metro weekly - 06-04-15 - alex mills

8/9/2019 Metro Weekly - 06-04-15 - Alex Mills

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2 JUNE 4, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM


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3METROWEEKLY.COM JUNE 4, 2015


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EDITORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFRandy Shulman

ART DIRECTORTodd Franson

NEWS & BUSINESS EDITORJohn Riley

ASSISTANT EDITORRhuaridh Marr

CONTRIBUTING EDITORDoug Rule

SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERSWard Morrison, Julian Vankim

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORScott G. Brooks

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSChristian Gerard, Connor J. Hogan,

Troy Petenbrink, Kate Wingfield

WEBMASTERDavid Uy

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTJulian Vankim

SALES & MARKETING

PUBLISHERRandy Shulman

BRAND STRATEGY & MARKETINGChristopher Cunetto

Cunetto Creative

NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE

Rivendell Media Co.212-242-6863

DISTRIBUTION MANAGERDennis Havrilla

PATRON SAINTCharles Ludlam

COVER PHOTOGRAPHYTodd Franson

METRO WEEKLY1425 K St. NW, Suite 350Washington, DC 20005

202-638-6830

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All material appearing in Metro Weekly is protected by federal copyright law and may not be

reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publishers. Metro Weekly assumes noresponsibility for unsolicited materials submitted for publication. All such submissions are subject

to editing and will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.Metro Weekly is supported by many fine advertisers, but we cannot accept responsibility for claims

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their agents. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles oradvertising in Metro Weekly is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of

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© 2015 Jansi LLC.

4

JUNE 4, 2015Volume 22 / Issue 5

NEWS 6

CAVEAT EMPTOR by John Riley

8 INCORRECT METHODS

by Rhuaridh Marr

12 COMMUNITY CALENDAR

SCENE 15 DC BLACK PRIDE FESTIVAL

photography by Ward Morrison

SCENE

19 US HELPING US’ MEMORIAL DAY PICNIC


FEATURE 20 CHARACTER STUDY

by Doug Rule

photography by Todd Franson

OUT ON THE TOWN 26 CONGRESSIONAL CHORUS

by Doug Rule

28 ZOMBIE: THE AMERICAN

by Kate Wingfield

30

LGBT STORYTELLERS

by Connor J. Hogan

32 CAPTURING FIRE

by Doug Rule

STAGE 36 CABARET AT SIGNATURE

by Doug Rule

GAMES 38 WITCHER 3

by Rhuaridh Marr

NIGHTLIFE 43 MR . & MISS CAPITAL PRIDE PAGEANT

AT FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR


CLUBLIFE 50 PRIDE PARTY CENTRAL

by Connor J. Hogan

SCENE 53 THE QUEEN AT JR.’S


54 LAST WORD


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Caveat Emptor Former clients of conversion therapy claim the practice violates New Jersey’s consumer fraud lawsby John Riley

I

F A LANDMARK LAWSUITbeing heard this week in New

Jersey is successful, it may set

in motion a chain of events that

would essentially upend the modern con-version therapy industry.

The case of Michael Ferguson, etal., v. JONAH is the first of its kind. Itseeks to attack the practice of conver-

sion therapy using existing consumerfraud laws, while also solidifying in case

law that being gay, lesbian, bisexual or

transgender is not a disorder that can becured. Specifically, the plaintiffs, which

include four former clients who under-went conversion therapy and two of their

mothers, claim that Jews Offering New

Alternatives to Homosexuality (JONAH)engaged in “deceptive practices” pro-

hibited under New Jersey’s consumerfraud law when they “represented to

Plaintiffs that their services were effec-tive in changing a person’s sexual orien-

tation from gay to straight.”According to the complaint, which

was brought by the Southern PovertyLaw Center (SPLC) on behalf of the six

plaintiffs, JONAH’s clients were made

to engage in various forms of conver-sion therapy that have been endorsed by

leading figures in the conversion therapymovement. Some of the rituals that they

engaged in included beating an effigy ofone’s mother with a tennis racket, being

subjected to taunts of “faggots” and

“homos” in mock locker room and gymclass scenarios, being made to cuddle with

or intimately hold other people of thesame sex, including counselors, going to

the gym or bath houses to be nude aroundfather figures, and removing clothing to

get naked during both individual andgroup therapy sessions. The complaint

even alleges that one of the plaintiffs was

M Y I M

A G E S - M I C H A

instructed to hold his penis in front of oneof the counselors at JONAH.

Specifically, the plaintiffs claim thatthe organization misrepresented itself by

promising to be able to change the young

clients from gay to straight, in exchangefor treatments and group therapy ses-

sions, including weekend retreats, whichcarried a price tag in excess of $10,000

a year. They also claim that, as a result,JONAH caused its former clients to suf-

fer “depression and emotional harm”when undergoing the treatments and

being unable to successfully change their

sexual orientation.“This case is about exposing the lie

that LGBT people are mentally ill andthat they need to be cured,” David Dinelli,

deputy legal director for SPLC, said in astatement as the plaintiffs prepared for

trial, which was slated to begin either

on Tuesday, June 2 or Wednesday, June3. “Groups like JONAH should not be

allowed to use bogus therapy, based on junk science to scam LGBT people and

their families out of thousands of dollars.”

Earlier this year, New Jersey SuperiorCourt Judge Peter Bariso, Jr. exclud-

ed several key defense witnesses, many

of whom are prominent proponents ofconversion therapy. Bariso also ruled in

a pretrial motion that the central ideabehind conversion therapy — that homo-

sexuality is a mental disorder and can becured — is a discredited notion. Bariso

found that it “is a misrepresentation in

violation of [New Jersey’s ConsumerFraud Act] in advertising or selling con-

version therapy services, to describehomosexuality, not as being a normal

variation of human sexuality, but as beinga mental illness, disease, disorder, or

equivalent thereof.” However, Bariso didnot rule out that a jury might be able to

find JONAH not guilty if it is believed

that the organization simply representedhomosexuality as “disordered” according

to their religious beliefs, which would beprotected under the First Amendment.

A decision in favor of the plaintiffs

L G B TNews Now online at MetroWeekly.comDC Strokes Regatta reaches a new recordTask Force demands LGBT immigrants be released


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LGBTNews

8

inextricably linked together, accordingto Stoll.

“I think it’s appropriate to contin-

ue the push on both fronts,” he added.“We’ve now seen Oregon join California

and New Jersey in prohibiting this prac-tice for minors at least as practiced by

licensed therapists. The interesting thingabout the SPLC case and the consumer

fraud approach is those kinds of lawsuitscan be brought to bear against all prac-

titioners of these discredited therapies,

including those who are not licensedtherapists.”

Stoll also said that the SPLC/consum-er fraud approach could build momen-

tum for a bill introduced by U.S. Rep.Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), which would allow

the Federal Trade Commission to classify

for-profit conversion therapy — and itspromises to change people’s sexual ori-

entation or gender identity — as “fraud.”

and against Jonah could have far-reach-ing effects. According to Christopher

Stoll, senior staff attorney at the NationalCenter for Lesbian Rights, which has

been pushing for states to ban the prac-tice of conversion therapy on minors,

either Bariso’s earlier ruling or a victory

by the plaintiffs in the ongoing lawsuitwould likely pave the way for similar

lawsuits under other states’ consumerfraud statutes.

“Almost every state has some typeof consumer fraud law, and a favorable

decision in the New Jersey case would

certainly open the door to claims beingbrought against those who advertise

those kinds of services,” Stoll said.It is also possible that a decision find-

ing conversion therapy violated consum-er fraud laws might have an effect on

whether states prohibit the practice forminors, but that they are not necessarily

That would enable the FTC to pursue

further action against practitioners if itso chooses. In practice, and particular-

ly if strictly enforced, Lieu’s bill couldessentially drive the bulk of practitioners

within the for-profit conversion therapyindustry out of business by making them

vulnerable to future lawsuits.

While Stoll acknowledged that the

FTC’s enforcement of the Lieu bill mightbe influenced based on who becomes thenext president, he also expressed hope

that the issue would not become partisan.“Certainly, who controls the White

House does have an effect on all sorts of

laws,” Stoll said. “But I would hope thata president of either party would real-

ize, just like Chris Christie did in NewJersey, that there is no scientific support

for these types of practices, and all theydo is harm some of our most vulnerable

people, including youth.” l

JUNE 4, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM

Incorrect MethodsCorrective rape is becoming an issue in India, with families attacking

their gay children to “cure” them

By Rhuaridh Marr

INDIA’S INHOSPITABLE CUL-ture for gay people has produced

a shocking new trend: the use ofcorrective rape to “cure” a person’s

sexuality.

According to the crisis interven-tion team at LGBT Collective in India’s

Telangana state, there has been fifteenreported cases of corrective rape in the

past five years, though they are “surethere are many more cases, but they go

unreported,” says Vyjayanti Mogli, speak-

ing with The Times of India. “We cameacross such cases not because they report-

ed the rape, but because they sought helpto flee their homes.”

Corrective rape first became news inSouth Africa, after lesbian women were

reporting being attacked and raped inan attempt to change their sexuality. It

gained particular notoriety after a female

soccer player, Eudy Simelane, was mur-dered in what was widely considered a

corrective rape attack. Corrective rapeseeks to change a person’s sexuality byforcing them to have sex with a person of

the opposite sex, usually punishing themfor not conforming to a societal norm or

gender role.In India, however, it has gained a

somewhat darker streak, with the rape of

gay Indians often perpetrated by mem-bers of their own family.

“It’s usually a cousin who’s roped infor this ‘project,’” Mogli continued. “In

some communities in South India, mar-riages amongst cousins are common....

If this girl happens to be queer and if it

is found out that she is in a relationshipwith another girl, elders in the family

believe having sex with the [cousin], evenif it’s forcibly, will cure her.”

The use of corrective rape isn’t justlimited to cousins, though. Filmmaker

Deepthi Tadanki, currently making a filmabout corrective rape titled Satyavati,uncovered worrying instances where

rape was committed by a boy’s ownmother.

“I came across two gut-wrenching sto-

ries of corrective rape,” she said. “One,where a gay girl was raped by her cousinso that she could be ‘cured’ of homosexu-

ality; and another, where family membersforced a gay boy to have sex with his

mother, in a bid to turn him ‘straight.’”Homosexuality is still taboo in India,

particularly after an Indian court recrimi-

nalized it in 2013, reinstating an anti-quated British law from colonial times.

As such, there is immense pressure onfamilies to ensure that children are “nor-

mal,” which is contributing to efforts toattempt to change gay children. However,

the exact number of incidents that occur

each year is unknown, in part due to alack of reporting, but also because there

are very few organizations maintainingdatabases on the matter.

“I wrote to NGOs who work withvictims of such hate crimes seeking help

with statistics, but to my surprise, notone organisation got back,” Tadanki said.

“Many rapes go unreported in India, and

it will take years before something likecorrective rape even gets talked about.”

“Victims find it traumatising to


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LGBTNewsrape me so I would fall pregnant and be

forced to marry him,” she wrote. “Theydid this to me until I was pregnant.”

South Africa, unfortunately, has donelittle to prevent corrective rape in the

country. In 2011, Luleki Sizwe, a non-profit, estimated that ten lesbians were

being raped or gang-raped weekly. Three

years prior, the Triangle Project reported

that at least 500 lesbian women were vic-tims of corrective rape each year. SouthAfrica has some of the most liberal LGBT

laws in the world, including marriage,adoption rights and anti-discrimination

measures, but doesn’t consider correc-

tive rape to be a hate crime. As one mantold Time, “Lesbians get raped and killedbecause it is accepted by the communityand by our culture.”

For LGBT people in India, whichhas minimal legal protections, a culture

opposed to homosexualtiy is produc-

ing similar instances of corrective rape.Though the number of reported cases is

still relatively small, that hasn’t stoppedTadanki from making her film, in an

attempt to halt any further instances.“I won’t give up,” she said, “because a

discussion on corrective rape needs to beinitiated.” l

ed at least five corrective rapes against

lesbian and transgender male refugees.Gay male refugees were also reporting

instances of corrective rape, both in theirhome country and in Uganda. Domestic

LGBTI organizations reported “a num-ber of gang rapes and other sexualized

attacks on gay refugee men, including

cases where men had items forced intotheir anuses and suffered serious injuries

as a result.”In Zimbabwe, a 2012 U.S. State

Department report on the country’shuman rights record detailed numerous

instances of corrective rape. “In responseto social pressure, some families report-

edly subjected their LGBT members to

‘corrective’ rape and forced marriagesto encourage heterosexual conduct,” the

report found. “Such crimes were rarelyreported to police. Women, in particular,

were subjected to rape by male family

members.”As reported in the Journal of

Hate Studies, one author who lives inZimbabwe wrote about her ordeal with

corrective rape, which was instigatedby her parents in the ‘80s to remove her

homosexuality. “They locked me in aroom and brought [a man] every day to

speak of their brothers/ cousins turn-

ing rapists and prefer to delete the inci-dent from their memories and cut off

ties with their families,” Mogli added.“Which is why such cases almost never

get reported.”

Though the use of family membersto instigate corrective rape is some-

thing rarely heard of, India isn’t alonein the issue. Corrective rape has also

been reported in Ecuador, Uganda andZimbabwe, among others.

In Ecuador, private clinics — under

the guise of substance abuse rehabilita-tion centers — have employed correc-

tive rape to help “cure” homosexual-ity. It came to light after Paolo Concha

went public with her ordeal. “Three menseized me, handcuffed me, put me in a

van, and took me away by force,” Conchasaid, according to Alaska Dispatch News.She was held in the center for eigh-

teen months, where she was handcuffed,repeatedly starved, dressed like a man,

and raped. Her mother paid for her to bekept in the center.

In a report by Human Rights First,corrective rape is frequently used as a

form of punishment for gay refugees in

Uganda. In 2011, a legal service report-


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SATURDAY, JUNE 6ADVENTURING outdoors group hikes 9.5 strenu-ous miles with 1400 feet of elevation gain to the twohighest peaks in Shenandoah National Park. Bringplenty of beverages, lunch, sunscreen, bug spray,and about $20 for fees. Dinner and/or blackberryice cream afterwards. Carpool at 9 a.m. from EastFalls Church Metro Kiss & Ride lot. Jeff, 301-775-

9660. adventuring.org.

Capturing Fire presents ALCHEMY: A TRANSPOETRY READING FEATURING LADY DANEFIGUEROA EDIDI. 6-7 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Capturing Fire presents the PUSH IT OUT!POETRY WORKSHOP. 3-5 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Capturing Fire presents WHAM, BAM, IT’SA QUICKIE SLAM: THE 30-SECOND POEMPOETRY SLAM. 5-6 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Capturing Fire and Split this Rock present THEIMAGE AS POETIC FORCE. 1-3 p.m. 2000 14th St.NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedc-center.org.

DC LATINO PRIDE: LA FE is a multiculturalinterfaith service hosting religious leaders from theD.C. metro area. 6-8 p.m. Metropolitan CommunityChurch of Washington, D.C., 474 Ridge St. NW.More info, visit latinoglbthistory.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH offersfree HIV testing, 9-5 p.m., and HIV services (by

appointment). 202-291-4707 or andromedatranscul-turalhealth.org.

BET MISHPACHAH, founded by members of theLGBT community, holds Saturday morning Shabbatservices, 10 a.m., followed by Kiddush luncheon.Services in DCJCC Community Room, 1529 16th St.NW. betmish.org.

BRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, including others inter-ested in Brazilian culture, meets. For location/time,email [email protected].

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session atHains Point, 972 Ohio Dr., SW. 8:30-10 a.m. Visitswimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/walking/socialclub welcomes all levels for exercise in a fun andsupportive environment, socializing afterward.Meet 9:30 a.m., 23rd & P Streets NW, for a walk; or10 a.m. for fun run. dcfrontrunners.org.

DC SENTINELS basketball team meets at TurkeyThicket Recreation Center, 1100 Michigan Ave. NE,2-4 p.m. For players of all levels, gay or straight.teamdcbasketball.org.

DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass for LGBT community,family and friends. 6:30 p.m., Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, 3606 Seminary Road, Alexandria. Allwelcome. For more info, visit dignitynova.org.

FRIDAY, JUNE 5CAPTURING FIRE, the queer spoken word andpoetry slam, kicks off three days of performancesat The DC Center. Welcoming ceremony from 7-9p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more infor-mation, visit thedccenter.org.

GUSH: QUEER EROTIC OPEN MIC, one of theevents of Capturing Fire, is hosted by Cathy Petch.11 p.m.-midnight. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Formore information, visit thedccenter.org.

LGB PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUP for adults inMontgomery County offers a safe place to connectand explore issues of identity. 10-11:30 a.m. 16220 S.Frederick Rd., Suite 512. For more information, visitthedccenter.org.

QUEER COOKIES SLAM, part of Capturing Fire,takes place from 9-11 p.m. at The DC Center. 200014th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visitthedccenter.org.

The TRANS SUPPORT GROUP of The DC Centerholds its monthly meeting. 7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St.NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedc-center.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice sessionat Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr. SW. 6:30-8 p.m. Visitswimdcac.org.

GAY DISTRICT holds facilitated discussion forGBTQ men, 18-35, first and third Fridays. 8:30 p.m.The DC Center, 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. 202-682-2245, gaydistrict.org.

METROHEALTH CENTER offers free, rapid HIVtesting. Appointment needed. 1012 14th St. NW,Suite 700. 202-638-0750.

PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-affirming socialgroup for ages 11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia RoadNW. Contact Tamara, 202-319-0422, layc-dc.org.

SMYAL’S REC NIGHT provides a social atmo-sphere for GLBT and questioning youth, featuringdance parties, vogue nights, movies and games.More info, [email protected].

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-6 p.m., byappointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. Youth Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155, [email protected].

THURSDAY, JUNE 4DC Latino Pride presents LA PLATICA PANELDISCUSSION reflecting on the progress of theLGBT community locally in the past 15 years. Theevent coincides with the 15th anniversary of thefounding of the Latino GLBT History Project. Alsofeatures a community resource fair, free HIV test-

ing, digital historical exhibit and appetizers. 6-9p.m. The Human Rights Campaign Equality Forum,1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW. For more info, visitlatinoglbthistory.org.

RAINBOW BUILD HAPPY HOUR, a fundraisingevent for Habitat for Humanity’s partnership withD.C.’s LGBT community, takes place at TortillaCoast Logan Circle. 4-7 p.m. 1460 P St. NW. Visitcapitalpride.org/events/rainbow-build for moreinformation.

THE DC CENTER’S FOSTER CAREINFORMATION NIGHT will feature a presentationfor those potentially interested in becoming fosterparents to LGBT youth. 6-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St.NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedc-center.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session atTakoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW.7:30-9 p.m. swimdcac.org.

DC LAMBDA SQUARES gay and lesbian square-dancing group features mainstream throughadvanced square dancing at the National CityChristian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW, 7-9:30 p.m.Casual dress. 301-257-0517, dclambdasquares.org.

The DULLES TRIANGLES Northern Virginia socialgroup meets for happy hour at Sheraton in Reston,

11810 Sunrise Valley Drive, second-floor bar, 7-9p.m. All welcome. dullestriangles.com.

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5 p.m., byappointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger.202-567-3155 or [email protected].

US HELPING US hosts a Narcotics AnonymousMeeting, 6:30-7:30 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW.The group is independent of UHU. 202-446-1100.

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE for youngLBTQ women, 13-21, interested in leadership devel-opment. 5-6:30 p.m. SMYAL Youth Center, 410 7thSt. SE. 202-567-3163, [email protected].

Metro Weekly’s Community Calendar highlights important events in

the D.C.-area LGBT community, from alternative social events to

volunteer opportunities. Event information should be sent by email to

[email protected]. Deadline for inclusion is noon

of the Friday before Thursday’s publication. Questions about

the calendar may be directed to the Metro Weekly office at

202-638-6830 or the calendar email address.

LGBTCommunityCalendar


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GAY LANGUAGE CLUB discussescritical languages and foreign lan-guages. 7 p.m. Nellie’s, 900 U St. NW.RVSP preferred. [email protected].

IDENTITY offers free and confiden-tial HIV testing in Takoma Park,7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411.Walk-ins 12-3 p.m. For appointmentsother hours, call 301-422-2398.

SUNDAY, JUNE 7ADISA: QUEER AFRICAN POETRYSHOWCASE debuts at The DCCenter as part of Capturing Fire.Featuring Venus-Thomas Hinyard.4-6 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.For more information, visit thedc-center.org.

AWQWORD PRESENTS “CUPIDAIN’T SHIT” as part of CapturingFire at The DC Center. 2-3 p.m. 200014th St. NW, Suite 105. For more

information, visit thedccenter.org.

CHRYSALIS arts & culture grouptakes curator-led tour of the newTextile Museum, recently relocatedto the George Washington UniversityMuseum. Free. Meet at 1 p.m. in theMuseum lobby, 701 21st Street NW @G Street. Lee, [email protected].

Join STONEWALL KICKBALL forits 5TH ANNUAL DRAG BALL. Volunteers needed. 2-6 p.m. SteadPark, 1625 P St. NW. For more infor-mation, visit stonewallsports.org.

The DC Center hosts a GAY ASIANPOETRY SHOWCASE as part ofCapturing Fire. 6-7 p.m. 2000 14th St.NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

The DC Center hosts a performance

of WRESTLING GOD AND GIRLS:A STORYTELLING SHOW WRITENAND PERFORMED BY BARBRAEROCHINA as part of Capturing Fire.3-4 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.For more information, visit thedc-center.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

LGBT-inclusiveALL SOULSMEMORIAL EPISCOPAL CHURCH celebrates Low Mass at 8:30 a.m., HighMass at 11 a.m. 2300 Cathedral Ave.NW. 202-232-4244, allsoulsdc.org.

BETHEL CHURCH-DC progressiveand radically inclusive church holdsservices at 11:30 a.m. 2217 Minnesota Ave. SE. 202-248-1895, betheldc.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practicesession at Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr.,SW. 9:30-11 a.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

DIGNITYUSA offers Roman CatholicMass for the LGBT community. 6p.m., St. Margaret’s Church, 1820Connecticut Ave. NW. All welcome.Sign interpreted. For more info, visitdignitynova.org.

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITEDCHURCH OF CHRIST welcomes allto 10:30 a.m. service, 945 G St. NW.firstuccdc.org or 202-628-4317.

FRIENDS MEETING OFWASHINGTON meets for worship,10:30 a.m., 2111 Florida Ave. NW,Quaker House Living Room (next toMeeting House on Decatur Place),2nd floor. Special welcome to lesbiansand gays. Handicapped accessiblefrom Phelps Place gate. Hearing assis-tance. quakersdc.org.

HOPE UNITED CHURCH OFCHRIST welcomes GLBT communityfor worship. 10:30 a.m., 6130 OldTelegraph Road, Alexandria. hopeucc.org.

INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUALDEVELOPMENT, God-centered newage church & learning center. SundayServices and Workshops event. 5419Sherier Place NW. isd-dc.org.

Join LINCOLN CONGREGATIONALTEMPLE – UNITED CHURCH OFCHRIST for an inclusive, loving andprogressive faith community everySunday. 11 a.m. 1701 11th Street NW,near R in Shaw/Logan neighborhood.lincolntemple.org.

LUTHERAN CHURCH OFREFORMATION invites all to Sundayworship at 8:30 or 11 a.m. Childcare isavailable at both services. WelcomingLGBT people for 25 years. 212 EastCapitol St. NE. reformationdc.org.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITYCHURCH OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA services at 11 a.m., led by Rev. OnettaBrooks. Children’s Sunday School, 11a.m. 10383 Democracy Lane, Fairfax.703-691-0930, mccnova.com.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITYCHURCH OF WASHINGTON, D.C. services at 9 a.m. (ASL interpreted)and 11 a.m. Children’s Sunday School

at 11 a.m. 474 Ridge St. NW. 202-638-7373, mccdc.com.

NATIONAL CITY CHRISTIANCHURCH, inclusive church withGLBT fellowship, offers gospel wor-ship, 8:30 a.m., and traditional wor-ship, 11 a.m. 5 Thomas Circle NW.202-232-0323, nationalcitycc.org.

NEW HSV-2 SOCIAL ANDSUPPORT GROUP for gay men livingin the DC metro area. This group will be meeting once a month. For infor-mation on location and time, email [email protected].


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15SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT AT WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM/SCENE

scene

scan this tagwith your

smartphonefor bonus scene

pics online!

Black Pride’sCultural Arts

& Wellness Festival

Sunday, May 24

PHOTOGRAPHY BY WARD MORRISON


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RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH,a Christ-centered, interracial, wel-coming-and-affirming church, offersservice at 10 a.m. 680 I St. SW. 202-554-4330, riverside-dc.org.

ST. STEPHEN AND THEINCARNATION, an “interracial,multi-ethnic Christian Community”offers services in English, 8 a.m. and10:30 a.m., and in Spanish at 5:15 p.m.

1525 Newton St. NW. 202-232-0900,saintstephensdc.org.

UNITARIAN CHURCH OFARLINGTON, an LGBTQ welcoming-and-affirming congregation, offersservices at 10 a.m. Virginia RainbowUU Ministry. 4444 Arlington Blvd.uucava.org.

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTCHURCH OF SILVER SPRING invites LGBTQ families and individu-als of all creeds and cultures to jointhe church. Services 9:15 and 11:15a.m. 10309 New Hampshire Ave.

uucss.org.

UNIVERSALIST NATIONALMEMORIAL CHURCH, a welcom-ing and inclusive church. GLBTInterweave social/service groupmeets monthly. Services at 11 a.m.,Romanesque sanctuary. 1810 16th St.NW. 202-387-3411, universalist.org.

MONDAY, JUNE 8The DC Center’s YOUTH WORKINGGROUP holds its monthly meeting todiscuss issues and initiatives relating

to LGBT youth. 6-7:30 p.m. 2000 14thSt. NW, Suite 105. For more informa-tion, visit thedccenter.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) prac-tice session at Hains Point, 927 OhioDr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holdspractice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. GarrisonElementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscan-

dals.wordpress.com.

GETEQUAL meets 6:30-8 p.m. atQuaker House, 2111 Florida Ave. [email protected].

HIV TESTING at Whitman-WalkerHealth. At the Elizabeth TaylorMedical Center, 1701 14th St. NW,9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max RobinsonCenter, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointmentcall 202-745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.

KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY(K.I.) Services, 3333 Duke St., Alexandria, offers free “rapid” HIVtesting and counseling, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

703-823-4401.

METROHEALTH CENTER offersfree, rapid HIV testing. No appoint-ment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012 14thSt. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.

NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing.5-7 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite 200, Arlington. Appointments: 703-789-

4467.

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. Youth Center,410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155 or [email protected].

THE DC CENTER hosts Coffee Drop-In for the Senior LGBT Community.10 a.m.-noon. 2000 14th St. NW. 202-682-2245, thedccenter.org.

US HELPING US hosts a black gaymen’s evening affinity group. 3636Georgia Ave. NW. 202-446-1100.

WASHINGTON WETSKINS WaterPolo Team practices 7-9 p.m. Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St.NW. Newcomers with at least basicswimming ability always welcome.Tom, 703-299-0504, [email protected], wetskins.org.

Whitman-Walker Health HIV/AIDS SUPPORT GROUP for newlydiagnosed individuals, meets 7 p.m.Registration required. 202-939-7671,[email protected].

TUESDAY, JUNE 9CAPITAL PRIDE INTERFAITHSERVICE presents “Radical Equality:Faith, Race, & Justice.” Featuredspeakers: Rev. Cedric A. Harmon,Co-Director, Many Voices, andLisbeth Melendez-Rivera, HumanRights Campaign. 7:30 p.m. All SoulsUnitarian Church, 1500 Harvard St.NW. For more info, call 202-682-2245.

COMING OUT DISCUSSION GROUP meets at The DC Center. 7-8:30 p.m.2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For moreinformation, visit thedccenter.org.

DC BI WOMEN, a social group ofThe DC Center, meets on the secondTuesday of each month in the upstairs

room at Dupont Italian KitchenRestaurant. 7-9 p.m. 1637 17th St. NW.For more information, visit thedc-center.org.

GAY & LESBIAN ACTIVISTSALLIANCE meets at 7 p.m. in privatehome near Dupont Circle to discusscurrent legislative initiatives beforeD.C. Council. All welcome. 202-667-5139. glaa.org.

THE LATINO LGBT TASK FORCE holds a monthly meeting at The DCCenter. 3-5 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,Suite 105. For more information, visitthedccenter.org.


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WEEKLY EVENTS

ASIANS AND FRIENDS weeklydinner in Dupont/Logan Circle area,6:30 p.m. [email protected], afwash-ington.net.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)practice session at Takoma AquaticCenter, 300 Van Buren St. NW. 7:30-9 p.m. swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/ walking/social club serving greaterD.C.’s LGBT community and allieshosts an evening run/walk. dcfront-runners.org.

THE GAY MEN’S HEALTHCOLLABORATIVE offers free HIVtesting and STI screening and treat-ment every Tuesday. 5-6:30 p.m.Rainbow Tuesday LGBT Clinic, Alexandria Health Department, 4480King St. 703-746-4986 or text 571-214-9617. [email protected].

THE HIV WORKING GROUP of THEDC CENTER hosts “Packing Party,”where volunteers assemble safe-sexkits of condoms and lube. 7 p.m.,Green Lantern, 1335 Green CourtNW. thedccenter.org.

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS—LGBT focused meeting everyTuesday, 7 p.m. St. George’sEpiscopal Church, 915 Oakland Ave., Arlington, just steps from VirginiaSquare Metro. For more info. callDick, 703-521-1999. Handicappedaccessible. Newcomers [email protected].

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. Youth Center,410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155, [email protected].

SUPPORT GROUP FOR LGBTQ YOUTH ages 13-21 meets at SMYAL,410 7th St. SE, 5-6:30 p.m. CathyChu, 202-567-3163, [email protected].

US HELPING US hosts a supportgroup for black gay men 40 andolder. 7-9 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave.NW. 202-446-1100.

Whitman-Walker Health’s GAYMEN’S HEALTH AND WELLNESS/STD CLINIC opens at 6 p.m., 170114th St. NW. Patients are seen onwalk-in basis. No-cost screening forHIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chla-mydia. Hepatitis and herpes testingavailable for fee. whitman-walker.org.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10BIG GAY BOOK GROUP meet todiscuss Gay Berlin: Birthplace of a Modern Identity by Robert Beachy.7 p.m. 1155 F Street NW, near Metro

Center in Downtown DC. All wel-come. For more info, email biggay- [email protected].

RAINBOW RESPONSE, a coalitionof individuals and agencies focusedon combating LGBT intimate partner violence, holds its monthly meeting atThe DC Center. 6-8 p.m. 2000 14th St.NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit rainbowresponse.org.

THE LAMBDA BRIDGE CLUB meetsfor Duplicate Bridge. 7:30 p.m. DignityCenter, 721 8th St. SE, across fromthe Marine Barracks. No reservationneeded. 703-407-6540 if you need apartner.

WEEKLY EVENTS

AD LIB, a group for freestyle con- versation, meets about 6:30-6 p.m.,Steam, 17th and R NW. All welcome.For more information, call FaustoFernandez, 703-732-5174.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) prac-tice session at Hains Point, 927 OhioDr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holdspractice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. GarrisonElementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscan-dals.wordpress.com.

HISTORIC CHRIST CHURCH offers Wednesday worship 7:15 a.m.and 12:05 p.m. All welcome. 118 N.Washington St., Alexandria. 703-549-1450, historicchristchurch.org.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-WalkerHealth. At the Elizabeth Taylor

Medical Center, 1701 14th St. NW,9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max RobinsonCenter, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointment call 202-745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.

IDENTITY offers free and confiden-tial HIV testing in Gaithersburg, 414East Diamond Ave. Walk-ins 2-7 p.m.For appointments other hours, call

Gaithersburg at 301-300-9978.

JOB CLUB, a weekly support pro-gram for job entrants and seekers,meets at The DC Center. 2000 14th St.NW, Suite 105. 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Moreinfo, www.centercareers.org.

METROHEALTH CENTER offersfree, rapid HIV testing. No appoint-ment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012 14thSt. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.

NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing.11 a.m.-2 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite200, Arlington. Appointments: 703-789-4467.

PRIME TIMERS OF DC, a socialclub for mature gay men, hostsweekly happy hour/dinner. 6:30 p.m.,Windows Bar above Dupont ItalianKitchen, 1637 17th St. NW. Carl, 703-573-8316.l


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19SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT AT WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM/SCENE

scene

scan this tag

with yoursmartphone

for bonus scene

pics online!

Us Helping Us’Memorial Day Picnic

Monday, May 25

PHOTOGRAPHY BY WARD MORRISON


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Playing more than a dozen chaacters — in and out of d

Character

Study


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all in a day’s work for Alex Mills

Inteview by Doug RulePhotogaphy by Todd Fanson

ACCORDING TO ALEX MILLS, A TALE OF TWOCITIES is about “the physical transformation between

the characters, the striptease in the show, and the dragnumber in the end.”

What, you don’t remember the striptease or drag number fromthe Charles Dickens classic?

Obviously, Everett Quinton’s 1988 play is a loose adaptation —

about as loose as they come. This “Theatre of the Ridiculous”-styleshow centers on Jerry, who acts out parts from Dickens’s tale set


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during the bloody French Revolution — while in and out of drag,as he prepares for a show of his own.

It’s not the typical show you see at Synetic Theater, which

has made its name by shaking things up — especially throughits heralded “silent Shakespeare” productions and other works

in which the focus is more on physical movement and less onwords and dialogue.

“It’s a huge 180-degree shift from what we normally do,” con-cedes Mills, a longtime Synetic company member whose work in

the current adaptation is further proof that the multiple HelenHayes nominee is also a skilled actor of the traditional kind. In

A Tale of Two Cities, the 26-year-old is almost always on stage— and talking almost as often — during the show’s 100-minutes,during which time he plays more than a dozen Dickensian char-

acters in rapid succession. And all for a live audience — plus ababy, personified by Vato Tsikurishvili.

“It’s ridiculous, it’s absurd,” Mills says, noting that the absur-dity is also part of “what makes it fun.” It’s all just in a day’s

work for Mills, who aims to keep challenging himself as well as

constantly leave theatergoers asking, as he puts it: “Man, how ishe doing that? What’s going to happen next? What’s coming up?”

METRO WEEKLY: Let’s start with drag. Had you done that before

this show?ALEX MILLS: No, I have not. I have a new-found respect. I mean

I had watched RuPaul’s Drag Race. But it’s hard. That was thebiggest thing — there was a drag consultant for this show, and he

taught me how to do the makeup. My terrifying moment every

night is putting on the makeup, because [ideally] you need atleast two hours to do makeup — I have to get it done in roughly

15 minutes. Onstage. With eyelashes and all that. Doing that, Iwas like, oh, my, god. I by no means achieve perfection, but just

getting that done, it’s a lot of work.MW: But that’s also an entertaining part of the show for the audi-ence, watching you put on your makeup.MILLS: During run-throughs, it got a bit slow, because I didn’t

have the makeup fully down and the text was in my way. Butdirector Serge Seiden said, “Don’t worry about it. Because itactually is really entertaining, to watch the kind of transforma-

tion happen in front of you.” Which made me a bit more relaxed.MW: Who was the consultant?MILLS: Hellen Wheels. He does makeup and costumes for anumber of drag queens in the area. And he gave me the steps,

he drew pictures. We had multiple sessions of just me and him

sitting down. One night we did the makeup three times in a row.Put it on, wash it off again, put it on again. My face was utterly

screaming at the end of it. But it’s just that repetition and justknowing the steps in order. And then also combining that with

the text. It’s actually choreographed. Certain lines I know whatsteps have to be done, and in certain chunks. I have to get my

highlight, contour, base, foundation and rouge on — that’s one

chunk. The next scene I have to get my eyes, my lips, my eye-lashes done. So it’s in parts.MW: Do you think you’ll do drag again?MILLS: I don’t know. Now that I know kind of how to do my

makeup, I feel like I’d like to experiment with what Alex’s dragpersona would be. But you’re not going to see me this Saturday

in full-on drag. [ Laughs.]MW: Unless they come to the Saturday night show, of course. Let’stalk about that some more. How would you describe the play?MILLS: It’s ridiculous. It’s absurd. There are things in the textthat are off-the-wall absurdist at times. There are segues that are

purely ridiculous.

There are kind of three stories hap-pening at the same time — there’s the

story of Jerry coming home and having

to get ready for a drag performance.Then there’s the second layer — okay,

now he has this baby, and he has to putthe baby to sleep. And then the third

story is A Tale of Two Cities. So it’sthis mixture of these storylines, and at

moments they all align. The story ofJerry putting on the makeup, and as

he’s telling the story he’s talking about

how Charles Darnay is in jail — and whyis he confined alone? There’s a paral-

lel between being confined in your cellalone and also being confined in this

world as a gay man that can be a feel-ing of aloneness as well. So there’s this

interesting weaving that happens within

the play as well.MW: I understand it’s not normally stagedwith a baby — or a live person personi-

fying a baby. That was an idea from

Synetic’s Founding Artistic Director PaataTsikurishvili.MILLS: Yeah, in the original play, younever actually see the baby. But the very

initial concept of this that Paata kind of

suggested was, “What if we have a realbaby? What about that?”

There’s a lot of experimentation.That’s the real fun of it. There’s no pre-

dictable show during the run. I fully gointo each performance knowing that

things are going to fail, mistakes are going

to happen, but just to embrace it, because

that’s part of it. As Serge has said, “thepiece is kind of performance art.” Becauseit’s not a full-on straight play. The fourth

wall is not an established thing. It’s verymuch a dialogue between the audience

and me and Vato. And so that’s whatmakes it fun. When mistakes happen, and

you just have to ad-lib and fix things here

and there — that’s the kind of sparks thatmake it fun, at least for me to perform.MW: What would you say to people aboutwhy they should see it?MILLS: It’s a spectacle. And I think somepeople have been a little turned off by

the production. Maybe if they’re famil-

iar with our style and what Synetic isknown for, coming to this is a shock. It’s

a huge 180-degree shift from what wenormally do, compared to like “silent

Shakespeare” productions or playsthat are heavily, heavily physical. It’s

infused with this absurd farce. It’s tragicat times. It’s ridiculous at times. So to

have this appreciation for storytelling

and what theater can be with essentially just one person on stage, and having

the audience get involved and partici-


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pate and just sit back: “Man, how ishe doing that? What’s going to happen

next? What’s coming up?”MW: When did you realize you were gay?MILLS: Well, I remember having a crush

on my CCD teacher when I was in fourthgrade. I remember that. I just remember

being like, “God, he’s beautiful.” And thatwas that.

MW: What is CCD?I went to public school, but CCD is like

after-school Catholic study, once a week,

until you get confirmed, giving you aCatholic school education.MW: Are you still practicing?MILLS: No. I’m not going to say that

I’m agnostic or atheist or anything likethat. I have ties to it of course. If you’re

Catholic you either embrace it or you

run away from it screaming. But I havethe slightest touch of it. I still have an

attachment to it.MW: Only the slightest touch because you’re

gay?MILLS: Especially after I came out, that

was a significant part of it. Just that wholenotion — I’m just like, uh, no. I just don’t

vibe with it. I remember as a kid going to

church. And it’s just dark, and it’s veryritualistic. And you stand up at certain

times and you sing the same songs, yousit down at the right time. That whole

formality. I think a lot of people find it alittle bit off-putting.

I definitely don’t want to get too much

into it and have people go, “Oh my god,

he isn’t a god-fearing man. He’s going toburn in hell.”MW: Do you have people like that in your

family?MILLS: No, no, no. Me and my brother

were raised Catholic. My mom was raisedCatholic. But we don’t really practice.

MW: How was coming out to your family?MILLS: The easiest thing in my life. Istarted dating this guy, and at one point

I was driving home one night and I waslike, “You’re being so stupid. You’re

happy, you’re seeing somebody. Whywould you not just own it?” So on a

whim, I called my mom. And she was

like, “Hello, son. What’s up?” I was like,“So, I went on a date the other night.”

She goes, “Uh-hum.” And I was like,“And it wasn’t with a girl.” And she

goes, “Uh-hum. Son, I hope this doesn’toffend you, but this is not going to come

as much of a shock to the family.” Andthat was essentially that in a nutshell.

I remember a few days later, my mom

called me, and my brother, who’s aboutthree years older than me, got on the

phone, and he was just like, “Hey man!

“I FULLY GO INTO EACH PERFORMANCE KNOWI NG

THAT THINGS ARE GOING TO FAIL , mistakes are going tohappen, but just to embrace it, because that’s part of it.”


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You know I don’t care, right? It’s cool.” It’s actually made us alot closer. It just made us all more comfortable.

MW: And they were supportive of your acting career, and puttingcollege on hold for that?MILLS: Totally. They’re extremely supportive. My cousin and I

are very similar. He’s about the same age as my brother. He cameout when I was a sophomore in high school. I remember for the

longest time I was like, oh my god. Well, I can’t come out now!The family’s going to be, we just got a whole family of gays. So I

remember for the longest time that was a thing. But he came out,and then he was also an actor. And he’s now turned to studying

law, which is a big switch. He’s the only other person who’s an

actor.MW: You’re playing gay in this role. How unusual is that for you?MILLS: Actually in all the shows that I have done — at Studio, atSignature, here — I have been gay. Which is interesting because

I don’t consider myself the most flamboyant type of gay man. Butwhen I did Torch Song Trilogy — gay. Two to Tango — gay cou-ple. Bloody Bloody maybe wasn’t gay. But at Signature Theatre[ Shakespeare’s R&J ] it was a story of four boys, and I got into arelationship with another boy.MW: Does that bother you? Would you like to branch out to playmore straight roles?

MILLS: I don’t care — playing gay or playing straight, really, it’sall the same.

MW: You just want to play.MILLS: Yeah. [ Laughs.]MW: We’re coming up on pride. What does that mean to you?I really would like it to mean something. I don’t get into thepolitics of gay rights, or LGBTQ — all that. I’m so supportive

and happy that it’s on the political map and people are reallyadvocating for it. But I’m a bit more introverted and I kind of

stay unto myself. So I don’t really get involved. I don’t really goto pride, I don’t go to these events. I think it’s awesome that it’s

happening, and it creates a positive energy for the community

when it happens.

MW: You’re just young enough that the increasing acceptance of LGBT rights and especially marriage equality happened just as youwere coming into your own.MILLS: I think that’s why it made it so easy when I came out. Ididn’t feel any backlash, because it’s become so mainstream and

accepted now. Relatively speaking. By no means is being gay theeasiest thing. Coming out isn’t easy for everybody. But it’s much

more acceptable now.

If I was still living just in Fredericksburg, I don’t know if Iwould have come out as openly. Because even when I just go

visit home, just knowing that I’m a gay man, I still feel a little bitlike, oh, I’m definitely a minority. Whereas in D.C., it’s just like,

who cares? And probably a lot because I’m working in theater,and everybody is like, who cares? But yeah, I can definitely see

how in smaller communities, Southern communities, it’s still a

little bit like, “Oh, don’t exactly say it! But we know, wink-wink.Okay, we get it.”MW: That must factor into the reason you don’t get too involved inthe LGBT community and pride activities specifically.MILLS: Yeah. I feel comfortable with who I am. A fear that I hadcoming out was, if I say the words, is a dress going to fall from

the sky, fall onto my body? And is my voice going to change? Ialways felt, I am who I am. And if I’m gay, or if I’m not, it’s not

going to change who I am. And that was my biggest fear. That

somehow owning it or saying it was going to all of a sudden makeme a stereotypical gay man. And so I just identify as gay, but

that’s not all of who I am. That’s not my passion, that’s not my

goal in life, that’s not my career. You know what I mean? Beinggay is not my identity, it just happens to be a thing.

MW: Have you found it to be a struggle, living as a full-time actor?MILLS: The really great thing about being a company member atSynetic — obviously, I can go out and audition for other shows,

and if I book it, that’s great. But I also always have a home base tocome back to, which is nice. There is that kind of sense of family.

If you’re available, then you are considered for roles in variousshows. And Paata tries to challenge me with various roles.

MW: Is there a dream role you’d like to do?MILLS: I don’t know. I just like anything that’s really challenging.

It’s not necessarily, it’s not like I want to do Hamlet. But any-thing that’s a challenge. Like Jekyll & Hyde, that was awesome.That was a huge challenge. This is wonderful. Obviously it’s a

huge challenge. When I first did Midsummer playing Puck, thatwas great. Anything — if I’m scared or if I feel that pressure of,

oh my god, can I do this? That’s usually what really excites meand pushes me to go the extra mile.

MW: And you have that with this.MILLS: Oh, definitely! It was so hard to memorize this textbecause, until we started rehearsals and Serge broke the scenes

down into micro-scenes, I would just pick up the script, open itand just go, I have to know all of this? It’s like my brain kind of

shut down. It was just like, nope, nope, I don’t know how to com-pute this. Finally, once it was broken down, I was able to digest

it piece by piece and get into it my head.MW: But you’ve got it down now. Do you ever stumble?MILLS: Not that the audience can tell. I know the text now so

well, if I mess up a line or if I don’t exactly remember it verbatim,I can paraphrase it pretty well.MW: We should discuss the song “Gloria,” which you perform indrag, lip-syncing to Laura Branigan’s 1982 hit version. That wasin the original script?MILLS: Yes. Serge said, “Feel free to find something that clicks

with you.” But at one point I was like, you know what, why

spend the energy trying to attach myself to something, when

it’s in the script, it’s in the material, and just connect with that?It’s become the anthem for the entire production. I mean it’s a joke — me and the crew and the stage manager all have. I don’t

know if you know that app Dubsmash. We’ve been doing a lot oflip-syncing to “Gloria” with that app.

MW: “Gloria” is a curious kind of song on its own.MILLS: I love the song. The show is supposed to be set in the ’80s.

It’s not in this production. But the character of Jerry has this

fascination or obsession with ’80s culture and ’80s life. He’s a bitquirky. Like his sense of style, the music he listens to, his apart-

ment — it all kind of hearkens back to the ’80s era.MW: So we shouldn’t read too much into what the song’s about andhow it relates to the show?MILLS: You can. It’s about relationships. And Jerry, I think he can

identify with it. What’s the lyric? “If everybody wants you, why

isn’t anybody calling?” He thinks he’s so fabulous, and he thinkshe’s just the king of the town, but really, I think he’s very lonely.

He doesn’t really have a lot of friends. This drag outlet for him iskind of his release and his community.MW: And the baby, at a certain point, it just becomes an excuse foran audience — even when the baby can’t see him, he takes comfortin knowing that he’s there and is still focused on him. So he keeps

going.MILLS: Yeah, and I think he does these performances in his apart-

ment, probably a lot. But this is taking it to the next level. Nowhe has an audience, so he goes the extra mile, to really put in the

grunt work, to tell the story as kind of emotionally attached as he


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JUNE 4 - 11, 2015

SPOTLIGHT

BALTIMORESYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Marin Alsop closes out the orchestra’sseason with a semi-staged productionof Leonard Bernstein’s comedic oper-etta masterpiece Candide. The pro-duction also features the BaltimoreChoral Arts Society and varioussoloists, including Peter Sagal as theNarrator, Keith Jameson as Candideand Lauren Snouffer as “Glitterand Be Gay” Cunegonde. Thursday,June 11, at 8 p.m. Music Center at

Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane,North Bethesda. Also Friday, June 12,and Saturday, June 13, at 8 p.m., andSunday, June 14, at 3 p.m. JosephMeyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212Cathedral St., Baltimore. Also Ticketsare $35 to $110. Call 410-783-8000 or visit bsomusic.org.

COLIN JOSTNow that Saturday Night Live is on itssummer hiatus, Seth Myers’s replace-ment as the show’s head writer and co-host of Weekend Update returns to theDrafthouse for another summer run ofstand-up. Friday, June 5, at 10 p.m., andSaturday, June 6, at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Arlington Cinema N’ Drafthouse, 2903Columbia Pike, Arlington. Tickets are$22. Call 703-486-2345 or visit arling-tondrafthouse.com.

LA-TI-DO: JADE JONES ANDCAST FROM FOLGER THEATRE Regie Cabico and DonMike Mendoza’sLa-Ti-Do variety show is neither kara-oke nor simply cabaret. In additionto higher-quality singing than mostimpromptu karaoke, Cabico and co-host Mendoza also select storytell-ers who offer spoken-word poetryand comedy. Now moved to James

Hoban’s on Dupont Circle, the fea-tured performer for the whole monthof Pride is local lesbian stage vocalistJade Jones, accompanied by Walter“Bobby” McCoy. On Monday, June8, the focus is Jones singing withcast members from Folger Theatre’s Rosen crantz & Guilden stern Are Dead . Monday nights at 8 p.m. JamesHoban’s Irish Restaurant & Bar, 1Dupont Circle NW. Tickets are $15, oronly $7 if you eat dinner at the restau-rant beforehand. Call 202-223-8440or visit latidodc.wix.com/latidodc.

LEZ ZEPPELINThe “lez” in the name may be short

for lesbian, but the four women in

26

Compiled by Doug Rule

C H R I S B U L B U L I A F O R C O N G R E S S I O N A L C H O R U S


Sondheim ChoraleCongressional Chorus offers a chorale tribute to Sondheim

NO MATTER HOW MANY MUSICALS BY — OR EVEN MUSICAL REVUES ABOUT —

Stephen Sondheim you’ve watched, David Simmons is confident that you haven’t seen any-

thing like what the Congressional Chorus will offer this Saturday, June 6.

“People who have seen Sondheim revues, so to speak, usually are seeing [at most] 12 people sing-

ing,” says Simmons, who adds that a full production of a Sondheim show, such as last year’s Sundayin the Park with George at Signature Theatre, usually tops out at 25 performers on stage. By contrast,“when we close out the first half of our concert on Saturday night, it’ll be almost 100 singers with an

11-piece orchestra. The two final numbers in the concert will be 150 choristers.”

The artistic director of Congressional Chorus, Simmons has long wanted to do a choral celebration

of Sondheim, often billed as Broadway’s greatest living composer and one that Simmons has been a fan

of “basically my entire life.” But the timing seemed especially right this year, with more choral arrange-

ments of his work becoming available in the past few years and especially after the recent popularity of

the Meryl Streep-led film version of Into The Woods.

During “Sondheim, Sondheim, Sondheim: A Choral Celebration of an American Master,” the orga-nization’s American Youth Chorus — ranging in age from eight to 14 — will perform selections from

Into The Woods, and the senior citizens in the group’s Northeast Senior Singers will sing from Gypsy.All told, including the main 100-member chorus, “it’s going to be a huge age-range of singers, almost

a 90-year-span.” The music itself spans four decades, with hits from 1957’s West Side Story to 1994’s Passion.

Even the venue, the National City Christian Church, makes this concert stand out. “It’s a huge, huge

venue [with] acoustics that are super live,” Simmons says. “It’s a very different feel than you get in a

small theater.”

For Simmons, it all translates into the final product: “This is a completely different spin on

Sondheim.” — by Doug Rule

The Congressional Chorus performs Saturday, June 6, at 7:30 p.m., at the National City ChristianChurch at 5 Thomas Circle NW. Tickets are $25. Call 202-347-2635 or visit congressionalchorus.org.


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$28 to $40. Call 202-787-1000 or visitthehamiltondc.com.

NSO POPS:THE SONGS OF FRANK SINATRA“Let’s Be Frank: The Songs of Frank

Sinatra” is the name of this weekend’sprogram, with the NSO Pops led bySteven Reineke and featuring soloistsFrankie Moreno, Ryan Silverman andStorm Large of Pink Martini. They’reaccompanied by Tony DeSare and allpaying tribute to America’s originalidol who famously did it his way.Friday, June 5, and Saturday, June6, at 8 p.m. Kennedy Center ConcertHall. Tickets are $30 to $99. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

SCOT REESE A theater professor at the Universityof Maryland and occasional stagedirector for productions around

S T A N B A R O U H

town, the out performer Scot Reesereturns to his roots in cabaret witha Pride-themed show at Blues Alleyfeaturing selections from the Great American Songbook. Tuesday, June 9,at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Blues Alley, 1073Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are $20,plus $10 minimum purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or visit bluesalley.com.

SOURCE FESTIVALThroughout June, CulturalDC pres-ents its annual theater festival dedi-cated to the up-and-coming andnamed after its black box theater inthe heart of bustling 14th Street. This year’s Source Festival features threefull-length plays, eighteen ten-minuteplays and four “artistic blind dates” built on themes of mortality, revengeand quests. The festival launches withsix of the ten-minute plays on Friday,June 5, at 8 p.m. To June 28. Source,1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $10 to

$20 for each show, $45 for a three-playpackage or $100 for an all-access pass.Call 202-204-7760 or visit sourcefes-tival.org.

THE B-52S, BERLINThe B-52s, the frolicking foursomefrom Athens, Ga., with three gaymembers — Keith Strickland, FredSchneider and Kate Pierson — are asfestive and fun as ever. “Keep doingwhat you’re doing, cause it’s what welike,” they sang on “Ultravoilet,” fromtheir most recent release, 2008’s phe-nomenal Funplex. Hopefully Piersonwill also get to play from her debutsolo album, Guitars and Microphones,featuring songs co-written by Sia andreleased earlier this year. The stopat Wolf Trap also features ‘80s hit-makers Berlin. You know, “Take MyBreath Away.” Friday, June 5, at 8 p.m.The Filene Center at Wolf Trap, 1551Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $25

this New York-based Led Zeppelintribute band don’t publicly disclosetheir sexual orientations. “Keeping alittle bit of mystery to a group is veryold fashioned, but in my opinion, it’smuch more intriguing,” Steph Paynes,the band’s lead guitarist, told MetroWeekly years ago. The women are asintense and powerful and sexy as you’dexpect performing from the Page-PlantCompany’s hard-rock songbook — andeven Page himself swooned after tak-ing in a sold-out show in London a cou-ple years ago. (“They’ve got energy andenthusiasm and they’re superb musi-cians,” the original Leddie reportedlysaid.) The band stops by the Hamiltonfor a show performing from theZeppelin repertoire just as the banddid in 1973 at New York’s MadisonSquare Garden. The Song Remains The Same — even if the band is different.Sunday, June 7. Doors at 6:30 p.m. TheHamilton, 600 14th St. NW. Tickets are

CREDIT WHERE IT IS DUE, WOOLLY MAMMOTH

Theatre Company refuses to be tamed. What issuesfrom its wild and provocative ranks may not always

work, but the DC theater scene is always better for it.This is very much the case with Zombie: The American

( HHHHH ), Robert O’Hara’s joyfully deranged satire on thestate of the nation in 2060. It may be chock full of great ideas,

funny concepts and healthy provocations, but although a

knife is very much in evidence (literally and otherwise), it isnever quite twisted enough.

O’Hara starts his whirlwind ride with a presidency incrisis. The United States, a shadow of its former self, is

Foot Dragging Though chock full of great ideas, Zombie: The American

needed to be a lot edgier and wittier

beholden to Great Britain for bail-outs and dependent on the

now-powerful United African Nations for peacekeeping duties

as America verges on civil war. After a series of incidents andwith a coming election, the president is growing desperate.

When his secretary of state pressures him to unleash, nota nuclear arsenal, but another secret weapon that has been

residing within the nation all along, he discovers a whole newmeaning to “We, the People.”

It’s a fun premise and O’Hara delivers it with a reasonabledose of the manipulation, deceit and maneuvering with which

we are all very familiar. But although O’Hara can be funny

— situationally and with one-liners — this needed to be a lotedgier and a lot wittier to move the needle. Without a more

daringly subversive layer, the piece too often feels like verygood-humored and energetic messaging on the evils of U.S.

politics and spin. And perhaps Director Howard Shalwitz getsthis, as he goes some way to filling some of the missing pizazz

with a hugely talented cast and a fast and furious production.

As the Lord President Thom Valentine, Sean Meehan offersan interestingly rumpled angst, although O’Hara does not

reconcile his bewildered state with a typical politician’s savvy.Though not fatal, Meehan’s Thom also has no real chemistry

with husband Chase, a character written without nuance butgiven a strong, if not overly comical, presence by James Seol.

Still, both hold the eye and the imagination — as far as it goes.Other standouts are Sarah Marshall as Lady Secretary of

State Jessica Bloom and Dawn Ursula as Secretary General of

the United African Nations Abidemi and her sister, Babirye.Marshall, as always, brings an untouchably perfect wryness to

her delivery as well as stellar comic timing. Ursula, a stunningpresence, gives an ideal in-your-face irony to her powerful

women.Also taking a double role, Tim Getman brings some of the

more irreverent humor to his Zombie Speaker of Zombies and

Jessica Frances Dukes is engagingly memorable in her roles.

The rest of the ensemble serve their purposes, but like theirbrain-eating brethren; O’Hara really doesn’t give them enoughto get their teeth into. – Kate Wingfield

Zombie: The American runs to June 21 at Woolly Mammoth,641 D Street, NW, Washington, D.C. Tickets are $35 to $58. Call

202-393-3939 or visit woollymammoth.net.


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to $50. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visitwolftrap.org.

THE TALE OF THEALLERGIST’S WIFEWhen it originally appeared onBroadway in 2000, the New YorkTimes reviewed this play as “wall-to-wall laughs.” And of course it is: It’s by the supremely funny gay scribeCharles Busch ( Die Mommie Die, Psycho Beach Party ). Theater J now

offers a local production of what isto date Busch’s most widely success-ful show, with a Tony nomination toprove it. Eleanor Holdridge directs acast including Lise Bruneau, MaboudEbrahimzadeh, Paul Morella, BarbaraRappaport and Susan Rome. Now inpreviews. Opens Monday, June 8, at7:30 p.m. To July 5. The Aaron andCecile Goldman Theater, Washington,D.C.’s Jewish Community Center,1529 16th St. NW. Tickets are $30 to$55. Call 202-518-9400 or visit wash-ingtondcjcc.org.

WHERE I BELONGWhere I Belong: Finding Myself Under

a Big Top certainly could serve as atitle for a gay porn actor’s memoirs, but in this case the “Big Top” is literal.The aerial and circus arts nonprofitSweet Spot Aerial Productions has puttogether this LGBT-themed show thatthe Atlas Performing Arts Center hostsnext weekend, as part of an unofficialramp-up to Capital Pride. The per-formance offers one man’s journey toLGBT acceptance that travels fromthe circus to the afterlife, and is per-formed on stage and, naturally, in mid-air. Friday, June 5, at 8:30 p.m., andSaturday, June 6, at 6 p.m. and 8:30p.m. Atlas Performing Arts Center,1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $29.99. Call

202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.

STAGE

DISNEY’S NEWSIESHarvey Fierstein wrote the book tothis recent hit musical, an adaptationof a 1992 film that flopped at the boxoffice only to become a cult sensationon video. Featuring a Tony Award-winning score by Alan Menken withlyricist Jack Feldman, the focus ison a band of teenage underdogs who become unlikely heroes as a result ofstanding up to the most powerful menin New York. Opens Tuesday, June9, at 7:30 p.m. To June 21. NationalTheatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.Tickets are $48 to $128. Call 202-628-6161 or visit thenationaldc.org.

JARRY INSIDE OUTRichard Henrich’s play was “freelyadapted” from the life and work of Alfred Jarry, the French playwrightwhose anti-hero Pere Ubu launchedthe modern era’s Dada, Surrealismand Theater of the Absurd. Spooky Action Theater offers a productionof this fantastical play directed byCatherine Tripp and featuring a castincluding Ryan Sellers, Carla Briscoe,Ian LeValley and Eva Wilhelm. Now

C O U R T E S Y O F D A V I D C R A B B


Stories of PrideLGBT History comprises hundreds of individual stories. Now, two groups areputting those stories front and center.

PRIDE IS ABOUT STORIES. THE STORY OF DRAG QUEENS BREAKING DOWN

doors at Stonewall. The story of a lesbian couple finally getting the chance to marry at92-years-old. The stories of countless brave men and women who’ve fought for our equality.

To give those individual stories a platform this Pride season, Story League and Speakeasy DCare hosting their own LGBT storytelling nights to explore coming out, living out, and loving fully.

In 2010, Speakeasy DC held their first LGBT storytelling night. “We really wanted to offera platform for our LGBT performers,” Amy Friedman, Speakeasy’s founder, says. “But more

importantly, be part of the dialogue that was happening at the time.” Since then, they’ve held

LGBT story nights every year to celebrate gay culture in the District. “I love how much DC isa hub of LGBT culture,” Friedman adds. “I feel so lucky to be here.” Now, in its fifth year, Out

and Proud is a mainstay of SpeakeasyDC and Capital Pride.Story League has their own LGBT night, hosted by storyteller and memoirist, David Crabb.

“I guess I was always a raconteur,” says Crabb. “Even when I was little, I loved regaling myparents about stories from school.” As the only gay kid in his San Antonio high school, he defi-

nitely turned a lot of heads, but not because he was gay. “When I was 16, I became a goth,” hesays. “Lots of powder, and black lipstick.” He told stories of his teenage years to anyone who

would listen. Then, a few years ago, he discovered professional storytelling: “I thought, wow,

I can do this for six minutes and no one can interrupt me!” He compiled the stories into a one-man show called Bad Kid that he later adapted into a memoir.

These story nights, however, aren’t just for entertainment. They’re about celebrating each

and every member of the LGBT family. “One storyteller we had at one of these nights hadn’tfully come out,” Friedman recalls. “But when he put it out there into the world, the outpour-ing of support was truly amazing.” And for Crabb, storytelling represents a broadening of the

public aperture when it comes to LGBT issues. “I remember being a kid in Texas and seeing

those pride events. They were like a shining beacon for me,” he says. “But nowadays, I even seeheterosexuals telling gay stories. To me, that shows that we’re all a little bit queer. That makes

me happy.” – Connor J. Hogan

SpeakeasyDC’s Out and Proud will be held on June 5th at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St NW,Washington, D.C., 20001. Tickets are $25. David Crabb will be hosting Story League’s LGBT

storytelling night on June 25th at the DC Improv 1140 Connecticut Ave NW,Washington, DC 20036. Tickets are $15 in advance.

David Crabb


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to June 21. The Universalist NationalMemorial Church, 1810 16th St. NW.Tickets are $25 to $35. Call 202-248-0301 or visit spookyaction.org.

JUMPERS FOR GOALPOSTS

HHHHH

There’s no shame in losing — so longas you play fairly and honestly, giv-ing your best shot. That’s the life les-son Tom Wells imparts in his touch-ing, tender play, now having its U.S.

Premiere at Studio Theatre. The slice-of-life type of play, about an amateurLGBT soccer team, Barely Athletic,stuck in a losing streak, is as winsomeas they come, though it might not seemso at the outset. Everything is rathermundane, even drab, right down tothe unpretentious setting — a no-frillslocker room in a run-down Britishtown. Matt Torney’s direction keepsthings simple and unremarkable — thefocus is almost solely on the five fineactors recruited to relate Wells’ quiet-ly powerful and eventually surprisingtale. Ultimately, Jumpers tackles some big issues and aspects of modern-daylife, particularly for gays, in a remark-

ably realistic, restrained way. To June21. Studio Theatre, 14th & P StreetsNW. Tickets are $44 to $88, or $25 forTeam DC Night Friday, June 19, viateamdc.org. Call 202-332-3300 or visitstudiotheatre.org. (Doug Rule)

LAS POLACAS: THE JEWISHGIRLS OF BUENOS AIRESGALA Hispanic Theatre presentsthis world-premiere bilingual musi-cal from writer Patricia Suarez-Cohenand composer/lyricist Mariano Valesabout the tragic real-life saga of agroup of Eastern European Jewishgirls lured to Argentina and a life ofprostitution a century ago. Mariano

Caligaris directs this Spanish/Englishproduction featuring Martin Ruiz, AnaFontan, Samantha Dockser, JoshuaMorgan, Amy McWilliams, JuanBianchi and Carlos Macher. OpensThursday, June 4, at 8 p.m. To June28. GALA Theatre at Tivoli Square,3333 14th St. NW. Tickets are $28 to$42. Call 202-234-7174 or visit gala-theatre.org.

MARLEYBaltimore’s Center Stage presentsthis world-premiere musical based onthe life and music of Bob Marley, puttogether by the company’s ambitiousartistic director Kwame Kwei-Armah.

Now to June 14. Center Stage, 700North Calvert St., Baltimore. Manyperformances are already sold out, butremaining tickets are $19 to $69. Call410-986-4000 or visit centerstage.org.

MARY-KATE OLSEN IS IN LOVEMary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are themillennial Grace’s only friends, andshe’s just market research for themin this comedy — billed as “a funnyplay about sad people” — written byMallery Avidon and directed by HollyTwyford in a Studio Theatre produc-tion. Katie Ryan plays Grace, whileSuzanne Stanley and Sara DabneyTisdale play the Olsen twins in a cast

M A R C U S B E N N E L L


Poetic JusticeRegie Cabico hopes to convert new poetry fans through the

Capturing Fire festival

PEOPLE ARE OFTEN SURPRISED AT WHAT POETRY IS, OR WHAT THEYthought it was, or what it can be,” Regie Cabico says.

Poetry is more than just words alone and Cabico is convinced there’sgreat untapped audience potential in his primary area of work, poetic performance.

Especially so with the performance-based short-form style known as slam, which

he asserts is “sort of perfect poetry” with which to entice novices — and maybe even

some poetry-averse naysayers.“This three-minute performance poem and the way it’s presented [in competi-

tion] is theater — it’s a form of American political theater,” says Cabico, credited as

the first openly gay slam poet when he started competing in the mid-’90s. “It’s artfor social change — the ultimate form of that.” Slam poets typically share personal

stories and touch on important issues through their original compositions, which

are specifically designed to have impact — principally to persuade a panel of judgesvoting for best poet, but also to inspire or connect with other poets or audience

members.Slam poetry’s ability to inspire and connect — as well as convert novices — will

be put to the test next Saturday, June 6, at the fifth Capturing Fire slam. “You’regoing to hear trans poets and queer poets hit on issues that are really important,”

says Cabico, who organizes and produces the slam as the centerpiece of a three-day

poetry festival.Since its inception in 2010, Capturing Fire is still “the only event of its kind,” and

Cabico intends it to be a refuge and retreat for LGBT poets. “We’re performing innon-queer venues all the time — bars and coffeehouses,” he says. “I just wanted to

create a kind of Underground Railroad for queer poets to better know and supporteach other.” — Doug Rule

Capturing Fire: Queer Spoken Word Summit & Slam runs Friday, June 5, throughSunday, June 7, at several venues in the U Street Corner, centered around present-ing organization The DC Center for the LGBT Community at 2000 14th St. NW.

Event passes are $50 to $75, not including the $30 Sunday Brunch; single tickets toSaturday’s Slam Finals are $20. Call 202-682-2245 or visit capturingfire.org.


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performance in The Servant of Two Masters, and Sofia Jean Gomez (Arielin this season’s The Tempest ). Now inpreviews. Opens Monday, June 8, at7:45 p.m. To July 5. Sidney HarmanHall, Harman Center for the Arts, 610F St. NW. Tickets are $20 to $110. Call202-547-1122 or visit shakespearethe-atre.org.

THE BLOOD QUILTFour disconnected African-American

sisters reunite at their childhoodisland home off the coast of Georgiato create a family quilt honoring theirrecently deceased mother. Arena Stageoffers this world premiere by the com-pany’s inaugural resident playwrightKatori Hall ( The Mountaintop ), direct-ed by Kamilah Forbes and featuring Afi Bijou, Caroline Clay, Meeya Davis,Nikiya Mathis and Tonye Patano.Closes this Sunday, June 7. MeadCenter for American Theater, 1101 6thSt. SW. Call 202-488-3300 or visitarenastage.org.

THE LETTERS

HHHHH

Nearly a century ago, Russian leaderstried to censor the sexually frank let-ters that its most famous composer,Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky, wrote tohis male lover. That reality servesas the context for John W. Lowell’sThe Letters, a potent two-hander between a Soviet-appointed com-pany man (Michael Russotto) and afemale underling who values the arts

minor characters from Hamlet, intocenter stage — where he pokes, prodsand cajoles them into realizing thatwith existence comes the certaintyof nonexistence. The play resideswithin the traditions of the Theatre ofthe Absurd, yet Stoppard makes it soentertainingly witty, fun and ultimate-ly affecting, you will hardly notice you have been being existential. This Rosencrantz is thoroughly entertain-ing. To June 21. Folger Theatre, 201

East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $30 to$75. Call 202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu. (Kate Wingfield)

STEAMPUNK STORIESRaconteur Tom Howell offers a seriesof five short stories about the adven-tures of a time-traveling airship inves-tigating various psychic phenomenain history. Ratko, Aleistar Crowley,Nostradamus, Tesla and Edgar Cayceare hysterical characters brought tolife in this show. Sunday, June 7, at7:30 p.m. District of Columbia ArtsCenter (DCAC), 2438 18th St. NW.Tickets are $10. Call 202-462-7833 or visit dcartscenter.org.

TARTUFFEDominique Serrand directs Moliere’sclassic indictment of religious hypoc-risy at the Shakespeare TheatreCompany in a co-production withSouth Coast Repertory and BerkeleyRepertory Theatre. The show starsSteven Epp, last seen at STC in the2012 Helen Hayes Award-winning

of 10. Now in previews. Opens Sunday,June 7, at 7 p.m. Studio Theatre, 14th& P Streets NW. Tickets are $44 to$88, or $25 for Team DC Night Friday,June 19, via teamdc.org. Call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org.

THE PRICEMichael Bloom directs an OlneyTheatre production of this ArthurMiller classic in the centennial yearof the playwright’s birth. Staged in

the round, this story about a fam-ily reunited to dispose of their latefather’s belongings stars CharlieKevin, Valerie Leonard, Sean Haberleand Gregory Solomon. Now throughJune 21. Olney Theatre Center, 2001Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md.Tickets are $55 to $65. Call 301-924-3400 or visit olneytheatre.org.

ROSENCRANTZ ANDGUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD

HHHHH

Intimate, funny and anachronisticallyatmospheric, Folger Theatre’s pro-duction is rather like playwright TomStoppard by way of someone’s rather

fabulous attic — Paige Hathaway’sset is filled with an intriguing jumbleof objects, art and books that blendsseamlessly with the Folger’s medi-eval chapel vibe. It is in this place,which holds as many inconsequen-tials as it does clues, that Rosencrantzand Guildenstern find themselves. Forthose unfamiliar, Stoppard has pulledRosencrantz and Guildenstern, two


and artistic freedom (Susan Lynskey).The play, now at MetroStage, doesn’texplicitly focus on Tchaikovsky: Hisletters just become a jumping-offpoint for two skilled actors to playa detective game of cat-and-mouse.Lowell’s drama is captivating and skill-fully written, packing a punch in just75 minutes. The result is the kind ofsharply realized, powerfully intenseshow that you just can’t get anywhere but live theater. And even there, youdon’t find it very often. To June 14.MetroStage, 1201 North Royal St., Alexandria. Tickets are $50 to $55.Call 703-548-9044 or visit metrostage.org. (Doug Rule)

WASHINGTON IMPROV THEATER:SUMMER LOVENo two performances are alikewhen performed by the WashingtonImprov Theater — D.C.’s answer tothose comedy star-making groupssuch as Chicago’s Second City andL.A.’s Groundlings — especially sincethey’re spurred on by audience sug-gestions. During the month of Junethe organization offers a “Road Show”

at the DC Arts Center while its nor-mal presenting venue, the Sourcetheater, plays hosts to the SourceFestival. Each show features a differ-ent mix of the improvised ensemblesthat comprise WIT, from iMusi-cal to Season Six to Commonwealthto King Bee. Opens Friday, June 5,at 7:30 p.m. To June 27. District ofColumbia Arts Center (DCAC), 2438


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JESSICA HERNANDEZ& THE DELTAS As demonstrated on last year’s debutalbum Secret Evil, punky, spunkyJessica Hernandez and her bandcreate a joyous, entertaining soundrich with Southern rock, country and blues — as well as Motown influencesfrom their Detroit hometown, plus alittle spice thrown in from south ofthe border, courtesy of rock en español.The captivating and powerful-voiced

Hernandez, who sings in English, willsometimes put you in mind of Adele,other times the Gossip’s Beth Ditto.Tuesday, June 9, at 9 p.m. Ottobar,2549 N. Howard St. Baltimore.Tickets are $10. Call 410-662-0069 or visit theottobar.com.

JESUS DANIEL HERNANDEZ:TRIBUTE TO JORGE NEGRETEDubbed “the Mexican Sinatra,” thelate Jorge Negrete is one of Mexico’smost popular singers and movieactors — and as a fellow native ofMexico, he inspired the InSeries’ ownJesus Daniel Hernandez. The operaand mariachi singer pays tribute to

Negrete in a concert accompanied byMari Paz and Mariachi Aguila as atoast to the quinceanera, or 15th sea-son, of the InSeries, Carla Hubner’sseries of independently producedinternationally minded concerts.Tuesday, June 9, at 8 p.m. GALATheatre at Tivoli Square, 3333 14th St.NW. Tickets are $25 to $45. Call 202-234-7763 or visit inseries.org.

NATIONAL ORCHESTRAL INSTITUTE AND FESTIVALThe Clarice Smith Performing ArtsCenter at the University of Marylandpresents this month-long festival pair-ing outstanding young classical musi-

cians with world-renowned conduc-tors. The festival launches in full thisweekend with a series of free events,including an Artist Faculty ChamberRecital, Friday, June 5, at 7:30 p.m.,NOI in the Community Saturday,June 6, at 12:30 p.m., and ChamberMusic Showcases Sunday, June 7, at2 p.m. and 5 p.m. But there’s also aperformance of the National FestivalChamber Orchestra, on a conductor-less program of Mozart, Shostakovichand Frank Martin, on Saturday, June6, at 8 p.m. Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland,University Boulevard and StadiumDrive. College Park. Tickets are $10

to $25 for the orchestra. Call 301-405-ARTS or visit claricesmithcenter.umd.edu.

ROCHELLE RICE An alumna of Howard University’spremiere vocal jazz ensemble the Afro Blue Vocal Band and earning thetitle of 2013 Best Jazz Vocalist by theWashington City Paper, Rochelle Riceoffers a performance at Strathmore,where she is an Artist-in-Residence.Wednesday, June 10, at 7:30 p.m.The Mansion at Strathmore, 10701Rockville Pike, North Bethesda.Tickets are $17. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

18th St. NW. Tickets are $12 to $15.Call 202-462-7833 or visit witdc.org.

MUSIC

DC JAZZ FESTIVALThe rapper Common, EsperanzaSpalding — under her new theatri-cal alias Emily’s D+Evolution — FemiKuti & The Positive Force, PaquitoD’Rivera and the Bad Plus with JoshuaRedman are just some of the headlin-ers on tap at the 11th annual DC JazzFestival, billed as the fastest-growing jazz festival in the U.S. The festivalstages concerts at venues across thecity, principally from Wednesday,June 10, to Tuesday, June 16, but itlaunches with a DC JazzFest PreviewNight featuring Lenny Robinson andFriends this Friday, June 5, at 6 p.m. atthe Westminster Presbyterian Church,400 I St. SW. Also this weekend, thePhillips Collection hosts a multimediaseries of events as part of the festival’s“Jazz ‘N Families Fun Days” series.Call 855-332-7767 or visit dcjazzfest.org for more information.

FLORENCE + THE MACHINEFlorence Welch is the leader of thisBritish pop powerplant, a “machine”currently composed of eight members,churning out its new wave-inspiredhits with Welch’s Siouxsie-styled sig-nature wail, including “You’ve GotThe Love,” “Dog Days Are Over” and“Shake It Out.” Tuesday, June 9, at8 p.m. Merriweather Post Pavilion,10475 Little Patuxent Parkway,Columbia, Md.

metro weekly - 06-04-15 - alex mills

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