Arts & Entertainment
Calendar through September 5
Gay Softball World Series, The Coolots & Manny Lehman hit D.C.
‘Fallen Youth,’ a sculpture by Janathel Shaw, is on display at Touchstone Gallery. (Image courtesy Touchstone)
Friday, August 30
Aqua Bar and Lounge (1818 New York Ave., N.E.) hosts “Club Fuego,” a Latino gay dance party, tonight from 10:30 p.m.-3 a.m. Admission is $10 and limited to guests 21 and over. For details, visit aquadc.com.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts Bear Happy Hour tonight from 6-11 p.m. There is no cover charge and admission is limited to guests 21 and over. For details, visit towndc.com.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts “Grand Slam with DJ Manny Lehman,” the finale to the Gay Softball World Series, tonight at 10 p.m. The World Series is the largest LGBT sporting event in the country, welcoming more than 170 teams to D.C. this year. Cover is $8 from 10-11 and $12 after 11. For details, visit towndc.com.
The Coolots, a local all-female rock and soul band, perform tonight at Phase 1 of Dupont (1415 22nd St., N.W.). Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $10 and limited to guests 21 and over. For more information, visit phase1dc.com.
The Club (5268 Williamsport Pike, Martinsburg, W.Va.) hosts a patio “Foam Party” tonight. Doors open at 6 p.m. Cover is $5 and unlimited bottomless rail drinks are $20. Admission is limited to guests 21 and over. For more details, visit theclubwv.com.
Saturday, August 31
Phase 1 of Dupont (1415 22nd St., N.W.) hosts its weekly “Booty Beach Ladies Dance Party” this evening. The winner of the party’s bikini and board shorts contest will receive cash and prizes. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and admission is $5. Visit phase1dc.com for more information.
Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts its new “Saturday Brunch” at 11 a.m. Guests can enjoy one free mimosa with their meal. For more details, visit nelliessportsbar.com.
Adventuring, a gay outdoors group, hosts a Great North Mountain hike near the Virginia-West Virginia border today. Participants meet at 8:30 a.m. at the East Falls Church Metro Station (2001 N. Sycamore St., Arlington, Va.), and should bring bug spray, lunch, water, sunscreen, sturdy boots and $20 for trip fees. For more information, visit adventuring.org.
Sunday, September 1
Busboys and Poets (2021 14th St., N.W.) hosts “Sparkle,” its monthly LGBT poetry open mic night, from 8-10 p.m. this evening. Admission is $5. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit busboysandpoets.com.
K&C Productions hosts its weekly “Sizzling Hot Sundays,” an LGBT hip-hop and house music dance party, at Club Muse (717 6th St., N.W.) tonight from 11 p.m.-2 a.m. For details, visit clubmuse.com.
Perry’s (1811 Columbia Rd., N.W.) hosts its weekly Sunday Drag Brunch today from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The cost is $24.95 for an all-you-can-eat buffet. For details, visit perrysadamsmorgan.com.
Black Fox Lounge (1723) hosts “Tula’s Cabaret,” a classic lip-sync drag show, from 8-11 p.m. tonight. Admission is free. For more information, visit blackfoxlounge.com.
The Bachelor’s Mill (1104 8th St., S.E.) hosts karaoke tonight from 9 p.m.-midnight. There will also be pool, video gaming systems and card games. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and admission is $3 after 9. For more information, visit bachelorsmill.com.
Monday, September 2
The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) hosts coffee drop-in hours this morning from 10 a.m.-noon. for the senior LGBT community. Older LGBT adults can come and enjoy complimentary coffee and conversation with other community members. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Adventuring, an LGBT outdoors group, host a Wilson Bridge hike today. The group meets at the King Street Metro Station (1900 King St., Alexandria, Va.) at 11 a.m., and then walks through Old Town Alexandria across the Wilson Bridge to the National Harbor in Maryland. Participants should bring $2 as a trip fee, $8 for a water taxi back to Alexandria, lunch and plenty of water. For more details, visit adventuring.org.
Tuesday, September 3
Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) hosts its weekly FUK!T Packing Party tonight from 7-9 p.m. For more details, visit thedccenter.org or greenlanterndc.com.
Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts karaoke tonight at 9 p.m. For details, visit nelliessportsbar.com.
Wednesday, September 4
Midtown (1219 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) hosts “Mix It Up 2.0,” an LGBT dance party, from 8:30-midnight. All groups of six entering together get a free bottle of champagne. For details, visit midtown-dc.com.
Us Helping Us (3636 Georgia Ave., N.W.) hosts a support group for black gay men living with HIV tonight from 7-9 p.m. For more details, visit uhupil.org.
The Tom Davoren Social Bridge Club will be meeting at 7:30 p.m., at the Dignity Center 721 8th St., S.E. (across from Marine Barracks) for social bridge. No partner needed. Call 301-345-1571 for more information.
Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) hosts “Bare!,” a storytelling show of true stories of sex, love and desire, from 8-10 p.m. tonight. The show is based in New York and also has monthly performances in Boston. Admission is $8 and limited to guests 21 and over. For more details, visit blackfoxlounge.com.
Thursday, September 5
Rude Boi Entertainment hosts “Tempted 2 Touch,” a ladies dance party, at the Fab Lounge (2022 Florida Ave., N.W.). Doors open at 5 p.m. for happy hour until 9, and the club closes at 1 a.m. Admission is $5 all night and limited to guests 21 and over. For details, visit rudeboientertainment.wordpress.com.
The D.C. Health Link and the Mayor’s Office of GLBT Affairs host an LGBT Leadership Summit at Busboys and Poets (2021 14th St., N.W.) today from 6:30-7:30 p.m. LGBT community leaders and business owners will meet with health care experts to learn how to find the best and most affordable health insurance. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., N.W.) hosts a preview from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. today of its new exhibit “ReBirth” by Janathel Shaw. The exhibition features clay sculptures that address racism and sexism through Buddhist influences of rebirth. For more information, visit touchstonegallery.com.
The Gay Softball World Series holds its championship games today from 7:50 a.m.-4 p.m. at Fairland Regional Park (3928 Greencastle Rd., Burtonsville, Md.), and from 7:50 a.m.-2 p.m. at Watkins Regional Park (301 Watkins Park Dr., Upper Marlboro, Md.). There will then be a closing street party and awards ceremony in the Renaissance Hotel courtyard from 5-9 p.m. with food, entertainment and drink specials. For more information, visit dcseries2013.com.
Team DC, the umbrella organization for LGBTQ-friendly sports teams and leagues in the D.C. area, held its annual Night of Champions Awards Gala on Saturday, April 20 at the Hilton National Mall. The organization gave out scholarships to area LGBTQ student athletes as well as awards to the Different Drummers, Kelly Laczko of Duplex Diner, Stacy Smith of the Edmund Burke School, Bryan Frank of Triout, JC Adams of DCG Basketball and the DC Gay Flag Football League.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The 2024 National Cannabis Festival was held at the Fields at RFK Stadium on April 19-20.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Covering the @NatlCannaFest at RFK Stadium for @WashBlade . Stop by the LGBTQ+ booth and pick up a paper if you are here. pic.twitter.com/is7hnsaPns
— Michael Patrick Key (@MichaelKeyWB) April 20, 2024
Theater
‘Amm(i)gone’ explores family, queerness, and faith
A ‘fully autobiographical’ work from out artist Adil Mansoor
‘Amm(i)gone’
Thorough May 12
Woolly Mammoth Theatre
641 D St., N.W.
$60-$70
Woollymammoth.net
“Fully and utterly autobiographical.” That’s how Adil Mansoor describes “Amm(i)gone,” his one-man work currently playing at Woolly Mammoth Theatre.
Both created and performed by out artist Mansoor, it’s his story about inviting his Pakistani mother to translate Sophocles’s Greek tragedy “Antigone” into Urdu. Throughout the journey, there’s an exploration of family, queerness, and faith,as well as references to teachings from the Quran, and audio conversations with his Muslim mother.
Mansoor, 38, grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and is now based in Pittsburgh where he’s a busy theater maker. He’s also the founding member of Pittsburgh’s Hatch Arts Collective and the former artistic director of Dreams of Hope, an LGBTQ youth arts organization.
WASHINGTON BLADE: What spurred you to create “Amm(i)gone”?
ADIL MANSOOR: I was reading a translation of “Antigone” a few years back and found myself emotionally overwhelmed. A Theban princess buries her brother knowing it will cost her, her own life. It’s about a person for whom all aspirations are in the afterlife. And what does that do to the living when all of your hopes and dreams have to be reserved for the afterlife?
I found grant funding to pay my mom to do the translation. I wanted to engage in learning. I wanted to share theater but especially this ancient tragedy. My mother appreciated the characters were struggling between loving one another and their beliefs.
BLADE: Are you more director than actor?
MANSOOR: I’m primarily a director with an MFA in directing from Carnegie Mellon. I wrote, directed, and performed in this show, and had been working on it for four years. I’ve done different versions including Zoom. Woolly’s is a new production with the same team who’ve been involved since the beginning.
I love solo performance. I’ve produced and now teach solo performance and believe in its power. And I definitely lean toward “performance” and I haven’t “acted” since I was in college. I feel good on stage. I was a tour guide and do a lot of public speaking. I enjoy the attention.
BLADE: Describe your mom.
MANSOOR: My mom is a wonderfully devout Muslim, single mother, social worker who discovered my queerness on Google. And she prays for me.
She and I are similar, the way we look at things, the way we laugh. But different too. And those are among the questions I ask in this show. Our relationship is both beautiful and complicated.
BLADE: So, you weren’t exactly hiding your sexuality?
MANSOOR: In my mid-20s, I took time to talk with friends about our being queer with relation to our careers. My sexuality is essential to the work. As the artistic director at Dreams of Hope, part of the work was to model what it means to be public. If I’m in a room with queer and trans teenagers, part of what I’m doing is modeling queer adulthood. The way they see me in the world is part of what I’m putting out there. And I want that to be expansive and full.
So much of my work involves fundraising and being a face in schools. Being out is about making safe space for queer young folks.
BLADE: Have you encountered much Islamophobia?
MANSOOR: When 9/11 happened, I was a sophomore in high school, so yes. I faced a lot then and now. I’ve been egged on the street in the last four months. I see it in the classroom. It shows up in all sorts of ways.
BLADE: What prompted you to lead your creative life in Pittsburgh?
MANSOOR: I’ve been here for 14 years. I breathe with ease in Pittsburgh. The hills and the valleys and the rust of the city do something to me. It’s beautiful, it’ affordable, and there is support for local artists. There’s a lot of opportunity.
Still, the plan was to move to New York in September of 2020 but that was cancelled. Then the pandemic showed me that I could live in Pittsburgh and still have a nationally viable career.
BLADE: What are you trying to achieve with “Amm(i)gone”?
MANSOOR: What I’m sharing in the show is so very specific but I hear people from other backgrounds say I totally see my mom in that. My partner is Catholic and we share so much in relation to this.
I hope the work is embracing the fullness of queerness and how means so many things. And I hope the show makes audiences want to call their parents or squeeze their partners.
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