Arts & Entertainment

Date with death

Experimental Studio production uses device to clever effect

Published

13 years ago

October 25, 2012

Patrick Folliard

‘Dirt’
Through Nov. 11
Studio Theatre
1501 14th Street, NW
$20
202-332-3300

Ubiquitous local actor Holly Twyford, a winner in this year’s Best of Gay D.C. readers’ poll, in ‘Dirt,’ a new play on the boards now at Studio. (Photo by Scott Suchman, courtesy Studio Theatre)

Climbing the steep stairs to Stage 4 at the top of Studio Theatre’s expansive complex, the smell of earth becomes increasingly noticeable. Not a bad thing when the ascent leads to a play titled “Dirt.”

In British dramatist Bryony Lavery’s new work about mortality and decay, dirt is everywhere: It’s spewed from the mouths of battling lovers; it’s what a young woman feels like when she beds down her new date; and it’s what the lead character becomes when she dies. It also fills the floor of Debra Booth’s spare and otherwise clean set.

Lavery’s play tracks the lives of several characters but primarily focuses on Harper (Holly Twyford), a perpetually late doctoral student, who after an combative dinner date with her tightly wound boyfriend Matt (Matthew Montelongo) followed by athletic, angry sex, dies unexpectedly from chemical overload. Not a lethal mix of illicit drugs or a mistakenly ingested bottle of rat poison, but rather from lifelong exposure to the countless ingredients found in soaps, body scrubs and everyday household cleaners — all the things used to fend off insidious dirt.

Once dead, Harper’s lingers in her apartment watching as her decomposing corpse becomes dinner (as she puts it) for myriad bugs and bacteria. Five days later, she sees her guilt-stricken boyfriend discover her rotting body; and later hovers as her somewhat removed, professor mother (Carolyn Mignini) grapples with grief.

The characters comment on the plot. This sort of direct address works especially well for Twyford who makes an immediate and strong connection with the audience. And because Harper is well aware of her odious fate, she engages in some terrific snippets of gallows humor.

Rounding out the cast are Natalia Payne as Elle, a deeply frustrated Julliard-trained actor/server who does breathy voiceover work on the side, and Ro Boddie who plays Guy, a former drug/sex addict-turned-Reiki healer. Guy relates to dirt in an entirely different way from the others — he uses it to grow plants. Imagine that.

As the in-love but clashing Harper and Matt, Twyford and Montelongo (both gay) play marvelously off one another. Their increasingly tense, disastrous date provides the play’s most enjoyable moments. This production serves as a reunion for the talented pair — they’ve acted together at Studio before in “Faraway” and “Black Milk,” and in “The Little Dog Laughed” at Signature Theatre in Arlington.

Because “Dirt” is a production of Studio Lab (the arm of the company dedicated to fostering the development of streamlined premieres), all tickets are just $20. John Burkland’s emotive lighting design is top notch. For the most part, Frank Labovitz’s costumes are spot-on street clothes. But Harper’s often mentioned date dress seems wrong. Granted she’s an academic, but still — what 30-something, thin New Yorker meets her boyfriend for dinner at a hip restaurant wearing an unflattering purplish-blue tea dress?

Lavery (also gay) is best known for her acclaimed hit “Frozen,” a chilling three-handed portrait of a child killer. For several years she was artistic directed of the now-disbanded Gay Sweatshop, a London theater company that sprang out of the gay and lesbian liberation movement.

At two-plus hours, “Dirt” is too long. A little cutting would help, starting with some of those tiresome recitations of toxins, and an excruciating 11th hour speech in which Elle takes on the persona of a trial lawyer and sort of wraps things up. Also the show would benefit if director David Muse (Studio’s artistic director who staged a riveting production of “Frozen” at Studio in 2006) pushed the cast to goose up the pace a tad.

Though mostly jokey, a little pedantic and often obvious, “Dirt” is not without poetic and poignant moments. The most striking of which is the image of Harper’s lifeless body stretched rigidly across her favorite chair bathed by moonlight in an otherwise dark apartment.

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Calendar: through Nov. 1

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Bars & Parties

Mixtape Sapphics hosts holiday party on Dec. 13

‘Sugar & Spice’ night planned for Saturday

Published

13 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

(Photo by New Africa/Bigstock)

Mixtape Sapphics will host “Sapphic Sugar & Spice: A Naughty-Nice Mixtape Holiday Party” on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 4 p.m. at Amsterdam Lounge.

This is a festive, grown holiday party for queer women and sapphics 35 and older at Revolt’s Christmas pop-up. There will be music, joy, and an optional White Elephant.

This is Mixtape Sapphics’ first-ever holiday party — a cozy, flirty, intentionally grounded night created just for queer women and sapphics 35+ who want real connection, festive joy, and a warm place to land at the end of the year.

Tickets start at $13.26 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Calendar

Calendar: December 12-18

LGBTQ events in the days to come

Published

13 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

Friday, December 12

“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 12 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s new location at 1827 Wiltberger St., N.W. To RSVP, visit the DC Center’s website or email [email protected].

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Women in Their Twenties and Thirties will be at 8 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social discussion group for queer women in the Washington, D.C. area. For more details, go to Facebook.

Saturday, December 13

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 12 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Sunday Supper on Saturday” at 2 p.m. D.C.’s queer community will gather for good food, laughter, and community. For more information, email [email protected].

Sunday, December 14

SADBrunch will host “HokiSlay Drag Brunch” at 12 p.m. at Throw Social. This festive affair brings fierce performances, over-the-top holiday looks, and more sparkle than a tinsel explosion. Expect powerhouse lip-syncs, laughter, and cheer hotter than your spiked cocoa. Cake Pop will host the event. Tickets cost $28.52 and are available on Eventbrite.

Monday, December 15

“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam ([email protected]).

Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary, whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis. For more details, visit genderqueerdc.org or Facebook.

Tuesday, December 16

Center Bi+ Roundtable will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is an opportunity for people to gather and discuss issues related to bisexuality or as Bi individuals in a private setting. Visit Facebook or Meetup for more information.

The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Self-Defense Class with Avi Rome” at 12:30 p.m. Rome is a proud member of the LGBTQ community and a full-time martial arts instructor with 25 years of teaching experience. He holds a Fifth Degree Black Belt in Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do and is the director of the studio’s Adaptive Tae Kwon Do program for students with special needs. He has also run numerous self-defense workshops for various groups and situations. For more details, visit the center’s website.

Wednesday, December 17

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

Asexual and Aromantic Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a space where people who are questioning this aspect of their identity or those who identify as asexual and/or aromantic can come together, share stories and experiences, and discuss various topics. For more details, email [email protected].

Thursday, December 18

The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.

Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breath work and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.

Egypt

Iran, Egypt object to playing in Seattle World Cup ‘Pride Match’

Game to take place on June 26

Published

2 days ago

December 11, 2025

Michael K. Lavers

(Photo by fifg/Bigstock)

Iran and Egypt have objected to playing in a “Pride Match” that will take place in Seattle during the 2026 World Cup.

The Egyptian Football Association on Tuesday said it told FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström in a letter that “it categorically rejects holding any activities related to supporting (homosexuality) during the match between the Egyptian national team and Iran, scheduled to be held in Seattle, USA, on June 26, 2026, in the third round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.” Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran President Mehdi Taj told ISNA, a semi-official Iranian news agency that both his country and Egypt “protested this issue.”

The 2026 World Cup will take place in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The draw took place at the Kennedy Center on Dec. 5.

Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death.

The State Department’s 2023 human rights report notes that while Egyptian law “did not explicitly criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity, authorities regularly arrested and prosecuted LGBTQI+ persons on charges including ‘debauchery,’ prostitution, and ‘violating family values.’” Egyptian authorities “also reportedly prosecuted LGBTQI+ individuals for ‘misuse of social media.’”

“This resulted in de facto criminalization of same-sex conduct and identity,” notes the report.

The 2024 human rights report the State Department released earlier this year did not include LGBTQ-specific references.

Soccer has ‘unique power to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs’

The June 26 match between Iran and Egypt coincides with Seattle Pride. The Washington Post reported the Seattle FIFA World Cup 2026 Local Organizing Committee decided to hold the “Pride Match” before last week’s draw.

“As the Local Organizing Committee, SeattleFWC26’s role is to prepare our city to host the matches and manage the city experience outside of Seattle Stadium,” said SeattleFWC26 Vice President of Communications Hana Tadesse in a statement the committee sent to the Washington Blade on Wednesday. “SeattleFWC26 is moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride weekend and throughout the tournament, partnering with LGBTQ+ leaders, artists, and business owners to elevate existing Pride celebrations across Washington.”

“Football has a unique power to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs,” added Tadeese. “The Pacific Northwest is home to one of the nation’s largest Iranian-American communities, a thriving Egyptian diaspora, and rich communities representing all nations we’re hosting in Seattle. We’re committed to ensuring all residents and visitors experience the warmth, respect, and dignity that defines our region.”

The 2034 World Cup will take place in Saudi Arabia.

Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death in the country. The 2022 World Cup took place in neighboring Qatar, despite concerns over the country’s anti-LGBTQ rights record.