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Calendar Through May 9

Pink & Purple Weekend, spring flings, drag shows, parties and more

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13 years ago

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Denyce Graves, gay news, Washington Blade
Denyce Graves, gay news, Washington Blade

Mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves performs with the National Philharmonic this weekend at the Strathmore (Photo by Devon Cass Silver).

Friday, May 3

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force kicks off its Pink and Purple weekend tonight at 8 p.m. at the Hotel Helix Patio (1430 Rhode Island Ave., NW). The weekend honors community leaders who push for LGBT equality and educate local activists. Tonight’s event is “Dusk: for Women and their Friends,” which is $30 at the door. Later in the night starting at 10 p.m. is the Pink and Purple Party at Cobalt (1639 R St., NW). Tickets are not available ahead of time for this event. The weekend ends with the Pink and Purple Awards Brunch at the Mayflower Hotel (1127 Connecticut Ave., NW) on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. This year’s brunch will honor actor Jeffrey Wright, an LGBT advocate, Emmy, Golden Globe and Tony Award winner, as well as Robert Raben, an accomplished leader for the LGBT community who is the former assistant attorney general under President Bill Clinton. Tickets are $125. For details, visit thetaskforce.org.

NoVA Gay and Lesbian Professionals host a spring social at the Kora Lounge (2250 Crystal Drive, Arlington, Va.) this evening at 6 p.m. Visit gogaydc.com for more information.

The “A List Show” at Remington’s Nightclub (639 Pennsylvania Ave., SE) hosts with Ladi Lenore, “The Darling of the Empire” tonight at 10 p.m. Cover is $10. For more information, visit remingtonswdc.com.

The Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance presents the Miss Gay Arlington Pageant “The Glittery Rainbow Connection” at Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant (555 23rd Street South, Arlington, Va.) at 8 p.m. The theme for this year’s pageant is “Priscilla Takes Arlington,” based on the film “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.” Contestant entry fee is $25. For details, visit agla.org.

Conductor Christoph Eschenbach leads the National Symphony Orchestra in the show “A Tribute to Slava” tonight at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., NW) at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10-$85. For more information, visit kennedy-center.org.

Saturday, May 4

Denyce Graves, a famous mezzo-soprano, performs with the National Philharmonic at the Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane) tonight at 8 p.m. and tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. Grave will perform Brahm’s “Alto Rhapsody” under the direction of conductor Piotr Gajewski. Tickets are $28-$81. Visit nationalphilharmonic.org for details.

Burgundy Crescent Volunteers are invited to work the Around the World Embassy Tour today at 10 a.m. Volunteers will welcome residents and visitors while they experience the different Washington embassies. The tours will be between Massachusetts Ave. and P St., NW. They’ll also be at Food and Friends (219 Riggs Rd., NE) at 8 a.m. and again at 9:45 a.m. Volunteers will help with food preparation and packing groceries. The shifts are limited to 10 per shift. Others will be at Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation at Falls Church PetSmart (6100 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church, Va.) starting at 11:45 a.m. For more information, visit burgundycrescent.org.

Sunday, May 5

The Literary Hill BookFest kicks off today at 11 a.m. at the North Hall of Eastern Market (575 7th St., NW). The afternoon includes thought-provoking writers who will discuss, read and sign their works. Visit literaryhillbookfest.org for more information.

Monday, May 6

The GI Film Festival kicks off tonight with a black tie salute to James Bond and gala event at the Signature Theater (4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, VA) at 7 p.m. Tickets are $135. The festival is the only one to celebrate and commemorate the military through the medium of film. Part of their schedule includes a screening of the short documentary “Do Tell” on May 10 at 10 p.m. The film follows gay American military members stationed in an outpost in Japan pre and post “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Tickets to this event are $30. Attendees can buy passes for $50-$350. Visit gifilmfestival.com.

The D.C. Center (1318 U St., NW) holds coffee drop-in for the senior LGBT community today at 10 a.m.-noon. The Center will provide complimentary coffee and a community to chat with. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Bears do Yoga takes place this evening 6:30 p.m. as part of a series at the Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, NW). This is part of a basic yoga series that takes place every Monday and is open to people of varying body types and experience. There is no charge. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Tuesday, May 7

Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) hosts its Safer Sex Kit-packing program tonight from 7-10:30. The packing program is looking for more volunteers to help produce the kits because they say they are barely keeping up with demand. Admission is free and volunteers can just show up. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Wednesday, May 8

Washington Ballet presents “The Sun Also Rises,” a show based of Ernest Hemingway’s classic novel, tonight at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., NW) at 7:30 p.m. Under the artistic direction of gay choreographer Septime Webre, the show tells the story of journalist Jake Barnes, a 1920s American expatriate in Paris, and his journey that leads him to the “running of the bulls” in Pamplona, Spain. Tickets are $25-$125. Visit kennedy-center.org for more details.

The Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., SE) at 7:30 p.m. for social bridge. Newcomers are welcome and no reservations are needed. For more information or if you need a partner, visit lambdabridge.com.

Thursday, May 9

Rocker Beth Hart performs at the Birchmere Music Hall (3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Hart’s initial fame, after a record-breaking stint on “Star Search,” was garnered from her hit “LA Song (Out of this Town)” that was used on “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Her music is influenced by blues, rock, gospel and jazz. Tickets are $25. For details, visit birchmere.com.

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Silky Nutmeg Ganache talks sex and dating, gender, politics, weight loss journey

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ semifinalist grew up in Bible Belt

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2 days ago

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July 7, 2026

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Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Photo courtesy of Silky Nutmeg Ganache)

Uncloseted Media published this interview on July 7.

By SPENCER MACNAUGHTON, ISABEL STOKES, and BELLA SAYEGH | After appearing on the 11th season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the first season of “Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. the World,” the sixth season of “RuPaul’s All Stars” and now the 11th season of “All Stars,” Silky Nutmeg Ganache, known by many as the Reverend, is undoubtedly a legend.

Born and raised in Moss Point, Miss., Ganache bears all in this episode of “UNCLOSETED with Spencer Macnaughton.” She speaks about her relationship with gender, her 100-pound weight loss, what it’s like living as a queer person of color in a red state and why she’s calling on allies to stand up for the trans community.

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Photos

PHOTOS: Crush Dance Bar

Patrons enjoy a night out at popular LGBTQ venue

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3 days ago

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July 6, 2026

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(Washington Blade photo by Landon Shackelford)

Patrons enjoyed a night out at the popular LGBTQ venue Crush Dance Bar on Friday, July 3.

(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)

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Theater

‘My Favorite Sociopath’ debuts at Shepherdstown’s CATF

Gay playwright Aurin Squire’s take on D.C. journalism in the ‘90s

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3 days ago

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July 5, 2026

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Playwright Aurin Squire. (Photo by Yilong Liu)

‘My Favorite Sociopath’
Contemporary American Theater Festival
July 10-Aug. 2
Shepherdstown, W.Va.
Catf.org

Discernment. It’s a thing some people have, explains playwright Aurin Squire, especially when you’re gay or Black in America (Squire is both).

“You instinctively know when the mob is teaming up for the best interests of the powers that be. You can feel it in the air.”

In his sharp new satire “My Favorite Sociopath,” Squire writes about life experiences but set in a different time and place: It’s the 1990s, early days of the 24-hour news cycle, and three ambitious journalism students are pursuing success in D.C.

And now, Squire’s play, along with other new works, are making their world premieres at the annual Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) at Shepherd University in historic, queer-friendly Shepherdstown, W.Va. (just a 90-minute drive from D.C.).

“All of my plays are queer in some way,” says Squire, 46. “This one touches on harmless and dangerous lies. The characters are on the spectrum sexually, and it’s interesting how all that falls out.”

And he’s given it a lot of thought. 

“Already as a kid, it seemed to me that the rage against rap music and sex was coming from closeted people resisting their own urges and temptations. For me, it was interesting to see a witch hunt led by witches. Queer people can always call out a lie.”

Since September, Squire has also been working with a TV show about the tech industry set in Silicon Valley. He says, “It seems the general flow of the tech industry is that humanity and civilization is finished and it’s just about accumulating as many goods as possible before everything collapses. In fact, those who are profiting actually agree. But for those who disagree, they believe the solution is to build bigger gates, but activists believe we can stop this” 

Yet, he’s learned from folks associated with the show. “Many say the quickest way to divorce yourself from any responsibility or regulations — smash and grab. Otherwise, you have to stop and think and regulate your desires for greed and power”

Squire possesses a penchant for pithy titles. He laughs, explaining the first thing he wrote as a student at Juilliard was “Obama-ology,” the comedy with contemporary message. While a lot of people liked the name, it didn’t necessarily vibe with the author. He concedes that he chooses names based on “easy to remember” and titles that won’t be easy to lose as a file. 

Another is “Defacing Michael Jackson,” a coming-of-age dramedy set in rural Florida in 1984, specifically Squire’s native town Opa-locka, Miami, a fantastical place famed for its fanciful Moorish revival architecture.

Living in the shadow of exotic structures, he wasn’t particularly fazed. Squire says “It wasn’t until returning to visit after my freshman year at Northwestern University in Chicago that I realized how weird it was: When you grow up in a place, you take surroundings for granted no matter how over the top.”  

Now based in New York (where for two happy years, 2017-2019, he shared digs with drag king Murry Hill), Squire returns frequently to Miami to be with family, but this summer has been filled with both work and travel.

Currently, he’s in Shepherdstown with CATF shaping up “My Favorite Sociopath.” Later this summer he will travel to South Africa for research, followed by a silent writing retreat in Santa Fe, N.M. 

Much of Squire’s work reflects the Latino, African, Caribbean, African-American, and Jewish cultures he grew up around in South Florida.

When asked if today’s winds of anti-multiculturalism worry him, he replies, “No, because that’s going to pass. Most people don’t like, people are seeing the negative results of it, and the young people coming up despise it. White male gamers were tricked momentarily through the algorithms into voting against their own interests and they’re now seeing how it’s not working out for them. 

“Conservatives always try to stop progress and eventually they always lose. It’s just a question of where we’ll be in the middle of the end of civilization before that happens. I’d like to hope we can turn the ship around before then.” 

In addition to “My Favorite Sociopath,” CATF summer season features three other world premieres (Lisa D’Amour’s comedy “The Smoker,” “Refugee Rhapsody” by Yussef El Guindi, “Best Line Wins: A Play Inspired by the Improvised Lives of Elaine May & Mike Nichols” by Beth Kander) and “¡VOS!” by Christina Pumariega.

CATF runs from July 10-Aug. 2 in three venues on the Shepherd University campus: Frank Center, Marinoff Theater, and Studio 112.

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