Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: Jan. 11-17
Parties, exhibits and meetings in the week to come
Friday, Jan. 11
D.C. Bear Crue hosts Bear Happy Hour at Uproar Lounge & Restaurant (639 Florida Ave., N.W.) today from 5-10 p.m. Drink specials are until 10 p.m. and include $5 rail cocktails and $5 draft pitchers. Free appetizers will be handed out throughout the night. For more details, visit facebook.com/bearhappyhour.
Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.) hosts a weekly viewing party for “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 4” tonight at 8 p.m. Trade queens will host the night along with guest hosts. There will be games, prizes and more. Wessthedj will spin tracks before, during and after the episode.For more information, visit facebook.com/tradebardc.
Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) hosts Phucker, a hanky code party, tonight from 10 p.m.- 3 a.m. Let others know your kink with a hanky in your back pocket. Attendees will receive a free hanky upon entry. DJ Ryan DoubleYou will play music. No cover. For more details, visit greenlanterndc.com.
Gamma D.C., a support group for men in mixed-orientation relationships, meets at Luther Place Memorial Church (1226 Vermont Ave., N.W.) today from 7:30-9:30 p.m. The group is for men who are attracted to men but are currently, or were at one point, in relationships with women. For more information about the group, visit gammaindc.org.
Rock and Roll Hotel (1353 H St., N.W.) hosts Anna: Warhol Dance Party, a Andy Warhol party, tonight at 10 p.m. DJ Honey and Get Face will spin tracks. At midnight there will be performances from Creme Fatale, Washington Heights, Dee Dee Derèon, Venus Fastrada and Ariel Von Quinn.Admission is free with RSVP. There will also be an open bar and snacks from 10-11 p.m. For details, visit rockandrollhoteldc.com.
LezLink hosts its January happy hour at the Hawthorne (1336 U St., N.W.) tonight from 6-9 p.m. Lesbian, bi and queer women are invited for food, drinks and conversation. For more information, visit facebook.com/lezlinkevents.
Saturday, Jan. 12
Haute Dish: Camp, a drag brunch fundraiser for the Unite Foundation, is at 18th & U Duplex Diner (2004 18th St., N.W.) is today from 1-4 p.m. Anna G. O’Plasty, DivaD, Judy from HR, Kiana K’Naan, Mindy Nao and Tabeeda Deadhorse will perform. There will also be surprise performers from the Unite Foundation. Regyna Rubenstein hosts the show. Tickets are $50 and include one select brunch entree of your choice, one champagne cocktail or glass of Pinot Grigio and a donation to Unite. For more details, visit facebook.com/duplexdiner.
Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) hosts Freeballers today from 4 p.m.-3 a.m. Guests are invited to wear basketball shorts, sweat pants or anything that accentuates their lower physique. This is not a naked party. No cover. Drink specials run all night. For more information, visit greenlanterndc.com.
The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) hosts District: Steamwerq, a bathhouse-themed party, tonight from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. Guests can purchase a commemorative D.C. Eagle-branded towel to wear. DJ David Merrill will play music. Advance tickets are $15. Tickets at the door are $20. For more details, visit thedceagle.com.
Sunday, Jan. 13
Queer Girl Movie Night hosts a screening of “The L Word” season two at Slash Run (201 Upshur St., N.W.) today from 1-6 p.m. Episodes will run continuously through the day so stop by anytime. For more information, visit facebook.com/queergrrrlmovienight.
VisArts (155 Gibbs St., Rockville, Md.) hosts its Indie Wedding Expo today from 1-3 p.m. There will be artisans and small businesses available to help with creative and thrifty wedding ideas. Admission is free but RSVP is required. For more details, visit visartscenter.org/event/indie-wedding-expo.
The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) presents Sunday Cruise today from noon-2 a.m. Drink specials include $10 and $12 bottomless beer mugs, $3 off all whiskeys and bourbons and $5 Chivas Regal all day. $2 off all other drinks until 9 p.m. For more information, visit thedceagle.com.
Monday, Jan. 14
Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., N.W.) presents its January exhibits today and throughout the month. Gallery A features the Touchstone Gallery Member Show. Gallery B and C will showcase “Hard Wired” by Tory Cowles. This interactive installation allows people to wear Cowles’ sculptures. For more details, visit touchstonegallery.com.
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, Jan. 15
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) hosts its Packing Party from 7-9 p.m. tonight. Volunteers will assemble safer sex kits to distribute to the LGBT community. For more details, visit thedccenter.org.
Wednesday, Jan. 16
XX+Crostino (1926 9th St., N.W.) and Taste host La Voz, a Latin karoke night, tonight from 8 p.m. midnight. Cuba Libres will be $8. No cover. For more details, visit facebook.com/xxcrostino.
Bookmen D.C., an informal gay men’s literature group, discusses David Plante’s diaries “Becoming a Londoner) at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome. For more information, visit bookmendc.blogspot.com.
Thursday, Jan. 17
Tagg Magazine hosts financial planning seminars for LGBTQ women at Human Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) tonight from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Snacks and beverages will be provided. For more details, visit facebook.com/taggmagazine.
Daybreaker D.C. hosts an early morning dance party and yoga session at Renwick Gallery (1661 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) today from 6-9 a.m. Yoga is from 6-7 a.m. followed by the dance party from 7-9 a.m. There will be free kombucha and breakfast bites. FDVM will play music and Haile Supreme will serve as emcee. Dress code is sparkling white. Tickets for yoga and dance are $35. Tickets just for the dance are $25. For more information, visit daybreaker.com.
Celebrity News
Madonna announces release date for new album
‘Confessions II’ marks return to the dance floor
Pop icon Madonna on Wednesday announced that her 15th studio album will be released on July 3.
Titled “Confessions II,” the new album is a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” an Abba and disco-infused hit.
The new album reunites Madonna with producer Stuart Price, who also helmed the original “Confessions” album. It’s her first album of new material since 2019’s “Madame X.”
“We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies,” Madonna said in a press release. “These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people,” continued the statement. “Sound, light, and vibration reshape our perceptions. Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.”
Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI
‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’
By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.
Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.
“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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