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Calendar: Nov. 2-8, 2018

Reel Affirmations fest, HIPS anniversary, Wanda Sykes and more for the week ahead

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LGBT DC events Nov. 2018, gay news, Washington Blade

Wanda Sykes plays the Strathmore this weekend. (Photo by Derek Wood)

Friday, Nov. 2

The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) presents Exile Fridays featuring the D.C. Eagle’s Birds of Prey tonight at 10 p.m. This is the only 18-and-over weekly drag show in the District. Ba’Naka hosts the night with performances by Brooklyn Heights, Iyana Deschanel, Sasha Adams Sanchez and Gigi Paris Couture. Linda Lector will appear as a special guest. DJ Ryan Doubleyou will spin tracks. Showtime is at 10:30 p.m. For more information, visit dceagle.com.

Reel Affirmations Film Festival screens “Eva+Candela” at GALA Hispanic Theatre (3333 14th St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. The film tells the story of two professional women who start a love affair. The Six-Pack Film Pass is $65 and includes entry to six films and priority and reserved seating. The Festival Pass is $150 and includes entry to 14 film screenings; the All Access Festival Pass is $175 and gives access to 14 film screenings and entry to the filmmaker reception; the MovieStar Pass is $225 and includes an All Access Pass and complimentary cocktails, non-alcoholic beverages, popcorn and movie candy. The Moviemogul Pass is $350 and includes all MovieStar perks and a six-month pass to Reel Affirmations films. For more details, visit reelaffirmations.org.

HIPS celebrates its 25th anniversary at the Whittemore House (1526 New Hampshire Ave., N.W.) tonight from 6:30-9:30 p.m. “Pose” star and transgender rights advocate Angelica Ross will receive the Hero Award. There will be a reception, auction and a main program. Tickets are $75. For more information, visit hips25th.com.

Saturday, Nov. 3

Stonewall Kickballs’ District Jocks hosts Cornhole for a Cause, a tournament benefitting SMYAL, at Stead Park (1519 17th St., N.W.) today from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Registration fee is $50 per team of two people. The fee includes tournament entry, 15 raffle tickets for each players, two drink tickets to JR.’s, a day pass to VIDA and a drink bracelet for specials at JR.’s and Nellie’s Sports Bar for the after party. Tournament prizes include three free months at Vida, three free training sessions at Vida, a $100 gift card to Aura Spa, Washington Capital tickets and more. Deadline for registration is midnight on Nov. 2. 

Reel Affirmations Film Festival screens “Trans Youth” at GALA Hispanic Theatre (3333 14th St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. The documentary follows seven transgender young adults as they deal with family, love, transition, hormone therapy and more. Tickets are $12. Film passes are also available. For more information, visit reelaffiramtions.org.

Reel Affirmations Film Festival Screening presents “Fun in Girls Shorts” at the Gala Hispanic Theatre (3333 14th St., N.W.) tonight from 6-8 p.m. The women’s short film showcase will include the films “Momo,” “Marguerite,” “Freedom,” “Foxy Trot,” Getting Started” and “Lesbehonest.” There will be a director talkback after the screenings. Tickets are $12. Film passes are also available. For more details, visit reelaffiramtions.org.

Wanda Sykes performs at the Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Ln., North Bethesda, Md.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets range from $35-115.VIP tickets are $215 and include a premium seat and a meet and greet with Sykes. For more information, visit strathmore.org.

Sunday, Nov. 4

Reel Affirmations Film Festival Screening presents “Genderqueer Shorts” at Gala Hispanic Theatre (3333 14th St., N.W.) today from 4-5:30 p.m. The films focus on gender non-conforming/genderqueer subjects and include titles such as “Mrs. McCutcheon,” “Femme,” Mimicry” and more. Tickets are $12. Film passes are also available. For more details, visit reelaffiramtions.org.

New Orchestra of Washington celebrates Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with a performance of “Mozart’s Requiem” at the Mexican Cultural Institute of D.C. (2829 16th St., N.W.) today at 4 p.m. New Orchestra of Washington will be joined by the Choral Arts Society of Washington and the Aeolus Quarter. Tickets are $95. For more information, visit neworchestraofwashington.org.

Monday, Nov. 5

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.

Tuesday, Nov. 6

Lesbian singer/songwriter Jennifer Knapp performs at the Wine Garden in City Winery (1350 Okie St., N.E.) tonight at 9 p.m. General admission tickets are $14.VIP tickets are $85 and include access to Knapp’s pre-show soundcheck, a pre-show meet and greet, one item of merchandise and reserved show seating. For more details and to purchase tickets, visit citywinery.com.

Rogue Cornhole hosts a drag bingo fundraiser at Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) tonight from 7-9 p.m. Sasha Adams and Brooklyn Heights hosts the show. Nellie’s will donate $1 for every Tito’s Vodka and soda or Nellie’s beer sold. All proceeds raised will benefit charities such as the Trevor Project, Casa Ruby, the D.C. Center, SMYAL and more. Nellie’s will also be airing the midterm election results. 

18th & U Duplex Diner (2004 18th St., N.W.) hosts Election Night Drag Bingo tonight from 7-10 p.m. Goldie Grigio hosts the show. Guests can win prizes and shots playing bingo. The major news channels will be on the TVs all night. For more details, visit facebook.com/duplexdiner.

Wednesday, Nov. 7

The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) hosts karaoke tonight at 9 p.m. D&K Sounds will host the event. Drink specials include $3 rail cocktails and domestic drafts and $4 wine. 

The Tom Davoren Social Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for social bridge. No partner needed. For more information, call 301-345-1571.

Thursday, Nov. 8

Bookmen D.C., an informal gay men’s literature group, discusses “Insult and the Making of the Gay Self” by Didier Eribon at Cleveland Park Library (3310 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome. For more information, visit bookmendc.blogspot.com.

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Theater

Talented pair of local queer actors tackles ‘Little Shop of Horrors’

Ford’s production features terrific score

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Chani Wereley (Audrey) and Derrick D. Truby Jr. (Seymour) in the 2024 Ford’s Theatre production of Little Shop of Horrors. (Photo by Scott Suchman)

‘Little Shop of Horrors’ 
Through May 18
Ford’s Theatre
511 10th St., N.W.
$33-$95
Fords.org 

Ever since premiering off-Broadway in 1982, “Little Shop of Horrors” has drawn a devoted following of avid audiences as well as performers eager to act in the show. Now playing at Ford’s Theatre, the doo-wop, dark comedy features a terrific cast including a wildly talented pair of local queer actors who’ve longed to appear in the show since they were kids. 

Set in the urban 1960s, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s hit show with a terrific score follows the wacky rise of Seymour, a nebbishy florist in a Skid Row shop who changes his fortunes by unintentionally marketing an exotic, human eating plant.  

Chani Wereley, 28, who plays Seymour’s love interest Audrey, a hyper femme downtowner with an edge, has had her on eye the role for years. Wereley says, “Audrey’s been around the block more than once, but I approach her as a person who moves through the world with love and hope.”

The queer D.C. native adds, “On long trips to visit family in Canada or Florida, the first thing we’d do is pop a ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ video [film version] into the car’s VHS player. I’ve watched is so many times, I could quote the whole movie to you.”

After auditioning to play Audrey in director Kevin S. McAllister’s production at Ford’s, Wereley never thought she’d book the part, and when they said she got it, she cried.  

Similarly, Tobias A. Young, 34, the pansexual actor who voices the part of the bloodthirsty plant affectionately dubbed Audrey II, explains his intense interest in the work: “I started watching the film in ’86. Growing up as a little gay boy in Calvert County, Md., I wanted to be blonde Audrey [played by Ellen Green in the movie]. I didn’t know much about musicals at the time, but I was absorbed.” 

When asked by Ford’s to play the voracious plant Audrey II without auditioning, his reply was an unhesitant “yes.” 

Voicing a role requires Young to sing from backstage in a black box rigged with monitors and a mixing board. He says, “people ask if I’m singing from inside of the ever-growing, scary plant. No, I’m not, and that’s fine. But let’s face it, actors love to be seen on stage, but I don’t feel entirely unseen as Audrey II.”

He’s worked hard and successfully with formidable puppeteers Ryan Sellers and Jay Frisby to bring parts of himself to the carnivorous plant — his sassiness, own movements, and even a tilt of his head; their efforts have drawn the actual Young into the show. 

Both Wereley and Young possess gorgeous, emotive voices as evidenced by Wereley’s striking rendition of Audrey’s “Suddenly Seymour,” and Young’s soulful “Feed Me (Git It).” Additionally, both actors are also big on queer representation in theater. 

When her young pals were listening to Britney Spears, Wereley was dancing to retro tunes like “Mashed Potato Time,” and her favorite song to this day, the Shirelle’s girl group anthem “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.” As Audrey, Wereley eschews the character’s usual platinum hair for a bouncy brunette, cherry-streaked wig, tight pencil skirts, swing coats, and her very own half-sleeve tattoo. 

“It’s important for people to see themselves on stage,” she says. “Seeing me or someone like me is inherently interesting. Being that person on Instagram or with the institution, cast, or audiences is meaningful. It’s important.”

In 2011, a couple years after finishing high school, Young landed a part in “Dream Girls” at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, and he’s been working professionally ever since. Growing up, he didn’t see a lot of himself – Black and queer – on social media. He now wants to be open and honest for those out there who might not feel seen, he says

An introvert who lets everything loose on the stage, Young says, “theater is a safe space for queer people. That’s the first place we feel safe, particularly in school. And this is why we need theaters in schools, now more than ever.”

He adds, “What’s great about Ford’s is its surprises, especially when they switch up casting. It’s meaningful to see the shows you love, but why not see them with a twist? Using unexpected actors and incorporating queer people just makes it that much better.”

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Nightlife

D.C.’s gay DJ collective CTRL returns

Electropop group resurfaces at Trade on March 30

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CTRL is back after a six-year absence.

Finger lasers, confetti cannons, drag shows, photo booths, throwback tunes, and a touch nerdy: after a long break, D.C.’s gay DJ collective CTRL is throwing its first party in six years.

Born in an Eritrean restaurant more than a decade ago, this longstanding gay nightlife electropop group is resurfacing with a comeback event at Trade on March 30.

Gay DJs Adam Koussari-Amin, Jeff Prior, Devon Trotter, and Brett Andreisen hosted the first CTRL party at now-closed restaurant Dahlak, on the corner of 18th and U Streets. After a year of hosting pop-ups in that restaurant’s dining room, they upgraded down 18th Street to now-closed gay club Cobalt. There, the parties grew: drag shows, a pop-up photo booth from David Claypool, and quirky activations like throwing hot dogs into print-outs of Putin’s mouth. Their productions grew as well, like producing the now-defunct Brightest Young Gays (BYG) Pride events at Wonderbread Factory and Union Market and the ‘Get Wet’ pool party with David Brown’s Otter Crossing at the Capitol Skyline Hotel.

CTRL wasn’t done. The group received its biggest stage yet after a call from Ed Bailey, the owner of now-closed gay club Town, as well as current gay bars Number 9 and Trade. At Town, the opportunity “allowed our creativity to flourish with even bigger performances, bigger photo experiences, crazier hand-outs, and the same electropop dance vibes our fans had come to know us for,” says Koussari-Amin.

CTRL pressed pause when Town shut down, which “was a huge loss to the LGBTQIA+ community and D.C. nightlife in general,” says Koussari-Amin. After that, it hosted an occasional spinoff called QWERTY. Post-pandemic, Koussari-Amin has spent a few nights solo as DJ at Trade and other venues.

After connecting with Jesse Jackson, the Trade general manager, as well as with Bailey, who agreed to host the inaugural event, Koussari-Amin was determined to shift CTRL back to life.

However, getting the old band back together proved to be a challenge. While the rest of the group have either left Washington, D.C., or are pursuing other projects, Koussari-Amin received their blessing to stay on and find new members. 

“When it came to finding new partners, both DJ Dez [Desmond Jordan] and DJ Lemz [Steve Lemmerman] were obvious choices,” he says, noting that “they also have distinct styles and interests.” Dez has a residency at Pitchers and Kiki as well as pop-ups, and Lemz throws events like Sleaze and BENT.

 “It seemed important to come back to the nightlife table with an experience that could complement all the amazing experiences that have even built up since CTRL threw its last event at Town. Bringing back both the DJ collective and the CTRL event with Dez and Lemz means new voices, perspectives, sounds, and excitement.”

“CTRL is an opportunity for the community to come together, enjoy music, drinks, and good vibes,” adds Jordan, noting that for him, it’s an event that celebrates queer identity.

And after months of planning, CTRL will kick off its monthly party series at Trade on March 30 for the first gig after its glow-up.

The trio says that its core inspiration “is driven by the indie and electropop favorites of new and old, like Goldfrapp, Ava Max, Charli XCX, … We’re also all huge fans of slut and trash pop music like Kim Petras, Slayyyter, Cupcakke,” as well as pop diva remixes, new bops, and songs that reside inside and far beyond the expanse of Top 40.

CTRL is also bringing back its activations that complement the tunes. Summer Camp is set for drag performances, David Claypool is back with his photo booth, and Koussari-Amin promises “to have all sorts of weird and wacky handouts like we used to.”

After the March premiere, April’s party is “CTRLella”, a Coachella send-up. Future events will feature various different themes, and they plan to throw a party during Capital Pride; they’re also looking to be a central part of Trade’s expansion into the adjacent space.

 Koussari-Amin says that “the event’s signature experience [is] a lynchpin in connecting D.C.’s expanding generations of queer folks, giving everyone a safe space to let loose and feel a rush no matter who they are.” 

For his part, Bailey continues to support CTRL and its collective intention, expressing its essential nature as a party for partiers by partiers. “CTRL is the kind of party that represents what people want. It’s just a real party by real people that just want to hear good music and dance with their friends.”

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Celebrity News

HRC releases ‘Queer Renaissance Syllabus’

Beyoncé’s hit album inspired curriculum

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Beyoncé performs at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., on Aug. 6, 2023. The Human Rights Campaign has released a curriculum that her "Renaissance" album inspired. (Washington Blade photo by Isabelle Kravis)

In a move aimed at celebrating the beauty, brilliance and resilience of the LGBTQ community, the Human Rights Campaign unveiled the “Queer Renaissance Syllabus” that Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” album inspired. 

Curated by Justin Calhoun, Leslie Hall and Chauna Lawson of the HRC’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program, the syllabus includes a variety of academic articles, essays, films and other media rooted in Black queer and feminist studies. Each piece is directly inspired by the tracks on Beyoncé’s Billboard 200-topping dance album, “Renaissance.”

Beyoncé’s album “Renaissance” stands as a cultural milestone, celebrating the Black queer roots of dance music while shedding light on overlooked Black queer artists. Inspired by her late-Uncle Johnny, the album not only garnered critical acclaim but also shed light on the often marginalized contributions of Black queer artists. Winning four Grammys and yielding chart-topping hits like “Break My Soul” and “Cuff It,” the album sparked discussions about economic impact and cultural representation.

Amid its success, legislative challenges arose, with Florida and Texas enacting bans on DEI initiatives in public colleges. Recognizing the album’s transformative potential, HRC developed the “Queer Renaissance Syllabus” to leverage its impact for education and activism.

Tailored for educators, youth-serving professionals, DEI practitioners, higher education leaders and admirers of Beyoncé’s artistry, the syllabus aims to encourage meaningful discussions, enrich lesson plans, and explore innovative ways to honor the vibrancy and significance of LGBTQ individuals and their culture.

With six themes anchoring the syllabus, ranging from “intersectionality and inclusivity” to “social justice and activism,” it provides a comprehensive exploration of various facets of LGBTQ experiences and expressions. Fan-favorite tracks from the album are paired with scholarly readings, offering insights into empowerment, self-acceptance and the transformative power of artistic expression. The syllabus also reinforces HRC’s efforts to highlight, amplify and re-center Black and queer voices.

By providing links to articles, books, podcasts and interviews, each associated with a song from the album, it celebrates the rich cultural heritage and contributions of the Black queer community.

The concluding section of the syllabus includes Beyoncé’s tribute to O’Shea Sibley, a young Black queer person who was murdered in Brooklyn, N.Y., last July while voguing to “Renaissance” songs at a gas station. HRC also includes a statement that condemns hate crimes.

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