Connect with us

Local

Rehoboth theater in ‘design development phase’

Clear Space seeks new home

Published

5 years ago

on

Clear Space Theatre, gay news, Washington Blade
(Washington Blade file photo by Daniel Truitt)

The leader of the Clear Space Theatre in the Delaware resort town of Rehoboth Beach says the theater company will move ahead with its plans to build a larger facility at a new location to house the popular theater.

But Executive Director Wesley Paulson hasn’t disclosed how the Clear Space Theatre Company will accomplish that goal after Rehoboth Beach officials declined to back a proposed change in the zoning law to waive a 128-space parking requirement that Paulson initially said was needed to allow the beloved performing arts theater to build its new theater at 415 Rehoboth Ave. near the entrance to the town.

The Clear Space Theatre Company, founded in 2004, has produced highly acclaimed Broadway-style plays and musicals and operates an arts institute that teaches theater to students of all ages in a former church building it rents on Baltimore Avenue near the boardwalk.

In September 2018, the theater announced plans to build its own larger building that would include a 300-seat theater on Rehoboth Avenue. Theater officials said they made adjustments to the architectural plans for the new 25,600-square-foot building, including lowering its height, so it meets all city codes except a requirement that it include 128 on-site parking spaces.

Paulson said the theater company didn’t have the funds to include more than 28 parking spaces onsite, and urged Rehoboth officials to consider an exemption to the parking requirement. Rehoboth Mayor Paul Kuhns and the City Commission, which is Rehoboth’s legislative body, declined to make any immediate zoning changes and sent the matter to the Rehoboth Planning Commission.

In April 2019, the commission issued a recommendation of no new zoning designations for Clear Space. However, it further recommended an amendment to the city code allowing satellite parking spaces to be leased under a long-term contract to be counted toward the parking requirements, according to the Cape Gazette newspaper.

The Rehoboth City Commission has so far not taken further action on the commission’s recommendation.

“After more than three years of study, the Company has selected this site to construct a new theatre and rehearsal space,” the theater company said in a Jan. 1 press release. “We welcome this opportunity to provide a permanent home for Clear Space and where we can continue to present artistic endeavors of integrity and risk in the City of Rehoboth Beach,” the release quoted Carl Schloegel, the Clear Space board chair, as saying.

“We look forward to building a facility that is designed within City code,” Schloegel added.

In response to an inquiry from the Washington Blade, Krys Johnson, a spokesperson for the City Commission, said the city “has not exempted Clear Space Theatre from any zoning requirements.”

Johnson added that Clear Space Theatre has not submitted any revised plans to the city for the property on which it plans to build its new theater and “therefore no ‘approval’ has been given” for the project.

When asked about Johnson’s comments, Paulson told the Blade in an email, “We have purchased land and will build a new theater on the site.”

Added Paulson, “We are in the design development phase of the project…We have carefully considered feedback from the planning commission in the redesign of our project,” he said. “Once we finish the design development phase our architect and engineer will provide an estimated construction schedule.”

He said the project will be funded by a combination of a capital campaign fundraising effort “supported by the community” and through a mortgage underwritten by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Direct Loan Program.

Related Topics:
Advertisement
FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM
SIGN UP FOR E-BLAST

Virginia

Walkinshaw wins Democratic primary in Va. 11th Congressional District

Special election winner will succeed Gerry Connolly

Published

3 hours ago

on

July 1, 2025

By

James Walkinshaw(Photo public domain)

On Saturday, Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw won the Democratic primary for the special election that will determine who will represent Virginia’s 11th Congressional District.

The special election is being held following the death of the late Congressman Gerry Connolly, who represented the district from 2008 until 2024, when he announced his retirement, and subsequently passed away from cancer in May.

Walkinshaw is not unknown to Virginia’s 11th District — he has served on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors since 2020 and had served as Connolly’s chief of staff from 2009 to 2019. Before he passed away, Connolly had endorsed Walkinshaw to take his place, claiming that choosing Walkinshaw to be his chief of staff was “one of the best decisions I ever made.”

The Democratic nominee has run his campaign on mitigating Trump’s “dangerous” agenda of dismantling the federal bureaucracy, which in the district is a major issue as many of the district’s residents are federal employees and contractors.

“I’m honored and humbled to have earned the Democratic nomination for the district I’ve spent my career serving,” Walkinshaw said on X. “This victory was powered by neighbors, volunteers, and supporters who believe in protecting our democracy, defending our freedoms, and delivering for working families.”

In addition to protecting federal workers, Walkinshaw has a long list of progressive priorities — some of which include creating affordable housing, reducing gun violence, expanding immigrant protections, and “advancing equality for all” by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the Fair Housing Act.

Various democratic PACs contributed more than $2 million to Walkinshaw’s ad campaigns, much of which touted his connection to Connolly.

Walkinshaw will face Republican Stewart Whitson in the special election in September, where he is the likely favorite to win.

Continue Reading

Maryland

LGBTQ suicide prevention hotline option is going away. Here’s where else to go in Md.

Changes will take effect July 17

Published

8 hours ago

on

July 1, 2025

By

(Bigstock photo by Mihailo K)

By ANNA RUBENSTEIN | The national suicide prevention hotline will no longer offer specialized support to LGBTQ people, starting July 17, the Trump administration announced last week.

Dialing the hotline at 988 will still be available for crisis support. But callers will no longer be able to reach specific LGBTQ services by pressing Option 3. The change worries advocates because their data shows the LGBTQ community has a disproportionally high suicide rate.

Even after the option ends, here’s how to receive tailored support if you’re in Maryland.

The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.

Continue Reading

Maryland

Silver Spring holds annual Pride In The Plaza

‘Today means inclusion. It means to build resilience’

Published

1 day ago

on

June 30, 2025

By

A scene from Pride in the Plaza in Silver Spring, Md. on Sunday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Silver Spring’s annual Pride in the Plaza event took place on Sunday to celebrate the LGBTQ community and emphasize inclusion and resilience.

“Today means inclusion. It means to build resilience, love,” Robyn Woods, program and outreach director for Live In Your Truth, which organized the event, said. “I mean, just being surrounded by the community and so many great entrepreneurs, business owners, and just being a part of this whole rainbow coalition that we call the LGBTQIA to be about.”

With the event being her first time organizing for Live In Your Truth, Woods said she felt emotional to see the support and love at the event.

“Some people (are) bringing out their children, their babies, their grandparents,” Woods said. “It’s a lot more allies here than anything else. That type of support to me means so much more than just support from my community; just outside support, inside support, so much support around it, so much love. Everyone’s smiling outside, helping each other.” 

Attendees of the event were able to head over to the Family Fun Zone, an air-conditioned Pride Cool Down Lounge, or watch live drag performances in the main stage area. 

Along with entertainment and a shaved-ice stand, rows of information tables stood along the plaza, including FreeState Justice, the Washington Spirit, Trans Maryland, Moco Pride Center, and the Heartwood Program, an organization that offers support, therapy, education, and resources to the LGBTQ community. 

“I want people to know about our services, and I love what we have to offer,” Jessica Simon, psychotherapist for Heartwood Program’s Gender Wellness Clinic, said. “I (also) want to be part of a celebration with the community, and so it feels good to be here with other people who have something they want to give to the community.”

She added that within today’s political climate, to which she called an “antidote to shame,” it’s important to be celebrating Pride. 

“There’s a lot of demonization of LGBTQI people,” Siena Iacuvazzi, facilitator for Maryland Trans Unity, said. “(Pride) is part of the healing process.” 

Iacuvazzi said she was taught to be ashamed of who she was growing up, but being a part of a community helped her flourish in the future. 

“I was taught how to hate myself. I was taught that I was an abomination to God,” she said. “But being a community is like understanding that there are people who have experienced the same thing, and they’re flourishing. They’re flourishing because they’re willing to stand up for themselves as human beings and discover themselves and understand what’s true for themselves.”

She added that Pride allows for a mutual understanding to take place. 

“It’s more of a sense of belonging … and just taking that home and understanding you’re not alone,” Iacuvazzi said. “We’re each taking our own journey — we’re not putting that on each other. It’s just walking away with a sense of belonging and humanity.”

Similar to Iacuvazzi, Woods said she hopes attendees’ biggest takeaways would be family, fun, resilience, and pride. 

“Being proud of yourself, being happy for who you are, and representation and how much it matters,” she continued. “And I think all these young people that are walking around here get to see versions of themselves, but older. They get to see so many different lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual people that are successful, that are showing love, that care, and it’s not how we’re portrayed in the media. It’s lovely to see it out here. (It’s) like we’re one big old, happy family.”

Continue Reading

Popular