 p.m. The performances feature international choir participants who performed in the 2012 Serenade! Washington, DC Choral Festival. Admission is free. Visit strathmore.org for more information.

Adventuring, a gay and lesbian outdoor group, has its Three Forts Ride today from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The 33.6-mile bike ride begins at Belle Haven Marina’s North Parking area off Mt. Vernon Parkway, and riders will pass by a Civil War fort and 20th century fort. Participants should bring a helmet, water and a $2 donation to Adventuring. To RSVP, contact [email protected] or 571-269-0290. For more information, visit adventuring.org.

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival features Hungarian Roma Music with Kálmán Balogh tonight on the Justin S. Morrill Performing Arts Center stage on the National Mall from 6-7:30 p.m. Admission is free. For details, visit festival.si.edu.

Monday, July 2

La-Ti-Do DC, a weekly cabaret series hosted by spoken word artist Regie Cabico and actor DonMike Mendoza, is at the Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave. N.W.) from 8-10 p.m. tonight. Admission is $10 and includes one house drink. For more information, visit blackfoxlounge.com.

Whitman-Walker Health (1701 14th St., N.W.) hosts an HIV+ Newly Diagnosed Support Group tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. The group is confidential, and open to people of all genders and sexual orientations. Registration is required, so visit whitman-walker.org or contact [email protected] if interested.

The D.C. Center (1318 U St., NW) for the LGBT Community has a volunteer night from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Activities may include sorting through book donations, cleaning up around the center and taking inventory of FUK!T packets. Pizza will be provided. Visit thedccenter.org for more information.

Tuesday, July 3

The Julie Mack Trio, a Jazz group, performs tonight at the Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) from 8-11 p.m. Admission is $10. For more details, visit blackfoxlounge.com.

Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts Flashback, a retro dance party with DJ Jason Royce, this evening for guests 21 and over. Admission is free. For more details, visit cobaltdc.com.

Wednesday, July 4

Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, seeks volunteer “balloon wranglers” for this year’s Independence Day Parade from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. The parade runs from 7^th St. to 17^th St., NW on Constitution Ave., and each Burgundy Crescent volunteer will receive a free parade T-shirt. To volunteer, contact [email protected] and visit burgundycrescent.org for more information.

Adventuring, a gay and lesbian outdoor group, hikes Great Falls, Md. today. Hikers meet at 9 a.m. at the Tenleytown Metro station and then carpool to the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center for a five-mile hike. Bring water, bug spray, sunscreen and $5-7 for transportation fees. For more information, visit adventuring.org.

The Waverly Street Gallery (4600 East-West Hwy, Bethesda, Md.) exhibits abstract paintings in “From My Perspective” by local artist Audrey Salkind from 12-6 p.m. today. For more information, visit waverlystreetgallery.com.

Thursday, July 5

Whitman-Walker Health (1701 14^th St., N.W.) hosts a support group for gay men over 50 tonight from 6:30-8 p.m. Registration is required to attend, so visit whitman-walker.org or contact [email protected] if interested.

Phase 1 (525 8^th St., S.E.) hosts karaoke tonight from 7:30 p.m.-2 a.m. For details, visit phase1dc.com.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (200 N. Boulevard, Richmond, Va.) hosts Visions of France: Three Postwar Photographers, an exhibition that features street photography of Paris, today from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. The exhibit closes after Sunday, July 8. For more information, visit vmfa.museum.

Theater

Ford’s ‘First Look’ festival showcases three new productions

A chance to enjoy historical dramas for free before they’re completed

Published

5 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Patrick Folliard

José Carrasquillo, director of Artistic Programming at Ford's Theatre (Photo by Paolo Andres Montenegro)

The Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions: A First Look – 2026
Jan. 16 & 17
Ford’s Theatre
511 Tenth St., N.W.
FREE
Fords.org

When Ford’s Theatre debuted its new plays festival, “A First Look,” in 2023, it was unclear whether people would come for the staged readings.

“Before the pandemic if you announced the reading of a play, 12 people might show up,” says José Carrasquillo, director of artistic programming at Ford’s Theatre. “Since then, we’ve experienced comparatively massive turnout. Maybe because it’s cheap, or because of the very newness of the works.”

This year’s fourth edition showcases readings of three pieces currently in varied stages of development. The free, two-day festival offers audiences a chance to encounter historical dramas long before they’re completed and fully produced. None are finished, nor have they been read publicly. And befitting the venue’s provenance, the works are steeped in history.

The festival kicks off with “Springs” by playwright Jeanne Sakata and directed by Jessica Kubzansky. Commissioned by The Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions, it’s the both epic and personal story of Sakata’s Japanese American family including her grandfather’s experience in an internment camp.

“Sakata’s immigrant grandfather was an exceptionally skilled farmer who helped to stave off starvation in the camp. Still, he never gave up on the idea that he belonged in America. It’s very much a story of today,” says Carrasquillo.

Unlike “Springs,” the festival’s two other works weren’t commissioned by Ford’s. But they both fit the history brief and likely will benefit from the exposure and workshopping.

“Providence Spring,” by California based playwright Richard Helesen and directed by Holly Twyford, portrays Clara Barton (played by local favorite Erin Weaver) as a hero beyond the Red Cross whose then-radical initiatives included cataloguing the Civil War dead, many pulled from mass graves.

Directed by Reginald L. Douglas, “Young John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest” explores a slice from the life of the legendary civil rights activist and longtime congressman. With book and lyrics by Psalmayene 24 and music by Kokayi this collaboratively staged reading between Ford’s and Mosaic Theater is slated to premiere fully produced at Mosaic as a 90-minute musical in the spring of 2026.

“When I was hired at Ford’s in 2018, we began discussing hiring writers who do historical drama,” says Carrasquillo. “Our intention was resolute, but we didn’t do it right away. It took getting through the pandemic to revisit the idea.”

At the same time, the racial reckoning spurred Ford’s to hire playwrights of color to tell stories that had previously been forgotten or ignored.

For Carrasquillo, who is gay, the impulse to commission was crystalized when he saw the film “Hidden Figures,” a true story about “three brilliant African-American women — at NASA during the Space Race, overcoming racial and gender discrimination to make crucial contributions to America’s spaceflight success.” He says, “the film floored me. How many stories like this are there that we don’t know about?”

One of the festival’s happiest experiences, he adds, was the commission of playwright Chess Jakobs’s “The American Five” and its subsequent success. It’s the story of Martin Luther King Jr. and his inner circle, including Bayard Rustin (MLK’s brilliant, unsung gay adviser) leading up to the 1963 March on Washington. The play later premiered fully produced in Ford’s 2025 season.

Increasingly, the readings at Ford’s have become popular with both artists and audiences.

At Ford’s, Carrasquillo wears many hats. In addition to selecting plays and organizing workshops, he serves as an in-house dramaturg for some of the nascent works. But he’s not alone. Also helming the festival are senior artistic advisor Sheldon Epps, and The Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions advisor Sydné Mahone.

Because the plays are in development, comments from directors, dramaturgs, and the audience are considered and may become part of the playwrights’ rewrites and changes. If and when the play resurfaces fully produced, audience members might find their suggestion in the completed work.

Is this year’s festival queer influenced? Yes, both by those involved and the topics explored.

Carrasquillo explains, “While Sakata’s “Springs” is primarily about immigration, its message is relevant to the queer community. Civil rights are being taken away from us. We need this playwright’s story to know what has happened and what can happen to any of us.

“Many of Ford’s legacy commissions underscore the importance of civil rights in our country and that’s important to all of us. Queer and not queer.”

Bars & Parties

Mid-Atlantic Leather kicks off this week

Parties, contests, vendor expo and more planned for annual gathering

Published

5 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

A scene from the 2025 Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather competition. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

The Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend will begin on Thursday, Jan 15.

This is an annual three-day event in Washington, D.C., for the leather, kink, and LGBTQ+ communities, featuring parties, vendors, and contests.

There will be an opening night event hosted the evening of Thursday, Jan. 15. Full package and three-day pass pickup will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Hyatt Capitol B. There will also be “Kinetic Dance Party” at 10 p.m. at District Eagle.

For more details, visit MAL’s website.

Photos

PHOTOS: ‘ICE Out For Good’

Demonstrators protest ICE across country following shooting

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

Michael Key

D.C. shadow representative Oye Owolewa speaks at a rally outside of the White House on Saturday, Jan. 10. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

A protest was held outside of the White House on Saturday following the killing of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis. Across the Potomac, picketers held signs calling for “Justice for Renee” in Tysons, Va.

“ICE Out For Good” demonstrations were held in cities and towns across the country, according to multiple reports. A march was held yesterday in Washington, D.C., as the Blade reported. Further demonstrations are planned for tomorrow.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)