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D.C. theater scene adapts with films, concerts, and more

Despite COVID, plenty of entertaining stage options for fall

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fall theater, gay news, Washington Blade
Solomon Parker III will sing Earth, Wind & Fire’s classic ‘September’ accompanied by Mark G. Meadows at Signature’s fall concert. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Taking cues from Anthony Fauci’s recent suggestion to hunker down and stay at home this fall, most theaters have cancelled live performances and will continue to engage audiences in virtual, innovative ways. Still, a handful of venues and companies plan to reopen sooner.

Here’s a smattering of what’s in store.

Arena Stage has already kicked off its fall season with the release of its third world premiere film, “The 51st State.”

“The hyper local 60-minute film created by Washington, D.C. artists through the voices of 11 residents was inspired by protests and the re-ignition of a movement after the murder of George Floyd and the quest for creating the 51st state and sovereignty in Washington, D.C. From a first-time protester to a fourth-generation Washingtonian political scientist, to artists, an attorney, people of faith, and a retired couple who moved to take part in the movement despite the COVID-19 risks, these diverse perspectives and real-life stories are vividly told and transformed into affecting narratives by 10 local playwrights.”

Featured playwrights in the docudrama include, among others, Helen Hayes Award winner Dane Figueroa Edidi, Farah Lawal Harris, Teshonne Nicole Powell, and Karen Zacarías.

Filmed in different locations around D.C., the story of each citizen is portrayed by 11 terrific familiar faces, including Sherri L. Edelen, talented out actor Justin Weaks, and Jacob Yeh.

Directing duties are split among Arena’s formidable out artistic director Molly Smith, deputy artistic director Seema Sueko, and senior artistic adviser Anita Maynard-Losh, along with local directors Paige Hernandez and director Psalmayene 24.

“The 51st State” can be streamed on WTOP.com and arenastage.org/The51stState.

This week, Folger Theatre is premiering its virtual project “Encores,” an initiative to help provide more online content for the community while most arts institutions remain closed during the pandemic.

“Encores” is a weekly online series highlighting past performances from the historic Folger stage, recalling the rich history of public programming at the Folger. Excerpts from Folger Theatre, the Folger Consort early music ensemble, O.B. Hardison Poetry Series and more will be featured.

The series will go out via email each Friday through this calendar year and can also be found on the Folger website.

On Sept. 25, theatreWashington presents the Helen Hayes Awards with a virtual celebration for theater professionals and their fans. In past weeks, recipients from various categories were presented awards during a series of intimate and technically seamless Zoom sessions. The culminating event – to be co-hosted by local favorites Felicia Curry and Naomi Jacobson – will include the presentation of more awards and varied tributes.

Through Oct. 4, Olney Theatre Center (OTC) is streaming a timely take on gay playwright Stephen Karam’s Tony Award-winning play “The Humans,” a one act about a stressed out family unraveling on Thanksgiving Day. With a stellar six-person cast featuring local favorites Kimberly Gilbert, Mitchell Hébert, Sherri L. Edelen, Dani Stoller, Catie Flye, and New York-based actor Jonathan Raviv, the production was filmed from six separate locations during quarantine.

Also, throughout October, OTC is celebrating BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) artists and the tradition of social protest with four streaming installments of “Just Arts”. Each installment highlights a different pillar of social justice: “Accessibility,” “Rights,” “Equity,” and “Participation.”

The project is co-curated by Chil Kong, artistic director of Adventure Theatre MTC; Kevin McAllister, actor and artistic director Artistic Director of the Baltimore-based theater company ArtsCentric, Inc; Nicole A. Watson, associate artistic director at Round House Theatre; and Elena Velasco, artistic director of Convergence Theatre.

The quartet were invited by Olney Theatre’s out artistic director Jason Loewith to create a program around the theme of performance and social justice, responding to the social upheaval of the past summer and highlighting BIPOC artists during the period leading up to this fall’s general election.

In OTC’s press release, Loewith says “The twin pandemics of coronavirus and racism we’re facing give predominantly white cultural institutions like ours an opportunity to revolutionize the way they work.”

“For OTC, that means decentering my privileged role as curator and inviting others with a different point of view and background to share in building our theater’s future. We want OTC to matter to everyone in our community, and this is our first public step in making the table bigger.”

A finalized schedule and streaming details will be released in late September.

OTC isn’t sure what comes beyond that. Thinking optimistically, they’d like to be able to produce Paul Morella’s solo “A Christmas Carol” in December with an audience of 100-150 socially distanced in their 428-seat mainstage. But Montgomery County has not approved guidelines that would allow that although the state of Maryland has.

Round House Theatre’s virtual season begins with “American Dreams” (Oct. 5-11), created by writer Leila Buck (“Love Letter to Lebanon”) and director Tamilla Woodard (“Hadestown” on Broadway). It’s “a participatory performance that imagines a world where the only way to gain U.S. citizenship is by competing in a televised game show. The playful, interactive production uses voting, polling, Q&As, and more to allow audience members each night to directly affect the outcome of the show.”

Esteemed physical company Synectic Theater is celebrating its 20th anniversary season with “Joy” (Oct. 12-Nov. 1) a live, designed-for-digital theatrical production conceived by Chris Rushing and starring Maria Simpkins (directed by Katherine DuBois) and Vato Tsikurishvili (directed by his father Founding Artistic Director Paata Tsikurishvili) in separate, but parallel versions, presented via Zoom. “In this intimate and personal experience, audiences capped at 25 people will receive a surprise package in the mail inviting them to enjoy interactive solo performances that stimulate the senses and examine the impact of joy in our own lives.”

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is entering fall with a virtual audio production. Together, Woolly and Telephonic Literary Union “repurpose the customer service hotline for stranger, more tender use in ‘Human Resources,’ an intimate audio anthology for remote times.” Though the pieces do not have LGBTQ+ specific material, they’re purported to have broad appeal.

Telephone lines will be open Oct. 1-25. To file a claim or plan your escape, dial 1-800-804-1573.

For fall, Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD, is presenting “Monuments: Creative Forces” (Oct. 2–25). It’s “an innovative outdoor projection installation by Craig Walsh, in partnership with Strathmore, pays homage to six individual artists who are forces of nature: individuals whose work and artistic endeavors are changing the shape of our community in fundamental ways.”

On October 17, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington kicks off its 40th anniversary season with “Losing My Mind: A Celebration of Sondheim,” a virtual cabaret featuring over 20 GMCW soloists celebrating the 90th birthday of one of Broadway’s greatest composers, Stephen Sondheim. Songs include “The Ladies Who Lunch,” “(Not) Getting Married Today,” “Somewhere,” and “Children Will Listen.”

Employing reduced-capacity, social-distanced seating, hand sanitizer, and masks (for patrons, staff, and volunteers), GALA Hispanic Theatre is reopening with Lope de Vega’s “El perro del hortelano (Dog in the Manger)” (Oct. 29-Nov. 22), a classic comedy from Spain’s Golden Age.

In early November, Signature Theatre presents its filmed Fall Concert of vinyl hits directed by Signature’s out associate artistic director Matthew Gardiner and featuring a talented group of singers including, among others, Awa Sal Secka, Natascia Diaz, Nova Y. Payton, Maria Rizzo and out actors Jade Jones and Solomon Parker III. “I’ll be filming on Signature’s roof,” explains Parker who’ll be singing Earth, Wind & Fire’s classic “September” accompanied by Mark G. Meadows.

Parker, a 26-year-old tenor who lives in Wheaton, Md., studied theater at Montgomery College before going on to be cast in Signature’s productions of“Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and more recently “Grand Hotel.” During quarantine, he’s developed a drag persona, Echinacea Monroe, who performs each Wednesday evening on Instagram Live. “It’s been fun, and a great way to stay creative,” he adds.

Ford’s Theatre is canceling in-person performances of “A Christmas Carol,” which, like past years, was scheduled for November and December. Instead, Ford’s will release a radio version of the play in December with Craig Wallace returning as Scrooge.

Citing audiences’ health and safety as a top priority, The Kennedy Center is moving most planned programming to spring of 2021 and beyond.

And Rehoboth Beach’s Clear Space Theatre debuts the Tennessee Williams classic “A Streetcar Named Desire” on Sept. 18. It runs through Oct. 4. Clear Space held a preview for its 2021 season last weekend but attendees were sworn to secrecy until all rights to next year’s productions are secured. Suffice to say it will be a fabulous season of proven hit productions at the beach.

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Visit Cambridge, a ‘beautiful secret’ on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

New organization promotes town’s welcoming vibe, LGBTQ inclusion

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Cambridge, Md., is home to quaint shops, restaurants, and Victorian homes on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. (Photo courtesy James Lumalcuri)

CAMBRIDGE, Md. — Driving through this scenic, historic town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, you’ll be charmed by streets lined with unique shops, restaurants, and beautifully restored Victorian homes. You’ll also be struck by the number of LGBTQ Pride flags flying throughout the town.

The flags are a reassuring signal that everyone is welcome here, despite the town’s location in ruby red Dorchester County, which voted for Donald Trump over Kamala Harris by a lopsided margin. But don’t let that deter you from visiting. A new organization, Proudly Cambridge, is holding its debut Pride event this weekend, touting the town’s welcoming, inclusive culture.

“We stumbled on a beautiful secret and we wanted to help get the word out,” said James Lumalcuri of the effort to create Proudly Cambridge.

The organization celebrates diversity, enhances public spaces, and seeks to uplift all that Cambridge has to share, according to its mission statement, under the tagline “You Belong Here.”

The group has so far held informal movie nights and a picnic and garden party; the launch party is June 28 at the Cambridge Yacht Club, which will feature a Pride celebration and tea dance. The event’s 75 tickets sold out quickly and proceeds benefit DoCo Pride.

“Tickets went faster than we imagined and we’re bummed we can’t welcome everyone who wanted to come,” Lumalcuri said, adding that organizers plan to make “Cheers on the Choptank” an annual event with added capacity next year.

One of the group’s first projects was to distribute free Pride flags to anyone who requested one and the result is a visually striking display of a large number of flags flying all over town. Up next: Proudly Cambridge plans to roll out a program offering affirming businesses rainbow crab stickers to show their inclusiveness and LGBTQ support. The group also wants to engage with potential visitors and homebuyers.

“We want to spread the word outside of Cambridge — in D.C. and Baltimore — who don’t know about Cambridge,” Lumalcuri said. “We want them to come and know we are a safe haven. You can exist here and feel comfortable and supported by neighbors in a way that we didn’t anticipate when we moved here.”

James Lumalcuri and Lou Cardenas sailing in Cambridge, Md. The couple bought a second home there and are spreading the word about the town’s pro-LGBTQ culture. (Photo courtesy the couple)

Lumalcuri, 53, a federal government employee, and his husband, Lou Cardenas, 62, a Realtor, purchased a Victorian house in Cambridge in 2021 and embarked on an extensive renovation. The couple also owns a home in Adams Morgan in D.C.

“We saw the opportunity here and wanted to share it with others,” Cardenas said. “There’s lots of housing inventory in the $300-400,000 range … we’re not here to gentrify people out of town because a lot of these homes are just empty and need to be fixed up and we’re happy to be a part of that.”

Lumalcuri was talking with friends one Sunday last year at the gazebo (affectionately known as the “gayzebo” by locals) at the Yacht Club and the idea for Proudly Cambridge was born. The founding board members are Lumalcuri, Corey van Vlymen, Brian Orjuela, Lauren Mross, and Caleb Holland. The group is currently working toward forming a 501(c)3.

“We need visibility and support for those who need it,” Mross said. “We started making lists of what we wanted to do and the five of us ran with it. We started meeting weekly and solidified what we wanted to do.”

Mross, 50, a brand strategist and web designer, moved to Cambridge from Atlanta with her wife three years ago. They knew they wanted to be near the water and farther north and began researching their options when they discovered Cambridge.

“I had not heard of Cambridge but the location seemed perfect,” she said. “I pointed on a map and said this is where we’re going to move.”

The couple packed up, bought a camper trailer and parked it in different campsites but kept coming back to Cambridge. 

“I didn’t know how right it was until we moved here,” she said. “It’s the most welcoming place … there’s an energy vortex here – how did so many cool, progressive people end up in one place?” 

Corey van Vlymen and his husband live in D.C. and were looking for a second home. They considered Lost River, W.Va., but decided they preferred to be on the water.

“We looked at a map on both sides of the bay and came to Cambridge on a Saturday and bought a house that day,” said van Vlymen, 39, a senior scientist at Booz Allen Hamilton. They’ve owned in Cambridge for two years.

They were drawn to Cambridge due to its location on the water, the affordable housing inventory, and its proximity to D.C.; it’s about an hour and 20 minutes away.

Now, through the work of Proudly Cambridge, they hope to highlight the town’s many attributes to residents and visitors alike.

“Something we all agree on is there’s a perception problem for Cambridge and a lack of awareness,” van Vlymen said. “If you tell someone you’re going to Cambridge, chances are they think, ‘England or Massachusetts?’”

He cited the affordability and the opportunity to save older, historic homes as a big draw for buyers.

“It’s all about celebrating all the things that make Cambridge great,” Mross added. “Our monthly social events are joyful and celebratory.” A recent game night drew about 70 people.

She noted that the goal is not to gentrify the town and push longtime residents out, but to uplift all the people who are already there while welcoming new visitors and future residents. 

They also noted that Proudly Cambridge does not seek to supplant existing Pride-focused organizations. Dorchester County Pride organizes countywide Pride events and Delmarva Pride was held in nearby Easton two weeks ago.

“We celebrate all diversity but are gay powered and gay led,” Mross noted.  

To learn more about Proudly Cambridge, visit the group on Facebook and Instagram.

What to see and do

Cambridge, located 13 miles up the Choptank River from the Chesapeake Bay, has a population of roughly 15,000. It was settled in 1684 and named for the English university town in 1686. It is home to the Harriet Tubman Museum, mural, and monument. Its proximity to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge makes it a popular stop for birders, drawn to more than 27,000 acres of marshland dubbed “the Everglades of the north.”

The refuge is walkable, bikeable, and driveable, making it an accessible attraction for all. There are kayaking and biking tours through Blackwater Adventures (blackwateradventuresmd.com).

Back in town, take a stroll along the water and through historic downtown and admire the architecture. Take in the striking Harriet Tubman mural (424 Race St.). Shop in the many local boutiques, and don’t miss the gay-owned Shorelife Home and Gifts (421 Race St.), filled with stylish coastal décor items. 

Stop for breakfast or lunch at Black Water Bakery (429 Race St.), which offers a full compliment of coffee drinks along with a build-your-own mimosa bar and a full menu of creative cocktails.

The Cambridge Yacht Club (1 Mill St.) is always bustling but you need to be a member to get in. Snapper’s on the water is temporarily closed for renovations. RaR Brewing (rarbrewing.com) is popular for craft beers served in an 80-year-old former pool hall and bowling alley. The menu offers burgers, wings, and other bar fare.

For dinner or wine, don’t miss the fantastic Vintage 414 (414 Race St.), which offers lunch, dinner, wine tasting events, specialty foods, and a large selection of wines. The homemade cheddar crackers, inventive flatbreads, and creative desserts (citrus olive oil cake, carrot cake trifle) were a hit on a recent visit.

Also nearby is Ava’s (305 High St.), a regional chain offering outstanding Italian dishes, pizzas, and more.  

For something off the beaten path, visit Emily’s Produce (22143 Church Creek Rd.) for its nursery, produce, and prepared meals.

“Ten minutes into the sticks there’s a place called Emily’s Produce, where you can pay $5 and walk through a field and pick sunflowers, blueberries, you can feed the goats … and they have great food,” van Vlymen said.

As for accommodations, there’s the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay (100 Heron Blvd. at Route 50), a resort complex with golf course, spa, and marina. Otherwise, check out Airbnb and VRBO for short-term rentals closer to downtown.

Its proximity to D.C. and Baltimore makes Cambridge an ideal weekend getaway. The large LGBTQ population is welcoming and they are happy to talk up their town and show you around. 

“There’s a closeness among the neighbors that I wasn’t feeling in D.C.,” Lumalcuri said. “We look after each other.”

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James Baldwin bio shows how much of his life is revealed in his work

‘A Love Story’ is first major book on acclaimed author’s life in 30 years

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(Book cover image courtesy of FSG)

‘Baldwin: A Love Story’
By Nicholas Boggs
c.2025, FSG
$35/704 pages

“Baldwin: A Love Story” is a sympathetic biography, the first major one in 30 years, of acclaimed Black gay writer James Baldwin. Drawing on Baldwin’s fiction, essays, and letters, Nicolas Boggs, a white writer who rediscovered and co-edited a new edition of a long-lost Baldwin book, explores Baldwin’s life and work through focusing on his lovers, mentors, and inspirations.

The book begins with a quick look at Baldwin’s childhood in Harlem, and his difficult relationship with his religious, angry stepfather. Baldwin’s experience with Orilla Miller, a white teacher who encouraged the boy’s writing and took him to plays and movies, even against his father’s wishes, helped shape his life and tempered his feelings toward white people. When Baldwin later joined a church and became a child preacher, though, he felt conflicted between academic success and religious demands, even denouncing Miller at one point. In a fascinating late essay, Baldwin also described his teenage sexual relationship with a mobster, who showed him off in public.

Baldwin’s romantic life was complicated, as he preferred men who were not outwardly gay. Indeed, many would marry women and have children while also involved with Baldwin. Still, they would often remain friends and enabled Baldwin’s work. Lucien Happersberger, who met Baldwin while both were living in Paris, sent him to a Swiss village, where he wrote his first novel, “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” as well as an essay, “Stranger in the Village,” about the oddness of being the first Black person many villagers had ever seen. Baldwin met Turkish actor Engin Cezzar in New York at the Actors’ Studio; Baldwin later spent time in Istanbul with Cezzar and his wife, finishing “Another Country” and directing a controversial play about Turkish prisoners that depicted sexuality and gender. 

Baldwin collaborated with French artist Yoran Cazac on a children’s book, which later vanished. Boggs writes of his excitement about coming across this book while a student at Yale and how he later interviewed Cazac and his wife while also republishing the book. Baldwin also had many tumultuous sexual relationships with young men whom he tried to mentor and shape, most of which led to drama and despair.

The book carefully examines Baldwin’s development as a writer. “Go Tell It on the Mountain” draws heavily on his early life, giving subtle signs of the main character John’s sexuality, while “Giovanni’s Room” bravely and openly shows a homosexual relationship, highly controversial at the time. “If Beale Street Could Talk” features a woman as its main character and narrator, the first time Baldwin wrote fully through a woman’s perspective. His essays feel deeply personal, even if they do not reveal everything; Lucian is the unnamed visiting friend in one who the police briefly detained along with Baldwin. He found New York too distracting to write, spending his time there with friends and family or on business. He was close friends with modernist painter Beauford Delaney, also gay, who helped Baldwin see that a Black man could thrive as an artist. Delaney would later move to France, staying near Baldwin’s home.

An epilogue has Boggs writing about encountering Baldwin’s work as one of the few white students in a majority-Black school. It helpfully reminds us that Baldwin connects to all who feel different, no matter their race, sexuality, gender, or class. A well-written, easy-flowing biography, with many excerpts from Baldwin’s writing, it shows how much of his life is revealed in his work. Let’s hope it encourages reading the work, either again or for the first time.

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Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C

Washington Blade’s unique archives chronicle highs, lows of our movement

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Gay Pride Day 1976 (Washington Blade archive photo)

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride in Washington, D.C., the Washington Blade team combed our archives and put together a glossy magazine showcasing five decades of celebrations in the city. Below is a sampling of images from the magazine but be sure to find a print copy starting this week.

D.C.’s Different Drummers march in the 2006 Capital Pride Parade. (Washington Blade archive photo by Adam Cuthbert)

The magazine is being distributed now and is complimentary. You can find copies at LGBTQ bars and restaurants across the city. Or visit the Blade booth at the Pride festival on June 7 and 8 where we will distribute copies. 

Thank you to our advertisers and sponsors, whose support has enabled us to distribute the magazine free of charge. And thanks to our dedicated team at the Blade, especially Photo Editor Michael Key, who spent many hours searching the archives for the best images, many of which are unique to the Blade and cannot be found elsewhere. And thanks to our dynamic production team of Meaghan Juba, who designed the magazine, and Phil Rockstroh who managed the process. Stephen Rutgers and Brian Pitts handled sales and marketing and staff writers Lou Chibbaro Jr., Christopher Kane, Michael K. Lavers, Joe Reberkenny along with freelancer and former Blade staffer Joey DiGuglielmo wrote the essays. 

The 1995 Lesbian and Gay Freedom Festival was held on Freedom Plaza on June 18. (Washington Blade archive photo by Clint Steib)

The magazine represents more than 50 years of hard work by countless reporters, editors, advertising sales reps, photographers, and other media professionals who have brought you the Washington Blade since 1969.

We hope you enjoy the magazine and keep it as a reminder of all the many ups and downs our local LGBTQ community has experienced over the past 50 years.

I hope you will consider supporting our vital mission by becoming a Blade member today. At a time when reliable, accurate LGBTQ news is more essential than ever, your contribution helps make it possible. With a monthly gift starting at just $7, you’ll ensure that the Blade remains a trusted, free resource for the community — now and for years to come. Click here to help fund LGBTQ journalism.

The D.C. Black Gay Men & Women’s Community Conference table at Gay Pride Day in 1978. (Washington Blade archive photo by Jim Marks)
A scene from 1985 Gay and Lesbian Pride Day. (Washington Blade archive photo by Doug Hinckle)
A scene from the 1988 Gay and Lesbian Pride Day. (Washington Blade archive photo by Doug Hinckle)
A scene from the Capital Pride Block Party in 2018. (Washington Blade photo by Daniel Truitt)
Keke Palmer performs at the 2024 Capital Pride Festival. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
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