Arts & Entertainment
Dan Levy to receive HRC Visibility Award
Dan Levy, co-creator of the LGBTQ fan favorite TV show “Schitt’s Creek,” is being honored by the Human Rights Campaign with their annual Visibility Award.
The nation’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization announced Monday that the Emmy-nominated showrunner, writer, actor, director and producer will be presented the honor at the 2020 HRC Los Angeles Dinner, which is set to take place on Saturday, March 28 at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.
In a statement, HRC President Alphonso David said, “Through his advocacy, his creative leadership, and his hilarious, authentic portrayal as David Rose on ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ Dan Levy is moving LGBTQ visibility forward by inspiring us to embrace all of who we are. By creating and inhabiting the world of ‘Schitt’s Creek’ as a community where people are welcomed no matter who they are or whom they love, Levy is helping take all of us closer to that reality.”
“I have been a longtime admirer and supporter of the HRC,” said Levy. “To be recognized by this organization means the world to me and I am incredibly touched by the honor.”
“Schitt’s Creek,” the groundbreaking sitcom created by Levy with his father, veteran comedian and SCTV alum Eugene Levy, debuted in January 2015 on the Canadian network before making its US premiere on Pop TV a month later. In addition to his behind-the-scenes work, the younger Levy stars as the hilarious David Rose, one of the first openly pansexual characters depicted on television, opposite his real-life father and fellow comedy icon Catherine O’Hara as his onscreen parents, and Annie Murphy as sibling Alexis. In its third season, the show introduced the character of Patrick, portrayed by Noah Reid, who became a love interest for David; their relationship has continued as part of the series’ ongoing story arc, earning praise and accolades for its positive representation of a same-sex relationship.
In its fifth season, “Schitt’s Creek” garnered four Emmy nominations, a PGA Award nomination, a GLAAD Media nomination for Best Comedy Series, two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, and five Critics’ Choice Award nominations, including one for Levy as Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. It is currently airing its sixth and final season.
In 2019, Levy was featured on OUT Magazine’s “Out 100” list, honoring the year’s most impactful and influential LGBTQ people, as well as on Queerty’s “Pride50” list.
The announcement of Levy as recipient of the Visibility Award comes after last week’s revelation by HRC that the organization would honor award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, performer, actor and activist Janelle Monáe with the HRC Equality Award.
The 2020 HRC Los Angeles Dinner will be the first since HRC opened its Los Angeles office. The event brings together HRC’s most active members and supporters in the greater Los Angeles area to raise crucial funds in the fight for LGBTQ equality. For tickets and further information, visit the HRC website.
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(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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