Arts & Entertainment
D.C. arts briefs: Aug. 3
Idina Menzel at Wolf Trap, ‘Psycho’ on the Mall and more
A still from ‘Married in Spandex,’ featuring rapper Leslie Hall. (Photo courtesy Allison Kole)
Lesbian wedding adventure documentary screens
The gay-themed documentary “Married in Spandex” screens Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Source Theater (1835 14th St., N.W.).
The film is a comedy that delves into issues surrounding gay matrimony, love, relationships and spandex. It was voted audience favorite at QFest in Philadelphia and won “Best Documentary” at Out in the Desert Film Festival.
“Married in Spandex” follows lesbian couple Amanda and Rachel as they travel from Philadelphia to the small town of Ames, Iowa for their wedding. A Q&A with filmmakers Allison Kole and Devin Gallagher will follow the screening.
All proceeds from the event go to the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community. For more information, call Allison Kole at 561-889-2275 or visit marriedinspandex.com.
Signature Theater holds open house
Signature Theater (4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, V.A.) holds its annual open house from noon-10 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free and patrons can also get half-price tickets for select Signature Theater performances during the 2012-13 season.
The open house will feature live performances, family events, master classes, the “Signature Idol” competition and a grand finale concert. Tony Award nominees Emily Skinner, Heidi Blickenstaff, Rob Britton Lyons, Chuck Mead and Natascia Diaz are among the event’s performers.
For more details, contact Peter Eramo at Signature Theater at 571-527-1833 or visit signature-theater.org.
‘Psycho’ screens on National Mall
Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller “Psycho” screens Monday night on the National Mall after dusk (usually between 8:30-9 p.m.).
“Psycho” will be the last film featured in this summer’s Screen On the Green series. Screen On the Green has been a city pastime since 1999, allowing Washingtonians to see great films for free on a gigantic screen outside on the National Mall. People often start claiming spots on the lawn as early as 5 p.m.
This week’s film is a highly celebrated forerunner to the slasher movie genre, with a cross-dressing murderer played by late gay actor Anthony Perkins.
For more information on the screening, visit friendsofscreenonthegreen.org.
Idina Menzel performs at Wolf Trap
Tony Award-winning Broadway actress Idina Menzel performs at Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Road, Vienna, Va.) on Friday night at 8:15 with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Steven Reineke.
Menzel is best known for her Broadway roles as Elphaba in “Wicked” and Maureen in “Rent,” but she has also appeared in movies and TV shows such as “Enchanted” and “Glee.” The performance is part of her summer tour in which she has been performing with the symphonies of the cities she has visited. It will be her only night in the D.C. area.
The set list will be similar to that featured on Menzel’s recently released DVD “Idina Menzel: Barefoot at the Symphony,” but she will also be singing some material audience members may not expect.
Tickets for the show range from $20-65 and can be purchased on wolftrap.org.
Photos
PHOTOS: Helen Hayes Awards
Gay Men’s Chorus, local drag artists have featured performance at ceremony
The 41st Helen Hayes Awards were held at The Anthem on Monday, May 19. Felicia Curry and Mike Millan served as the hosts.
A performance featuring members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and local drag artists was held at the end of the first act of the program to celebrate WorldPride 2025.
The annual awards ceremony honors achievement in D.C.-area theater productions and is produced by Theatre Washington.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
2025 D.C. Trans Pride was held at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library on Saturday, May 17. The day was filled with panel discussions, art, social events, speakers, a resource fair and the Engendered Spirit Awards. Awardees included Lyra McMillan, Pip Baitinger, Steph Niaupari and Hayden Gise. The keynote address was delivered by athlete and advocate Schuyler Bailar.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
a&e features
Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
Washington Blade’s unique archives chronicle highs, lows of our movement
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride in Washington, D.C., the Washington Blade team combed our archives and put together a glossy magazine showcasing five decades of celebrations in the city. Below is a sampling of images from the magazine but be sure to find a print copy starting this week.
The magazine is being distributed now and is complimentary. You can find copies at LGBTQ bars and restaurants across the city. Or visit the Blade booth at the Pride festival on June 7 and 8 where we will distribute copies.
Thank you to our advertisers and sponsors, whose support has enabled us to distribute the magazine free of charge. And thanks to our dedicated team at the Blade, especially Photo Editor Michael Key, who spent many hours searching the archives for the best images, many of which are unique to the Blade and cannot be found elsewhere. And thanks to our dynamic production team of Meaghan Juba, who designed the magazine, and Phil Rockstroh who managed the process. Stephen Rutgers and Brian Pitts handled sales and marketing and staff writers Lou Chibbaro Jr., Christopher Kane, Michael K. Lavers, Joe Reberkenny along with freelancer and former Blade staffer Joey DiGuglielmo wrote the essays.
The magazine represents more than 50 years of hard work by countless reporters, editors, advertising sales reps, photographers, and other media professionals who have brought you the Washington Blade since 1969.
We hope you enjoy the magazine and keep it as a reminder of all the many ups and downs our local LGBTQ community has experienced over the past 50 years.
I hope you will consider supporting our vital mission by becoming a Blade member today. At a time when reliable, accurate LGBTQ news is more essential than ever, your contribution helps make it possible. With a monthly gift starting at just $7, you’ll ensure that the Blade remains a trusted, free resource for the community — now and for years to come. Click here to help fund LGBTQ journalism.
PHOTOS: Helen Hayes Awards
Laverne Cox, Reneé Rapp, Deacon Maccubbin named WorldPride grand marshals
House passes reconciliation with gender-affirming care funding ban
PHOTOS: D.C. Trans Pride
Men convicted of murdering two men in NYC gay bar drugging scheme sentenced
Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
WorldPride events round-up
Pope Leo XIV: Family based on ‘stable union between a man and a woman’
Wes Moore signs HIV decriminalization bill
