Arts & Entertainment

‘Body’ of evidence

Well-crafted lesbian-themed character study closes at Theater J Sunday

Published

14 years ago

September 20, 2012

Brian T. Carney

‘Body Awareness’
Theater J
1529 Sixteenth Street, NW
Through Sept. 23
Tickets: $25

Body Awareness, theater, Marybeth Wise, Susan Lynskey, Adi Stein

MaryBeth Wise, Susan Lynskey and Adi Stein in ‘Body Awareness’ by Annie Baker at Theater J through Sunday. (Photo by C. Stanley Photography)

It’s wonderful when you leave a play wanting more — more of the interesting multi-faceted characters, more of the thought-provoking themes, more of the crackling dialogue and more of the nuanced acting, striking design and confident direction. And luckily for Washington’s LGBT theater audiences, that is definitely the case with Theater J’s excellent production of Annie Baker’s “Body Awareness.” But act fast — this is the last weekend to catch it as it closes Sunday.

As the play opens, it’s Body Awareness week at Shirley State College in Vermont. Psychology professor Phyllis (Susan Lynskey) predicts all too accurately that, “we have five eventful days ahead of us.” Like Wendy Wasserstein’s “The Heidi Chronicles,” “Body Awareness” is structured around a series of addresses by a feminist academic, but Baker’s writing is less self-conscious and more self-assured and her character’s use of humor is more organic and less self-defensive.

One of the guest artists for the politically correct-yet-intellectually-and-artistically-scattershot week is Frank Bonitatibus who takes nude photographs of women of all ages. Frank is staying with Phyllis and her partner Joyce, and that’s when the drama starts.

Phyllis categorically rejects Frank’s photos as manipulative and exploitative. Joyce quickly sees Frank as a kindred spirit with a common interest in Judaism and a mutual yearning for self-expression. Joyce’s 21-year-old son Jared, who still lives with Joyce and Phyllis, sees Frank as a potential role model who might be able to teach him how to get a girlfriend.

Baker skillfully draws out the shifting alliance and antagonisms between the characters: the feminist psychologist verses the visionary artist; the arrogant college professor and the caring high school teacher (“your mother’s job does not count as academic”); the politically correct lesbian versus the warm fuzzy lesbian hippy; the well-meaning mothers and the quirky son who insists he does not have Asperger’s Syndrome, despite his lack of social skills, his obsessive interest in etymologies and his bursts of violent language.

Under the smooth direction of Eleanor Holdridge, the cast brings these rich characters to energetic theatrical life, Lynskey is strong as a rather rigid ideologue whose more tender feelings are betrayed by a suspected facial tic and a meltdown during her Friday lecture. MaryBeth Wise is superb as Joyce, the woman who plays peacekeeper to the warring factions and still tries to address her own needs. Michael Kramer is fascinating as Frank, striking a fine balance between a sensitive empowering artist and a somewhat creepy voyeur who has his own issues relating to women.

Adi Stein is somewhat less successful as Jared, who may, or may not, have Asperger’s Syndrome. He captures the character’s mood swings and idiosyncrasies with admirable precision, but his lively performance leaves the young man’s diagnosis in little doubt. A flatter aspect might have preserved more of the character’s mystery.

The play is also well served by the subtle work of the design team (Scenic Designer Daniel Ettinger, Lighting Designer Nancy Schertler, Costume Designer Kelsey Hunt and Sound Designer Chas Marsh). The set design is fluid and effective and the lighting evocatively captures the shifting moods of the different scenes. Director Holdridge brings all this together with a casual effortlessness that works well with the tricky verbal and emotional rhythms of Baker’s dialogue. The scene transitions are especially effective, creating lovely stage pictures with lively underscoring while giving the actors and audience a chance to regroup and rethink.

There are a few bugs in the writing. Phyllis’s instant antagonism to Frank and his art, and her lack of awareness about the content of his exhibition, don’t make a lot of sense and a final twist involving Jared and one of his mother’s students comes out of nowhere. Despite these relatively minor flaws, “Body Awareness” is an exciting early work by an important new female playwright.

Related Topics:Annie Baker Body Awareness Out & About Theater J

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FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM

Sports

Jason Collins dies at 47

First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer

Published

22 hours ago

May 12, 2026

Michael K. Lavers

Jason Collins (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

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.”

Photos

PHOTOS: ‘Studio 69’

Glitterati Productions hold party at Bunker

Published

2 days ago

May 11, 2026

Michael Key

'Studio 69' was held at Bunker on Friday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

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.

Published

2 days ago

May 11, 2026

Staff reports

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