Arts & Entertainment
Out & About: June 22
Scissor Sisters at 9:30 Club, Folklife Festival features GMCW and more
Faye Lane brings musical comedy show to D.C.
Faye Lane performs on Saturday, June 30 at 8 p.m. at the Atlas Performing Arts Center’s Lang Theater (1333 H St., N.E.).
Faye will tell stories and sing songs from her critically acclaimed “Beauty Shop Stories” show. Her stories about her mother’s beauty shop and growing up in Texas are heart-warming and hysterical, and have garnered her a loyal following of gay men.
Faye has performed all over the country, and can be heard on National Public Radio’s “Cityscapes” and “The Moth Radio Hour.” She won the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival’s Overall Excellence Award for a Solo Show, and the 2011 MAC Award for Special Production.
For more details on Lane’s performance, visit pitchengine.com.
‘Portraits of Life’ celebrates LGBT community
Montgomery College hosts “Portraits of Life: LGBT Stories of Being,” a photography exhibition of local LGBT community members, from June 20-Sept. 1 at the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Art Center’s Open Gallery (930 King St., Silver Spring, Md.).
The exhibit highlights members of the LGBT community who have contributed to the well being of Montgomery County, including Montgomery College President DeRionne Pollard.
The gallery is open to the public from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information about “Portraits of Life” and its previous exhibits in years past, visit montgomerycollege.edu.
The Scissor Sisters perform with Rye Rye both Monday and Tuesday next week.
Scissor Sisters to play 9:30 club
The Scissor Sisters perform with up-and-coming Rye Rye both Monday and Tuesday nights next week at the 9:30 club. Doors open at 7 p.m. both nights.
Scissor Sisters have been an international electro-pop sensation since their debut album “Comfortably Numb” in 2004. Lead singer Jake Shears is gay. Their latest album, “Night Work,” debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Independent Album chart.
Rye Rye is a Baltimore-based 17-year-old rapper heralded as the latest female prodigy in hip-hop. She performed with M.I.A. on the David Letterman Show, and her debut single “Shake it to the Ground” received lots of attention on YouTube after its release.
The Monday night show is sold out, but tickets to the second show are $40 and can be purchased at 930.com.
Folklife Festival features Gay Men’s Chorus
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival features “An Evening of Song with In Process… and the Rock Creek Singers” on the Red Hot stage (near Madison Dr. and 12th St., N.W.) on the National Mall this evening from 6-8 p.m.
In Process… is a women’s vocal group who sing about issues faced by women in the black community, including HIV/AIDS. Many of their songs celebrate the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which will be laid out on the National Mall during the festival by the NAMES Project Foundation.
The Rock Creek Singers are an ensemble of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington. They will be singing songs about home and family.
Admission is free. For more details, visit festival.si.edu.
a&e features
Gay Men’s Chorus celebrates 45 years at annual gala
‘Sapphire & Sparkle’ Spring Affair held at the Ritz Carlton
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington held the annual Spring Affair gala at the Ritz Carlton Washington, D.C. on Saturday. The theme for this year’s fete was “Sapphire & Sparkle.” The chorus celebrated 45 years in D.C. with musical performances, food, entertainment, and an awards ceremony.
Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington Executive Director Justin Fyala and Artistic Director Thea Kano gave welcoming speeches. Opening remarks were delivered by Spring Affair co-chairs Tracy Barlow and Tomeika Bowden. Uproariously funny comedian Murray Hill performed a stand-up set and served as the emcee.
There were performances by Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington groups Potomac Fever, 17th Street Dance, the Rock Creek Singers, Seasons of Love, and the GenOUT Youth Chorus.
Anjali Murthy, a member of the chorus and a graduate of the GenOUT Youth Chorus, addressed the attendees of the gala.
“The LGBTQ+ community isn’t bound by blood ties: we are brought together by shared experience,” Murthy said. “Being Gen Z, I grew up with Ellen [DeGeneres] telling me through the TV screen that it gets better: that one day, it’ll all be okay. The sentiment isn’t wrong, but it’s passive. What I’ve learned from GMCW is that our future is something we practice together. It exists because people like you continue to show up for it, to believe in the possibilities of what we’re still becoming”
The event concluded with the presentation of the annual Harmony Awards. This year’s awardees included local drag artist and activist Tara Hoot, the human rights organization Rainbow Railroad as well as Rocky Mountain Arts Association Executive Director, Dr. Chipper Dean.
(Washington Blade photos and videos by Michael Key)
Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 16.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
Photos
PHOTOS: Blade Summer Kickoff Party
Ashley Biden accepts award for Beau Biden at annual Rehoboth fundraiser
The 19th annual Blade Foundation Summer Kickoff Party was held on Friday, May 15 at Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach, Del. An award presentation was held for former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden. Ashley Biden accepted the award on her brother’s behalf and gave remarks. Other speakers included Delaware state Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Dr. Robin Brennan and Washington Blade Editor Kevin Naff. The event was a fundraiser for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
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PHOTOS: Blade Summer Kickoff Party
