Arts & Entertainment
Baltimore arts briefs: Aug. 31
Frontrunners run, Prop. 8 play gets reading and more

Frontrunners run Saturday
Baltimore Frontrunners and Walkers members run on Saturday morning at 8:45 starting at the Panera (3600 Boston St.).
The organization is a running and walking club for LGBT individuals and their friends. They welcome runners and walkers of all levels, including any four-legged friends who would like to join the run.
The route for the run will include going to the Inner Harbor World Trade Center or the Maryland Science Center. Afterward, the group reassembles for brunch at 10.
This event is free. If attendees have more questions, they can email [email protected] or call 410-662-2887. For more information, visit baltimorefrontrunners.org.
Prop. 8-themed play gets reading
On Sept. 8, there will be a stage reading of the play “8” at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Harford County (2515 Churchville Rd., Bel Air, Md.).
The play, by Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black, dramatizes the California court case challenging Proposition 8. The show begins at 6 p.m. and runs 90 minutes.
After the performance a small panel will be available to discuss the pursuit of same-sex marriage laws in Maryland.
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Harford County is a welcoming congregation. For more information, visit uufhc.net.

Zach Smith and the Dixie Power Trio perform at the Sachs Memorial Jazz Series Wednesday. (Photo courtesy MJS)
Jazz series hosts outdoor concert
Sachs Memorial Jazz Series presents Zach Smith and the Dixie Power Trio Wednesday evening at 6 at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts (Chase St., Annapolis).
The series presents some of the most talented performers from the area in an atmosphere that is appropriate for all ages.
The performance is outside and patrons are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets and food. It is asked that patrons do not bring alcoholic beverages, but the Hard Bean Café is open for beer, wine and other food. In case of rain, the performance is moved inside.
This event is free. For more information, visit marylandhall.org.
‘Fashion Night Out’ event at Power Plant
Baltimore Fashion Alliance is participating in the global “Fashion Night Out” at the Power Plant Live (34 Market Place) on Thursday evening at 6.
“Fashion’s Night Out” is a global celebration where editors, models and designers raid stores and look for the latest designs. Last year there were events in 18 countries, which included limited-edition products, celebrity appearances and live performances.
Events and performance vary with each location. Admission to Power Plant Live! is free, however admission to different events may vary. For more information, visit baltimorefashionalliance.org.
Gay clubs announce weekly events
Club Hippo (1 W. Eager St.) hosts its weekly Gay Bingo this Wednesday night starting at 8:30 p.m.
This is not like typical church bingo. The night includes cash prizes and progressive jackpots, drink specials, appetizers and raffles. Roger Dimick hosts the event.
Admission is free for this event. For more information, visit clubhippo.com.
Grand Central (1001/1003 N. Charles St.) hosts its Sweat Fridays with DJ Madscience starting at 8 p.m.
The night includes $2.50 drink specials until 11 and dancing until close. The cover charge is $10. For more information, visit centralstationpub.com.
Theater
‘We Are Gathered’ a powerful contemplation of queer equality
Arena production dives fearlessly into many facets of same-sex connection

‘We Are Gathered’
Through June 15
Arena Stage
1101 Sixth St., S.W.
$70-$110
Arenastage.org
Aptly billed as a queer love story, Tarell Alvin McCraney’s terrific new play “We Are Gathered” (now at Arena Stage) dives deeply and fearlessly into the many facets of a same-sex connection and all that goes with it.
McCraney’s tale of two gay men’s romance unfolds entertainingly over two acts. Wallace Tre (Kyle Beltran), a tense architect, and his younger partner Free (Nic Ashe), a campy and fun-loving musician with a deep sense of quiet and peace are contemplating marriage after five years together, but one of the two isn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of imminent matrimony.
At 14, Wallace Tre (nicknamed Dubs) first learned about gay cruising via renowned British playwright Caryl Churchill’s seminal work “Cloud Nine.” It was an intoxicating introduction that led Dubs to an exciting world of sex and risk.
Soon after, a nearby park became a thrilling constant in his life. It remains a source of excitement, fun, danger, and fulfillment. The local cruising zone is also a constant in McCraney’s play.
One memorable evening, Dubs experienced a special night in the woods, a shadowy hour filled with exhilaration and surprise. That’s when Dubs unpredictably learned something he’d never felt before. That night in the park, he met and fell madly in love with Free.
In addition to being a talented playwright, McCraney is the Academy Award-winning Black and queer screenwriter of “Moonlight,” the 2016 film. He’s happy to be a part of WorldPride 2025, and grateful to Arena for making space for his play on its stage. McCraney says he wrote “We Are Gathered” as a contemplation of queer marriage and the right for same-sex couples, like opposite-sex couples, to marry anywhere in the United States.
For Dubs, it’s important that Free speak openly about how they met in the park. He’d like Free to share the details of their coming together with his supportive grandparents, Pop Pop (Craig Wallace) and Mama Jae (out actor Jade Jones). As far as they know, their grandson met Dubs at a lovely gathering with a nice crowd assembled under a swanky canopy. When in truth it was a park busy with horny guys cruising beneath a canopy of leafy verdure.
Understandably, Free is more than a tad embarrassed to reveal that he enjoyed al fresco sex with Dubs prior to knowing his boyfriend’s name. Clearly, in retrospect, both feel that their initial meeting is a source of discomfort, tinged with awkwardness.
There is a lot more to “We Are Gathered” than cruising. Dubs and Free are ardently liked by friends and family. Both are attractive and smart. Yet, they’re different. Free is quite easy going while Dubs is, at times, pricklier.
While Free is part of a happy family, Dubs’s people aren’t entirely easy. He grew up with a strung-out mother and a cold father (Kevin Mambo). Yet, his sister Punkin (Nikolle Salter), an astronaut, is very caring and close to him. While she doesn’t necessarily like “the gay stuff,” she very much wants to live in a world where there’s room for her gay brother.
Adeptly directed by Kent Gash, the production is memorable, and it’s not his first collaboration with McCraney. Ten years ago, Gash, who’s Black and queer, staged McCraney’s “Choir Boys” at Studio Theatre, another well-written and finely staged work.
“We Are Gathered” is performed in the round in Arena’s cavernous Fichandler Stage. The space is both a forest and various rooms created by designer Jason Sherwood and lighting designer Adam Honoré. It’s a world created by elevating a circular platform surrounded by charming street lamps both hanging overhead and lining the perimeter.
Ultimately, what takes place in “We Are Gathered” is a party, and something even more; it’s a paean to marriage, and a call to a sacrament.
Out & About
Justice-centered theater production comes to D.C.
Mexican Cultural Institute to host ‘La Golondrina’

The Mexican Cultural Institute will host “La Golondrina” on Friday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m. at its location on 2829 16th St. NW.
“La Golondrina” is a theater production that aims to elevate the conversation around hate crimes and the urgent need for dialogue and healing. It is also a powerful and deeply moving story that brings to the stage the emotional legacy of the Pulse nightclub shooting. The play explores that tragedy through an intimate encounter between two characters, Amelia (Luz Nicolás) and Ramón (Victor), whose connection unveils grief, love, and the enduring shadow of homophobia.
Tickets for this event are available on the Cultural Institute’s website.
Out & About
Celebrate Pride with a thoughtful book club
Second edition of ‘Books and Wine’ held at Urban Grape DC

Meet the World Image Solutions will host the second edition of “Books and Wine” on Thursday, June 5 at 5:30 p.m. at Urban Grape DC, a Black- and woman-owned winery in Washington, D.C.
The featured authors are: Beautiful Lawson, Chanele Ramos, and Pamela Coleman. All will read from works that reflect love, resilience, and queer identity across genres. For more details, visit Eventbrite.
-
Arts & Entertainment3 days ago
Shakira cancels WorldPride concert
-
Movies5 days ago
‘Pee-wee’ spills the tea in outstanding new documentary
-
District of Columbia5 days ago
Faith and interfaith-based events for WorldPride
-
U.S. Federal Courts4 days ago
Immigration judge dismisses Andry Hernández Romero’s asylum case