Arts & Entertainment

Calendar: Nov. 8

Parties, concerts, exhibits and more for the week ahead

Published

12 years ago

November 7, 2013

Shane and Tom, the central figures in the film ‘Bridegroom,’ which will be screened Thursday at HRC. (Still courtesy Mozark Productions)

Friday, Nov. 8

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 more information, visit towndc.com.

Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) hosts “JOCK” tonight from 9 p.m.-3 a.m. with DJ Jake Marx. Dress code is sports gear or just a jock. Dress code strictly enforced. There is an open bar from 9-10 p.m. Cover is $10. For details, visit greenlantendc.com.

Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts “Kickoff” featuring DJ Matt Bailer tonight from 10 p.m.-closing. For more information, visit nelliessportsbar.com.

Bachelor’s Mill (1104 8th St., S.E.) holds a happy hour from 5-7:30 p.m. tonight with all drinks half price. Hip music begins at 11 p.m. Enjoy pool, video games, and cards. Admission is $5 after 9 p.m. Must be 21 and over. For more details, visit bachelorsmill.com.

Saturday, Nov. 9

Singer and actress Melissa Errico performs “A Passion for Broadway” with Broadway songs focusing on Stephen Sondheim and more, at The Barns at Wolf Trap (1635 Trap Rd., Vienna, Va.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $40-$42. For details, visit wolftrap.org.

Stonewall Kickball hosts its “Fall 2013 All Stars Game” at Stead Park (1625 P St.,) today from 2-4 p.m. Cobalt and JR.’s division will be playing. For details, email [email protected].

Team D.C. presents its fall casino night at Buffalo Billards (1330 19th St., N.W.) tonight from 8 p.m.-midnight in support of local LGBT sports clubs. Play poker, blackjack and craps to win raffle prizes. The LGBT sports teams will be running the tables including D.C. Aquatics, D.C. Strokes Rowing Club, Capitol Area Rainbowlers and more. There is no cover charge. $10 is worth $100 in chips and $20 is worth $250 in chips. For more details, visit teamdc.org.

Sunday, Nov. 10

Temple Emanuel (10101 Connecticut Ave., Kensington, Md.) hosts its “Brotherhood Brunch with Guest Speaker Professor Ethan Hutt” this morning at 9:15 a.m. Hutt is an assistant professor at University of Maryland who recently published an article on educational malpractice. Admission is $7 for non-Brotherhood members and $5 for Brotherhood members. RSVP at [email protected] or call 301-942-2000.

Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers for D.C. Central Kitchen (425 2nd St., N.W.) today from 9 a.m.-noon. Volunteers will cook alongside chefs who are graduates of D.C. Central Kitchen’s job training program. To volunteer, RSVP at [email protected]. For more information, visit burgundycrescent.org.

Arlington Philharmonic presents a free concert for its season opener featuring soloist Jeffrey Work, principal trumpet of the Oregon Symphony, today at 3 p.m. at the Washington-Lee Auditorium (1301 N. Stafford St., Arlington, Va.). For details, visit arlingtonphilharmonic.org.

The Choral Arts Society of Washington presents the East Coast premiere of Steven Stucky’s “Take Him, Earth,” an orchestral commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination, today at 4 p.m. at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.). Tickets range from $23-$68. For more details, visit kennedy-center.org.

The D.C. Center celebrates the life of Joe Rio from the Center Careers program at DC9 (1940 9th St., N.W.) today from 2-4 p.m. Rio assisted individuals to find jobs and careers, facilitated weekly “Job Club” and “Masterminds” groups at the D.C. Center and the Spanish language Career Development at Casa Ruby for the D.C. Center. To RSVP, email larryd2156. For more details, visit thedccenter.org.

Church of the Holy City (1611 16^th Street, N.W.) hosts its “Music with the Angels” concert series today at 3:30 p.m. featuring cellist Natalie Spehar and violinist Zachary Wu performing works by Fiorillo, Ravel and more. Tickets are $10 for adults; $5 for children and seniors. Visit churchoftheholycitydc.org for details.

Monday, Nov. 11

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

Us Helping Us (3636 Georgia Ave., N.W.) holds a support group for gay black men to discuss topics that affect them today, share perspectives and have meaningful conversations. For details, visit uhupil.org.

Tuesday, Nov. 12

Us Helping Us is having a town hall meeting tonight at 7 p.m. to discuss implementation of the Affordable Care Act at its headquarters (3636 Georgia Ave., N.W.). The meeting will discuss the impact the act will have on the LGBT community and provide an overview of the D.C. Health Exchange. On-site enrollment will also be offered. The event is free and open to the public. Visit uhupil.org for details.

D.C. Bi Women hosts its monthly meeting in the upstairs room of Dupont Italian Kitchen (1637 17th St., N.W.) from 7-9 p.m. tonight. For more details, visit thedccenter.org.

SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) hosts a “Rap Group” today from 5-6:30 p.m. Discuss stressful issues like school, bullying, getting into college or finding a job in this support group. For more details, visit smyal.org.

Wednesday, Nov. 13

Big Gay Book Group meets tonight at 1155 F St., N.W. Suite 200 at 7 p.m. to discuss “Mary Ann in Autumn” by Armistead Maupin, a story about Mary Ann Singleton’s homecoming to San Francisco after spending 20 years pursuing a television career in New York City. For details, email [email protected].

The Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for duplicate bridge. No reservations required and new comers welcome. If you need a partner, call 703-407-6540.

SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) provides free and confidential HIV testing drop-in hours today from 3-5 p.m. For more information, visit smyal.org.

Thursday, Nov. 14

Human Rights Campaign hosts a free screening of the documentary “Bridegroom” this evening at 6 p.m. at its headquarters (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) as part of its “Equality Talks” speaker series. Shane Bitney Crone, the film’s producer, will speak. “Bridegroom,” directed by Linda Bloodworth Thomason, tells the story of two men in a committed relationship and what happens after an accident cuts short their lives together. The film explores how a partner can be legally shut out without having proper protections in place. Doors open at 6 p.m. for the event. View the trailer at bridegroommovie.com. Details on the event are at hrc.org/bridegroom.

Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers for Food and Friends (219 Riggs Rd., N.E.) tonight from 6-8 p.m. Volunteers will chop vegetables and pack groceries. To volunteer, email [email protected]. For more details, visit burgundycrescent.org.

Rude Boi Entertainment hosts “Tempted 2 Touch,” a ladies dance party, at the Fab Lounge (2022 Florida Ave., N.W.) tonight. Doors open at 10 p.m. Drink specials $5 and vodka shots $3 all night. No cover charge. Admission limited to guests 21 and over. For more details, visit rudeboientertainment.wordpress.com.

The D.C. Center and Professionals in the City host speed dating for women in their 20s and 30s at Finn and Porter located inside the Embassy Suites Hotel (900 10th St., N.W.) tonight from 7-9 p.m. Dating is approximately one hour. After enjoy a mixer with fellow speed daters. Cash bar. Check in is at 7 p.m. and dating begins at 7:20 p.m. Complimentary valet parking offered to anyone who purchases two drinks or other items from the bar or restaurant. Cost is $30. For details, visit thedccenter.org.

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant Pandora Boxx performs her standup comedy show at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) tonight at 9 p.m. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. Admission is $5. For more information, visit cobaltdc.com.

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Drag

PHOTOS: Drag in rural Virginia

Performers face homophobia, find community

Published

8 hours ago

February 8, 2026

Landon Shackelford

Four drag performers dance in front of an anti-LGBTQ protester outside the campus of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. (Blade photo by Landon Shackelford)

Drag artists perform for crowds in towns across Virginia. The photographer follows Gerryatrick, Shenandoah, Climaxx, Emerald Envy among others over eight months as they perform at venues in the Virginia towns of Staunton, Harrisonburg and Fredericksburg.

(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)

Books

New book explores homosexuality in ancient cultures

‘Queer Thing About Sin’ explains impact of religious credo in Greece, Rome

Published

12 hours ago

February 8, 2026

Terri Schlichenmeyer

(Book cover image courtesy of Bloomsbury)

‘The Queer Thing About Sin’
By Harry Tanner
c.2025, Bloomsbury
$28/259 pages

Nobody likes you very much.

That’s how it seems sometimes, doesn’t it? Nobody wants to see you around, they don’t want to hear your voice, they can’t stand the thought of your existence and they’d really rather you just go away. It’s infuriating, and in the new book “The Queer Thing About Sin” by Harry Tanner, you’ll see how we got to this point.

When he was a teenager, Harry Tanner says that he thought he “was going to hell.”

For years, he’d been attracted to men and he prayed that it would stop. He asked for help from a lay minister who offered Tanner websites meant to repress his urges, but they weren’t the panacea Tanner hoped for. It wasn’t until he went to college that he found the answers he needed and “stopped fearing God’s retribution.”

Being gay wasn’t a sin. Not ever, but he “still wanted to know why Western culture believed it was for so long.”

Historically, many believe that older men were sexual “mentors” for teenage boys, but Tanner says that in ancient Greece and Rome, same-sex relationships were common between male partners of equal age and between differently-aged pairs, alike. Clarity comes by understanding relationships between husbands and wives then, and careful translation of the word “boy,” to show that age wasn’t a factor, but superiority and inferiority were.

In ancient Athens, queer love was considered to be “noble” but after the Persians sacked Athens, sex between men instead became an acceptable act of aggression aimed at conquered enemies. Raping a male prisoner was encouraged but, “Gay men became symbols of a depraved lack of self-control and abstinence.”

Later Greeks believed that men could turn into women “if they weren’t sufficiently virile.” Biblical interpretations point to more conflict; Leviticus specifically bans queer sex but “the Sumerians actively encouraged it.” The Egyptians hated it, but “there are sporadic clues that same-sex partners lived together in ancient Egypt.”

Says Tanner, “all is not what it seems.”

So you say you’re not really into ancient history. If it’s not your thing, then “The Queer Thing About Sin” won’t be, either.

Just know that if you skip this book, you’re missing out on the kind of excitement you get from reading mythology, but what’s here is true, and a much wider view than mere folklore. Author Harry Tanner invites readers to go deep inside philosophy, religion, and ancient culture, but the information he brings is not dry. No, there are major battles brought to life here, vanquished enemies and death – but also love, acceptance, even encouragement that the citizens of yore in many societies embraced and enjoyed. Tanner explains carefully how religious credo tied in with homosexuality (or didn’t) and he brings readers up to speed through recent times.

While this is not a breezy vacation read or a curl-up-with-a-blanket kind of book, “The Queer Thing About Sin” is absolutely worth spending time with. If you’re a thinking person and can give yourself a chance to ponder, you’ll like it very much.

Theater

‘Octet’ explores the depths of digital addiction

Habits not easily shaken in Studio Theatre chamber musical

Published

1 day ago

February 7, 2026

Patrick Folliard

The cast of Octet (left to right): Aidan Joyce, Jimmy Kieffer, Chelsea Williams, Tracy Lynn Olivera, Amelia Aguilar (sitting upright), Ana Marcu, Angelo Harrington II, and David Toshiro Crane. (Photo by Margot Schulman)

‘Octet’
Through Feb. 26
Studio Theatre
1501 14th Street, N.W.
Tickets start at $55
Studiotheatre.org

David Malloy’s “Octet” delves deep into the depths of digital addiction.

Featuring a person ensemble, this extraordinary a capella chamber musical explores the lives of recovering internet addicts whose lives have been devastated by digital dependency; sharing what’s happened and how things have changed.

Dressed in casual street clothes, the “Friends of Saul” trickle into a church all-purpose room, check their cell phones in a basket, put away the bingo tables, and arrange folding chairs into a circle. Some may stop by a side table offering cookies, tea, and coffee before taking a seat.

The show opens with “The Forest,” a haunting hymn harking back to the good old days of an analog existence before glowing screens, incessant pings and texts.

“The forest was beautiful/ My head was clean and clear/Alone without fear/ The forest was safe/ I danced like a beautiful fool / One time some time.”

Mimicking an actual step meeting, there’s a preamble. And then the honest sharing begins, complete with accounts of sober time and slips.

Eager to share, Jessica (Chelsea Williams) painfully recalls being cancelled after the video of her public meltdown went viral. Henry (Angelo Harrington II) is a gay gamer with a Candy Crush problem. Toby (Adrian Joyce) a nihilist who needs to stay off the internet sings “So anyway/ I’m doing good/ Mostly/ Limiting my time/ Mostly.”

The group’s unseen founder Saul is absent, per usual.

In his stead Paula, a welcoming woman played with quiet compassion by Tracy Lynn Olivera, leads. She and her husband no longer connect. They bring screens to bed. In a love-lost ballad, she explains: “We don’t sleep well/ My husband I/ Our circadian rhythms corrupted/ By the sallow blue glow of a screen/ Sucking souls and melatonin/ All of my dreams have been stolen.”

After too much time spent arguing with strangers on the internet, Marvin, a brainy young father played by David Toshiro Crane, encounters the voice of a God.

Ed (Jimmy Kieffer) deals with a porn addiction. Karly (Ana Marcu) avoids dating apps, a compulsion compared to her mother’s addiction to slot machines.

Malloy, who not only wrote the music but also the smart lyrics, book, and inventive vocal arrangements, brilliantly joins isolation with live harmony. It’s really something.

And helmed by David Muse, “Octet” is a precisely, quietly, yet powerfully staged production, featuring a topnotch cast who (when not taking their moment in the spotlight) use their voices to make sounds and act as a sort of Greek chorus. Mostly on stage throughout all of the 100-minute one act, they demonstrate impressive stamina and concentration.

An immersive production, “Octet” invites audience members to feel a part of the meeting. Studio’s Shargai Theatre is configured, for the first, in the round. And like the characters, patrons must also unplug. Everyone is required to have their phones locked in a small pouch (that only ushers are able to open and close), so be prepared for a wee bit of separation anxiety.

At the end of the meeting, the group surrenders somnambulantly. They know they are powerless against internet addiction. But group newbie Velma (Amelia Aguilar) isn’t entirely convinced. She remembers the good tech times.

In a bittersweet moment, she shares of an online friendship with “a girl in Sainte Marie / Just like me.”

Habits aren’t easily shaken.