a&e features
Fringe Festival rich with LGBT themes
A male pop star, Galactica and more on this year’s slate
Bryce Sulecki in ‘Bryce: Hydrogen Blonde.’ (Photo courtesy Marc Langston)
Growing up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Bryce Sulecki admired the likes of Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and Madonna. While their support of the gay community comforted him, he couldn’t help but feel that there was an absence.
“There was this voice missing,” says Sulecki, who graduated from American University’s prestigious musical theater program in 2015. “From a gay male pop star.”
Sulecki longed to hear a performer directly singing about gay relationships, struggles and even everyday life with the same type of choreography, costumes and theatrics that had inspired him as a child.
Sulecki decided to take matters into his own hands and create the gay pop star he’d been searching for, but he needed an outlet, which he found in the D.C. Capital Fringe Festival.
The Capital Fringe Festival, which just opened and runs through July 31, is a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 by Julianne Brienza and Damien Sinclair. Capital Fringe focuses on bolstering opportunities for audiences to view independent, off-the-beaten-path theater, music, dance and other forms of performance and visual art.
Fringe festivals began in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. The festival has since expanded its presence all over the world to countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Capital Fringe has become the second largest Fringe Festival in the United States. As of 2015, it had generated $1.7 million for artists, featured more than 600 new productions and generated 886 paid jobs. Roughly 130 shows are featured in the Capital Fringe festival each year.
A spot in Fringe is determined on a first-come, first-served basis by submitting proposals for shows online. Capital Fringe provides the venue for accepted plays and handles the main marketing to promote the shows. The playwright is in charge of all other fees, including costumes, payment to cast, crew and the director and any other costs.
The festival prides itself on its focus of the performing arts community as a whole, rather than just promoting the work of an individual.
With this mission, it’s no wonder that in its 11th year Capital Fringe 2016 will feature a diverse range of LGBT productions, including Sulecki’s interactive-pop-concert- extravaganza, “Bryce: Hydrogen Blonde,” in which he is the producer, co-writer and star.
“I think that [the] most meaningful part of the experience is seeing my own work in front of an audience,” Sulecki says. “I keep getting chills just thinking about it.”
Themes this year touch on a variety of LGBT issues.
Kevin West, an out playwright and director of “The DOMA Diaries,” wants to reveal the struggles and obstacles that the Defense of Marriage Act created in the lives of LGBT couples. While the play is a work of fiction, it is based on real-life experiences.
The play also includes a fictional adaptation of West’s own struggle being part of a bi-national couple. West constantly feared that his then-partner (now husband) would be forced to return to his country of origin, as West could not sponsor him for a green card under DOMA’s restrictions.
“There’s a funny scene in which a gay couple goes to a Mailboxes Etcetera to have their domestic partnership documents notarized, and they treat the event like a mini-wedding,” West says. “Since gay marriage isn’t yet legal, and may never be, they realize that this mundane event is the closest they will ever come to a wedding ceremony.”
One of the stars of the play, Nell Quinn-Gibney, a 20-year-old senior at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, who was raised by a lesbian couple and was present outside the Supreme Court when the DOMA decision was announced, says she never fully understood the impact of the act until she began working on the show.
“Reading the script for me the first time I got [it], I honestly started crying half-way through because the whole time I was thinking about what my relationship and what my sister’s relationship growing up with our parents was like and how grateful I was to them,” says Quinn-Gibney, a Bethesda, Md., native. “It wasn’t until I got older that I realized that there was anything different, abnormal or unusual about our family.”
The cast of ‘DOMA Diaries’ featuring Nell Quinn-Gibney, third from left. (Photo courtesy Kevin West)
Other shows to look out for at Capital Fringe include seasoned performer Jeffrey Johnson’s multimedia-drag-production, “A Romp Around Uranus with Special Agent Galactica.”
Johnson, who was the artistic director of the now-defunct, LGBT theater company Ganymede Arts in Washington, is the creator, writer, director and lead performer in the play. Galactica, a lip sync character, was born out of his work with Ganymede.
She became a success and generated a large local following. Johnson has performed as Galactica at almost every gay bar in town.
“A Romp” also features three original songs written by Johnson. Galactica’s spaceship is played by award-winning musician and B-52’s frontman, Fred Schneider.
“This is taking drag performance to a totally different place,” Johnson says. “It’s taking on drag done live, it has clever humor, but, you know, low-brow comedy as well.”
Johnson emphasizes that his production is not a drag show, but a theater piece that uses the elements of drag to enhance the show.
In 2010, Johnson took Galactica from a lip-sync character to a live music songstress and how he says he’s ready for the next chapter in her short, yet eventful life.
“Now, I’m taking her from being just a live cabaret or music show to actually being a theater piece,” Johnson says. “It’s always fun to challenge myself and rethink the presentation of this character and take her into new areas that she hasn’t gone before.”
Another pioneering piece comes from writer, director and professional home and office organizer, Brett Steven Abelman.
Abelman’s play, which he created and directs, is “Play Cupid,” his fourth production at Capital Fringe. The play features five characters that the audience can send on a date. There are two men, two women and one character that identifies as gender-queer.
“Anyone can be paired up with anyone,” says Abelman, a Washington-area native. He likes the component of audience choice in theater, which he says is not common.
Abelman hopes his show can “open little corners” within his audience’s mind by having them go through the process of meeting the characters, getting to know them and pairing them up.
The audience, director and actors will not know, on any given night, who will get sent on a date and who will not. So, as Abelman says, flexibility for everyone involved in “Play Cupid” is important.
“I am thrilled that I found these five collaborators, plus my assistant director and producer,” Abelman says. “The No. 1 thing is getting along with each other and we share stories about dating and romance and all that kind of stuff to help build the show.”
Niusha Nawab, one of the male actors in “Play Cupid,” who graduated from American University in 2015 with a degree in theater arts and audio production, describes the play as “modern” in terms of its LGBT content.
“On the one hand, it’s somewhat of an idealistic alternative reality where the sexuality of all the characters is mostly irrelevant to their lives within the play and isn’t a defining factor of who they are,” Nawab says. “On the other hand, when it does recognize and deal with their sexuality, it does so in specific and useful ways, like the fact that one character is pansexual, not bi, or that the only black character (in the show) has to deal with the intersectionality of being both black and queer in his love life.”
Nawab also emphasizes how gender-queerness plays a role in “Play Cupid.” He says it unfurls in “differing but challenging ways.”
“Our play is a high-scorer on the not-straight-white-cis-dude scale,” Nawab says.
The cast of ‘Play Cupid’ in rehearsal. (Photo by Sonia Zamborsky)
Another LGBT-themed Fringe show is “HUNT: a Political Drama,” written and produced by Jean P. Bordewich and directed by Kristin Shoffner. The play is based on the true story of Sen. Lester Hunt, a Wyoming Democrat, who was blackmailed by Sen. Joe McCarthy’s allies in the Senate over homosexual allegations against his son.
Bordewich, who has spent her life in politics on Capitol Hill as a Senate and House staff member and in Red Hook, N.Y., as a town council member, and as a candidate for Congress and Senate district staffer, says she wanted to explore the dangers of political extremism, demagoguery and homophobia through the lens of the 1950s Cold War era.
“I had no idea when I wrote ‘HUNT,’” she says, “that the rise of a demagogue as a presidential candidate and the massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando would make this history so tragically relevant today.”
Terry Loveman as Sen. Hunt in ‘HUNT: a Political Drama.’ (Photo courtesy Jean P. Bordewich)
Full details at capitalfringe.org
‘Bryce: Hydrogen Blonde’
Logan Fringe Arts Space: Trinidad Theatre (1358 Florida Ave., N.E.)
Friday, July 8 at 10:15 p.m.
Thursday, July 14 at 7:45 p.m.
Sunday, July 17 at 4:15 p.m.
Friday, July 22 at 9 p.m.
Sunday July 24 at 12:30 p.m.
Tickets are $17
‘The DOMA Diaries’
Flashpoint: Mead Theatre Lab (916 G St., N.W.)
Thursday, July 7 at 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 10 at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, July 15 at 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 21 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 23 at 12:45 p.m.
Tickets are $17
‘A Romp Around Uranus with Special Agent Galactica’
Logan Fringe Arts Space: Upstairs (1358 Florida Ave., N.E.)
Saturday, July 9 at 10 p.m.
Wednesday, July 13 at 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 17 at 10 p.m.
Tuesday, July 19 at 9 p.m.
Sunday, July 24 at 6 p.m.
Tickets are $17
‘Play Cupid’
Atlas Performing Arts Center: Lab II (1333 H St., N.E.)
Friday, July 8 at 8:15 p.m.
Sunday, July 10 at 7 p.m.
Friday, July 15 at 10:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 21 at 6 p.m.
Sunday, July 24 at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are $17
‘HUNT: A Political Drama’
Flashpoint: Mead Theatre Lab (916 G St., N.W.)
Thursday, July 7 at 8:45 p.m.
Wednesday, July 13 at 6:45 p.m.
Saturday, July 16 at 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 19 at 8:45 p.m.
Friday, July 22 at 6:45 p.m.
Sunday, July 24 at 2:15 p.m.
Tickets are $17
a&e features
Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
a&e features
Looking back at the 10 biggest A&E stories of 2025
‘Wicked,’ Lady Gaga’s new era, ‘Sexy’ Bailey and more
Although 2025 was a year marked by countless attacks on trans rights and political setbacks, the year also saw brilliant queer artists continuing to create art. From Cannes and Sundance Award winners now vying for Oscar consideration to pop icons entering new stages of their careers, queer people persevered to tell their stories through different media.
With the state of the world so uncertain, perhaps there’s no more vital time to celebrate our wins, as seen through some of this year’s top pop culture moments. While there’s no collection of 10 stories that fully encompass “the most important” news, here are some events that got the gays going:
10. ‘Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo’ wins big at Cannes
The Cannes Film Festival has become a crucial start for films hoping to make their way to the Oscars, and first-time director Diego Céspedes won the top Un Certain Regard prize for his intimate western “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo.” The film is set in the ‘80s and is intended as an allegory for the AIDS epidemic. Seeing a film that unpacks vital queer history win one of the most coveted awards at Cannes has been a huge point of pride in the independent filmmaking community.
Since the film bowed at Cannes, it has been selected as Chile’s Oscar entry in the Best International Feature race. Speaking with The Blade during the film’s AFI Fest run in October, Céspedes said: At first, I was kind of scared to have this campaign position in the times that we’re living [in] here. But at the same time, I think the Oscars mean a huge platform — a huge platform for art and politics.”
9. ‘The Last of Us’ returns for an even gayer season 2
While the first season of The Last of Us gave us one of TV’s most heartbreaking queer love stories in the episode “Long, Long Time,” Season 2 doubled down on its commitment to queer storytelling with the blossoming relationship between Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced). The show expanded on the pair’s relationship in the original video game, making it perhaps the central dynamic to the entire season. That unfortunately came with more homophobic backlash on the internet, but those who checked out all the episodes saw a tender relationship form amid the show’s post-apocalyptic, often violent backdrop. For their performance, Ramsey was once again nominated for an Emmy, but Merced deserved just as much awards attention.
8. ‘Emilia Pérez’ sparks controversy
Jacques Audiard’s genre-bending trans musical “Emilia Pérez” proved to be an awards season juggernaut this time last year, winning the Golden Globe for Best Musical/Comedy. But when the lead star Karla Sofia Gascón’s racist, sexist, and homophobic old tweets resurfaced, the film’s Oscar campaign became a tough sell, especially after Netflix had tried so hard to sell Emilia Pérez as the “progressive” film to vote for. Mind you, the film had already received significant backlash from LGBTQ+ audiences and the Mexican community for its stereotypical and reductive portrayals, but the Gascón controversy made what was originally just social media backlash impossible to ignore. The only person who seemed to come out of the whole debacle unscathed was Zoe Saldaña, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress over Ariana Grande.
7. ‘Sorry, Baby’ establishes Eva Victor as major talent
Back in January at the Sundance Film Festival, Eva Victor (known by many for her brand of sketch comedy) premiered their directorial debut “Sorry, Baby” to rave reviews, even winning the Waldo Salt Screening Award. Victor shadowed Jane Schoenbrun on the set of “I Saw the TV Glow,” and seeing Victor come into their own and establish such a strong voice immediately made them one of independent cinema’s most exciting new voices. A memorable scene in the film sees the main character, Agnes (played by Victor), struggling to check a box for male or female, just one example of how naturally queerness is woven into the fabric of the story.
Most recently, Victor was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the film, and she’s represented in a category alongside Jennifer Lawrence (“Die My Love”), Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”), Julia Roberts (“After the Hunt”), Renate Reinsve (“Sentimental Value”) and Tessa Thompson (“Hedda”). The film also received four Independent Spirit Award nominations overall.
6. Paul Reubens comes out in posthumous doc
While Paul Reubens never publicly came out as gay before passing away in 2023, the two-part documentary “Pee-wee as Himself” premiered back in May on HBO Max, giving the legendary comedian a chance to posthumously open up to the world. Directed by Matt Wolf, the documentary explores how Reubens found his alter ego Pee-Wee Herman and why he kept his private life private.
The documentary won an Emmy in the Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special category and remains one of the most critically acclaimed titles of the year with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. Also worth noting, the National Geographic documentary Sally told the posthumous coming out story of Sally Ride through the help of her long-time partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy.
5. Lady Gaga releases ‘Mayhem’
Lady Gaga entered a new phase of her musical career with the release of Mayhem, her seventh album to date. From the frenzy-inducing pop hit Abracadabra to the memorable Bruno Mars duet featured on “Die With a Smile,” seeing Gaga return to her roots and make an album for the most die-hard of fans was especially rewarding after the underwhelming film releases of “House of Gucci” and “Joker: Folie à Deux.” Gaga has been touring with The Mayhem Ball since July, her first arena tour since 2018. She even extended her tour into 2026 with more North American dates, so the party isn’t stopping anytime soon. And Gaga is even set to make an appearance next May in “The Devil Wears Prada 2.”
4. Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande perform at the Oscars
While “Wicked: For Good” didn’t quite reach the heights of the first film, we will forever have Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s breathtaking live performance that opened the 97th Academy Awards. The pair sang a rendition of “Over the Rainbow,” “Home,” and “Defying Gravity,” paying proper homage to the original 1939 “Wizard of Oz.” Even non-Wicked fans can’t deny how magical and brilliantly staged this performance was. With both Erivo and Grande up for acting Oscars last year, they’re hoping to repeat success and make history with consecutive nominations. Either way, let’s hope there’s another live performance in the making, especially with two new original songs (The Girl in the Bubble and No Place Like Home) in the mix.
3. Indya Moore speaks out against Ryan Murphy
Indya Moore has consistently used social media as a platform for activism, and in September, posted a 30-minute Instagram live speaking out against “Pose” co-creator Ryan Murphy. Moore claimed that Murphy wasn’t being a true activist for trans people. “Ryan Murphy, we need you to do more. You need to address the racism, the violence, and the targeting of people on your productions, Ryan Murphy. You do need to make sure trans people are paid equally. Yes, Janet did the right thing,” Moore said. Murphy was also back in the headlines this year for the critically panned “All’s Fair” and the controversial “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” starring Laurie Metcalf and Charlie Hunnam.
2. Cole Escola wins Tony for Best Leading Actor
Few pop culture moments this year brought us together more than Cole Escola winning a Tony award for “Oh, Mary!” the Broadway show they created, wrote and starred in (we love a triple threat!) Escola made history by becoming the first nonbinary person to win a Tony in the leading actor category, and seeing them excitedly rush to the stage wearing a Bernadette Peters-inspired gown instantly became a viral social media moment.
The cherry on top of Escola’s major moment is the recent news that they are writing a Miss Piggy movie with Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone producing — news that also broke the internet for the better. We cannot wait!
1. Jonathan Bailey makes gay history as ‘Sexiest Man Alive’
The same year as his on-screen roles in blockbusters “Jurassic World Rebirth” and “Wicked: For Good,” Jonathan Bailey made history as the first openly gay man to be named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive.” The fact that it took 40 years for an openly gay man to earn the title is a signifier of how far we still have to go with queer representation, and seeing Bailey celebrated is just one small step in the right direction.
“There’s so many people that want to do brilliant stuff who feel like they can’t,” he told PEOPLE, “and I know the LGBT sector is under immense threat at the moment. So it’s been amazing to meet people who have the expertise and see potential that I could have only dreamed of.” In 2024, Bailey founded the charity titled The Shameless Fund, which raises money for LGBTQ+ organizations.
a&e features
Your guide to D.C.’s queer New Year’s Eve parties
Ring in 2026 with drag, leather, Champagne, and more
With Christmas in the rear view mirror, we can turn our attention to ringing in a much-anticipated New Year with a slew of local LGBTQ parties. Here’s what’s on tap.
Pitchers
This spacious Adams Morgan bar is hosting the “Pitchers’ Perfect New Year’s Eve.” There will be a midnight Champagne toast, the ball drop on the big screens, and no cover, all night long. The bar doesn’t close until 4 a.m., and the kitchen will be open late (though not until close). All five floors will be open for the party, and party favors are promised.
Trade
D.C.’s hottest bar/club combo is leaning into the Shark motif with its NYE party, “Feeding Frenzy.” The party is a “glitterati-infused Naughty-cal New Year’s Even in the Shark Tank, where the boats are churning and the sharks are circling.” Trade also boasts no cover charge, with doors opening at 5 p.m. and the aforementioned Shark Tank opening at 9 p.m.. Four DJs will be spread across the two spaces; midnight hostess is played by Vagenesis and the two sea sirens sensuously calling are Anathema and Justin Williams.
Number Nine
While Trade will have two DJs as part of one party, Number Nine will host two separate parties, one on each floor. The first floor is classic Number Nine, a more casual-style event with the countdown on TVs and a Champagne midnight toast. There will be no cover and doors open at 5 p.m. Upstairs will be hosted by Capital Sapphics for its second annual NYE gathering. Tickets (about $50) include a midnight Champagne toast, curated drink menu, sapphic DJ set by Rijak, and tarot readings by Yooji.
Crush
Crush will kick off NYE with a free drag bingo at 8 p.m. for the early birds. Post-bingo, there will be a cover for the rest of the evening, featuring two DJs. The cover ($20 limited pre-sale that includes line skip until 11 p.m.; $25 at the door after 9 p.m.) includes one free N/A or Crush, a Champagne toast, and party favors (“the legal kind”). More details on Eventbrite.
Bunker
This subterranean lair is hosting a NYE party entitled “Frosted & Fur: Aspen After Dark New Year’s Eve Celebration.” Arriety from Rupaul Season 15 is set to host, with International DJ Alex Lo. Doors open at 9 p.m. and close at 3 p.m.; there is a midnight Champagne toast. Cover is $25, plus an optional $99 all-you-can-drink package.
District Eagle
This leather-focused bar is hosting “Bulge” for its NYE party. Each District Eagle floor will have its own music and vibe. Doors run from 7 p.m.-3 a.m. and cover is $15. There will be a Champagne toast at midnight, as well as drink specials during the event.
Kiki, Shakiki
Kiki and its new sister bar program Shakiki (in the old Shakers space) will have the same type of party on New Year’s Eve. Both bars open their doors at 5 p.m. and stay open until closing time. Both will offer a Champagne toast at midnight. At Kiki, DJ Vodkatrina will play; at Shakiki, it’ll be DJ Alex Love. Kiki keeps the party going on New Year’s Day, opening at 2 p.m., to celebrate Kiki’s fourth anniversary. There will be a drag show at 6 p.m. and an early 2000s dance party 4-8 p.m.
Spark
This bar and its new menu of alcoholic and twin N/A drinks will host a NYE party with music by DJ Emerald Fox. Given this menu, there will be a complimentary toast at midnight, guests can choose either sparkling wine with or without alcohol. No cover, but Spark is also offering optional wristbands at the door for $35 open bar 11 p.m.-1 a.m. (mid-shelf liquor & all NA drinks).
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