Arts & Entertainment
Bold but vague
Out playwright explores political speech in new satire
Playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s new play is in the midst of a multi-city rollout premiere. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
‘The Totalitarians’
Through June 29
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
641 D St., N.W.
$45-75
202-393-3939
In Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s new political comedy “The Totalitarians,” it takes three words — “freedom from fear” — to turn a lopsided election around.
Former roller derby queen and all-around loose cannon Penelope Easter has political aspirations. Though she has zero knowledge of the issues and stands for nothing, Penny is undeterred. She’s rightfully confident that her big hair and her gay husband’s enormous fortune will open doors. But still, she needs help connecting with voters, low information and otherwise. That’s where Francine Jefferson comes in. Francine is a wannabe political operative with a talent for words. She believes that one killer speech with a catchy slogan repeatedly delivered by an appropriately passionate Penny could put this unlikely candidate on the path to becoming Nebraska’s lieutenant governor.
Meanwhile Francine’s doctor husband Jeffrey wants her to have a baby and stay at home. Besides, he doesn’t trust Penelope — even less when his young terminally ill patient Ben warns him of Penelope’s connection with a nefarious 1 percent cabal seeking to control all American politics. He joins militant Ben in trying to snuff out Penelope’s campaign.
Nachtrieb is tall (6’6”) and rangy. At 39, the gay playwright retains boyish charm and exudes a quiet intelligence. The inspiration for the “The Totalitarians,” he explains, came from a frustration with the language of politics and rhetoric; and whether anyone is actually saying anything or is it all just sound bites? He felt a need to dive into that.
“Penelope is very seductive cipher,” he says. “Whether she is left or right is uncertain. Seems like she’s fighting for something but you can’t pin down on what she stands for on any issue. Still Francine’s dream gets married to Penny’s. She writes some soaring, beautiful imagery reminiscent of early Obama’s — inspirational but with few specific references.”
And though Nachtrieb purports Penelope is not a commentary on any single party or person, her over-the-top vulgarity definitely come off more like Sarah Palin than Elizabeth Warren. Penelope is so outrageous, says the playwright, that in a different production she could easily be played by a male actor in drag.
“There is an attraction between Francine and Penelope. And the dynamic between Jeffrey and Ben is just shy of being a gay relationship. There are those clandestine meetings in cruisy parks. And the long hernia examination that Jeffrey gives to Ben is interesting.”
Commissioned by the New Play National Network, “The Totalitarians” is currently undergoing a year-long rolling premiere that kicked off at Southern Rep in New Orleans and is now playing at Woolly Mammoth. Later this year it will play at Z Space in San Francisco where Nachtrieb is playwright in residence.
Woolly’s production is staged by talented gay playwright and director Robert O’Hara. The cast features local actors Emily Townley and Dawn Ursula as Penelope and Francine, respectively. Jeffrey is played by Sean Meehan who played Morton in HBO’s production of “The Normal Heart,” gay dramatist Larry Kramer’s seminal AIDS play. Chicago actor Nick Loumos plays Ben. It’s Nachtrieb’s second collaboration with Woolly Mammoth. The first was his dark, apocalyptic comedy, “boom.”
Growing up in affluent Marin County, the suburb across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, Nachtrieb who’d been bullied in middle school, found a safe haven participating in musical theater. He majored in theater and biology at Brown University. While there, he came out during a production of “West Side Story.” (“All the other Jets were gay. I thought I must be too.”) He returned to the Bay Area where he entered the San Francisco State MFA Playwriting program, and earned his MFA in creative writing in 2005.
Today Nachtrieb lives in San Francisco’s Mission District with his partner of 13 years, Mark Marino, a nurse. Sometimes his relationship and feelings are reflected in his work, sometimes through straight characters: “Francine and Jeffrey talk about having children and the challenges of busy work schedules. Those are discussions my partner and I have, too.
“And for instance, Ben, the young activist, has a monologue that isn’t just about wanting equality but sometimes you want a little vengeance as well for being treated badly.”
Next up, Nachtrieb is working on a new play concerning house tours. “It’s all about shame,” he says, “and the pleasures of hiding things.”
Theater
‘Octet’ explores the depths of digital addiction
Habits not easily shaken in Studio Theatre chamber musical
‘Octet’
Through Feb. 26
Studio Theatre
1501 14th Street, N.W.
Tickets start at $55
Studiotheatre.org
David Malloy’s “Octet” delves deep into the depths of digital addiction.
Featuring a person ensemble, this extraordinary a capella chamber musical explores the lives of recovering internet addicts whose lives have been devastated by digital dependency; sharing what’s happened and how things have changed.
Dressed in casual street clothes, the “Friends of Saul” trickle into a church all-purpose room, check their cell phones in a basket, put away the bingo tables, and arrange folding chairs into a circle. Some may stop by a side table offering cookies, tea, and coffee before taking a seat.
The show opens with “The Forest,” a haunting hymn harking back to the good old days of an analog existence before glowing screens, incessant pings and texts.
“The forest was beautiful/ My head was clean and clear/Alone without fear/ The forest was safe/ I danced like a beautiful fool / One time some time.”
Mimicking an actual step meeting, there’s a preamble. And then the honest sharing begins, complete with accounts of sober time and slips.
Eager to share, Jessica (Chelsea Williams) painfully recalls being cancelled after the video of her public meltdown went viral. Henry (Angelo Harrington II) is a gay gamer with a Candy Crush problem. Toby (Adrian Joyce) a nihilist who needs to stay off the internet sings “So anyway/ I’m doing good/ Mostly/ Limiting my time/ Mostly.”
The group’s unseen founder Saul is absent, per usual.
In his stead Paula, a welcoming woman played with quiet compassion by Tracy Lynn Olivera, leads. She and her husband no longer connect. They bring screens to bed. In a love-lost ballad, she explains: “We don’t sleep well/ My husband I/ Our circadian rhythms corrupted/ By the sallow blue glow of a screen/ Sucking souls and melatonin/ All of my dreams have been stolen.”
After too much time spent arguing with strangers on the internet, Marvin, a brainy young father played by David Toshiro Crane, encounters the voice of a God.
Ed (Jimmy Kieffer) deals with a porn addiction. Karly (Ana Marcu) avoids dating apps, a compulsion compared to her mother’s addiction to slot machines.
Malloy, who not only wrote the music but also the smart lyrics, book, and inventive vocal arrangements, brilliantly joins isolation with live harmony. It’s really something.
And helmed by David Muse, “Octet” is a precisely, quietly, yet powerfully staged production, featuring a topnotch cast who (when not taking their moment in the spotlight) use their voices to make sounds and act as a sort of Greek chorus. Mostly on stage throughout all of the 100-minute one act, they demonstrate impressive stamina and concentration.
An immersive production, “Octet” invites audience members to feel a part of the meeting. Studio’s Shargai Theatre is configured, for the first, in the round. And like the characters, patrons must also unplug. Everyone is required to have their phones locked in a small pouch (that only ushers are able to open and close), so be prepared for a wee bit of separation anxiety.
At the end of the meeting, the group surrenders somnambulantly. They know they are powerless against internet addiction. But group newbie Velma (Amelia Aguilar) isn’t entirely convinced. She remembers the good tech times.
In a bittersweet moment, she shares of an online friendship with “a girl in Sainte Marie / Just like me.”
Habits aren’t easily shaken.
Sports
Blade, Pride House LA announce 2028 Olympics partnership
Media sponsorship to amplify stories of LGBTQ athletes
The Los Angeles Blade and Washington Blade on Friday announced a media partnership with the Out Athlete Fund, which will produce Pride House LA for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Pride House is the home for LGBTQ fans and athletes that will become a destination during the L.A. Summer Games in West Hollywood in partnership with the City of WeHo. This 17-day celebration for LGBTQ athletes and fans will include medal ceremonies for out athletes, interactive installations, speakers, concerts, and more.
The Los Angeles Blade will serve as the exclusive L.A.-area queer media sponsor for Pride House LA and the Washington Blade will support the efforts and amplify coverage of the 2028 Games.
The Blade will provide exclusive coverage of Pride House plans, including interviews with queer athletes and more. The parties will share content and social media posts raising awareness of the Blade and Out Athlete Fund. The Blade will have media credentials and VIP access for related events.
“We are excited to partner with the Washington Blade, the oldest LGBTQ newspaper in the United States and the Los Angeles Blade, already a strong supporter of Out Athlete Fund and Pride House LA/West Hollywood,” said Michael Ferrera, CEO of Pride House LA. “Our mission is about increasing the visibility of LGBTQ+ athletes and fans to challenge the historical hostility toward our community in the sports world. Visibility is what publications like the Washington and Los Angeles publications are all about. We know they will play a key part in our success.”
“LGBTQ visibility has never been more important and we are thrilled to work with Out Athlete Fund and Pride House LA to tell the stories of queer athletes and ensure the 2028 Summer Games are inclusive and affirming for everyone,” said Blade Editor Kevin Naff.
Out Athlete Fund is a 501(c)3 designed to raise money to offset the training cost of out LGBTQ athletes in need of funding for training. The Washington Blade is the nation’s oldest LGBTQ news outlet; the Los Angeles Blade is its sister publication founded nine years ago.
In honor of Black History Month, the DC LGBTQ+ Community Center will host a series of events uplifting the histories, artistry, and resilience of Black LGBTQ+ communities through dialogue, film, and intentional gathering.
The series begins with “Ballroom Culture: Rhythms of Resilience,” a panel discussion on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026 at 7 p.m. Artists, activists, and leaders from the ballroom community will explore ballroom’s historical, cultural, and political significance as a site of resistance, kinship, creative expression, and social justice within Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ communities.
On Friday, Feb. 13 at 12:30 p.m., the Center will host a screening of the groundbreaking documentary “Paris is Burning,” which chronicles New York City’s ballroom scene and house culture while examining themes of race, class, identity, and survival through the voices of legendary performers including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, and Dorian Corey.
The month will conclude with “Soul Centered: A Black LGBTQ+ Gathering” on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. This free, RSVP-required event invites Black LGBTQ+ community members into a space of rest, connection, and reflection centered on love in all its forms. The gathering will feature a panel conversation with Black LGBTQ+ creatives, healers, and community members, followed by intentional speed connections and a closing social mixer.
For more details and to RSVP, visit the Center’s website.
‘Octet’ explores the depths of digital addiction
Why trans suffering is more palatable than trans ambition
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