Arts & Entertainment

Calendar: Events through Nov. 15

Parties, concerts, exhibits and more for the coming week

Published

14 years ago

November 8, 2012

Erin Durkin

‘Palace of Tears II Revisited,’ by artist Peter Karp, is on display now at Studio Gallery

TODAY (Friday)

The Speakeasy Shorts Film Challenge begins tonight at 7 at the U.S. Navy Memorial Heritage Center (701 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.). The challenge lasts five days to write, shoot and edit a film based on eight local storytellers. Tonight is the first night the filmmakers will be learning which story they are assigned after the storytellers regale the audience. The competition ends Nov. 16 when they reveal their films. Tickets are $20 per show or $30 for both shows if they are purchased online. For more information, visit speakeasydc.com.

The Bethesda Art Walk is this evening from 6-9 p.m. Seven galleries and studios will be participating in the walk: Artworks (7740 Old Georgetown Rd.), Consider it Done (7806 Old Georgetown Rd.), Gallery B (7700 Wisconsin Ave.), Interiors of Washington (7944 Norfolk Ave.), L’Eclat de Verre (7015 Wisconsin Ave.), Upstairs Art Studios (4948 St. Elmo Ave.) and Waverly Street Gallery (4600 East-West Highway). For more information, visit Bethesda.org.

Special Agent Galactica welcomes special guest Barbara Papendorp, French chanteuse and cabaret artist, to her happy hour show at Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) tonight from 6-9. Music includes pieces by Pat Benatar, Judy Garland, Stevie Nicks, Nancy Sinatra and Ray Stevens. Admission is free. For more information, visit pinkhairedone.com.

Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts Bear Happy Hour tonight from 6-11 p.m. This event is for people 21 and older. There is no cover charge. For details, visit towndc.com.

The Bachelor’s Mill (1104 8^th St., S.E.) is having its happy hour tonight starting at 5 p.m. All drinks are half off until 7:30 p.m. After 9 p.m., admission is $10. The dance floor opens at 11 with DJ Tim-Nice and DJ Cameron. For details, visit thebachelorsmill.com.

Phase 1 (528 8^th St. S.E.) has its weekly dance party with DJ Jay Von Teese tonight starting at 7:30. Cover is $10. For more information, visitphase1dc.com.

Saturday Nov. 10

Studio Gallery (2108 R St., NW) hosts the opening reception for the show “Revisit: The Inconstancy of Being” in honor of Fotoweek DC 2012 today at 4 p.m. Fotoweek D.C. celebrates the art of photography, and the show features 10 prominent photographers. The artists revisited their oldest pieces giving them a more modern twist. For more information, visit studiogallerydc.com.

The opening reception of the exhibition, “A Quiet Field of Surfaces” happens tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Adah Rose Gallery (3766 Howard Ave., Kensington). The show features art by Jessica Drenk and Brie Husted. For more information, visit adahrosegallery.com.

Sunday, Nov. 11

Church of the Holy City’s “Music with the Angels” series, along with the D.C. Chamber Music Players chamber Orchestra, presents a Veterans’ Day Concert this afternoon at 3 p.m. at the Church of the Holy City (1611-16^th St., N.W.). For more information, visit churchoftheholycity.org.

Lambda Sci-Fi meets this afternoon at 1:30 p.m. at 1425 S St. N.W. All LGBT science fiction, fantasy and horror fans are invited. For more information visit lambdascifi.org.

Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) holds its weekly Martini Sundays and Homowood Karaoke. Karaoke starts at 10 p.m. and there is no charge for admission. For details, visit cobaltdc.com.

Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers this morning for D.C. Central Kitchen (425 2^nd St, NW) at 9 a.m. For more information, visit burgundycrescent.org.

Monday, Nov. 12

Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts its Martini Monday tonight at 10 p.m. There is no cover charge and martinis are $5. For more information, visitcobaltdc.com.

Whitman-Walker Health (1701 14^th St., NW) holds its HIV+ Newly Diagnosed Support Group tonight at 7. It’s a confidential support group for anyone recently diagnosed with HIV and the group welcomes all genders and sexual orientations. For details, visit whitman-walker.org.

Tuesday, Nov. 13

Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) hosts its Safer Sex Kit-packing program tonight from 7-10:30. The packing program is looking for more volunteers to help produce the kits because they say they are barely keeping up with demand. Admission is free and volunteers can just show up. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W) hosts its Flashback dance night with DJ Jason Royce starting at 10 p.m. There is no cover charge. For more details, visit cobaltdc.com.

Wednesday, Nov. 14

Big Gay Book Group meets tonight at 7 p.m. at 1155 F St., NW, Suite 200. They will be discussing “Querelle” by Jean Genet. For more information, visit biggaybookgroup.com.

Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 pm at the Dignity Center (721 8^th St., SE). Newcomers are welcomed and no reservations are needed. For more information, visit lambdabridge.com.

Whitman-Walker Health (1701 14^th St., NW) holds its HIV+ Newly Diagnosed Support Group tonight at 7. It is a confidential support group for anyone recently diagnosed with HIV and the group welcomes all genders and sexual orientations. For details, visit whitman-walker.org.

Thursday, Nov. 15

The D.C. Center’s Center Women presents Beaujolais Nouveau, a celebration for the new wine harvest, at Gallery plan b (1530 14^th St., NW) tonight from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Beaujolais Nouveau is a newer red wine made in the Beaujolais region of France. It is very popular and is fermented only a few weeks before being released. Tickets start at $15. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Whitman-Walker Health (1701 14^th St., NW) holds its gay men over 50 support group this evening at 6:30 p.m. The group is for gay men entering a new phase of life. Registration is required to attend. For more information, visit whitman-walker.org.

Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W) is hosting its weekly Best Package Contest tonight at 9 p.m. There is a $3 cover and there are $2 vodka drinks. Participants in the contest can win $200 in cash prizes. The event is hosted by Lena Lett and music by DJ Chord, DJ Madscience, and DJ Sean Morris. For details, visit cobaltdc.com.

Celebrity News

Silky Nutmeg Ganache talks sex and dating, gender, politics, weight loss journey

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ semifinalist grew up in Bible Belt

Published

2 days ago

July 7, 2026

Uncloseted Media

Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Photo courtesy of Silky Nutmeg Ganache)

Uncloseted Media published this interview on July 7.

By SPENCER MACNAUGHTON, ISABEL STOKES, and BELLA SAYEGH | After appearing on the 11th season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the first season of “Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. the World,” the sixth season of “RuPaul’s All Stars” and now the 11th season of “All Stars,” Silky Nutmeg Ganache, known by many as the Reverend, is undoubtedly a legend.

Born and raised in Moss Point, Miss., Ganache bears all in this episode of “UNCLOSETED with Spencer Macnaughton.” She speaks about her relationship with gender, her 100-pound weight loss, what it’s like living as a queer person of color in a red state and why she’s calling on allies to stand up for the trans community.

Photos

PHOTOS: Crush Dance Bar

Patrons enjoy a night out at popular LGBTQ venue

Published

3 days ago

July 6, 2026

Landon Shackelford

(Washington Blade photo by Landon Shackelford)

Patrons enjoyed a night out at the popular LGBTQ venue Crush Dance Bar on Friday, July 3.

(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)

Theater

‘My Favorite Sociopath’ debuts at Shepherdstown’s CATF

Gay playwright Aurin Squire’s take on D.C. journalism in the ‘90s

Published

3 days ago

July 5, 2026

Patrick Folliard

Playwright Aurin Squire. (Photo by Yilong Liu)

‘My Favorite Sociopath’
Contemporary American Theater Festival
July 10-Aug. 2
Shepherdstown, W.Va.
Catf.org

Discernment. It’s a thing some people have, explains playwright Aurin Squire, especially when you’re gay or Black in America (Squire is both).

“You instinctively know when the mob is teaming up for the best interests of the powers that be. You can feel it in the air.”

In his sharp new satire “My Favorite Sociopath,” Squire writes about life experiences but set in a different time and place: It’s the 1990s, early days of the 24-hour news cycle, and three ambitious journalism students are pursuing success in D.C.

And now, Squire’s play, along with other new works, are making their world premieres at the annual Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) at Shepherd University in historic, queer-friendly Shepherdstown, W.Va. (just a 90-minute drive from D.C.).

“All of my plays are queer in some way,” says Squire, 46. “This one touches on harmless and dangerous lies. The characters are on the spectrum sexually, and it’s interesting how all that falls out.”

And he’s given it a lot of thought.

“Already as a kid, it seemed to me that the rage against rap music and sex was coming from closeted people resisting their own urges and temptations. For me, it was interesting to see a witch hunt led by witches. Queer people can always call out a lie.”

Since September, Squire has also been working with a TV show about the tech industry set in Silicon Valley. He says, “It seems the general flow of the tech industry is that humanity and civilization is finished and it’s just about accumulating as many goods as possible before everything collapses. In fact, those who are profiting actually agree. But for those who disagree, they believe the solution is to build bigger gates, but activists believe we can stop this”

Yet, he’s learned from folks associated with the show. “Many say the quickest way to divorce yourself from any responsibility or regulations — smash and grab. Otherwise, you have to stop and think and regulate your desires for greed and power”

Squire possesses a penchant for pithy titles. He laughs, explaining the first thing he wrote as a student at Juilliard was “Obama-ology,” the comedy with contemporary message. While a lot of people liked the name, it didn’t necessarily vibe with the author. He concedes that he chooses names based on “easy to remember” and titles that won’t be easy to lose as a file.

Another is “Defacing Michael Jackson,” a coming-of-age dramedy set in rural Florida in 1984, specifically Squire’s native town Opa-locka, Miami, a fantastical place famed for its fanciful Moorish revival architecture.

Living in the shadow of exotic structures, he wasn’t particularly fazed. Squire says “It wasn’t until returning to visit after my freshman year at Northwestern University in Chicago that I realized how weird it was: When you grow up in a place, you take surroundings for granted no matter how over the top.”

Now based in New York (where for two happy years, 2017-2019, he shared digs with drag king Murry Hill), Squire returns frequently to Miami to be with family, but this summer has been filled with both work and travel.

Currently, he’s in Shepherdstown with CATF shaping up “My Favorite Sociopath.” Later this summer he will travel to South Africa for research, followed by a silent writing retreat in Santa Fe, N.M.

Much of Squire’s work reflects the Latino, African, Caribbean, African-American, and Jewish cultures he grew up around in South Florida.

When asked if today’s winds of anti-multiculturalism worry him, he replies, “No, because that’s going to pass. Most people don’t like, people are seeing the negative results of it, and the young people coming up despise it. White male gamers were tricked momentarily through the algorithms into voting against their own interests and they’re now seeing how it’s not working out for them.

“Conservatives always try to stop progress and eventually they always lose. It’s just a question of where we’ll be in the middle of the end of civilization before that happens. I’d like to hope we can turn the ship around before then.”

In addition to “My Favorite Sociopath,” CATF summer season features three other world premieres (Lisa D’Amour’s comedy “The Smoker,” “Refugee Rhapsody” by Yussef El Guindi, “Best Line Wins: A Play Inspired by the Improvised Lives of Elaine May & Mike Nichols” by Beth Kander) and “¡VOS!” by Christina Pumariega.

CATF runs from July 10-Aug. 2 in three venues on the Shepherd University campus: Frank Center, Marinoff Theater, and Studio 112.