Arts & Entertainment

Calendar: March 21-27

Center groups, parties, exhibits and more for the week ahead

Published

12 years ago

March 20, 2014

Mariah Cooper

Wonder Women, gay news, Washington Blade, calendar

‘Wonder Women!: The Untold Story of American Superheroines’ screens tonight in Germantown. (Still courtesy BlackRock)

Calendar for the week ahead in LGBT D.C. events:

Friday, March 21

Iron Crow Theatre Company presents a “pay what you can” performance of “The Homo Poe Show,” a “queering” erotic performance of Poe, at Theatre Project (45 W. Preston St., Baltimore) tonight at 8 p.m. The show, created by Steven J. Satta-Fleming, features work from Daniel Talbott, Megan Gogerty, Rich Epsey and more. The show runs through April 5. For more details and to purchase tickets, visit theatreproject.org.

BlackRock Center for the Arts (12901 Town Commons Dr., Germantown, Md.) screens “Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines,” tonight at 7:30 p.m. The movie chronicles comic book character Wonder Woman’s legacy and how powerful representations of women reflect on gender roles. Tickets are $8. For more information, visit blackrockcenter.org.

Gay District, a facilitated group discussion focused on building understanding of gay culture and personal identity for men ages 18-35, meets at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) tonight from 8:30-9:30 p.m. For details, visit thedccenter.org.

Number Nine (1435 P St., N.W.) hosts a happy hour today from 5-9 p.m. All drinks are half price. Admission is free. For more information, visit numberninedc.com.

Saturday, March 22

Bishop Allyson Abrams brings “It’s Her Season,” a welcome back concert, to City of District Heights Municipal Building (2000 Marbury Dr., District Heights, Md.) today at 2 p.m. The concert brings Rick Brown of New Hope Baptist UCC Church and psalmists from around the local area as they celebrate Bishop Abrams’s return to the D.C. area.

Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts “Bearracuda D.C.,” the largest bear dance party in the U.S., tonight from 9 p.m.-3 a.m. Music will be played by DJ Matt Consola and Bil Todd. Cover is $7 before 10 p.m. and $10 after. For more information, visit cobaltdc.com.

MOVA Lounge (2204 14th St., N.W.) hosts a CD release party for Kylie Minogue’s latest release “Kiss Me Once” tonight. DJs will be playing Kylie Minogue songs all night. Drink specials are $6 for bottom shelf drinks and $9 for top shelf drinks. Martinis are $3 extra. For more details, visit movalounge.com.

The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) hosts a free relationship workshop for lesbian couples today from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. This workshop is led by professional relationship coach Jayne Kelly and focuses on family. Bring lunch and learn how to address spoken and unspoken needs and how to strengthen your bond with your partner for a healthy family. For details, visit thedccenter.org.

The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) hosts “Direct Action: What is It Good For?,” a community discussion about direct action protests, today at 3 p.m. Kelly Cogswell, community activist and author of “Eating Fire: My Life as a Lesbian Avenger” and Wayne Turner, co-founder of ACT UP D.C., are featured speakers. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Sunday, March 23

Australian indie-pop singer Betty Who performs at Rock and Roll Hotel (1353 H St., N.E.) tonight at 8 p.m. Her debut EP “The Movement” has received critical acclaim. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $16. For more information, visit rockandrollhoteldc.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 more details, visit perrysadamsmorgan.com.

Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts a drag brunch today with two shows at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. For more information, visit nelliessportsbar.com.

Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers today for the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation at the Alexandria PetSmart (3351 Jefferson Hwy., Alexandria, Va.) at 12:15 p.m. today. You will be paired with a dog on a leash to walk around and play with. Wear casual clothes. For more information, visit burgundycrescent.org.

Monday, March 24

The D.C. Center (2000 14th 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, share perspectives and have meaningful conversations. For details, visit uhupil.org.

Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts poker night tonight at 8 p.m. Win prizes. Free to play. For more information, visit nelliessportsbar.com.

Tuesday, March 25

Genderqueer D.C. holds a discussion group at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) at 7 p.m. tonight. The group is for anyone who identifies outside of the gender binary. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Bachelor’s Mill (1104 8th St., S.E.) offers all drinks half price tonight until 2 a.m. Enjoy pool, video games and cards. Admission is free. Must be 21 and over. For more details, visit bachelorsmill.com.

Wednesday, March 26

SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) hosts “Café SMYAL,” a fun event to get out of the cold, today from 4-5 p.m. Drink hot cocoa, play board games and make new friends. SMYAL also provides free and confidential HIV testing from 3-5 p.m. For more details, visit smyal.org.

Thursday, March 27

Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence (GLOV) hold a meeting at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. GLOV works to reduce violence against LGBT individuals through community outreach, education and assisting members of anti-LGBT violence. For more details, visit thedccenter.org.

The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) hosts its monthly Poly Discussion Group at 7 p.m. People of all different stages are invited to discuss polyamory and other consensual non-monogamous relationships. This event is for new comers, established polyamorous relationships and open to all sexual orientations. For details, visit thedccenter.org.

Rude Boi Entertainment hosts “Tempted 2 Touch,” a ladies dance party, at the Fab Lounge (2022 Florida Ave., N.W.). 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.

Up Next

2 memoirs show power of parenthood

Don't Miss

Split This Rock presents poetry festival

FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM

a&e features

Television loses a legend, longtime ‘Will & Grace’ director James Burrows

Iconic hitmaker leaves behind a legacy of telling LGBTQ stories

Published

1 day ago

June 23, 2026

Christian Cintron

James Burrows (Photo by kathclick/Bigstock)

You don’t have to be a pretentious film major to name 10 movie directors. But naming television directors is not that simple. They’re the unsung heroes of your favorite shows, and the late James Burrows was the television director. He passed on June 19, but his DNA runs through television history.

He directed over 1200 episodes of television and over 50 pilots. He co-created “Cheers” and directed many episodes of long-running series like “Friends,” “Taxi,” “Frasier,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Two and a Half Men.” You also may remember him from playing a heightened version of himself on the Lisa Kudrow comedy “The Comeback.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by James Burrows (@therealjamesburrows)

He has left an indelible mark on the LGBTQ community. As recently as last year, he directed the series run of “Mid-Century Modern” starring Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, and Linda Lavin. He was also a longtime director of “Will & Grace” and directed every episode of the series revival. He even directed the unaired “Absolutely Fabulous” pilot with Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Johnston, and Zosia Mamet.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by James Burrows (@therealjamesburrows)

Not to mention he’s worked with queer icons throughout history, including Betty White and Stockard Channing on their single-season series, and Jennifer Coolidge in “2 Broke Girls.”

He started his career on shows like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Rhoda,” “Laverne & Shirley,” and the first four seasons of “Taxi.”

He continued to work steadily and directed successful pilots that went to series for “Roc,” “3rd Rock From the Sun,” “Dharma & Greg,” and “Wings.” He directed multiple episodes of “Friends,” “Caroline in the City,” and “Frasier.”

This magic continued into the 2000s with him directing the pilots for “Two and a Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and multiple episodes of “Mike & Molly,” and the entire return series of “Will & Grace.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by James Burrows (@therealjamesburrows)

What was the secret to his success? He’d enact the “fun clause” in his contract. In his words, “Life is too short to deal with obnoxious leads,” he shared. “So as long as the writing is good and the cast is fun, I’m going to enjoy the experience.”

He had the magic touch, having multiple pilots turned into long-running series. He was nominated for an Emmy 24 times in 26 years and worked consistently until a year before his death.

The secret was the way he brought the cast together. He describes, “it was my job to mold them into an ensemble, and they did round into a group of people who loved each other.”

This earned him 11 Emmy Awards and five Directors Guild of America Awards, including being awarded the inaugural DGA’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Television Direction.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by James Burrows (@therealjamesburrows)

In a 2003 interview by the Television Academy, he was asked how he wants to be remembered, and he said, “That every night forever you can tune in somewhere, and there’ll be a show I did.”

He’s survived by his wife, Debbie, four daughters, seven grandchildren, and the countless people whose careers he launched and the countless viewers he inspired with his television legacy.