Metro Weekly - December 01, 2016 by RP MEDIA ARCHIVE

DECEMBER 01, 2016

CONTENTS

HOLLY JOLLY

Our annual round-up of adventurous, inspiring holiday concerts. By Doug Rule

THE CALLING

Ron Simmons has led Us Helping Us for a quarter of a century. Now he’s handing the keys to the next generation. On World AIDS Day, he reflects on a lifetime of activism during an epidemic, and raising up the black, gay community.

Volume 23 Issue 29

Interview by John Riley Photography by Todd Franson

SECOND CHANCE

Watch Dogs 2 is fun, vibrant and packed with interesting characters -- everything the original wasn’t. By Rhuaridh Marr

SPOTLIGHT: METROCOOKING DC p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN p.14 THEATRICAL GREETINGS p.16 HOLLY JOLLY p.18 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p.25 FILLING A VOID p.25 VOLUNTEER SPIRIT p.26 COVER STORY: THE CALLING p.28 GALLERY: FREDERICK NUNLEY p.35 MUSIC: HOLIDAY ALBUMS p.36 STAGE: THE SECRET GARDEN p.38 GAMES: WATCH DOGS 2 p.40 NIGHTLIFE p.43 LISTINGS p.45 SCENE: MR. DC EAGLE CONTEST p.45 SCENE: BEARLESQUE AT TOWN p.52 LAST WORD p.54 The bitches who make this shit... #masthead

Editorial Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman Art Director Todd Franson Managing Editor Rhuaridh Marr Senior Editor John Riley Contributing Editor Doug Rule Senior Photographers Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim Contributing Illustrator Scott G. Brooks Contributing Writers Gordon Ashenhurst, Sean Bugg, Frank Carber, Fallon Forbush, Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Kate Wingfield Webmaster David Uy Production Assistant Julian Vankim Sales & Marketing Publisher Randy Shulman National Advertising Representative Rivendell Media Co. 212-242-6863 Distribution Manager Dennis Havrilla Patron Saint Essex Hemphill Cover Photography Todd Franson Metro Weekly 1775 I St. NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 202-638-6830 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 no responsibility 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 made by advertisers, nor can we accept responsibility for materials provided by advertisers or their agents. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles or advertising in Metro Weekly is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such person or organization.

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Holiday Gift Guide

Visit the Holiday Gift Guide Online at metroweekly.com/giftguide

PHOTOS COURTESY OF METROCOOKING DC

Spotlight

MetroCooking DC Food Show

OTH A HOLIDAY TREAT AND A SHOPPING PRESERVE, “The Ultimate Food Lover’s Weekend” is the area’s biggest specialty food and culinary event. And the lineup of star chefs who will cook and chat at the 2016 MetroCooking DC is impressive: Tom Colicchio, Jacques Pepin, Carla Hall, Duff Goldman, David Guas, Richard Sandoval, Peter Chang, Scott Drewno, Tim Ma, Erik Bruner-Yang and Victor Albisu.

In addition to hundreds of specialty food vendors exhibiting their wares, there’s a whole smorgasbord of activities on tap, including a RAMW Grand Tasting Pavilion with samples from local restaurants, a separate area offering beer, wine and spirits samplings, a BBQ Bash culinary classes by chefs from L’Academie de Cuisine, entertaining workshops and book signings.

Saturday, Dec. 3, and Sunday, Dec. 4, starting at 10 a.m. each day. Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place NW. Tickets are $21.50 to $200. Call 202-249-3000 or visit metrocookingdc.com. DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Spotlight ARLINGTON DRAFTHOUSE CHRISTMAS MOVIE FESTIVAL

Though it’s become a lot less focused on cinema recently, this Arlington venue is still one of the best places to see movies, since they screen while servers offer food and alcohol tableside. Next up is the Drafthouse’s annual Christmas movie marathon, where you can come and go throughout the day and see up to six classic movies. How The Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas screen a couple of times during the day, along with Elf at 1 p.m., A Christmas Story at 3 p.m., Scrooged at 5:15 p.m., and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation at 7:20 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, starting at noon. Arlington Cinema N’ Drafthouse, 2903 Columbia Pike, Arlington. Tickets are $8. Call 703486-2345 or visit arlingtondrafthouse.com.

SILVER BELLES

Talk about a starry cast: D.C. leading ladies Donna Migliaccio, Nova Y. Payton, Ilona Dulaski, Naomi Jacobson and Sandy Bainum help ensure this new holiday musical becomes a must-see affair, particularly for a certain segment of the theatergoing community. Married musical writing duo and local stage actors Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith developed lyrics set to Conner’s score, with a book by fellow D.C. playwright Allyson Currin. Billed as Golden Girls meets Designing Women, Silver Belles, directed by Signature’s Eric Schaeffer, focuses on a small town in Tennessee struggling to keep a beloved holiday pageant alive after the sudden death of its longtime director. Through Dec. 31. Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Call 703-820-9771 or visit signature-theatre.org.

EMMYLOU HARRIS

The Country Music Hall of Fame inductee comes to town for a concert billed as “An Intimate Performance Benefiting Bonaparte’s Retreat,” the dog rescue organization the card-carrying PETA member founded in Nashville. A Washington Post critic has described Harris as the “silken-voiced muse of a summer night,” but trust that her eloquent, expressive country-folk is welcome even in the dead of fall, especially when in service to a good cause. Sunday, Dec. 4. Doors at 6 p.m. The Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW. Tickets are $90 to $250. Call 202-787-1000 or visit thehamiltondc.com.

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Spotlight DIANA ROSS WITH NSO POPS

One week after being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Supreme diva takes to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. The National Symphony, led by Emil de Cou, will accompany her through her hit Motown-era and disco songbook. Thursday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.mm., Friday, Dec. 2, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $59 to $179. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

FOUR SEASONS BY PHILIP HAAS

Four larger-than-life, three-dimensional portrait busts become the first ever art installations in the Hillwood gardens. Contemporary American artist Philip Haas offers sculptural interpretations of the celebrated botanical paintings by Italian master Giuseppe Arcimboldo. The 15-foot fiberglass works will weather seasonal changes in climate. Through March 31. Hillwood Estate, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. Suggested donation is $12. Call 202-686-5807 or visit HillwoodMuseum.org.

TAME.

WSC Avant Bard presents Jonelle Walker’s LGBT spin on The Taming of the Shrew, told from the point of view of the woman being tamed — or more specifically, rid of her homosexuality. In the heart of Eisenhower America, a free-spirited young poet leaves Smith College heartbroken over her lover’s suicide, returning to her homophobic conservative family and hyper-heteronormative Texas hometown. Angela Kay Pirko directs this tale starring Jill Tighe as Cat, “a rebel with claws.” To Dec. 11. Gunston Arts Center, Theater Two, 2700 South Lang St. Arlington. Tickets are $30 to $35. Call 703418-4808 or visit avantbard.org. DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Out On The Town

PUSHING DEAD

As part of its monthly Xtra film series, Reel Affirmations presents Tom E. Brown’s Pushing Dead, starring Danny Glover and James Roday. It offers a modern-day look at health struggles for those living with HIV. Hosted by Rayceen Pendarvis of the Ask Rayceen Show, the event includes a post-show catered cocktail reception as well as a discussion with the director moderated by Metro Weekly editor Randy Shulman. Friday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. HRC Equality Center, 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Tickets are $12, or $25 for VIP seating as well as the post-show reception with open bar and light fare. Call 800-7774723 or visit reelaffirmations.org.

Compiled by Doug Rule

FILM CHAPLIN’S THE KID

Composer/performer Andrew Earle Simpson performs his new piano score to Charlie Chaplin’s first feature-length film as a director, the second offering in the Atlas’s new Silent Film Series. Dating to 1921, The Kid is an imaginative and affecting Chaplin comedy, widely considered one of the greatest films of the silent era, and featured as Chaplin’s co-star then-child actor Jackie Coogan, best known as Uncle Fester from The Addams Family. Sunday, Dec. 11, at 4 p.m. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20. Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.

HOLIDAY INN

Over the next few weeks, the American Film Institute offers 11 Christmas flicks, both classic and curious, from The Muppet Christmas Carol and White Christmas to Die Hard and Gremlins, both of which we consider to be a bit of a stretch. But the Holiday Classic screening this weekend is the 1942 Irving Berlin-composed musical Holiday

Inn, directed by Mark Sandrich and starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. One song from the score, “White Christmas,” became so successful, it begat a musical to call its own a dozen years later, a loose reimagining of this one, set in snowy Connecticut. Friday, Dec. 2, at 12:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 3, at 11 a.m., and Sunday, Dec. 4, at 11 a.m. AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $10. Call 301-495-6720 or visit afi.com/ Silver.

PANDAS: THE JOURNEY HOME

National Geographic captures on film the giant pandas living in Wolong National Nature Reserve in China. One of the rarest species on the planet, the ever-elusive, gentle creature is also on the brink of extinction due to centuries of human expansion and destruction of their habitat. Nicholas Brown’s 40-minute natural history film educates viewers on the life and habits of pandas as well as scientific efforts to increase breeding. In 3D. Now to Dec. 31. National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St. NW. Tickets are $7. Call 202-857-7588 or visit ngmuseum.org.

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

STAGE A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Craig Wallace takes over from Edward Gero as the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge in Ford’s Theatre’s 35th anniversary production of Dickens’ Yuletide classic. The music-infused adaptation was originally conceived by Michael Baron. To Dec. 31. Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th St. NW. Call 800-982-2787 or visit fordstheatre.org.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A GHOST STORY OF CHRISTMAS

Olney Theatre Center presents another seasonal run of the oneman portrayal of the Dickens classic by Paul Morella, who bases his adaptation on Dickens’ original novella and reading tour. To Dec. 31. The Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md. Call 301-9243400 or visit olneytheatre.org.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL MEMORY

Creative Cauldron’s Laura Connors Hull conceived of and directs a world premiere of yet another twist on Charles Dickens. A young girl reawakens memories and spurs on renewal of a longlost tradition in her bah-humbug family — a tradition of reenacting

A Christmas Carol with puppets. Jennifer Clements wrote the book and Margie Jervis designed the sets, costumes and puppets for this show featuring a 12-member cast led by David Schmidt, Kathy Halenda and 5th grader Madeline Aldana portraying little girl Charlotte. Opens Thursday, Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20. ArtSpace Falls Church, 410 South Maple Ave. Falls Church. Tickets are $30. Call 703-436-9948 or visit creativecauldron.org.

A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE

Originally staged at London’s Young Vic, the Kennedy Center presents Belgian director Ivo van Hove’s take on the Arthur Miller classic, which won two Tony Awards for Best Director and Best Revival of a Play. A dark and passionate tale of family, love and duplicity, A View from the Bridge is set in a small Italian-American Brooklyn neighborhood in the ‘50s. Frederick Weller, Catherine Combs and Thomas Jay Ryan star. To Dec. 3. Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Tickets are $45 to $149. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

AMERICAN HERO

Three unlikely allies try to keep a sandwich shop afloat when its

THEATRICAL GREETINGS

Area theaters have taken holiday themes and tweaked them to bring even more joy to the world

owner mysteriously disappears in Bess Wohl’s dark comedy about “life, liberty and the pursuit of sandwiches.” Columbia’s Rep Stage presents the regional premiere, directed by Suzanne Beal. A post-recession look at class issues in today’s economy presents what New York Times calls “a wry, compassionate attitude toward American workers barely clinging to the bottom runs of the economic ladder.” To Dec. 3. The Horowitz Center’s Studio Theatre at Howard Community College, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway,

Columbia, Md. Tickets are $35 to $40. Call 443-518-1500 or visit repstage.org.

BLACK NATIVITY

Theater Alliance offers a production of Langston Hughes’s retelling of the Biblical Christmas story from an Afrocentric perspective, incorporating gospel, blues, funk, jazz and dance, with griot-style storytelling from an ensemble cast. Black Nativity was one of the first plays written by an African American to appear on Broadway over 50 years

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

PHOTO CREDIT

IGHT ABOUT NOW, MANY AREA THEATERS ARE betting that you really need to laugh. And that you crave a lot of Charles Dickens in your life. In fact, you can even laugh at Dickens through two separate loosely scripted, mostly improvised satires. TWIST YOUR DICKENS is A Christmas Carol parody presented by Second City at the Kennedy Center (12/931), while BAH, HUMBUG! AN IMPROVISED CHRISTMAS CAROL is a presentation by the Baltimore Improv Group in partnership with the two Drafthouse comedy venues (12/9-10, 12/16-17, Drafthouse Comedy; 12/22-23, Arlington Drafthouse). And there’s plenty more where that came from, with at least five local variations on the classic holiday ghost story, including the Ford’s Theatre standard-bearer, which, in Craig Wallace, has a new Ebenezer Scrooge in its 35th year. Other productions have adapted the short story as a one-man show — Paul Morella’s A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A GHOST STORY OF CHRISTMAS at Olney Theatre Center (Now-12/31) and Laura Connors Hull’s A CHRISTMAS CAROL MEMORY at Creative Cauldron, which uses puppets (to 12/20). There’s even Dickens influence in the classic Whoville saga, DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL. The heartwarming show about that mean one returns to D.C. and the National Theatre for a special holiday run (12/13-31). In addition to the seasonal satire NUT-CRACKING HOLIDAY REVUE returning for another run at the Arlington Drafthouse (12/9-10, 12/16-18), the famed Chicago-based company Second City offers an even more provocative show at Woolly Mammoth. BLACK SIDE OF THE MOON features an all-African-American cast examining what it means to be black in a post-Obama Trump era (to 1/1). More satirical laughter as medicine is on offer at the Edlavitch DCJCC, with the return of the Kinsey Sicks and its seasonal sendup, OY VEY IN A MANGER (12/20-28). Other companies are going with more serious, reason-forthe-season fare, including Folger’s THE SECOND SHEPHERDS’ PLAY, a retelling of the Nativity story with medieval English tunes performed live by the celebrated Folger Consort (to 12/21). And Theater Alliance presents its third annual production of the Helen Hayes Award-winning BLACK NATIVITY, Langston Hughes’s Afrocentric spin on the Biblical Christmas

tale (to 12/31, Anacostia Playhouse). Meanwhile, Washington Stage Guild revives its adaptation of another holiday warhorse, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY (to 12/18, Undercroft Theatre of Mount Vernon United Methodist Church). Round House presents one of two new, intriguing shows this season, MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY, set two years after Pride and Prejudice, imagining what might have transpired among Jane Austen’s fictional characters, chiefly middle daughter Mary Bennet (to 12/18). And then there’s Signature Theatre’s gift of SILVER BELLES (to 12/31). After all, what could be more gay-appealing than a musical centered around a handful of powerhouse female vocalists, including Donna Migliaccio and Nova Y. Payton? — Doug Rule ago. The winner of three Helen Hayes Awards last year, the Theater Alliance production is directed and choreographed by Princess Mhoon with music director e’Marcus Harper-Short. Tony Thomas as Joseph and Danielle Glover as Mary lead a 12-member cast. To Dec. 31. Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Place SE. Tickets are $40 to $50. Call 202-241-2539 or visit theateralliance.com.

INTO THE WOODS

Fiasco Theater’s streamlined reinvention of one of Stephen Sondheim’s most popular musicals, with a cast playing instruments on stage, was a surprise hit last year in New York. Now the fairy tale borne out of five classic Grimms’ fairy tales ventures down to our neck of the woods for a month-long run over the holidays. In previews starting Tuesday, Dec. 6. Runs through Jan. 8. Kennedy Center Eisenhower

Theater. Tickets are $45 to $175. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY

The Washington Stage Guild revives Joe Landry’s adaptation of the classic film tale as a radio play after a successful run last year. Joe Brack portrays the lead character, here named Jake Laurents, in this production directed by Laura Giannarelli also featuring Vincent Clark, Jennifer Donovan, Julie-Ann Elliott and Nick Depinto. Steven Carpenter returns as the show’s Helen Hayes-nominated sound engineer, operating in full view of the audience. Now to Dec. 6. Undercroft Theatre of Mount Vernon United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Tickets are $40 to $50. Call 240582-0050 or visit stageguild.org.

LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES

Two French aristocrats challenge each other to seduce unsuspecting innocents in Christopher Hampton’s bracing drama of control and betrayal drawn from the novel by Choderlos de Laclos. Hana S. Sharif directs a production starring Suzzanne Douglas and Brent Harris that offers a sneak peek into Center Stage’s Pearlstone Theatre, in the final stages of a year-long renovation. In previews starting Saturday, Nov. 26. Runs to Dec. 23. 700 North Calvert St., Baltimore. Tickets are $20 to $64. Call 410332-0033 or visit centerstage.org.

MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY

Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon’s holiday play is set two years after Pride and Prejudice, with the focus (unsurprisingly) on Mary Bennet. Eleanor Holdridge directs favorite characters as they gather at Pemberley, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, played by Danny Gavigan and Erin Weaver. Katie Kleiger is Miss Bennet. Now in previews. Runs to Dec. 18. Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda. Tickets are $55 to $70. Call 240-644-1100 or visit roundhousetheatre.org.

STRAIGHT WHITE MEN

A razor-sharp comedy confronting the complexities of identity and hypocrisies of privilege from adventurous New York playwright Young Jean Lee, focusing on a Christmas gathering between three brothers and their father. To Dec. 18. Studio Theatre, 14th & P Streets NW. Call 202-3323300 or visit studiotheatre.org.

THE CHRISTIANS

Set in a large, contemporary Christian church, Lucas Hnath’s The Christians offers an unflinching look at faith and its power to unite or divide. Gregg Henry directs a production featuring Caroline Clay,

Annie Grier, Michael Russotto, Justin Weaks and Michael Willis. A different local choir from area churches performs each night of the show’s run. To Dec. 11. The Aaron and Cecile Goldman Theater, Edlavitch DCJCC, 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets are $37 to $57. Call 202-777-3210 or visit theaterj.org.

THE SECOND CITY’S BLACK SIDE OF THE MOON

An all-African American troupe of sketch and stand-up artists satirize what it means to be black in our soonto-be post-Obama era. The show’s Second City ensemble consists of Angela Alise, Sonia Denis, Dave Helem, Torian Miller, Felonious Munk and Dewayne Perkins. To Jan. 1. At Woolly Mammoth, 641 D St. NW. Tickets range from $20 to $59. Call 202-393-3939 or visit woollymammoth.net.

THE SECOND SHEPHERDS’ PLAY

Mary Hall Surface directs a magical retelling of the Nativity story combining the moving tale with beautiful music — festive medieval English tunes performed by early music ensemble the Folger Consort. The cast features Tonya Beckman, Louis E. Davis, Megan Graves, Emily Noel, Lilian Oben, Malinda Kathleen Reese, Ryan Sellers and Matthew R. Wilson. To Dec. 21. Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $25 to $60. Call 202544-7077 or visit folger.edu.

THE ZERO HOUR

Iron Crow Theatre presents Madeline George’s play about the struggles of a lesbian Brooklynite to be be open and honest about her identity and relationship with her butch girlfriend. Rena Marie and Rebecca Tucker star in what is billed as a tour-de-force for two actors taking on eight roles. Performances are Friday, Dec. 2, at 8 p.m, Saturday, Dec. 3, at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 4, at 2 and 7 p.m. Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 West Preston St. Baltimore. Tickets are $25. Call 410-752-8558 or visit theatreproject.org.

MUSIC BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Edward Polochick conducts and plays harpsichord in the BSO’s annual complete performance of Handel’s majestic Messiah. The production also features soloists and concert artists of Baltimore Symphonic Chorale. Friday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 4, at 3 p.m. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore. Also Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $25 to $99. Call 410783-8000 or visit bsomusic.org.

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

HOLLY JOLLY

Musgraves

Our annual round-up of adventurous, inspiring holiday concerts

ANDEL’S MESSIAH, SING-ALONGS OF “SLEIGH BELLS” AND “SILENT Night,” The Nutcracker — whether the Tchaikovsky classic or the Duke Ellington-inspired modern variations — are never too much of a good thing. So here’s a look at some of the more unusual, adventurous, potentially inspiring, concert offerings this year. The GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF WASHINGTON is a prime offering for any alt-entertainment list, with its annual holiday grab-bag show, “Naughty and Nice.” (12/10, 12/17-18, Lincoln Theatre). This year’s Holiday Pops concert of carols and classics by the BSO features STORM LARGE, the Pink Martini vocalist (12/17-18, Meyerhoff). And for its Holiday Pops concert, the NSO presents LAURA OSNES and SANTINO FONTANA (12/9-10, Kennedy Center). A more intimate, insightful cabaret is on tap at McLean’s Alden Theatre, with noted jazz pianist and musicologist JOHN EATON’s Holiday Songbook (12/17). Year in, year out, D.C.’s leading jazz venue Blues Alley serves as a hotspot for getting into the holiday spirit. Our pick this year is “Christmas with JANE MONHEIT” (12/22-23). The jazz highlight of the season, however, is a concert by the SHERRIE MARICLE & THE DIVA ORCHESTRA, who will sing from Ella Fitzgerald’s classic Christmas songbook (12/16-17, Kennedy Center). The Howard Theatre is home BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, STEP AFRIKA!

Jazz composer Paul Murtha has created an entire, two-act Swingin Nutcracker riffing off of Duke Ellington’s reimagining of the classic story. Nicholas Hersh conducts a semi-staged production of a world premiere featuring vibrant and percussive choreography by dancers with Washington’s Step Afrika! Thursday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Also Friday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 10, at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2

p.m. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore. Tickets are $12.50 to $60. Call 410783-8000 or visit bsomusic.org.

BOSTON BRASS

“Christmas Bells Are Swinging!” is the focus of this holiday concert by the 30-year-old organization, presented as part of the Barns’ Chamber Music Series. Sunday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $38. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org.

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

CECILY

base for holiday soul/R&B music, kicked off by D.C. native RAHEEM DEVAUGHN and his Annual Holiday Charity Concert with friends including Chrisette Michele, Kelly Price and V Bozeman, the female voice of Empire (12/20). The most diverse slate this year can be found at The Hamilton, veering from jazz to roots/bluegrass to rock, plus a Chicano rock/Tex-Mex blended holiday-themed show performed by the “La Bamba” Latino legends LOS LOBOS (12/20). Country star KACEY MUSGRAVES, best known for her pro-LGBT hit “Follow Your Arrow,” points hers to the North Pole this year with “A Very Kacey Christmas” (12/10, National Theatre). For modern American folk, the 9:30 Club presents the OH HELLOS, the silly, sweet-singing siblings Tyler and Maggie Heath who will crack jokes and perform songs from their Family Christmas Album (12/13). The Andrews Sisters-inspired doo-wop/pop trio BANDANA SPLITS with original holiday tunes and original spins on Christmas classics (12/11, Strathmore). Meanwhile, the WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA presents two opera-focused productions, including a night of arias and holiday classics from Bizet, Puccini, Britten and Tchaikovsky performed by singers from its Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists program (12/7, Strathmore). TRIO SEFARDI offers a rare Hanukkah treat this year, performing the Sephardic music of Jews from Spain and other parts of the Ottoman Empire (12/6, Kennedy Center). Nordic winter traditions are the focus of this year’s run of Christmas concerts at the GW Lisner by the 75-member WASHINGTON REVELS (12/10-18). Wolf Trap ends the year with a holiday bang, including a performance in the Barns of “Yule Songs” by eclectic seven-piece a cappella group THE SWINGLES (12/2). Finally, one free highlight every year is the holiday concert featuring the Capitol Pride Symphonic Band and other small ensembles of the DC DIFFERENT DRUMMERS, a benefit for Food for Friends (12/11, Lutheran Church of the Reformation). —Doug Rule

Increasingly known by mononym, young soprano and D.C. native Cecil Bumbray’s sound is rooted in a deep appreciation for mid-century soul and jazz, ‘90s-era R&B and contemporary folk. More specifically, it’s rooted in influences from Chocolate City forebears, from Duke Ellington to Gil Scott-Heron to Roberta Flack. “Cecily Salutes DC” is Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7 and 9 p.m. Lab Theatre II at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $25. Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.

DAR WILLIAMS

On the 20th anniversary of its release, Dar Williams performs Return to Mortal City in its entirety, along with other favorites, with a special reading each night: author Beth Macy on Friday, Dec. 1, and Barry Lynn Saturday, Dec. 2. Concert starts at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $35. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.

DARK STAR ORCHESTRA

All Good presents the annual return to the 9:30 Club of the Chicago-

based tribute band to the Grateful Dead, which obsessively recreates a set list from a particular performance, with the goal of “raising the Dead” for Deadheads. Even original members of the Dead themselves have sung the orchestra’s praises — when not singing their own in Dead & Company. Friday, Dec. 2., and Saturday, Dec. 3. Doors at 7 p.m. Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $29. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.

DAVE KOZ CHRISTMAS TOUR 2015

So what if he’s Jewish? Saxophonist Dave Koz loves Christmas songs and has had a hit with this annual Christmas show. Saturday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m. National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $68 to $98, or $198 for a VIP seat also including a pre-concert Meet & Greet with autographed laminated photo and collectible gift. Call 202628-6161 or visit thenationaldc.org.

DC DIFFERENT DRUMMERS

The Capitol Pride Symphonic Band and other small ensembles from this LGBT music organization will perform concert versions of holiday tunes, from “Sleigh Bells” to “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” by John Lennon, at the free annual holiday concert that also doubles as a food drive for Food and Friends. Sunday, Dec. 11, at 3 p.m. The Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 212 East Capitol St. NE. Free, with request for food drive donations. Call 202-269-4868 or visit dcdd.org.

DRAGONETTE

The hip Canadian indie-dance band takes a spin through its repertoire, focusing on its just-released album, Royal Blues, packed with dance-pop tunes in the giddy and spirited style that has become the band’s signature sound. Friday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. U Street Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW. Tickets are $20. Call 202-5881880 or visit ustreetmusichall.com.

GLORIA REUBEN

Still probably best known as Jeanie Boulet, the HIV-positive nurse on NBC’s ‘90s-era hit show E.R. that helped inspire her to become an activist on the issue, Gloria Reuben has also portrayed Elizabeth Keckley in the film Lincoln and currently has recurring roles on USA Network’s Mr. Robot and Bounce TV’s Saints & Sinners, among other acting work in Hollywood. Yet Reuben has also long had a side career in music — including serving as a backup singer and dancer on Tina Turner’s 2000 tour. “I’ve had some nerve-wracking auditions,” Reuben put it to Metro Weekly two years ago when recalling getting that particular gig. Reuben returns to Blues Alley on a tour in support of Perchance to Dream, a collection of jazz favorites with a few origi-

nals. Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 8 and 10 p.m. Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are $25, plus $12 minimum purchase. Call 202-3374141 or visit bluesalley.com.

MEGAN HILTY

Over the past decade, actress Megan Hilty has played Glinda in Wicked, Doralee Rhodes in 9 to 5: The Musical and Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, but she’s most widely known as the ambitious Ivy Lynn on Smash, the NBC television series about the making of a new musical. In recent years Hilty has turned to a recording career, including her debut pop set It Happens All The Time, and especially to performing cabarets. She returns to the Kennedy Center for an intimate Christmas concert, part of Renee Fleming’s Voices series. Thursday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m., and Friday, Dec. 9, at 7 and 9 p.m. Kennedy Center Family Theater. Tickets are $85 to $99. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

PAPERHAUS

Popular D.C. four-piece, founded by Alex Tebeleff and Eduardo Rivera, makes rhythmically oriented, psychedelic pop with a mournful edge, recalling everything from Joy Division and the Doors to contemporaries Deerhunter and Lower Dens. Georgetown’s Gypsy Sally presents a concert in an unlikely but not uncommon venue, the functioning hotel off South Capitol Street in the Navy Yard. Wednesday, Dec. 7. Doors at 7 p.m. Capitol Skyline Hotel, 10 I St. SW. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 day of show. Call 202-488-7500 or visit gypsysallys.com.

TURKUAS & THE NEW MASTERSOUNDS

Referred to as “the musical love child of Sly & the Family Stone and Talking Heads, Turkuas is a nine-piece “funk army” from Brooklyn. Digitonium, the band’s latest longplayer — emphasis on long — evokes ‘80s dance music, and will be brought to life on stage through signature colorful costumes and choreographed dance moves. Turkuas will share the stage at a double-bill concert with British four-piece jazz fusion/funk band the New Mastersounds, touring in support of its 10th studio set Made for Pleasure, inspired by and recorded in New Orleans. Friday, Dec. 9. Doors at 8 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $22. Call 202-2650930 or visit 930.com.

VERONNEAU

D.C.-based acoustic quartet, led by its namesake French-Canadian vocalist, offers jazz from around the world, from swing to samba to gypsy. Also featuring two guitarists — Lynn Veronneau’s husband Ken Avis and David Rosenblatt — the group increasingly travels the world performing its accessible spin on glob-

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

CONNECTIONS: CONTEMPORARY CRAFT AT THE RENWICK

New acquisitions made during the Renwick Gallery’s renovation are now on display along with iconic favorites in the permanent collection. More than 80 objects are featured as part of a dynamic presentation celebrating craft as a discipline and an approach to living differently in the modern world. Ongoing. Renwick Gallery, Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW. Fr. Call 202-633-1000 or visit renwick. americanart.si.edu.

YUMMM! THE HISTORY, FANTASY AND FUTURE OF FOOD

CHAISE LOUNGE

The D.C.-based band has been a staple at hip bars around the area, along with more august venues such as the Kennedy Center. After performing with Natalie Cole and Dizzy Gillespie, Chaise Lounge, featuring vocalist Marilyn Older, performs swing standards as well as original tunes — all on a “Swinging Holiday” theme. Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are $22.50, plus $10 minimum purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or visit bluesalley.com. al grooves. Next stop, another free Millennium Stage concert. Sunday, Dec. 4, at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center Theater Lab. Free. Call 202-4674600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

WNO’S DOMINGO-CAFRITZ YOUNG ARTISTS

Singers from the Washington National Opera’s training program, accompanied by the WNO Children’s Chorus and Orchestra, perform a program of both opera arias as well as general classical standards that have become associated with the end-of-year holiday season. Expect selections by Bizet, Puccini, Britten, Strauss — and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $25 to $75. Call 301-5815100 or visit strathmore.org.

DANCE THE WASHINGTON BALLET: THE NUTCRACKER

Every year for the past 12 years, Washington Ballet’s artistic director Septime Webre has offered his own twist on the family favorite, setting it in D.C.’s historic Georgetown neighborhood with George Washington as the titular figure and King George III as the

Rat King. After two weekends in the intimate THEARC space in Southeast D.C. as part of the company’s efforts to spread and diversify its audience, the production sets up shop for nearly all of December at downtown’s Warner Theatre. Opens in a preview Thursday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. Runs to Dec. 27. Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. Tickets are $35 to $126. Call 202-889-5901 or visit washingtonballet.org.

READINGS AND LECTURES KEVIN FEDARKO, PETE MCBRIDE

“Between River and Rim: Hiking the Grand Canyon” is a discussion by a writer and photographer/filmmaker team about their audacious and demanding adventure, transecting the length of the canyon on foot. It expands on “Are We Losing the Grand Canyon?” from the September National Geographic. Thursday, Dec. 8, at 7:30 p.m. National Geographic Society’s Gilbert H. Grosvenor Auditorium, 1600 M St. NW. Tickets are $25. Call 202-857-7700 or visit nglive.org or events.nationalgeographic.com.

THE DOMA DIARIES

The Rainbow Theatre Project offers a staged reading of Kevin Michael West’s Capital Fringe hit examining the Defense of Marriage

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Act and the effects it has had on the lives of three LGBT couples. West helms the reading with a cast including Renae Erichsen-Teal, Joy Gerst, Nell Quinn-Gibney, Garrett Matthews, Christian Rohde and Steven Wolf. Sunday, Dec. 11, and Monday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 p.m. Source, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20. Call 202-204-7760 or visit rainbowtheatreproject.org.

EXHIBITS CNN POLITICS CAMPAIGN 2016: LIKE, SHARE, ELECT

The Newseum has partnered with CNN — as well as Facebook, Instagram, Zignal Labs and Pivit — to offer an interactive exhibit telling the story of the 2016 presidential campaign in real time, which, let’s face it, is even more fantastical than the story of Alice jumping down the rabbit hole. The exhibit explores the ways digital and social media have transformed how candidates campaign, how journalists cover elections and how the public participates in the political process. Through Jan. 22. Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $22.95 for general admission. Call 888-NEWSEUM or visit newseum.org.

One of the quirkiest museums around celebrates its 21st birthday with a playful visual feast featuring works by 34 artists focused on humankind’s relationship with food. Food-centric paintings, sculptures, embroideries, installations, and films are part of this exploration of the serious creative vision needed to reinvent how a planet of an estimated 9.6 billion people will eat in the year 2050. Runs to Sept. 3, 2017. American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Highway. Baltimore. Tickets are $15.95. Call 410-244-1900 or visit avam.org.

ABOVE & BEYOND NATIONAL ZOO’S ZOOLIGHTS

Every year the Smithsonian’s National Zoo presents ZooLights, in which more than 500,000 colorful Christmas lights illuminate life-sized animal silhouettes, dancing trees, buildings, and walkways, plus a light show set to music. All that, plus select animal houses will be open and displaying nocturnal creatures, including the Small Mammal House, the Great Ape House and Reptile Discovery Center. Every night except Dec. 24 and 25 until Jan. 1. National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free, courtesy of Pepco. Call 202-6334800 or visit nationalzoo.si.edu.

TORPEDO FACTORY’S 2016 HOLIDAY FESTIVAL

Before and after Alexandria’s Holiday Boat Parade of Lights on the Potomac, the Torpedo Factory Art Center offers a magical winter wonderland where shoppers can buy locally made art from more than 150 artists and 80 studios. Handmade jewelry, ceramics, photography, paintings and other original works will be available, and the evening will feature a children’s scavenger hunt, live music, snacks and a visit from Santa. Saturday, Dec. 3, from 2 to 9 p.m. Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 North Union St. Alexandria. Free. Call 703-838-4565 or visit torpedofactory.org. l

Community COMMUNITY WORLD AIDS DAY OBSERVATION to com-

memorate those lost to HIV and honor those still living with the virus. Light breakfast will be served. HIV testing on site. 8:45-10:30 a.m. 1225 W St. SE. For more information, visit uniontemple.com.

The DC ANTI-VIOLENCE PROJECT (DC AVP), the group

dedicated to combating antiLGBT hate crimes, holds its monthly meeting at The DC Center. 7-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

TODD FRANSON / FILE PHOTO

The Latin American Youth Center (LYC) hosts a WORLD

AIDS DAY COMMUNITY HEALTH FAIR. The event will

Budd

FILLING A VOID

A new nonprofit hopes to provide much needed services for the trans community.

ARLINE BUDD IS NO STRANGER TO SETBACKS. AND SHE’S A CHAMPION AT TACKLING them head on. The longtime activist and advocate, whose name has been synonymous with providing direct services to the District’s transgender community, was crushed when the organization she founded, Transgender Health Empowerment, closed in 2013 due to financial mismanagement. “I just couldn’t bear to lose the organization and not start something up to fill what we had lost,” she says. What particularly disturbed Budd was the loss of THE’s drop-in center and its ability to provide housing for clients. Budd began talking with people to re-establish a similar center that would offer direct services such as housing navigation, health care coordination, and substance abuse programs. While there’s still much work to be done before Empowering the Transgender Community, her new non-profit, can officially open its doors, Budd remains hopeful. As the board searches for a permanent home for the organization, ETC will rent space from The DC Center. ETC has also obtained grant money from the Diversity Fund to help with setup costs. In the meantime, direct services can be accessed through HIPS, where Budd currently works. “Ultimately, ETC will be a housing provider in the District for transgender people,” says Budd, who will serve as the organization’s executive director. “We plan to have a multifaceted program where we will be providing mental health, substance abuse, workforce development and case management all in one building. It’s going to take us a minute to get the funding and get the building. We don’t know the time frame. We are going to get it done.” —John Riley If you’re seeking housing or other direct services, contact Earline Budd at 202-210-3629 or email earline_budd@yahoo.com. For more information on Empowering the Trans Community, or to donate, visit empowertransdc.org.

THURSDAY, December 1 WORLD AIDS DAY AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Black, Gifted and Whole present #POZART: A WORLD

AIDS DAY UNIFICATION

bringing together HIV-negative and HIV-positive artists to share their work, build bridges and commemorate World AIDS

Day. 6-9 p.m. Busboys & Poets — Brookland, 625 Monroe St. NE. For more information, visit pozart.eventbrite.com. Join Covenant Baptist Church, Impulse Group DC, and the OASIS Dance Company for

REQUIEM FOR A DREAM IV: WORLD AIDS DAY PRAISE NIGHT. Candlelight prayer vigil

will be accompanied by sing-

ing, dancing and spoken word performances commemorating those lost to HIV/AIDS and the survivors of the epidemic. 7 p.m. 3845 S. Capitol St. SW. For more information, visit covenant.org. Join Union Temple Baptist Church and WhitmanWalker Health for a WORLD

AIDS DAY GATHERING: A

feature a panel discussion with a question-and-answer session. First 50 people to arrive will receive a $10 gift card. 4-7 p.m. LYC, 1419 Columbia Rd. NW. For more information, call Nicole Conner, 202-319-2259 or email nicolec@layc-dc.org. The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) hosts “IT

TAKES A VILLAGE TO END HIV/AIDS,” a health fair com-

memorating World AIDS Day. Featuring HIV and Hepatitis C testing, courtesy of Us Helping Us, People Into Living, and blood pressure, diabetes, liver and other health screenings. Lunch provided. 1-4 p.m. UDC, Student Center Grand Ballroom, 4200 Connecticut Ave. NW. For more information, contact Chereen Leid, chereen.leid @udc.edu. The Women’s Collective hosts a WORLD AIDS DAY FASHION

SHOW: SHADES OF BLUE 2.0. 6:30 p.m. Busboys & Poets,

235 Carroll St. NW. For more information, visit womenscollective.org. Visit the new DC HEALTH

AND WELLNESS CENTER for its grand opening on Dec. 1. HIV and STD/STI information and testing available, as well as free condoms, courtesy of HAHSTA. 77 P St. NE. For more information, call 202-7417692 or visit doh.dc.gov.

FRIDAY, December 2 GAY DISTRICT, a group for

GBTQQI men between the ages of 18-35, meets on the first and third Fridays of each month. 8:30-9:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit gaydistrict.org.

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

PHOTO COURTESY ADAM DAHL

The DC Center hosts a meeting of its TRANS SUPPORT GROUP focusing on issues important to transgender people and those who identify outside of the gender binary. 7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

SATURDAY, December 3 ADVENTURING outdoors group Dahl (R) with fellow volunteers at the Annual Rock Creek Extreme Clean-up

VOLUNTEER SPIRIT

Burgundy Crescent Volunteers may have disbanded, but its former members have found ways to continue their work

.C. IS SUCH A BIG CITY, AND THE SERVICES aren’t there to do litter pickups — that’s what started my volunteer work,” says Adam Dahl, former organizer for Burgundy Crescent Volunteers’ BurGREENdy initiative focusing on environmental volunteer projects. “I like the idea of making the city a cleaner place.” Since 2008, Dahl has picked up litter in Anacostia, planted trees, worked with the National Park Service on recycling activities around the Tidal Basin, and removed invasive plants from the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. In September, BCV announced it would be disbanding, ending a 15-year tenure as D.C.’s most prominent LGBT-run volunteer organization. Dahl refused to call it quits and sought out partners to work on local environmental improvement projects. “I try to do at least one event per month,” he says. “I reach out to friends and see who’s interested in helping out. I keep in touch with people from BCV and try to keep them in the loop.” Dahl isn’t the only former BCV member to continue the organization’s work with local soup kitchens, animal shelters and nonprofits. Those interested in working on hunger issues may reach out directly to food-related nonprofits, such as the DC Central Kitchen and Food & Friends. Animal lovers, meanwhile, have continued to maintain a working relationship with organizations like Lost Dog & Cat Rescue. “I’m a longtime animal owner and lover,” says volunteer Cary Jasgur. “In almost every city I’ve lived in I’ve gotten involved with some rescue organization.” Jasgur’s volunteerism involves assisting with pet adoption days, at local PetsMart stores and he’s always looking for others to assist. “I coordinate eight slots for volunteers on the first and third Saturdays of each month at the PetsMart in Seven Corners,” he says. “You don’t necessarily have to be an outgoing individual, because a lot of times, the pets will sell themselves. You just have to be confident and comfortable answering questions.” For more information on “green” volunteer activities and cleanup opportunities, contact Adam Dahl, facebook.com/adam.c.dahl. To volunteer with Food & Friends, email Beth Stewart at estewart@foodandfriends.org. For more information on same-day pet adoptions with Lost Dog & Cat Rescue, email Cary Jasgur at cjasgur@gmail.com.

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

hikes 7 miles on guided walking tour of Fredericksburg (Va.) Battlefield. Bring beverages, about $10 for fees, and money for lunch in downtown restaurant. Carpool at 9 a.m. from King Street Metro Station. For more information, contact Craig at 202-462-0535. Adventuring.org.

CENTER GLOBAL, a group that fights against anti-LGBTI laws and cultures in 80 countries, holds its monthly meeting on the first Saturday of every month. 12-2 p.m. The DC Center, 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org. St. Stephen and the Incarnation hosts a WORLD AIDS DAY PRAYER BRUNCH. Confidential HIV testing offered on site, with a candlelight prayer service and featuring guest speakers. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 1525 Newton St. NW. For more information, call 202-232-0900 or visit saintstephensdc.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)

practice session at Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr., SW. 9:30-11 a.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

DIGNITYUSA offers Roman

Catholic Mass for the LGBT community. 6 p.m., St. Margaret’s Church, 1820 Connecticut Ave. NW. All welcome. Sign interpreted. For more info, visit dignitynova.org.

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

welcomes all to 10:30 a.m. service, 945 G St. NW. firstuccdc.org or 202-628-4317.

FRIENDS MEETING OF WASHINGTON meets for worship,

10:30 a.m., 2111 Florida Ave. NW, Quaker House Living Room (next to Meeting House on Decatur Place), 2nd floor. Special welcome to lesbians and gays. Handicapped accessible from Phelps Place gate. Hearing assistance. quakersdc.org.

HOPE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST welcomes GLBT community for worship. 10:30 a.m., 6130 Old Telegraph Road, Alexandria. hopeucc.org.

HSV-2 SOCIAL AND SUPPORT GROUP for gay men living in the

DC metro area. This group will be meeting once a month. For information on location and time, visit H2gether.com.

Volunteers sought to help with same-day adoptions for LOST DOG & CAT RESCUE at the Seven Corners PetsMart. 12-3 p.m. 6100 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church, Va. Space is limited to 8 volunteers. For more information and to reserve a spot, email Cary Jasgur, cjasgur@gmail.com.

INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT, God-centered

SUNDAY, December 4

an inclusive, loving and progressive faith community every Sunday. 11 a.m. 1701 11th Street NW, near R in Shaw/Logan neighborhood. lincolntemple.org.

CHRYSALIS arts & culture group

visits Old Patent Office Building to see exhibits on Portrait Competition Winners, Washington colorist Gene Davis, and others. Free. Lunch follows. Meet at noon in lobby near 8th & G Streets, NW, near the Gallery Place Metro. For more information, contact Craig, 202-462-0535. craighowell1@verizon.net.

Weekly Events LGBT-inclusive ALL SOULS

MEMORIAL EPISCOPAL CHURCH

celebrates Low Mass at 8:30 a.m., High Mass at 11 a.m. 2300 Cathedral Ave. NW. 202-232-4244, allsoulsdc.org.

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

new age church & learning center. Sunday Services and Workshops event. 5419 Sherier Place NW. isddc.org. Join LINCOLN

CONGREGATIONAL TEMPLE – UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST for

LUTHERAN CHURCH OF REFORMATION invites all to

Sunday worship at 8:30 or 11 a.m. Childcare is available at both services. Welcoming LGBT people for 25 years. 212 East Capitol St. NE. reformationdc.org.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA services at 11 a.m., led

by Rev. Emma Chattin. Children’s Sunday School, 11 a.m. 10383 Democracy Lane, Fairfax. 703-6910930, mccnova.com.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH 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 CHRISTIAN CHURCH, inclusive church with

WEDNESDAY, December 7

RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH,

a Christ-centered, interracial, welcoming-and-affirming church, offers service at 10 a.m. 680 I St. SW. 202-554-4330, riversidedc.org.

BOOKMEN DC, an informal men’s gay-literature group, discusses Vincent Woodward’s The Delectable Negro: Human Consumption and Homoeroticism within U.S. Slave Culture. 7:30 p.m. Tenleytown Library, 4450 Wisconsin Ave NW. All welcome. For more information, visit bookmendc.blogspot.com.

ST. STEPHEN AND THE INCARNATION, an “interra-

THE TOM DAVOREN SOCIAL BRIDGE CLUB meet for Social

GLBT fellowship, offers gospel worship, 8:30 a.m., and traditional worship, 11 a.m. 5 Thomas Circle NW. 202-232-0323, nationalcitycc.org.

cial, multi-ethnic Christian Community” offers services in English, 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., and in Spanish at 5:15 p.m. 1525 Newton St. NW. 202-232-0900, saintstephensdc.org.

UNITARIAN CHURCH OF ARLINGTON, an LGBTQ welcom-

ing-and-affirming congregation, offers services at 10 a.m. Virginia Rainbow UU Ministry. 4444 Arlington Blvd. uucava.org.

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF SILVER SPRING

invites LGBTQ families and individuals of all creeds and cultures to join the church. Services 9:15 and 11:15 a.m. 10309 New Hampshire Ave. uucss.org.

UNIVERSALIST NATIONAL MEMORIAL CHURCH, a welcom-

ing and inclusive church. GLBT Interweave social/service group meets monthly. Services at 11 a.m., Romanesque sanctuary. 1810 16th St. NW. 202-387-3411, universalist.org.

MONDAY, December 5 The DC Center hosts a VOLUNTEER NIGHT for community members to lend a hand with various duties, including cleaning, keeping safe-sex kit inventory, and sorting through book donations. Pizza provided. 6:30-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

TUESDAY, December 6 THE HIV WORKING GROUP of THE DC CENTER hosts a “Packing

Party,” where volunteers assemble safe-sex kits of condoms and lube. 7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

VOCAL ARTS DC is seeking volun-

teers to serve as guides for its Dec. 6 concert. Dress warmly and arrive by 6:30 p.m. for training. Theatre of the Arts, UDC, 4200 Connecticut Ave. NW. Contact Gregory Stuart at 917621-6005 or gregorystuart@vocalartsdc.org, or Peter Russell at 202-6691463 or info@vocalartsdc.org.

Bridge. 7:30 p.m. Dignity Center, 721 8th St, SE across from Marine Barracks. No partner needed. For more information, contact 301345-1571.

Weekly Events AD LIB, a group for freestyle con-

versation, meets about 6-6:30 p.m., Steam, 17th and R NW. All welcome. For more information, call Fausto Fernandez, 703-732-5174.

ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH offers free HIV testing,

9-5 p.m., and HIV services (by appointment). 202-291-4707, andromedatransculturalhealth.org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds

practice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Garrison Elementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscandals.wordpress.com.

FREEDOM FROM SMOKING, a group for LGBT people looking to quit cigarettes and tobacco use, holds a weekly support meeting at The DC Center. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org. HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker Health. At the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, 1701 14th St. NW, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max Robinson Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointment call 202-745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org. METROHEALTH CENTER offers free, rapid HIV testing. No appointment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. 202638-0750. NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite 200, Arlington. Appointments: 703-789-4467. PRIME TIMERS OF DC, social club for mature gay men, hosts weekly happy hour/dinner. 6:30 p.m., Windows Bar above Dupont Italian Kitchen, 1637 17th St. NW. Carl, 703-573-8316. l Submit your community event for consideration at least 10 days prior to the Thursday publication you would like it to appear. Email to calendar@metroweekly.com.

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

The Calling

But whatever led Ron Simmons to become executive director of Us Helping Us, People Into Living, it’s the community that ultimately benefited. For nearly two-and-a-half decades, Simmons worked at the nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing HIV rates among black gay and bi men and pursuing a holistic approach to treating those who are HIV-positive. It was that attitude toward health that attracted Simmons, first as a client, then as a moderator for a support group, and finally into the post of executive director. It was an outcome that was far from guaranteed for the young Simmons, who, as a youth contemplated suicide because of severe isolation and his struggle with his sexual orientation. As puberty hit, the other boys in the neighborhood began pursuing girls, something Simmons knew he had no interest in. “I didn’t know what the hell was going on,” he says. “By the time I was thirteen, I was really a mess. I had no friends, I didn’t want to go outside. I was the sissy on the block. I was planning to kill myself, to the point that I actually told my parents what I planned to do, not because I wanted them to freak out, but because I wanted to explain to them so that when I did it, they wouldn’t be surprised.” Simmons’ parents took him to a professional to deal with his suicidal thoughts. When the doctor asked him what was wrong, and Simmons admitted his feelings of same-sex attraction, the response was, “Don’t do that. You’ll get in trouble.” Simmons decided to kill himself by stepping into speeding traffic. As he prepared to die, he suddenly heard a voice saying, “Don’t do it. Wait until you get older, things will be different.” It was the first time that Simmons had heard the voice. But it wouldn’t be the last. “Around ’83, when I finished my classwork, AIDS and HIV are beginning to happen. So the question was, ‘Why should I be a PhD?’” he says of his doctorate at Howard University. “Because if I have the disease, I may only have six months to live, so maybe I should drop out of school, get a job, buy a car and enjoy my last days on earth. Not that I knew I was positive, but I figured I was going to be.” In 1986, Simmons was riding a bicycle when he was hit by a car. He was knocked unconscious and woke up in D.C. General Hospital, where the doctor told him he was lucky to be alive. Left alone to wonder what had just happened, Simmons heard the voice again. “It said, ‘I’ve got work for you to do, and you need a PhD to do it. Don’t worry about a slow, lingering death, because if I want you, I’ll take your life, see.’ I was like ‘Whoa!’ The accident was in October, and by that next May I was defending [my dissertation] because when...God tells you to do something, you’ve got to listen. So I got the PhD.” Simmons started teaching at Howard University, and while he enjoyed his post at the university, the voice told him, “This is 28

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

not the work.” Five years after the accident — and one year after testing positive for HIV, at the time considered a death sentence — Simmons heard about a meditation support group for black gay men who were HIV-positive. Though initially resistant, he attended the meeting and fell in love with Us Helping Us’ focus on holistic health for HIV-positive people and its various support groups. “What made Us Helping Us unique was that we told people you could live with HIV, and we were the only black group doing it,” he says. Simmons dove into Us Helping Us’ programs, even becoming moderator of a support group. In 1992, he was approached by the organization’s founder, who asked him to become the executive director. It was a job he would hold for 24 years, until announcing his retirement earlier in 2016. Through grants, Simmons has managed to obtain funding for Us Helping Us’ operational and programming needs, continuing to work even while he was battling pneumocystis pneumonia and tuberculosis on two separate occasions. His commitment to the organization has been unwavering. On the brink of departing an organization he’s steered for almost a quarter of a century, Simmons reflects on the changing landscape of HIV/AIDS activism, and the adaptations necessary for nonprofits to stay relevant. “The bigger problem is that the media is now saying AIDS is over, HIV is over,” says Simmons. “They know that AIDS doesn’t kill you because they can see on the streets that people are not dying. In the old days, you could see people walking around with Karposi’s lesions. You knew people who were in wheelchairs but were walking last week. You don’t see that anymore. Now, they take their pill, they go to the gym, they get just as buff, just as gorgeous as always. “You feared HIV because there’s no treatment, it’s going to kill you. Once they have a treatment for it, then it becomes a whole different thing. Because they’ve got a pill for it now. One pill a day if you’re positive, one pill a day if you’re negative. They’re working on injectables, where they give you an injection and you stay negative for three months. So why do we need support groups? Why do we need all of this AIDS infrastructure if that’s where we’re going?” METRO WEEKLY: Where did you grow up? RON SIMMONS: I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, in

housing projects called the Van Dyke Houses. We first lived on the fifth floor, and then, when my younger brother was born, we got a three-bedroom apartment in the next building. I have an older sister, who was here for the event with her children. Then I have a younger sister and a younger brother. They’re all up in New York. MW: What was your family like? SIMMONS: Very attached. I lived with my father and mother. My

DECEMBER 01, 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ METROWEEKLY

father had converted to Sunni Islam before I was born, so I was raised in Sunni Islamic fashion. So no drinking, no hanging out late at night. MW: Are you still practicing? SIMMONS: No, I stopped in high school. MW: Where did you first attend college? SIMMONS: State University of New York. I went there from ‘68 to ‘72. It had a profound effect on me. One, I came out. Two, I was involved in the student strike of 1970, and that profoundly changed my life. It was when Nixon started secretly bombing Cambodia and word got out. That’s the time that Kent State happened, when the military shot people on campuses. We shut down the campus and then we opened it the next day, so basically the faculty senate agreed to end the semester and gave everyone a pass/fail. We opened the campus the next day to our “liberation classes,” so we had classes about the war, classes about civil rights, classes about the Black Panthers. We offered childcare so that women in the neighborhood could attend the classes, so that was one wing. The second wing of students, I think we did like three publications, like weekly newspapers. The third arm, which I was part of, was progressive faculty would invite us to their homes for dinner, and they would invite their friends over, and we would talk about why we were on strike and about the war and about student life and that kind of stuff. We’d go maybe 50 miles out up in Leyden, in upstate New York, where people probably hadn’t seen many black people. It

was advised that I should probably get my doctorate if I’m going to do that, so I worked for a year to save up the money to come to D.C. MW: What was your first impression of Washington? SIMMONS: D.C. had such an intact, friendly black gay and lesbian community. The gays and lesbians partied together in D.C. That was one thing that the city was known for. They would have these house parties and there was just no other place like it. In my free time, I was working with Sidney Brinkley at Blacklight, the first black gay magazine. I was his photographer and I did the layout. Because I was his photographer, and because he had the only black, gay magazine in the country, we got invited to all of the A-list black, gay social events. It was a lot of great house parties at fabulous houses. I was seeing a part of black, gay social life that most people may not be aware of. At that time, D.C. was known to be very cliquish. If you were not in that clique, you really were not part of the whole social scene. There would be social networks of men, friends who knew friends and maybe they’d decide to have an Independence Day event at someone’s lovely suburban home in Maryland. You could have maybe 1,500 guys, black, gay men, educated professionals show up. MW: How did you get started in HIV/AIDS activism? SIMMONS: I got my doctorate in ’87. The deal I made with God was that if he would help me finish my dissertation, I would do AIDS work. So in 1988, I started being a buddy through WhitmanWalker and their buddy program. Basically, at the time, there was no treatment, so if you got AIDS, at some point you would just decline to a point where you had to have someone help you get your food, cook for you, clean for you, clean you, and that’s what the buddy would do. Even just keep you company, because you were not on the social A-list. No one was talking to you, so you’d have someone come by once a week or call you who you could talk to. In 1989, I resigned from the program. It’s interesting, because we would do a monthly group meeting at this townhouse in Capitol Hill, a little bit by Eastern Market over by the Navy Yard. There would be like maybe twenty people, all buddies, not that many black people. We would talk about our buddy experience and then plans for whatever. I announced to them that I was going to resign as a buddy because I was really getting burnt out. While I was at the meeting I said, “What I’d really like to do is I would like to set up an organization about holistic health for people living with HIV.” I hadn’t even heard of Us Helping Us at the time. I had this buddy who was dying of HIV. He was a young black kid, maybe twenty-one. At that time, if you were positive, you got all kinds of perks, because you were dying. And I was trying to get him to approach his disease holistically. Of course, he is opposing it, because he’s suddenly getting perks. His mother knows he’s dying, and Whitman-Walker’s giving her a place to stay free and he’s getting free movie tickets and he’s getting food and whatnot. He wants to enjoy the remainder of his life, which is understandable, because he’s going to be dead in a matter of months. And my mind said, “Such an injustice. This society, these institutions, would not have given this kid a dime or even cared about his very existence if it wasn’t for him having AIDS.” That

“It was almost unheard of to have HIV positive, black, gay men — a population marginalized because of their race, their sexuality and their disease — actually BUILD AN INSTITUTION, WHERE YOU GOT A STAFF, YOU GOT RESOURCES, AND PEOPLE LOOK TO YOU.” would be me and maybe 20 students there and they would have dinner, then afterwards we’d all sit around and debate about the war and other issues. I remember, one time, I was confronted by a Catholic priest about welfare queens and this, that. You had to know your stuff, of course. That’s when I became an activist and became serious about my education. MW: What brought you to D.C.? SIMMONS: I came to D.C. in August of 1980 to pursue a doctorate at Howard University. It was a tossup between D.C. and Atlanta, but D.C. was much more progressive. I knew I didn’t want to move back to New York or live in New York, because I didn’t like the contradiction of extremes between the rich and the poor. You could see it. You could walk past a place like a multi-million dollar condo high rise and have a homeless man sleeping right there in front of it. So I moved to New Jersey, got my first job working for the New Jersey Board of Education as a PR man and photographer. I lived at home and commuted for a year, then I got a car. Then the following year I found an apartment, and that was the last time I lived in New York City. From there, I went back to Albany to get my Master of Arts in African history and a Master of Science in educational communications. My goal was to go to Africa to teach. However, I 30

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bothered me. Then I realized that okay, if I’m not careful, I will look forward to him dying, because that way he’ll be off my hands. I’m just waiting until he dies. MW: When did you first become aware of AIDS? SIMMONS: You know the book For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide? I’ve got a piece in there called “The Voice.” Basically, it was early ‘80s, I had a friend — in fact, a former roommate — a black, gay guy who had moved to New York City. He was the first one to tell me about this gay cancer. My friends in New York said, ‘Hey, you heard about this gay cancer?’ and then in ’83, my first friend died. ‘So-and-so died’ is what you’d hear, because it was usually PCP [pneumocystis pneumonia]. I knew something was out there before the CDC came out with its announcement in 1981. MW: What was it like living through the HIV/AIDS epidemic? SIMMONS: It was a hell that was almost surreal, in that your friends were literally dying. It started out slow, but by the mid-nineties, my friends were dying. We’d be losing guys like maybe once a week. At the time, I was involved in Us Helping Us, so we were providing HIV services for positive people. I knew a lot of them. In the early ’80s, AIDS was this gay disease, and everyone was afraid. Doctors wouldn’t treat you. The food would not be brought into the hospital room, just total madness, because no one knew what the hell was going on, and everyone was afraid. If you were gay, it was really impacting you because these were you and your people, your friends, who were dying, but you really couldn’t talk about it. One, because a lot of people weren’t really out as being gay, so unless you were in a place like New York City or San Francisco where you were surrounded by a gay community, most people didn’t know what the hell you were going through, the fear you were facing. They were just reading about it in the newspapers and seeing on TV, but didn’t know that it was affecting you, that you might be gay, that you might be infected, that you knew friends who were dying and it wasn’t the time to tell them you were gay. Then on top of that, the ministers began to say, “Well it’s God’s punishment because you’re being gay so you’re going to hell anyway,” so people really couldn’t talk about it. MW: Did being closeted exacerbate the epidemic? SIMMONS: Well, it didn’t exacerbate AIDS. AIDS exacerbated it. MW: I just wondered if being in the closet made it harder to seek treatment. SIMMONS: There was no treatment. There were no palliative measures. Remember now, we’re talking about the early ’80s. Treatment that was working didn’t come until ’96. AZT was killing people, and that’s why I refused to take it, despite doctors saying to take it, and despite friends calling from California saying take it. I was like, “Hell no.” Again, I am educated. I read the book Poison by Prescription: The AZT Story. If you know the history of that drug, it made no sense to take that if you were suffering from HIV. Basically, it was a drug designed for cancer and the way it was supposed to work was it stopped the body’s cells from reproducing. That’s why they stopped using it, because it was killing people, because you’ve got to reproduce cells. The question is: why would you prescribe a drug like that to a person whose body is not producing T cells? It makes no sense, so I didn’t take it. Then they

came up with T4T and these other drugs and they weren’t really working. Nothing was really working until protease inhibitors came out in ’96. MW: When were you finally diagnosed as HIV-positive? SIMMONS: 1990. MW: How did it feel to learn you were positive? SIMMONS: By then, it was a decade into this disease. I knew my friends who had died, we knew by then it was sexually transmitted, and I knew that I came of age in New York after Stonewall. I did it all. I went to the orgies, I cruised the pads of Christopher Street, I went to the bath houses, I went to the Continental Bath House. Frankly, I wasn’t surprised that I was positive. Because,

“I did it all. I went to the orgies, I cruised the pads of Christopher Street, I went to the bath houses, I went to the Continental Bath House. FRANKLY, I WASN’T SURPRISED THAT I WAS POSITIVE.” again, by then I had friends who had died and I had friends who were infected and I knew we were all there at the same club at the same orgies doing the same things together. MW: How did you get involved with Us Helping Us? SIMMONS: Someone mentioned it to me that it’s a meditation support group for black, gay men who are HIV positive starting on March 2. It was a Saturday, and that’s my birthday. Then I saw a flyer about maybe a week later about this meditation group, but I wasn’t going because, again, it was my birthday. I was like 41 years old. The day of my birthday, I’m laying in bed thinking, “What am I going to do today?” The phone rings and it’s a friend, they said, “Hey, you heard about this group meeting at three o’clock?” I said, “Yeah, I did but it’s my birthday, I’m not going to be in the damn group.” I hung up, and I’m laying in bed and I’m thinking of synchronicity. I mean the very moment when I’m saying to myself, “What are you going to do today,” the phone rings. Basically, I said, “Okay Allah, it’s obvious you want me to go to the meeting, so I’ll go to the meeting,” and that’s how I went. It was a very spiritual kind of thing because I wasn’t coming, but clearly the spirit said, “No, you need to go to this.” From that first session it was like mind-blowing. MW: What were the support groups like? SIMMONS: The groups were at Rainey Cheeks’ house, and would go for three months. Each week we received something different about holistic health. Body, mind and spirit. Body, about eternal cleansing, about nutrition, vitamins, minerals, herbs, the importance of water. The mind, stress management, mind/body dialog, how to meditate, how to visualize. We told them there were three questions that you have to answer. One is: Are you afraid of death? Because if you are, then death will take you, too, because everybody’s going to die, so by being afraid you’ll just make your time that you’re here less enjoyable. The second thing we would ask them is: Why do you want to live? Because your body knows that death is natural, so your having HIV and dying, that’s that’s the natural course of things, DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

thy, but he brings up this conversation we had three months ago, you know what I mean? Anyway, I agreed to do it. I said, “I’ll do it for a year until I get my unemployment and if we don’t figure out what we’re going to do by then, I’ve got to leave.” That was 24 years ago. MW: What are you most proud of from your time at Us Helping Us? SIMMONS: Developing what could be an institution to further the health and well-being of black, gay men, which is what our mission is. The fact that that support group in Rainey’s living room is now an institution, it’s an organization, an agency funded with its own building that it owns, its own programs. MW: Was there ever a grant or program you didn’t get, or really had to fight for? SIMMONS: Well, I think out of all the grants I’ve written, maybe I think there’s only one fellow grant we didn’t get, the very first one “My mind said, ‘These institutions would not have we went for we didn’t get. I think at one given this kid a dime or even cared about his very point we had, what, two or three grants from the CDC and we actually turned back one existence if it wasn’t for him having AIDS.’ That of them, told them it was just too much. To bothered me. THEN I REALIZED THAT IF I’M NOT answer your question, it would probably be the grant for our youth program. It was a CAREFUL, I WILL LOOK FORWARD TO HIM DYING, CDC grant, and it was for youth. The CDC put out an RFA, but it said you have to have BECAUSE THAT WAY HE’LL BE OFF MY HANDS.” at least five years of experience working with youth 18 to 24, and we didn’t have that, but SMYAL did. So Bruce Weiss was there at SMYAL as the executive direcbecame a Buddhist, she went to Paris, he went to jail. tor. I called Bruce, I said, “Hey Bruce, I’m looking at a grant MW: How did you become a leader in Us Helping Us? SIMMONS: Rainey wound up getting burnt out after doing this that’s got your name on it, okay? It’s from 18 to 29. You only stuff for a few years, so we told him, “Hey, this is too good to let handle kids, well 18 to 24, you handle kids up to 22, 14 to 22, go. Teach some of us how to do it.” I think there were maybe six right? Why don’t you go for this grant. You take the kids 18 to 22 of us, we went through two weeks of training, and then we co-fa- and we’ll take them 22 and up okay?” SMYAL wrote up the grant cilitated with them through a 12-week group. Then we were able proposal and they subcontracted us to work with people 22 and up. We did that for like five years, and when the grant came up to have our own group at our own house. In about a year it got to the point where we had maybe three to be renewed, I had the years of experience, so we went for it groups going on in different houses, in different apartments. It ourselves and we got it. That was strategic thinking. was only for three months, so some of these houses had like a MW: What’s something that you wish you had been able to accomsecond and third group, so we had people that we were produc- plish? ing, eight to twelve people. To keep them all connected we would SIMMONS: The negative side of having this big, brand-new buildhave a potluck dinner once a month for all the groups to come to. ing is that we are much too heavily grant driven. In fact, 85 to 90 Since people are into holistic health, you had to bring a vegetarian percent of our $2.4 million budget comes from grants. That’s bad dish because we didn’t like meat eating, so it forced a guy to learn news, because that is a shift in money. You need to have almost how to make a broccoli casserole, or those kind of things. an equal amount of [non-grant] money to really pay people the So all of this is going on, and I’m teaching at Howard. Rainey kind of salaries they deserve, to do the other kind of things you comes to me, and asks would I consider volunteering as execu- need to do to keep your agency up and running. I’m not good at tive director of Us Helping Us? I said, “No, you’ve got to be kid- the whole build a base, asking people for money, having fundding. I’m Dr. Simmons. I’m at Howard University. I’m making raising events. money. You have no money, come on.” And Rainey says, “I’ll MW: Do you think that should be a priority for your successor? pray on it.” SIMMONS: I would say yeah, we do need that. I think we need And I’m thinking, “Pray all you want, the answer’s still no.” a person who can do the other part of the equation, to come up Well, about three months later, my chairman calls me into his with unrestricted money. office and tells me that the university’s not going to renew my MW: What qualities would you like to see in a successor? contract. Now I’ve been there twelve years, seven full-time. I SIMMONS: Well, definitely the quality about the unrestricted thought it was because I was gay and I didn’t have tenure, but at fundraising. That’s a definite, but I think the other thing I look the same time, it took me by surprise. for is that I would want the person, if I was talking to them — I’m I called Rainey because I had to cry on his shoulder and he not involved in the selection — to have a vision. I would hope was my closest friend. I said, “Rainey, you won’t believe what that they’re not taking this job simply to maintain Us Helping happened. They just fired me. I don’t know what the hell I’m Us, but that you have a vision of going beyond where we are now. I tell people that one of the reasons that made me want to going to do.” He says, “Oh, that’s horrible. Maybe now you can be the executive director of Us Helping Us.” retire is that HIV prevention is simply not fun. Not fun, ha-ha, I literally took the phone from my head and looked at it, hee-hee, amusing, but the challenge of building a community, of because I was being set up. Not only is he not giving me sympa- dealing with any disease that’s killing your friends and maybe the body dies, so why do you want to live? It cannot be because you’re afraid of dying. Because that’s not going to work. We used the example of the grandmother who’s told that she’s got cancer, she’s terminal, she’s all about, “I want to see my grandbaby graduate from high school.” The grandbaby’s like seven. Okay. So the grandma does it. So your mental attitude, your mind, can control your body. The third question was: Does your spiritual belief system aid in your healing process? If it does not, change it, because there are others to choose from. There are all kinds of religions, Christians, Pentecostals, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists. Then we used the example of Tina Turner. The whole time she was a Christian, Ike was beating her upside the head. Then girlfriend

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killing you. It was exhausting looking back at it, but it was fulfilling to wake up in the morning. Because it’s like, “Yes, I know yesterday I didn’t feel well, but I’ll be damned, I’m going to do this thing today.” You had the motivation. Again, it was almost unheard of to have HIV positive, black, gay men — a population that was so marginalized and stigmatized because of their race, their sexuality and their disease — actually build an institution, where you got a staff, you got resources, and people look to you. I mean, that’s the fun part. I would hope that the new person also looks at it that way. Don’t just come to maintain, but to take it further. MW: Do you expect the incoming presidential administration to cut back on HIV funding? SIMMONS: I really don’t know what the next administration is going to do. I wouldn’t be surprised if they did, but then I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t, because I think there’s a difference between Donald Trump versus the people he put around him. The people he’s putting around him will probably want to cut it. I’m not sure Donald Trump cares either way. MW: If federal funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and research does get cut, where does that put nonprofits like Us Helping Us? SIMMONS: In a very challenging position. Some of them, to be honest, probably will not make it through. The challenge will have to be, and we’ve been doing this at Us Helping Us, is they’ve got to move away from HIV funding, because it’s drying up. MW: If people can’t afford their drugs, do you expect to see a resurgence in AIDS like we saw during the Reagan era? SIMMONS: I do not think the country will allow that to happen. Because basically, I don’t think that the people will allow him to get rid of Obamacare. In fact, if you listen to him now he’s talking about, “Well, [we’re] possibly going to keep...” I think they may

find out having to keep more of it than they realize.

MW: When we talk about HIV as a “chronic condition” because it’s

treatable, do you ever worry that it is giving people a false sense of security? SIMMONS: See, this is the thing. We have to be relative about this. HIV is just a small part of a person’s life. If they’re dealing with insecurity, it’s not because of HIV. It’s because they can’t pay their damn rent and they’re facing lien holders. I mean that’s real. Even for black, gay men, particularly those who live in D.C. with gentrification the way it is. It’s also relative, like, yeah, HIV is there and that’s threatening, and that can be dangerous. But in terms of my life as a black, gay man, that is really small. In terms of my insecurities, that’s really small. Stop and frisk is more insecure. I’ve got so many other economic, social, criminal justice issues, those are insecurities. That’s how I look at it, and I think that’s how for a young kid, he’s looking at it, too. It’s like, this HIV thing, I got my test, I’m negative. Maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll go and get tested twice a year, but that’s really not my main issue. The main issue is, “How am I going to get a job? How am I going to get a place to live?” I mean it’s all of that. Not to mention what my family may be going through. As gay sons we tend to be the mediators, the ones that the cousins go through to borrow money, the ones that the mother says, “I can’t count on the other kids, but I can count on you.” You have to deal with all that, too? So, yeah, HIV is such a small part of your world. For that kid, I would probably say removing HIV money is the least of his worries. Because now that Trump’s in power, everything’s going to change. l To learn more about Us Helping Us, visit uhupil.org.

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Gallery

Frederick Nunley Handmade Quilts orangeexplainsitall.blogspot.com DECEMBER 01, 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ METROWEEKLY

MAGNUS HASTINGS

Music

Merry Melodies Old holiday staples return, emerging artists try their hand at the Christmas album, and drag queens spread seasonal cheer By Sean Maunier

OVE IT OR HATE IT, THE HOLIDAY ALBUM IS AN INSTITUTION. Nearly every mainstream artist will attempt one at some point, in a festive rite of passage that spans genres, tastes and the boundaries of acceptability (look no further than 2008’s We Wish You A Metal Xmas). Though a handful of records enter the seasonal canon each year, most are quickly forgotten once the presents are opened and the eggnog consumed. Still, a holiday album’s transitory nature is part of its kitsch appeal, and while most people eventually return to the holiday staples, the novelty of a new set of songs is sometimes exactly what we need to break up the monotony after the fiftieth playthrough of “White Christmas.” Country is well-represented this season by both the iconic Loretta Lynn and rising pop-country star Kacey Musgraves. Lynn’s second holiday release, White Christmas Blue, comes 50 years after her first seasonal collection, A Country Christmas. Part love letter to her fans, part reflection on her six-decade career, Lynn includes classic material as well as reimaginings of songs that appeared on A Country Christmas. Where Lynn grounds her album in a sense of nostalgia, Kacey Musgraves gives classic songs a pop-country update. A Very Kacey Christmas is full of the jaunty, unabashedly energetic sound that has characterized her music since she began to turn heads as a solo artist in 2014. The eight traditional songs and four originals are fun, sincere, and animated, and her cover of “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” is worth the price of admission alone. Less conventional offerings in 2016 include releases from Pentatonix, The Killers and R. Kelly. A Pentatonix Christmas is what one would expect — a capella covers 36

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Alaska

of a diverse selection of songs, ranging from “Up on the Housetop” to “Coventry Carol.” Given their first holiday album went double platinum, a follow-up was inevitable. The Killers’ Don’t Waste Your Wishes might seem like a less obvious choice, but the alt-rock band has been releasing Christmas music for years. Anyone remember 2009’s “Don’t Shoot Me Santa?” Their latest effort repackages several of the band’s holiday-themed songs, with appearances by Elton John and Jimmy Kimmel and all profits going to Bono’s AIDS charity (RED). R. Kelly’s 12 Nights of Christmas is without a doubt the most unconventional holiday album on offer this year. It’s hard to imagine who exactly was clamoring to hear the R&B legend croon about making “holiday love” to Mrs. Santa Claus, but here we are. It’s definitely not your grandma’s Christmas album, but whether you happen to be an R. Kelly fan or not, 12 Nights of Christmas deserves a listen, even if only to hear lyrics like “I’m just a snowman looking for a snowgirl/someone who can share my snow world” sung without a hint of irony. Following the success of last year’s Christmas Queens and the incredibly successful All Stars season 2, the girls

from Rupaul’s Drag Race have returned with an hour-long celebration of camped up holiday cheer. Aside from ensemble renditions of “Deck the Halls” and “Auld Lang Syne,” and Michelle Visage’s cover of “O Holy Night,” Christmas Queens 2 features all original holiday material, tailored to the personalities and styles of the various queens. Even the less festively-inclined among us may enjoy reigning all-star Alaska’s “Chr!stm@$ $Ux,” or Season 5 winner Jinkx Monsoon’s “Passive Aggressive Christmas.” While Drag Race alumni have become somewhat infamous for putting out albums that might have been better off not seeing the light of day, Christmas Queens 2 reminds us that when a group of talented queens comes together with veteran producers (and World of Wonder’s budget), the results can be magical. It’s a sprawling, indulgent, and incredibly campy ode to Drag Race, full of references to iconic moments from the show and the fandom’s many inside jokes. It’s enough to be exhausting, but might also be exactly what’s needed to get us through the off-season. If the cozy intimacy of a classic holiday album is more your speed, 2016 still offers worthwhile options. Leslie Odom

Jr. brings the energy of his Tonywinning performance as Aaron Burr in Hamilton to Simply Christmas — by all accounts a standard soul-jazz holiday album. Sarah McLachlan offers a similar approach to her second holiday release, Wonderland, which features eleven versions of holiday classics, including a hauntingly beautiful rendition of the Canadian holiday staple “Huron Carol.” As usual, McLachlan’s voice glides over minimal instrumentation, making this one a perfect album to unwind with after braving an hours-long commute home. Neil Diamond’s Acoustic Christmas rounds out this year’s traditional albums, with a more stripped-down, folky departure from his previous holiday releases. There are few surprises on any of these releases, but their familiarity and timelessness are definitely strengths. After the litany of horrors that 2016 has been so far, it seems almost cruel to think we still have to endure one whole month more of it. With their familiarity, festiveness, and occasional silliness, holiday albums are a welcome distraction while we countdown the remaining weeks. Whether you prefer your holidays cozy or festive, soulful or campy, this year’s offerings provide plenty to choose from. l

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

TERESA WOOD

Stage

Withering Garden Shakespeare Theatre offers an uneven revival of The Secret Garden, which is still unequivocally Daisy Eagan’s show By Doug Rule

ROM THE BEGINNING, MARSHA NORMAN AND LUCY SIMON WERE convinced their musical, The Secret Garden, would live or die based on one factor: the caliber of the actress cast as young Mary. This, despite an original Broadway cast that included the estimable Mandy Patinkin, the luminously voiced Rebecca Luker, and a sensational newcomer by the name of John Cameron Mitchell. Twenty-five years later, The Secret Garden ( ) remains Daisy Eagan’s show. The youngest-ever female Tony Award-winner for her work as Mary, Eagan has returned in a revival — or an “active reworking,” as the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Michael Kahn puts it — at Sidney Harman Hall, in a co-production with Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre directed by David Armstrong. Eagan assumes the role of young chambermaid Martha, a motherly supporting character and the first to show any kindness to the quite-contrary Mary (Anya Rothman), described early on as “the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.” Eagan’s Martha is also the first to strike a chord in an otherwise uneven production, whose first few numbers are a hurried, confusing jumble of overlapping characters, quick-change scenes and minimal exposition to explain what’s going on. We’re quickly whisked along with Mary to Yorkshire, after her parents die of a cholera outbreak in colonial India. Back in her native England, she is raised by an uncle she’s never

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

met, Archibald Craven (Michael Xavier), a grief-stricken widower who lives with his brother Neville Craven (Josh Young) in a manor house full of spirits. The first such ghostly encountered is Craven’s late wife Lily, portrayed by the fine-voiced Lizzie Klemperer. Mary proceeds to duet with Lily, but Rothman strains and struggles to vocally keep up with her posthumous elder. Rothman grows into the role as the show goes on, and presumably will gain strength with subsequent performances. And she mostly hits the right notes in a portrayal of a prickly, lonely girl who discovers her heart and humanity once she sets out to find Lily’s walled sanctuary, meeting kindred spirits along the way. The Secret Garden is held in special, almost cult-like regard by those who grew up with Frances Hodgson Burnett’s children’s book, as well as those who fell under the musical’s spell in 1991. If you’re not in either camp, you might wonder what all the adoration is about. Marsha Norman won a Tony Award for a book about a pre-

SCOTT SUCHMAN

cocious girl that remarkably doesn’t pander to either children or adults. And yet, it also doesn’t provoke or veer from predictability enough to register more than passing interest. Simon’s rather plain, tender, tempered score is also not particularly noteworthy, save for some subtle Indian flourishes to give it a bit of exotic oomph. Indian mystique fuels an entrancing bit of choreography from Armstrong, when the Indian spirit Fakir (Vishal Vaidya) leads a group dance in “Come Spirit, Come Charm.” Other than that, though, serious choreographed movement is mostly limited to the ghosts weaving in and out of a maze of giant sculpted garden hedges — which are additionally spun around in synchronized turns. It’s not as hokey as it sounds. The Secret Garden is a far cry from the first musical the Shakespeare mounted, Candide, which gloriously trumpeted what has become an annual affair in the Harman. If you had the good fortune of catching Mary Zimmerman’s stupendous, definitive

production of that Bernstein musical/operetta six years ago, you’ll no doubt feel wistful about it upon seeing Secret Garden. Armstrong and scenic designer Anna Louizos are as modest and streamlined in their approach as Zimmerman was breathtakingly baroque, with elaborate, architectural sets that made full, dramatic use of the Harman’s deep and flexible stage. In fact, some of Louizos’ set pieces appear not just streamlined but subpar — at a recent performance, a chest of drawers wobbled precariously when shut, and actors repeatedly struggled to enter the titular preserve through a narrow, shifty passageway cut out of a hedge on wheels. There is, however, a saving grace. (Two, if you count designer Ann Hould-Ward’s elegant, vibrant Victorian-era costuming.) As you no doubt expect, The Secret Garden ends with a garden. But not just hedges on wheels and other easily portable basic bushes and things of that ilk. Rather, it ends in a blooming bang. l

The Secret Garden runs to Dec. 31 at Sidney Harman Hall, Harman Center for the Arts, 610 F St. NW. Tickets are $44 to $123. Call 202-547-1122 or visit shakespearetheatre.org.

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Games

Second Chance

Watch Dogs 2 is fun, vibrant and packed with interesting characters — everything the original wasn’t. By Rhuaridh Marr

HERE’S SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR SECOND CHANCES. TWO YEARS ago, Ubisoft Montreal gave the world Watch Dogs, a much hyped, highly anticipated open world game that offered players extensive hacking capabilities and the promise that they could be used to manipulate the world around them. Reality, as it often is, was very different. Watch Dogs was by no means a bad game, but it was hampered by a number of issues, chief among them an utterly horrendous lead character mired in a bland, uninspired story. It’s understandable, then, that some gamers might be wary of Watch Dogs 2. Fortunately, the new game dispels numerous concerns in its opening moments. While Watch Dogs started with a bang and then faded into a grey, miserable whimper, Watch Dogs 2 (HHHHH) eschews initial grandstanding, immediately leading players into a vastly better game. This time around, Watch Dogs’ Aiden Pearce is nowhere to be found. A victim of “gruff-voiced, bland white guy” syndrome (one that afflicts far too many games), his backstory was convoluted, his quest for vengeance was never fully delivered by the story, and he was given some terrible dialogue to chew his way through as he navigated the streets of the seemingly always rainy Chicago. In his place we have Marcus Holloway, a young, African American millennial and gifted hacker, who is eager to join Dedsec — Watch Dogs’ version of Anonymous, but with higher production values. In Chicago’s place we have the sun-drenched streets of San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area. From the outset, this is a wholly different experience. Marcus isn’t given a laboriously tragic backstory. Instead, players are handed instant 40

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

control and tasked with breaking into a Blume compound and removing all digital traces of Marcus from the organization’s servers. Blume operates ctOS, a surveillance program so extensive and pervasive that it must cause wet dreams among NSA hierarchy. Your task is simple: use Marcus’ hacking abilities to get inside, get past the guards, erase your history and then join Dedsec. Initially, Watch Dogs 2 is a more complex, more confusing experience. Its contextual actions are more involved than the original, often requiring an additional button press — a simple fuse box, for instance, can be used as a distraction or as an improvised explosion, but you’ll have to remember which face button corresponds to which action after you’ve targeted said fusebox and pressed a different button. It allows for greater flexibility when navigating the game’s various environments and locales, but it can be a pretty steep initial learning curve. That first mission also throws up a persistent problem with the series: the incredibly varied intelligence of the game’s AI. If anything, it’s more extreme than ever, with guards either possessing supernatural abilities in their detection of Marcus, or

being utterly befuddled as to how or why one of their colleagues is lying in a crumpled heap next to a hacked laptop. “Must have been the wind, might as well carry on with my route,” said guard presumably thought. Niggles aside, once you leave that opening mission, join Dedsec, and start the game proper, Watch Dogs 2 quickly showcases its strengths. It helps that the game is infinitely brighter than the first, in both its environment and its writing. San Francisco is vibrant, beautiful and wide open — crossing the Golden Gate bridge, driving through its leafy approximation of Oakland, cresting the city’s infamous hills, blasting through downtown, or hanging out on the countless piers that dot the coastline, it all makes for a more engaging, exciting experience than Chicago. Sure, the Loop was beautifully recreated, but everything else felt a little staid and uninviting. That’s not the case here. However, what really elevates the sequel is the writing. Ubisoft hasn’t had the greatest track record in characterization and conversation — there was the highs of Assassin’s Creed 2, and the incredible lows of pretty much all of Watch Dogs — but for the most part, Marcus and his Dedsec cohorts are witty, engaging and brimming with cultural references. Marcus himself is intelligent, ruthlessly efficient at infiltration, and surprisingly moralistic for someone who steals money from others at the press of a button. Sitara is Dedsec’s leader and in charge of their promotion and design. Wrench, who wears an emoticon mask and spits out pop culture references like a confetti cannon, handles the group’s mechanical needs, creating weapons and infrastructure. Josh is high-functioning autistic and the group’s hacking brains, a veritable genius who also often lends some emotional warmth to proceedings. Together, they’re one of the most likable groups of protagonists in recent gaming history. Certainly, they’re a damn sight better than Aiden Pearce and his cohorts. Dedsec’s main goal is to take down Blume, and to do so they must amass followers, who lend processing power on their smartphones to Dedsec’s computational efforts — essentially, building a networked grid that can take down ctOS. Marcus is sent out into San Francisco to hack as many influential people as possible: rogue corporations and amoral billionaires, for instance. Indeed, in the game’s opening couple of hours you’ll take down a Martin Shkreli-esque pharmaceutical billionaire, swindling millions from him and donating it to charitable means. Marcus gradually works his way through the city’s institutions and organizations, exposing the depth of the ctOS data collection, and amassing those much needed followers as Dedsec touts his exploits. Unlike the original game, the main story doesn’t feel like a tedious exercise. Watch Dogs 2’s snappy writing and more open gameplay style keeps things fresh, even if there’s a lot of repetition in the actual mission structure (go here, hack this, steal that). It helps that Marcus has two excellent new toys at his disposal. Aiden made do with just a smartphone and baton. Marcus has a laptop, a ball on a chain (surprisingly devastating), a taser, and new additions the RC Jumper and a drone. The Jumper is an RC car that can enter buildings, maneuver through vents, bounce over obstacles and hack into systems, letting Marcus stay safely out of sight as it zips around. The drone does exactly what you’d expect: give players an aerial view of a combat zone, letting them hack people, objects and manipulate the world — or, just follow random pedestrians as they go about their day (whatever takes your fancy, really). If you want to hover over some stop lights and cause car crashes all day long, Watch Dogs 2 is totally okay

with that. More to the point, it endears such an irreverent sense of fun that you no longer feel guilty for doing that. The original game was quick to remind you that a little girl died and you must absolutely get revenge right now, so stop messing around. Here, there’s no faux heartstrings being tugged. As such, the variety of side missions and distractions feel more naturally placed — and thus more inviting. You can go shopping, complete optional “operations,” take part in races, visit landmarks, become an Uber driver (known as Driver SF, a reference to another Ubisoft game), and a host of other things in San Francisco. What’s more, you can also drop into a friend’s game and do a series of co-op specific operations. Multiplayer online hacking also returns from the previous game (it was deactivated before launch, but is now live), and allows for the same tension-filled intrusions into another gamer’s digital world, in which you hunt someone down and kill them or hack them without being discovered. Watch Dogs 2 isn’t perfect. Marcus’ morals are too grey on far too many occasions — he wants to rid the city of ctOS, but if players choose a violent style of play they will rack up quite the body count on their way. And the AI, particularly in earlier stages of the game, actively discourages against being stealthy unless you’re occasionally prepared to just sprint towards an exit and trigger a cutscene in order to advance without drawing a gun. The AI needs a lot of work if Ubisoft decide on a third game. Not only are enemies far too extreme in their intelligence — either dumb as a rock or omniscient — but pedestrians are as well. Sometimes they won’t bat an eyelid as you steal a car, other times they’ll call seemingly the entire SFPD to chase you down. And while you’re trying to flee, you’ll be reminded that, while much improved, the game still struggles to make driving feel like something you want to do, rather than something you’re forced to engage with in order to get around. There are also performance issues — it wouldn’t be an Ubisoft open world game without them. The Xbox One gets arguably the worst port of the game, with 900p resolution and reduced filtering, but it still struggles to remain locked at 30fps in heavier moments of action or fast driving. The PS4 fares better and the PS4 Pro even more so (PC is king and it’s a much more stable port than the original), but while San Francisco is big and beautiful, it’s clear there’s still some optimizing to be done. None of that detracts from what is ultimately one of this year’s biggest surprises. Watch Dogs 2 is finally something close to the game we all wanted it to be when the original was first teased back in 2013. No, you still don’t have god-like control over every aspect of the city with just a smartphone app, but Watch Dogs 2 is a much better game than its original iteration. It’s more fun, more enjoyable, easier to spend more time with. I finished the original’s story and then had a profound sense of “now what?” There was no reason to remain in Aiden Pearce’s dreary, miserable world, but there’s every reason to stay with Marcus and the gang. Driving through San Francisco, chuckling at the various pop culture references and memes plastered on walls and sprayed in graffiti, listening to random NPC dialogue, hacking into cell phones and eavesdropping on conversations, rescuing people from random crimes, working through side missions and gathering collectibles is something you’ll want to keep doing — and few could say that of the original. As second chances go, Watch Dogs 2 is worth every penny. l Watch Dogs 2 is available now on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

NightLife Photography by Ward Morrison

DECEMBER 01, 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ METROWEEKLY

Scene

DrinksDragDJsEtc... Thursday, December 1 9 1/2 Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • Music videos featuring DJ Wess COBALT/30 DEGREES Happy Hour: Tops Down $6 Top Shelf, Bottoms Up $3 Rail, $3 Bud Light, 4-9pm • Locker Room Thursday Nights • $3 Rail Drinks, 10pm-midnight, $5 Red Bull and Frozen Virgin Drinks • DJs Sean Morris and MadScience • Best Package Contest at midnight, hosted by Ba’Naka & Kristina Kelly • $200 Cash Prize • Doors open 10pm,

21+ • $5 Cover or free with college ID DC EAGLE Doors open at 8pm • Strip Down Thursdays Happy Hour — Shirtless guys drink $2 off all drinks, 8-10pm • Jock or underwear gets $2 off all drinks, 10pm-midnight • No Cover • 21+ FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Karaoke, 8pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Ladies Drink Free Power Hour, 4-5pm • Shirtless Thursday, 10-11pm • DJs BacK2bACk NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),

Mr. DC Eagle Contest - Saturday, November 19 Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

$4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 • Drag Bingo NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 Rails and House Wines & Half-Priced Pizzas • $4 Corona and $4 Heineken, 5pm-close SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR & GRILL 1637 R St. NW Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $1 PBR, $2 Yuengling, $3 Rail, $5 Appetizers • Extended Happy Hour, 7-9pm, with only $1 increase in price TRADE 1410 14th St. NW Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge

glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers • Shirtless Thursday • DJ • 9pm • Cover 21+

Friday, December 2 9 1/2 Open at 5pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • Friday Night Videos with Sean, 9:30pm • Expanded craft beer selection • No Cover COBALT/30 DEGREES All You Can Drink Happy Hour • $15 Rail and Domestic, $21 Call & Imports, 6-9pm • Guys Night Out • $6 Grey Goose all night • Two 30-minute open bars featuring

Grey Goose, 11-11:30pm and 1-1:30am • DJ MadScience upstairs • DJ Keenan Orr downstairs • $10 cover 10pm-close • 21+ DC EAGLE Doors open at 8pm • Happy Hour, 8-10pm — $2 off everything • First Fridays Reloaded, 10:30p4am — Main Bar and Exile • $10 Cover • 21+ FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Karaoke, 8pm

$3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 NUMBER NINE Open 5pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover • Friday Night Piano with Chris, 7:30pm SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 Rails and House Wines & Half-Priced Pizzas • Luke James Shaffer singing live, 8pm • Live Magic! 8-10pm

GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $5 Smirnoff, all flavors, all night long • Otter Den DC presents Otter Crossing, 9pm-close • $5 after 10pm

SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR & GRILL 1637 R St. NW Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $1 PBR, $2 Yuengling, $3 Rail, $5 Appetizers • Extended Happy Hour, 7-9pm, with only $1 increase in price

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR DJ Matt Bailer • Videos, Dancing • Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm),

TOWN Patio open 6pm • DC Bear Crue Happy Hour, 6-11pm • $3 Rail, $3 Draft, $3 Bud

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Bottles • Free Pizza, 7pm • No cover before 9:30pm • 21+ • Drag Show starts at 10:30pm • Hosted by Lena Lett and featuring Miss Tatianna, ShiQueeta-Lee, Riley Knoxx and Ba’Naka • DJ Wess upstairs, DJs BacK2bACk downstairs following the show • GoGo Boys after 11pm • Doors open at 10pm • For those 21 and over, $12 • For those 18-20, $15 • Club: 18+ • Patio: 21+ TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 • DJ Jeff Prior, 10pm ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Men of Secrets, 9pm • Guest dancers • Ladies of Illusion Drag Show with host Ella Fitzgerald • Doors at 9pm, Shows at 11:30pm and 1:30am • DJ Don T. in Secrets • Cover 21+

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Saturday, December 3 9 1/2 Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 3-9pm • $5 Absolut & Tito’s, $3 Miller Lite after 9pm • Expanded craft beer selection • No Cover • Music videos featuring various DJs COBALT/30 DEGREES Drag Yourself to Brunch at Level One, 11am-2pm and 2-4pm • Featuring Kristina Kelly and the Ladies of Illusion • Bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Marys • Happy Hour: Tops Down $6 Top Shelf, Bottoms Up $3 Rail, $3 Bud Light, 4-9pm • Rumba Latina: Latin Night Dance Party, 10pm-close • Doors open 10pm • $5 Cover • 21+ DC EAGLE Doors open at 8pm • Happy Hour, 8-10pm — $2 off everything • DC Leather Pride presents Winter Solstice, 8-10pm on Club Bar • Joe Whitaker presents FuKR — where men and music play, 9pm-3am — PrePare to

be aMAZEd • L.E.N.G. & Classical Trax presents TSVI & Vujan Allure in the Annex • 21+ FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Drag Queen Broadway Brunch, 10am-3pm • Starring Freddie’s Broadway Babes • Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Freddie’s Follies Drag Show, 8-10pm, hosted by Miss Destiny B. Childs • No Cover GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $5 Bacardi, all flavors, all night long • REWIND: Request Line, an ‘80s and ‘90s Dance Party, with DJ Darryl Strickland, 9pm-close • No Cover NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Guest DJs • Zing Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer, House Rail Drinks and Mimosas, $4, 11am-5pm • Buckets of Beer, $15 NUMBER NINE Doors open 2pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 3-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5 Bulleit Bourbon • Jawbreaker, with Chord Bezerra, 9:30pm • $ Deep Eddy and $2 Shot Specials, 11pm-12am

SHAW’S TAVERN Bottomless Mimosas, 10am-3pm • Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 Rails and House Wines & Half-Priced Pizzas SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR & GRILL 1637 R St. NW Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $1 PBR, $2 Yuengling, $3 Rail, $5 Appetizers • Extended Happy Hour, 7-9pm, with only $1 increase in price TOWN Patio open 2pm • DC Rawhides host Town & Country: Two-Step, Line Dancing, Waltz and West Coast Swing, $5 Cover to stay all night • Doors open 6:30pm, Lessons 7-8pm, Open dance 8-10:30pm • Britney’s Birthday, 11pm-close • Featuring DJ Wess spinning and Britney performances from Ba’Naka and The Firm • Drag Show starts at 10:30pm • Hosted by Lena Lett and featuring Miss Tatianna, Shi-Queeta-Lee, Riley Knoxx and Ba’Naka • GoGo Boys after 11pm • Doors open 10pm • $12 Cover • 21+

TRADE Doors open 2pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Men of Secrets, 9pm • Guest dancers • Ladies of Illusion Drag Show with host Ella Fitzgerald • Doors at 9pm, Shows at 11:30pm and 1:30am • DJ Don T. in Secrets • Cover 21+

Sunday, December 4 9 1/2 Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 3-9pm • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • No Cover COBALT/30 DEGREES Happy Hour: Tops Down $6 Top Shelf, Bottoms Up $3 Rail, $3 Bud Light, 4-9pm • Homowood Karaoke, hosted by Robert Bise, 10pm-close • 21+

DC EAGLE Doors open at 12pm • Happy Hour, 12-6pm — $2 off everything • $2 Bud and Bud Lite Draughts all day and all night • DC Eagle Pizza Party — free slice of pizza with each drink while supplies last • No Cover • 21+ FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Champagne Brunch Buffet, 10am-3pm • Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Freddie’s Zodiac Monthly Contest, hosted by Regina Jozet Adams, 8pm • Karaoke, 10pm-1am GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Bears Can Party, featuring DJ Jeff Eletto, upstairs, 6-10pm • No Cover • Mama’s Trailer Park Karaoke downstairs, 9:30pm-close NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Drag Brunch, hosted by Shi-Queeta-Lee, 11am-3pm • $20 Brunch Buffet • House Rail Drinks, Zing Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer and Mimosas, $4, 11am-close • Buckets of Beer, $15

NUMBER NINE Pop Goes the World with Wes Della Volla at 9:30pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 3-9pm • No Cover SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 Rails and House Wines & Half-Priced Pizzas • Football Specials, 1pm-close SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR & GRILL 1637 R St. NW Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $1 PBR, $2 Yuengling, $3 Rail, $5 Appetizers • Extended Happy Hour, 7-9pm, with only $1 increase in price TRADE Doors open 2pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers • Decades of Dance • DJ Tim-e in Secrets • Doors 9pm • Cover 21+

Monday, December 5 9 1/2 Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • No Cover COBALT/30 DEGREES Happy Hour: Tops Down $6 Top Shelf, Bottoms Up $3 Rail, $3 Bud Light, 4-9pm • Monday Night’s A Drag, hosted by Kristina Kelly • Doors open at 10pm • Showtime at 11:30pm • $3 Skyy Cocktails, $8 Skyy and Red Bull • $8 Long Islands • No Cover, 18+ DC EAGLE Doors open at 8pm • Happy Hour, 8-10pm — $2 off everything • Endless Happy Hour prices to anyone in a DC Eagle T-Shirt • Free Ballin’ Mondays: Free Pool All Night and Day • $1 Bud and Bud Light Draughts all night • No Cover • 21+

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Singles Night • Karaoke, 8pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour all night long • Open Mic Night Karaoke, 9:30pm-close NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 • Texas Hold’em Poker, 8pm • Dart Boards NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 Rails and House Wines and Half-Priced Pizzas • Trivia with Jeremy, 7:30pm SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR & GRILL 1637 R St. NW Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $1 PBR, $2 Yuengling, $3 Rail, $5 Appetizers • Extended Happy Hour, 7-9pm, with only $1 increase in price

TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4

Tuesday, December 6 9 1/2 Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • No Cover COBALT/30 DEGREES DJ Honey Happy Hour: Tops Down $6 Top Shelf, Bottoms Up $3 Rail, $3 Bud Light, 4-9pm • SIN Service Industry Night, 10pm-close • $1 Rail Drinks all night FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Karaoke, 8pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour all night long, 4pm-close

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 • Karaoke and Drag Bingo NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover • After 9pm, $3 Absolut, Bulleit & Stella SHAW’S TAVERN Half Priced Burgers & Pizzas, 5pm-close • $5 House Wines & Sam Adams Drafts, 5pm-close SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR & GRILL 1637 R St. NW Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $1 PBR, $2 Yuengling, $3 Rail, $5 Appetizers • Extended Happy Hour, 7-9pm, with only $1 increase in price TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Wednesday, December 7 9 1/2 Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • No Cover COBALT/30 DEGREES Happy Hour: Tops Down $6 Top Shelf, Bottoms Up $3 Rail, $3 Bud Light, 4-9pm • $4 Stoli and Stoli Flavors and Miller Lite all night • No Cover • 21+ FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • $6 Burgers • Drag Bingo Night, hosted by Ms. Regina Jozet Adams, 8pm • Bingo prizes • Karaoke, 10pm-1am GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour all night long, 4pm-close NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR SmartAss Trivia Night, 8pm and 9pm • Prizes include bar tabs and tickets to shows at the 9:30 Club • $15 Buckets of Beer for

SmartAss Teams only • Bring a new team member and each get a free $10 Dinner NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover • Hairspray Live! Viewing Party with Ba’Naka, 8pm SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 Rails and House Wines and Half-Priced Pizzas • Hairspray Live! Viewing Party with Piano Bar before and after, starting at 7pm SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR & GRILL 1637 R St. NW Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $1 PBR, $2 Yuengling, $3 Rail, $5 Appetizers • Extended Happy Hour, 7-9pm, with only $1 increase in price TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4

ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers • Shirtless Night, 10-11pm, 12-12:30am • Military Night, no cover with military ID • DJ Don T. in Secrets • 9pm • Cover 21+

Thursday, December 8 9 1/2 Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • Music videos featuring DJ Wess COBALT/30 DEGREES Happy Hour: Tops Down $6 Top Shelf, Bottoms Up $3 Rail, $3 Bud Light, 4-9pm • Locker Room Thursday Nights • $3 Rail Drinks, 10pm-midnight, $5 Red Bull and Frozen Virgin Drinks • DJs Sean Morris and MadScience • Best Package Contest at midnight, hosted by Ba’Naka & Kristina Kelly • $200 Cash Prize • Doors open 10pm, 21+ • $5 Cover or free with college ID

DECEMBER 01, 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ METROWEEKLY

DC EAGLE Doors open at 8pm • Strip Down Thursdays Happy Hour — Shirtless guys drink $2 off all drinks, 8-10pm • Jock or underwear gets $2 off all drinks, 10pm-midnight • Highwaymen TNT hosts Hot Jock Contest, 11:30pm — Prizes include cash and tickets totaling over $250 • No Cover • 21+ FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Karaoke, 8pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Ladies Drink Free Power Hour, 4-5pm • Shirtless Thursday, 10-11pm • DJs BacK2bACk NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Open at 5pm • Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 • Drag Bingo

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 Rails and House Wines & Half-Priced Pizzas • $ Heineken and Coronas, 5pm-close TRADE 1410 14th St. NW Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers • Shirtless Thursday • DJ • 9pm • Cover 21+ l

Scene

Bearlesque at Town’s Bear Happy Hour- Friday, November 18 Photography by Ward Morrison

See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

DECEMBER 01, 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ METROWEEKLY

LastWord. People say the queerest things

a priest out of my home parish that I have always “This was coming from afeltman, very loved and welcomed in. All of a sudden I felt very ostracized.” — CONNER HAKES, of Decatur, Indiana, who was told he could not sing at his grandmother’s funeral after the priest at St. Mary’s of the Assumption Catholic Church expressed concerns that Hakes was living as an out gay man. According to WDTN, the priest told Hakes that if he sang at the funeral, it would scandalize the church and the congregation.

when we knew Hillary was gonna win and she didn’t because some of us just “It’s sort of like the electiondropped all thought about having her as president. It’s like if we dropped our thoughts and care about the AIDS epidemic, then more lives will leave this planet.” — Singer PATTI LABELLE, speaking with The Huffington Post about the importance of keeping focused on the issue of HIV/AIDS and working to eradicate the virus. To raise awareness of the disease, LaBelle is performing in the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s “Keep the Promise” concert.

character and for me as an actor, it was very challenging. But I feel I have “In my first play, I played a gay arrived to a very special place as an actor. I didn’t have any inhibitions about it.” — Actor PRATEIK BABBAR, telling the Indo-Asian News Service about his experience playing a gay character on stage. Babbar says he’d love to play a gay character in a film, so long as the script was well-written.

“Maybe someone needs to tell you to treat people like a fucking human being.” — Ohioan JAIOWYN ROBINSON, a transgender woman, responding to the Warren County Board of Commissioners who asked UnitedHealthcare to stop covering treatments for gender dysphoria under the county’s health plan. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the commissioners have argued that gender confirmation surgery is a choice and should not be covered as medically necessary care.

“This isn’t the most urgent concern of mine. If it creates a situation like North Carolina went through, my enthusiasm would not be high for that.

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— Texas House Speaker JOE STRAUS (R-San Antonio), telling the Austin American-Statesman that a bill restricting transgender people’s ability to access restrooms matching their gender identity is not high on his priority list. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the state Senate, has already said that passing such a bill is one of his top concerns for the 2017 legislative session.

DECEMBER 01, 2016 • METROWEEKLY