Arts & Entertainment
Weight of the world
New ‘Speedo’ explores high stakes of Olympic competition


Frank Boyd as Ray in ‘Red Speedo.’ (Photo by Teddy Wolff; courtesy Studio Theatre)
‘Red Speedo’
Through Oct. 13
Studio Theatre
14th & P Streets, NW
$20
202-332-3300
Did he, or didn’t he? Will he, or won’t he? There’s a lot riding on Olympic swimming hopeful Ray’s actions. His every move ripples with ramifications for those closest to him. “Red Speedo,” Lucas Hnath’s new play at Studio Theatre, considers the high stakes of elite athletics and the pressure to win.
Tightly drawn, the 80-minute play takes place over a tense 24 hours. It starts on the eve of Ray’s Olympic qualifying meet. Performance-enhancing drugs have been discovered in the swim club’s refrigerator. Whose they are is unclear (at this point), but even the taint of mere association with the verboten synesthetic testosterone could put the kibosh on Ray’s swimming future and kill the lucrative endorsement deal he has pending with Speedo.
Not just Ray is invested in his future. Though not altogether clear on his argument, Ray’s older brother Peter (Thomas Jay Ryan) definitely has an agenda. As a lawyer and Ray’s self-appointed manager, he’s determined for Ray to succeed at all costs. Peter is intent on becoming a sports manager and that rests on Ray making it to the Olympics. Then there’s Ray’s longtime unnamed coach (Harry Winter). At first, coach seems judiciously disinterested, but it soon becomes clear that he’s counting heavily on his best swimmer to take them to the Olympics without juicing (or at least without anybody knowing about it).
Behind the blank stare and slightly agape mouth, Ray (the excellent Frank Boyd) is in fact dim — but not entirely so. When it comes to getting his way, Ray possesses a formidable single-mindedness, prompting him to fiercely go after what he wants, though he’s not always successful. This tenacious drive is revealed when he meets with ex-girlfriend Lydia (Laura C. Harris), a former sports therapist with a history involving selling illegal drugs.
The four-person cast is top notch with each actor effectively conveying both their characters’ unlikable aspects and vulnerabilities. They handle the work’s darker and lighter moments with equal skill, particularly Ryan as the almost likable but somewhat sleazy Peter, and Boyd as stolid Ray (who, by the way, looks great in the red Speedo that wears throughout the play).
Presented by the Studio Lab, “Red Speedo” is a stripped-down world premiere production with affordable tickets (just $20). The program allows playwrights in residence to experiment and collaborate on the work. Though already thought provoking and witty, Hnath’s play could benefit from a subtler more nuanced ending, and likely the author will make changes during the process. But even at this stage nothing looks or feels low budget about the production thanks to Lila Neugebauer’s able staging, the impressive cast and a terrific design team including Mimi Lien whose brightly lit set boasts real tiles, authentic pool ceiling lights, a big pace clock and working showers. She’s even managed to make Studio’s upstairs space smell like chlorine.
“We all do things that are sort of good and sort of not so good,” says Ray munching away at a bag of baby carrots. This sort of sums it all up. And along the way, Hnath asks the audience how far we might go in doing some “not so good” things in pursuit of fame, glory or just a modicum of security. It’s hard to say.

You’ve done your share of marching.
You’re determined to wring every rainbow-hued thing out of this month. The last of the parties hasn’t arrived yet, neither have the biggest celebrations and you’re primed but – OK, you need a minute. So pull up a chair, take a deep breath, and read these great books on gay history, movies, and more.
You probably don’t need to be told that harassment and discrimination was a daily occurrence for gay people in the past (as now!), but “American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives” by Robert W. Fieseler (Dutton, $34) tells a story that runs deeper than you may know. Here, you’ll read a historical expose with documented, newly released evidence of a systemic effort to ruin the lives of two groups of people that were perceived as a threat to a legislature full of white men.
Prepared to be shocked, that’s all you need to know.
You’ll also want to read the story inside “The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS” by Martin Padgett (W.W. Norton & Company, $31.99), which sounds like a novel, but it’s not. It’s the story of one man’s fight for a basic right as the AIDS crisis swirls in and out of American gay life and law. Hint: this book isn’t just old history, and it’s not just for gay men.
Maybe you’re ready for some fun and who doesn’t like a movie? You know you do, so you’ll want “Sick and Dirty: Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age and the Making of Modern Queerness” by Michael Koresky (Bloomsbury, $29.99). It’s a great look at the Hays Code and what it allowed audiences to see, but it’s also about the classics that sneaked beneath the code. There are actors, of course, in here, but also directors, writers, and other Hollywood characters you may recognize. Grab the popcorn and settle in.
If you have kids in your life, they’ll want to know more about Pride and you’ll want to look for “Pride: Celebrations & Festivals” by Eric Huang, illustrated by Amy Phelps (Quarto, $14.99), a story of inclusion that ends in a nice fat section of history and explanation, great for kids ages seven-to-fourteen. Also find “Are You a Friend of Dorothy? The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped Shape” by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Levi Hastings (Simon & Schuster, $19.99), a lively book about a not-often-told secret for kids ages six-to-ten; and “Papa’s Coming Home” by Chasten Buttigieg, illustrated by Dan Taylor (Philomel, $19.99), a sweet family tale for kids ages three-to-five.
Finally, here’s a tween book that you can enjoy, too: “Queer Heroes” by Arabelle Sicardi, illustrated by Sarah Tanat-Jones (Wide Eyed, $14.99), a series of quick-to-read biographies of people you should know about.
Want more Pride books? Then ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for more, because there are so many more things to read. Really, the possibilities are almost endless, so march on in.
Music & Concerts
Indigo Girls coming to Capital One Hall
Stars take center stage alongside Fairfax Symphony

Capital One Center will host “The Indigo Girls with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra” on Thursday, June 19 and Friday, June 20 at 8 p.m. at Capital One Hall.
The Grammy Award-winning folk and pop stars will take center stage alongside the Fairfax Symphony, conducted by Jason Seber. The concerts feature orchestrations of iconic hits such as “Power of Two,” “Get Out The Map,” “Least Complicated,” “Ghost,” “Kid Fears,” “Galileo,” “Closer to Fine,” and many more.
Tickets are available on Ticketmaster or in person at Capital One Hall the nights of the concerts.

Friday, June 13
“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 2 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s new location at 1827 Wiltberger St., N.W. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].
Women in Their Twenties and Thirties will be at 8 p.m. at Wundergarten. An update will be posted the night of the event on where to find WiTT’s table. There’ll be a Pride flag to help people find the group. For more details, join WiTT’s closed Facebook group.
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Pride Month Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach bar and Restaurant. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Saturday, June 14
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Pride Month Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including Allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Rainbow History Project will host “Behind the Scenes With the Senior Curator of ‘Pickets, Protests and Parades’” at 7:30p.m. at Freedom Plaza. This behind-the-scenes experience offers a rare glimpse into the creative process behind this groundbreaking showcase of DC’s LGBTQ+ history. Learn about the bold design decisions that shaped the Quote Wall and Hero Cubes and the powerful stories that almost made the cut. Tickets cost $82 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Monday, June 16
“Center Aging Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].
Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary. Whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis. For more information, visit their website at www.genderqueerdc.org or check us out on Facebook.
Tuesday, June 17
Bi+ Roundtable and Discussion will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is an opportunity for people to gather in order to discuss issues related to bisexuality or as Bi individuals in a private setting. Check out Facebook or Meetup for more information.
Wednesday, June 18
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.
“Legends Live Loud: A Queer Karaoke Experience” will be at 7 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This will be a dynamic, Center-wide karaoke event celebrating the brilliance and cultural impact of some of our most colorful queer icons. The Center will honor legends through music, pop culture, dance, and inextinguishable liberation. For more details and to sign up, visit the DC Center’s website.
Thursday, June 19
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Book Club” at 7:30 p.m. at Federico Ristorante Italiano. This book club is co-hosted by EQUALITY NoVa and is another opportunity to engage in a fun and rewarding activity. The group doesn’t discriminate when it comes to genres it reads – from classic literature to best selling novels to biographies to histories to gay fiction. For more details, visit Eventbrite.
Cultivating Change Foundation will host “Cultivating Pride Happy Hour” at 5:30 p.m. at Dacha Beer Garden. This Pride month, the organization is inviting LGBTQ+ people and allies in food and agriculture to come together in communities nationwide. These informal gatherings are a chance to connect, celebrate, and build community, whether it’s over coffee, a cocktail, or a conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
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