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Calendar through Jan. 31

Sugarloaf Craft Festival, Helen Hayes Awards and more pack a big week

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13 years ago

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Berlin Window, Peter Karp, Studio Gallery, gay news, Washington Blade
Berlin Window, Peter Karp, Studio Gallery, gay news, Washington Blade

‘Berlin Window,’ a work by Peter Karp, will be on display at Studio Gallery in February. (Photo courtesy of Studio Gallery)

TODAY (Jan 28)

Sugarloaf Craft Festival comes to the Dulles Expo Center (4320 Chantilly Shopping Center) today at 10 a.m. and runs through Sunday at 5 p.m. The festival provides opportunities to people to buy works from about 250 local and national artists. Attendees can also enjoy master craftspeople, live music, gourmet foods and interactive family entertainment. For more information, visit sugarloafcrafts.com.

Arcturus Theater Company presents its inaugural production “3 by Samuel Beckett,” a production that showcases three rarely seen Beckett plays: “That Time,” “Embers” and “Rough For Theatre II,” tonight at 7:30. The show runs through Feb. 3 at the D.C. Arts Center (2438 18th St., NW). Tickets are $10-$15. For more information, visit arcturustheater.com.

Special Agent Galactica plays Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) tonight from 6-9. Music includes songs by Pat Benatar, Judy Garland, Stevie Nicks, Nancy Sinatra and Ray Stevens. Admission is free. For more information, visit pinkhairedone.com.

Phase 1 (528 8th St. SE) has its weekly dance party with DJ Jay Von Teese tonight starting at 7:30. Cover is $10. For more information, visit phase1dc.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 8th St., S.E.) has its happy hour today 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 p.m. with DJ Tim-Nice and DJ Cameron. For details, visit thebachelorsmill.com.

Saturday, Jan. 26

Burgundy Crescent volunteers this morning at Food and Friends (219 Riggs Rd., NE) at 8 a.m. and again at 9:45 a.m. Volunteers will help with food preparation and packing groceries. The shifts are limited to 10 per shift. For more information, visit burgundycrescent.org.

DCTV (901 Newton St., NE) hosts a screening of “Between Women” and “Orange Juice in the Bishop’s Garden,” two new series that focus on LGBT relationships, today at 3 and 5:30 p.m. The event includes a Q&A with producers and cast members. There will be a conversation about visibility, tolerance and various issues facing the LGBT community. RSVP is required. Space is limited but attendees are encouraged to bring up to five guests. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Town (2009 8th St., NW) hosts DJ Chord tonight at 10 p.m. DJ Chord has become one Washington’s favorite DJs with gigs in several local clubs including a regular Saturday gig on Town’s main floor. Cover is $8 before 11 p.m. and $12 after. For more information, visit towndc.com.

Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, NW) holds its “Tainted Love: ‘80s Dance Party” at 10 p.m. Cover is $5. For more information, visit greenlanterndc.com.

Sunday, Jan. 27

Metropolitan Community Church of Washington (747 Ridge St., NW) welcomes LGBT Latinos and their friends for a potluck today at 12:30 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring a dish to share. For more information, email [email protected].

Monday, Jan. 28

The Helen Hayes Awards nominees will be announced this evening, with a broadcast beginning at 6:45 in the National Theatre’s Helen Hayes Gallery (1321 Pennsylvania Ave., NW). The Helen Hayes Awards recognize and celebrate achievements in about 80 professional theaters in the Washington metropolitan area. The ceremony can be seen through live webcast on theatrewashington.org. For more information, visit theatrewashington.org.

Whitman-Walker Health (1701 14th 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.

The D.C. Lambda Squares holds an open house tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. at National City Christian Church (5 Thomas Circle, NW). The only square dance club located in Washington, the free open house invites everybody to meet members and give square dancing a try. Experience is not needed. Food and door prizes included. For more information, visit dclambdasquares.org.

Tuesday, Jan. 29

Whitman-Walker (1701 14th St., NW) holds its group Starting Over for Women tonight at 7. The group is for women whose long-term relationship with another woman. Registration is required. For more information, visit whitman-walker.org.

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, Jan. 30

Whitman-Walker Health (1701 14th 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.

Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., SE) at 7:30 p.m. for duplicate bridge. Newcomers are welcome and no reservations are needed. For more information or if you need a partner, visit lambdabridge.com.

Pros in the City and the D.C. Center host speed dating for gay men at the Chi-Cha Lounge (1624 U St., NW) tonight from 7-9 p.m. The event combines intimacy and romance with the fast track pace of speed dating. The night consists of dating for one hour and then mixing and mingling for the rest of the night. Forty-eight hours after the event a link will be sent to everybody who attended the event so that they may message each other without disclosing their personal emails. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Thursday, Jan. 31

Whitman Walker provides free HIV testing at Miriam’s Kitchen (2401 Virginia Ave., NW) today from 4-6 p.m. For more information, visit whitman-walker.org.

Studio Gallery (2108 R St., NW) opens its gallery “Shadows” by Peter Karp today, featuring photographic images in juxtaposition to found objects, cutouts and geometric shapes, and “Rough/Smooth/Evolving” by Trish Palasik, a play on rough and smooth textures on the surface of figures. The first Friday reception is on February 1 and the artist’s reception is on February 16. For more information, visit studiogallerydc.com.

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Photos

PHOTOS: Denali at Pitchers

‘Drag Race’ alum performs at Thirst Trap

Published

21 hours ago

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April 14, 2026

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Denali performs at the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show at Pitchers DC on April 9. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

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)

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Arts & Entertainment

In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI

‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’

Published

2 days ago

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April 13, 2026

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Last year, Baltimore Center Stage refused to give up its DEI focus in the face of losing federal funding. They've tripled down. (Photo by Ulysses Muñoz of the Baltimore Banner)

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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Books

Susan Lucci on love, loss, and ‘All My Children’

New book chronicles life of iconic soap star

Published

2 days ago

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April 13, 2026

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(Book cover image courtesy of Blackstone Publishing)

‘La Lucci’
By Susan Lucci with Laura Morton
c.2026, Blackstone Publishing
$29.99/196 pages

They’re among the world’s greatest love stories.

You know them well: Marc Antony and Cleopatra. Abelard and Heloise. Phoebe and Langley. Cliff and Nina. Jesse and Angie, Opal and Palmer, Palmer and Daisy, Tad and Dixie. Now read “La Lucci” by Susan Lucci, with Laura Morton, and you might also think of Susan and Helmut.

When she was a very small girl, Susan Lucci loved to perform. Also when she was young, she learned that words have power. She vowed to use them for good for the rest of her life.

Her parents, she says, were supportive and her family, loving. Because of her Italian heritage, she was “ethnic looking” but Lucci’s mother was careful to point out dark-haired beauties on TV and elsewhere, giving Lucci a foundation of confidence.

That’s just one of the things for which Lucci says she’s grateful. In fact, she says, “Prayers of gratitude are how I begin and end each day.”

She is particularly grateful for becoming a mother to her two adult children, and to the doctors who saved her son’s life when he was a newborn.

Lucci writes about gratitude for her long career. She was a keystone character on TV’s “All My Children,” and she learned a lot from older actors on the show, and from Agnes Nixon, the creator of it. She says she still keeps in touch with many of her former costars.

She is thankful for her mother’s caretakers, who stepped in when dementia struck. Grateful for more doctors, who did heart-saving work when Lucci had a clogged artery. Grateful for friends, opportunities, life, grandchildren, and a career that continues.

And she’s grateful for the love she shared with her husband, Helmut Huber, who died nearly four years ago. Grateful for the chance to grieve, to heal, and to continue.

And yet, she says of her husband: “He was never timid, but I know he was afraid at the end, and that kills me down to my soul.”

“It’s been 15 years since Erica Kane and I parted ways,” says author Susan Lucci (with Laura Morton), and she says that people still approach her to confirm or deny rumors of the show’s resurrection. There’s still no answer to that here (sorry, fans), but what you’ll find inside “La Lucci” is still exceptionally generous.

If this book were just filled with stories, you’d like it just fine. If it was only about Lucci’s faith and her gratitude – words that happen to appear very frequently here – you’d still like reading it. But Lucci tells her stories of family, children and “All My Children,” while also offering help to couples who’ve endured miscarriage, women who’ve had heart problems, and widow(ers) who are spinning and need the kindness of someone who’s lived loss, too.

These are the other things you’ll find in “La Lucci,” in a voice you’ll hear in your head, if you spent your lunch hours glued to the TV back in the day. It’s a comfortable, fun read for fans. It’s a story you’ll love.

The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.

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