Healthy Outlook: Whitman-Walker Health CEO Naseema Shafi

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October 10, 2019

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CONTENTS

ABUNDANT ART

The Bethesda Row Arts Festival returns this weekend with new directors, new artists, and a new interactive map.

By Doug Rule

HEALTHY OUTLOOK

Whitman-Walker Health’s Naseema Shafi aims to promote diversity and social justice as part of the organization’s greater mission.

Interview by John Riley Photography by Todd Franson

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Volume 26 Issue 23

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HOME RUNS

Craig Wallace and Erika Rose masterfully lead a top-notch ensemble through August Wilson’s Fences at Ford’s.

By André Hereford

SPOTLIGHT: THE WASHINGTON BALLET & MARK ZAPPONE p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN p.10 SPARKLING PINK: THOMAS LAUDERDALE p.12 REVISITING A CLASSIC: WALTER BOBBIE p.14 COMMUNITY: HABIT FORMING p.21 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p.21 FILM: PAIN & GLORY p.31 FILM: THE LAUNDROMAT p.32 STAGE: DISENCHANTED! P.35 STAGE: ESCAPED ALONE p.35 NIGHTLIFE: WUNDERGARDEN’S PRIDETOBERFEST p.39 NIGHTLIFE LISTINGS p.40 NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS p.41 LAST WORD p.46 Washington, D.C.’s Best LGBTQ Magazine for 25 Years Editorial Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman Art Director Todd Franson Online Editor at metroweekly.com Rhuaridh Marr Senior Editor John Riley Contributing Editors André Hereford, Doug Rule Senior Photographers Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim Contributing Illustrators David Amoroso, Scott G. Brooks Contributing Writers Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Bailey Vogt, 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 Mary Edwards Walker 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.

© 2019 Jansi LLC.

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Spotlight

MENA BRUNETTE XMBPHOTOGRAPHY

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Mark Zappone & The Washington Ballet

HEN YOU’RE A GLOBETROTTING, IN-DEmand costume designer for dance companies and choreographers worldwide, calls to collaborate might come from anywhere. Mark Zappone, who has designed “Ghosts” for Christopher Wheeldon and leaping ragamuffins for Twyla Tharpe, had of late relocated to Dublin, his home base for working on upcoming projects with the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle and Ballet West in Salt Lake City.

Then he heard from Amsterdam-based choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, with whom he’d collaborated previously. Ochoa was calling to enlist him for a new project, the Washington Ballet’s season-opener NEXTsteps, an evening of debut works by emerging and acclaimed choreographers, including Ochoa, John Heginbotham, and Jessica Lang.

Delusional Beauty, Ochoa’s world-premiere ode to Salvador Dalí’s surrealist world takes its central inspiration from the artist’s spellbinding 1937 gouache and ink drawing, Woman with Flower Head. “It's a picture of a woman standing there,” says Zappone, “and her head is actually an arrangement of flowers. Very austere.” Ochoa described to Zappone a vision that captured the woman’s floral visage and sinewy silhouette, as well as motifs of butterflies and shimmery gold.

“So at that point, I ran out to my fabric store and just started looking for things,” the designer says.

Zappone and Ochoa eventually met up in Seattle, “and we talked things over. And I found some great fabrics in New York and then ended up finding a lot in Seattle. Whenever I'm at any place, especially in New York, I’ll just check out the fabric stores for everything. A lot of what my inspiration comes from is what you can find, because I make the costumes myself. Not all designers do that, but one of the things I enjoy is actually the process of creating them as you go along.”

That process ultimately produced not just the stunning flower-and-butterfly headpiece, but also slender skirts that Zappone and his small team pleated by hand, and gilded pendants of scorpions and crickets worn by the male dancers.

Interpreting the choreographer’s golden vision of a surrealist world is one delicate undertaking, and the matter of fastening flowers, masks, and insects to dancers in motion is quite another challenge. “I listen to my experience, but also listen to what dancers will say during a fitting.” says Zappone.

“Not only to make them look beautiful, but also comfortable.

Because all they have out there when they're performing is what they're wearing. They're not singing, they're not talking, they're just moving.” —André Hereford

Washington Ballet’s NEXTsteps runs October 23 through 27, at Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW. Tickets are $25 to $100. Visit www.washingtonballet.org.

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Spotlight GIVE ME LIBERTY

JxJ, an arts project based in the newly renovated Edlavitch DCJCC, offers a weekend run of a recent hit film at both the Sundance and Cannes film festivals, one that a Variety critic described as a “warm, fiercely independent comedy-drama [that] eschews anything resembling formula in favor of a boisterous and freewheeling joyride.” It’s based on the reallife experiences of filmmaker Kirill Mikhanovsky, who in his early days as a young Russian immigrant to America worked as a medical transport driver, helping residents with mobility challenges. In English and Russian with English subtitles. Presented in the DCJCC’s new state-of-the-art, 140-seat Cafritz Hall. Friday, Oct. 11, at 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 12, at 6 and 8:25 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 13, at 12:30 p.m. 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets are $9 to $13. Call 202-777-3210 or visit www.jxjdc.org.

CANDIDA

RYAN MAXWELL

The Washington Stage Guild launches its new season with an 1894 comedy by George Bernard Shaw. Candida questions Victorian notions of love and marriage, having the audacity to ask what a woman desires from her husband, and ultimately give a woman a choice between her husband, a preacher, and the poet who wants to woo her away.

Laura Giannarelli directs Emelie Faith Thompson in the title role. Weekends through Oct. 20. Undercroft Theatre of Mount Vernon United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Tickets are $50 to $60. Call 202-9008788 or visit www.stageguild.org.

TRYING

TERESA CASTRACANE

Virginia’s 1st Stage offers the regional premiere of a play by Joanna McClelland Glass, who drew on her real-life experience working for Francis Biddle at his home in D.C. in the 1960s. Biddle, the former U.S. Attorney General under President Franklin Roosevelt who also served as Chief Judge of the American Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, was notoriously hard on his staff as he worked to cement his legacy. Alex Levy directs stars Amanda Forstrom and Scott Sedar. To Oct. 20. 1st Stage is located at 1524 Spring Hill Rd. Tysons, Va. Tickets are $42. Call 703-854-1856 or visit www.1ststagetysons.org.

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Spotlight TOSCA

The Virginia Opera opens its 45th Anniversary Season with Puccini’s masterpiece, among the top ten most-performed operatic works in history, featuring some of the composer’s best-known arias. The cast includes Virginia Opera debuts by soprano Ewa Płonka as Tosca and bass-baritone Kyle Albertson as Scarpia. Directed by Lillian Groag, marking her 25th production with the company. In Italian with English supertitles. Saturday, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 13 at 2 p.m. at the George Mason University Center for the Arts, 4400 University Dr., in Fairfax. Tickets are $45$115. Visit https://cfa.gmu.edu/ or call 703993-8888.

SUGARLOAF CRAFT FESTIVAL

The annual Sugarloaf Crafts Festival, featuring 11 different events taking place throughout the country throughout the year, is considered one of the top craft experiences in the country. The festival returns to Virginia’s Dulles Expo Center for a fall show styled as a kickoff to holiday shopping with more than 300 artisans from around the country offering one-of-a-kind handcrafted gifts in various media — including functional and decorative pottery, sculpture, glass, jewelry, fashion, leather, wood, metal, furniture, home accessories, and photography. Friday, Oct. 18, and Saturday, Oct. 19, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 20, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 4320 Chantilly Shopping Center Drive, Virginia.

Admission is $8 to $10 per day. Call 703-3780910 or visit www.sugarloafcrafts.com.

THE BALTIMORE CONSORT

Described as a “rambunctious sextet” by the Washington Post for its lively renditions of Renaissance tunes and music of the Elizabethan era, the consort performs a brand-new program, “The Food of Love: Songs, Dances, and Fancies for Shakespeare,” also the title of the ensemble’s first new recording in 10 years. In addition to consort instrumentalists performing arrangements of dances and music related to Bard classics for lute, cittern, viols, and flute, ethereal soprano Danielle Svonavec will perform from Shakespeare’s songbook.

Sunday, Oct. 13, at 3 p.m. Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St. Frederick, Md. Tickets are $15 to $35. Call 301-6002828 or visit www.weinbergcenter.org.

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Out On The Town

The Irishman

MIDDLEBURG FILM FESTIVAL

Held in a stunningly picturesque town in Virginia’s horse and wine country, the Middleburg Film Festival offers a mix of independent features, documentaries, and Oscar contenders, including several submissions for Best Foreign Language Film. The festival kicks off Thursday, Oct. 17, with Marriage Story, Noah Baumbach’s deeply personal film about the pain of divorce starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver. The 7th annual festival will also honor Terence Blanchard, the sixtime Grammy-winning trumpeter and Oscar-nominated film scorer with the Distinguished Composer Award, culminating in a concert featuring Blanchard’s quintet E-Collective, and a 35-piece orchestra. Oscar-nominated scribe Anthony McCarten will collect the Distinguished Screenwriter Award for his work on festival selection The Two Popes, starring Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins as Popes Francis and Benedict. Other highlights among the 34 films screening include Harriet, starring Cynthia Erivo as iconic American freedom fighter Harriet Tubman; The Capote Tapes, Ebs Burnough’s documentary with never-before-heard audio interviews capturing “the rise and fall of America’s most iconic gay writer”; A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, starring Tom Hanks as Mister Rogers; and Honey Boy, the tale of a self-destructive child acting star directed

by Alma Har’el and based on the experiences of Shia LaBeouf. The festival closes on Sunday, Oct. 20, with The Irishman, an epic saga about organized crime in post-war America from Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. The festival is held at The Salamander Resort & Spa. Tickets are $10 to $25 per screening. Call 540-751-3160 or visit www.middleburgfilm.org.

Compiled by Doug Rule

FILM ALIEN

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Fathom Events returns the original Alien to the big screen. A classic with a tough-minded heroine, Ridley Scott’s classic featured an insidiously slow pacing that ripped through the seams at the finish, producing a third act of unprecedented intensity as Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley frantically struggled to escape both a fero-

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cious, unstoppable xenomorph and a massive ship set to self-destruct —- all while trying to save a cat.

Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton, Veronica Cartwright, John Hurt, Ian Holm, and Yaphet Kotto co-star. The screenings are bookended with special commentary from TCM Primetime Host Ben Mankiewicz. Sunday, Oct. 13, at 1 and 4 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 15, and Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. Area theaters including Regal venues in Gallery Place (701 7th St. NW), Potomac Yards (3575 Richmond Highway, Alexandria), and

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Majestic Stadium (900 Ellsworth Dr., Silver Spring). Visit www.fathomevents.com.

THE BIRDS

The area’s two Angelika theaters offer another “Hitchcocktober,” with screenings of this 1963 masterpiece starring Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren. Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, and Veronica Cartwright, who much later, wound up aboard Alien’s doomed Nostromo. You haven’t experienced The Birds until you’ve seen it on the big screen. (Note the unnerv-

ing lack of musical score, and get there in time for Saul Bass’s chilling opening credits.) Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market, 550 Penn St. NE. Also Thursday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m.

Angelika Film Center - Mosaic, 2911 District Ave., Fairfax. Tickets are $10 athe Pop-Up, $14.50 at Mosaic.

Call 800-680-9095 or visit www.

AngelikaFilmCenter.com.

GASLIGHT

George Cukor’s 1944 psychological thriller helped coin the name of a type of psychological abuse

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Lauderdale and Meow Meow

SPARKLING PINK

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The effervescent Pink Martini celebrates its 25th birthday with a Kennedy Center bash this Sunday.

N HIS SPARE TIME, THOMAS LAUDERDALE LIKES TO BUILD FORTS. IN THE NUDE. “In the summer, if I'm home, I go every day that I can out to Rooster Rock State Park,” says the native Oregonian. “It's a nude beach. And my partner, Hunter, and I build forts out of driftwood. So I spend all of my time that I can naked in the sun hauling lumber to build these forts.”

He documents his progress on Instagram (see for yourself at @thomasmlauderdale). “Hauling wood half a mile or a sandy beach and building a fort with posts that are sort of six feet deep — that's the best thing in the world. It's my favorite thing to do. When I'm on tour, mostly what I think about is the forts.”

Lauderdale is the founder and leader of Pink Martini. If you’ve never seen the internationally-flavored, 12-member orchestra in concert, do yourself a favor and find your way to their upcoming Washington Performing Arts-sponsored birthday show at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall this Sunday, Oct. 13. Watching the band and its rotating stable of sublime vocalists, such as Storm Large, China Forbes, and NPR’s Ari Shapiro, is, to put it mildly, an experience of complete and unmitigated joy.

Though its roots are in LGBTQ activism, Pink Martini is not political — at least not inherently.

“In different times in the band's history, there have been times where it seemed necessary to make political statements from the stage,” says Lauderdale. “In recent years, I realized that because we have a really diverse audience, people don't necessarily want to be backed into a corner politically and that it's probably better not to say too much. But that’s why we do songs in different languages.

[It] has to do with being inclusive.”

The band will be joined on Sunday by special guest Meow Meow. “She is hysterically funny,” says Lauderdale. “I've never seen people laugh harder at any concert than when Meow Meow is on the stage.” Lauderdale also notes that Sunday’s performance marks the exact 25-year point from when the band first played. “There will be a couple of original members who are flying in who haven't played with the band for years,” he says. He’s hopeful Storm Large will make an appearance alongside Forbes and NPR’s Shapiro, and coyly notes that another NPR luminary may be making a surprise Pink Martini debut. “Who knows what'll happen between now and the 13th?” he laughs.

“Any number of things could happen.”

Asked to best describe what Pink Martini is, the 49-year-old bandleader bubbles over. “It's whimsical and global and inclusive and lovely and hypnotic! Somebody once said — or maybe I said it — it's like Lawrence Welk on acid.” —Randy Shulman Pink Martini, with special guests Meow Meow and Ari Shapiro, performs Sunday, Oct. 13, at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $35 to $85. Call 202-785-9727 or visit www.washingtonperformingarts.org.

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that’s become all-too common in our current era, one in which a person is gradually manipulated into doubting the truth. Ingrid Bergman won an Oscar for her portrayal of a young opera singer whose husband convinces her that the strange things she keeps noticing — missing pictures, footsteps in the night, gaslights dimming without being touched — are all figments of her imagination. Gaslight also features Angela Lansbury in her Oscarnominated cinematic debut as a young maid. The black-and-white drama returns to the big screen as part of a 75th anniversary screening via the Capital Classics series at Landmark’s West End Cinema, where it will be shown with the original 23-minute finale. Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 1:30, 4:30, and 7:30 p.m.

2301 M St. NW. Happy hour from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.50 each.

Call 202-534-1907 or visit www. landmarktheatres.com.

STAGE DAY OF ABSENCE

White citizens in a sleepy southern town are forced to recognize the value and vitality their AfricanAmerican neighbors offer them one random day when they mysteriously disappear. Raymond O. Caldwell and Angelisa Gillyard direct a Theater Alliance retelling of a “reverse minstrel show” that Douglas Turner Ward originally created in 1965, one billed as a comedic and pointed commentary on systemic racism that is sadly still relevant today. Jared Shamberger leads a 10-member cast as the town’s mayor in the 90-minute, intermission-less play.

Opens Saturday, Oct. 12. Runs to Nov. 3. Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Place SE. Tickets are $25 to $40, except for at least 10 NameYour-Own-Price seats up for grabs one hour before each show. Call 202-241-2539 or visit www.theateralliance.com.

LIFE IS A DREAM

Hugo Medrano directs one of the essential works of Spanish Golden Age theater, Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s timeless play that explores free will, fate, and tyranny. Nando López adapted the work for a world-premiere production to kick off the 44th season of GALA Theatre. Daniel Alonso de Santos, Mel Rocher, and Soraya Padrao lead a cast of actors who will perform in Spanish with English surtitles.

To Oct. 13. Tivoli Square, 3333 14th St. NW. Call 202-234-7174 or visit www.galatheatre.org.

THE ROYALE

In 1905, Jay “The Sport” Jackson dreams of becoming the first African American boxer to fight for the heavyweight championship — yet even with his string of knockout vic-

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tories, the odds are stacked against him outside the ring, with the even bigger fight against entrenched racial segregation and pronounced white preudice. Paige Hernandez directs a co-production from Olney Theatre Company and 1st Stage of Tyson’s Corner of Marco Ramirez’s play, a 90-minute, intermission-less work starring Jaysen Wright the character inspired by the real-life boxer Jack Johnson. To Oct. 27.

Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md. Call 301-924-3400 or visit www.olneytheatre.org.

JEREMY DANIEL

THE TEMPEST

REVISITING A CLASSIC

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Tony-winning director Walter Bobbie returns to a musical he first directed on Broadway.

T WAS IMPORTANT FOR ME TO TAKE SOMETHING WHICH I SAW AS A MULTIMILlion-dollar, full-bodied, highly scenic costume production, and say, ‘What do you really need to tell the story?’” says Walter Bobbie. “You get down to the essence.” The Tony Award-winning director is getting down to the essence of Footloose, this weekend’s opener in the third season of the Kennedy Center’s remarkable “Broadway Center Stage” series. Each year, three musicals are given semi-staged concert readings, and the Kennedy Center hasn’t turned up a bad penny yet. It’s presented a bit of everything, from the classic (The Music Man, How to Succeed in Business...) to the off-beat (Tommy, Chess). In addition to Footloose, this year’s lineup includes Next to Normal and Bye Bye Birdie.

Bobbie, whose 1996 production of Chicago is still playing on Broadway, second only to Phantom, comes to Footloose with personal ties to the show: He co-wrote the original book with the film’s screenwriter, Dean Pitchford, and helmed the 1998 Broadway production. He was thrilled to revisit the show, which has been refined and retooled in the ensuing years. “Dean and I did some substantial changes,” he says. “I think it has become even stronger than it was before.”

To prepare, Bobbie recently rewatched the 1984 classic starring Kevin Bacon (“The best haircut I've ever seen on film. His barber should have had billing above the title”), John Lithgow, and Dianne Wiest.

“I don't think I've looked at it in 15 years,” he says. “The film is actually quite violent. I mean, there's book burning. But the film is not a musical. So we had to liberate it from its iconic fame to make it actually sing and dance and behave like a musical.” Bobbie and Pitchford toned down the religious and political aspects that formed the movie’s backbone, focusing instead on the relationships between the central characters.

“The musical is not a fight between ‘The Heartland’ and the ‘City Kid,’” says Bobbie. “It's about two people coming together, taking their misplaced grief, and starting to hear each other and forgive. I think that’s a very good theme to bring to Washington, D.C. these days.” —Randy Shulman Footloose runs through Oct. 14 at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Tickets are $59 to $175.

Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

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Synetic Theater kicks off its 19th season by reprising its splashy, cinematic adaptation of William Shakespeare’s shipwrecked classic from 2013. In the physical theater troupe’s hands, The Tempest is a speech-free yet water-full production, since it comes as part of the company’s signature “wordless Shakespeare” series and features a 1,200-square-foot pool, filled with roughly 3,000 gallons of water, that takes center stage. In fact, the first three rows of seats are designated as a splash zone, with “ponchos provided.” The troupe’s co-founder Irina Tsikurishvili will splishsplash, dance, and jump around as the sea storm-stirring Prospera.

To Oct. 20. 1800 South Bell St., Arlington. Call 800-494-8497 or visit www.synetictheater.org.

WEST BY GOD

Two families grapple with issues of grief and love, memory and identity, in a new play set in a small Appalachian town and written

by West Virginia native Brandon McCoy. Jeremy Skidmore directs a world-premiere production for Keegan Theatre of a show billed as “a funny, heartwarming, and gut-wrenchingly honest examination of the divide between urban and rural America, and the kinds of prejudice and intolerance too often left unchallenged in our society.”

To Oct. 20. 1742 Church St. NW. Call 202-265-3767 or visit www. keegantheatre.com.

MUSIC ALL THINGS GO FALL CLASSIC

Now in its sixth year, D.C.’s boutique two-day festival totally bucks the male-dominated music festival standard by featuring as many female musicians as male over its first day and closing out with a second annual all-female day — all that, plus at least a quarter of the 16 acts in the lineup feature members identifying along the LGBTQ spectrum. Chvrches, the female-fronted Scottish synth-pop trio, headlines the first day, Saturday, Oct. 12, performing at Union Market’s outdoor Dock 5 space after a slew of promising up-and-coming acts,

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including Lany, Muna, Mxmtoon, and D.C.’s post-punk/spoken word artist Sneaks. Melanie Martinez headlines day two, taking the stage after Betty Who, the incredibly gay- and D.C.-popular dancepop artist marking her third year at the festival. Léon, Olivia O’Brien, Allie X, and Teamarrr are among the acts who will perform in the afternoon outdoors as festival-goers juggle between taking in live music with perusing and partaking in the food and drink to come from vendors including &Pizza, Arepa Zone, Bun’d Up, DC Empanadas, Insomnia Cookies, Jrink, Nando’s, Rocklands, Shake Shack, Swizzler Foods, and Taqueria del Barrio. On Friday, Oct. 11, at Eaton DC, the festival reprises last year’s women-centric Classic Conversations panel series exploring issues of women and gender in the music industry. Dock 5 at Union Market, 1309 5th St. NE. Ticket availability may be scarce. Call 888512-7469 or visit www.allthingsgofallclassic.com.

CHELY WRIGHT

ABUNDANT ART

The Bethesda Row Arts Festival returns this weekend with new directors, new artists, and a new interactive map.

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ON GANN HAS NEVER CONSIDERED HIMSELF AN ARTIST. “I WAS A GRAPHIC designer for many, many years,” he says. “But I am not a fine painter or illustrator by any stretch. And while I can do some glasswork here and there, it’s nothing that anyone would pay money for.”

Nevertheless, Robert Deutsch, longtime organizer of the Bethesda Row Arts Festival, thought Gann would be a good fit to lead the 22-year-old event, billed as the area's largest outdoor fine arts festival with a reputation as one of the nation’s best. Gann recalls Deutsch telling him they wanted him aboard because they “want to do something new in Bethesda.” A consultant to film festivals around the country as well as the former director of the DC Shorts festival, Gann welcomed the offer.

With help from co-director Jim Taglauer, Gann has implemented a few subtle yet significant changes at the annual event, which takes place this weekend and features over 200 artists, nearly half of whom are new to the event. The slate was selected by three jurors looking for variety within the 16 artistic disciplines represented, from wearable fabrics to woodworking.

This year’s event is also designed to attract new, younger art collectors — specifically with the creation of the stARTer Gallery, a separate, non-juried exhibition featuring 14 local artists whose artworks fall into a more affordable range — roughly $25 to $300 apiece, as opposed to the juried work, which ranges from $50 to upwards of $10,000.

The festival is also launching an interactive map for mobile devices, one that “knows where you are at the show and tells you who's closest to you,” says Gann. “So it's easy to find the artists you're looking for.” The mobile map comes as part of a larger technological overhaul that’s “really beefed up the [festival’s] website. Every artist is on there — all of their social and websites. We really wanted to make it easy to connect with one another.” —Doug Rule The Bethesda Row Arts Festival is Saturday, Oct. 12, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., in a blocked-off street in downtown Bethesda. Free.

Visit www.bethesdarowarts.org.

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It’s been a decade now since Chely Wright, a one-time contemporary queen of modern country — responsible for the turn-of-the-21st-century hits “Shut Up and Drive” and “Single White Female — came out as gay. She celebrated the decision by headlining the 2010 Capital Pride festival, which she considers “a highlight of my career and one of the highlights of my life.” A native of Kansas who now lives in New York with her wife and their twin boys, Wright returns to the region on a tour in support of her new Americana EP Revival, which Rolling Stone Country called a “joyous” collection of “empowering affirmations,” singling out “Say the Word” as “a luminescent slice of ’70s AM pop.” Opening for Wright is Philadelphia’s Christine Havrilla, touring in support of her new album Sunless Escapade, recorded with her rock/blues/country band Gypsy Fuzz. Sunday, Oct. 13. Doors at 5:30 p.m. Jammin Java, 227 Maple Ave. E. Vienna. Tickets are $15 to $25.

Call 703-255-3747 or visit www. jamminjava.com.

GOAPELE

It’s been almost a decade since this socially active, straight neo-soul singer headlined the Capital Pride Women’s Pride Concert, followed by a slot at the 2011 Capital Jazz Fest. The striking Oakland, Calif.based artist, who Rolling Stone once said sounds like “the spiritual love child of Sade and D’Angelo,” returns to the area on a tour supporting her most recent release, 2017’s Dreamseeker EP. Carolyn Malachi opens. Thursday, Oct. 17, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria.

Tickets are $45. Call 703-549-7500 or visit www.birchmere.com.

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orative glass, cost $50; VIP Early Entry passes are sold out. Visit www.snallygasterdc.com.

IRENE YOUNG

VIRGINIA WINE FESTIVAL

CATHY FINK & MARCY MARXER

Partners in life and music-making, the pair’s new album WAHOO! features both original tunes as well as reimagined standards, traversing multiple styles, from jazz to calypso to bluegrass, and featuring sweet vocal harmonies, sharp arrangements, and virtuosic playing on the uke as well as other instruments in the string family, including the guitar, fivestring banjo, mandolin, and cello-banjo. Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 7:15 at Amphadora’s Diner Deluxe, 1151 Elden Street, in Reston. Tickets are $13 or $12 for Reston-Herdon Folk Club members. Call 540-722-0146 or visit www.restonherndonfolkclub.com.

TAKÁCS QUARTET

The Grammy-winning ensemble celebrates its 45th season by performing The Complete Bartók String Quartets, the repertoire that helped establish it as one of the top string quartets. Heralded as among the crowning achievements of 20th-century chamber music, Bela Bartók composed his six intense and emotive masterworks for string quartets over a 30-year period, infusing them with heavy-hearted tones and complex musical phrasing, drawing from the Hungarian peasantry and their folk songs. Formed in 1975 at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest by four students including András Fejér, Takács is now based in Boulder at the University of Colorado and features Edward Dusinberre and Harumi Rhodes on violin and Geraldine Walther on viola, along with Fejér on cello. The quartet will open a new season of the Fortas Chamber Music series with two evenings of performances, the first of which featuring Bartók’s first, third, and fifth string quartets, and then the second, fourth, and sixth to come the next night. Tuesday, Oct. 15, and Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m. Terrace Theater. Tickets are $45. Call 202-467-4700 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

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DANCE ANN SOFIE CLEMMENSEN: IN TO AND OUT OF

Through the Local Dance Commissioning Project, the Kennedy Center helps support the local dance scene and nurture the creation of new works from local choreographers, which are then performed for free as part of the Millennium Stage programming. The latest work in the series transports audiences to three different spaces of the REACH, the arts institution’s expansive new addition, using unique characteristics of each location to explore concepts in pattern and timing, light and dark, and limitation and transformation. In all, 20 dancers will perform Clemmensen’s In To And Out Of Friday, Oct. 18, and Saturday, Oct. 19, at 6 p.m. Free. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

COMEDY JYNX COMEDY NIGHT

The Brookland location of Busboys and Poets plays host to a monthly showcase of “high-energy, empowering comedy” from women-identifying, non-binary, and LGBTQ comedians produced by Project Thalia founder Angela Hamilton.

The October edition celebrates Jynx’s one-year anniversary in addition to nodding to Halloween

OCTOBER 10, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

with a costume contest for the best dressed amongst guests. Sofia Javed hosts a lineup including Adaylah Banks, Eva Mozena Brandon, Jenny Calvallero, Shelley Kim, Gigi Modrich, and Blaire Postman.

Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 8 p.m. 625 Monroe St. NE. Call 202-636-7230 or visit www.busboysandpoets.com.

FOOD & DINING SNALLYGASTER DC: BEASTLY BEER JAMBOREE

Named after the mythical beast said to have once terrorized the area, this craft beer festival and fundraiser has ramped up its offerings in its eighth year, with 150 or so of the world’s finest breweries pouring no fewer than 400 small-batch brews. The lineup is a who’s who of revered breweries from around the country, plus several dozen new entries, including Bierstadt Lagerhaus from Colorado, Bissell Brothers from Maine, Dancing Gnome from Pennsylvania, Vitamin Sea from Massachusetts, Wolves & People from Oregon, Yeast of Eden from California, and the local LGBTQ-owned Red Bear and Denizens. A flat-fee admission offers unlimited beer and wine tastings. Saturday, October 12, from 2 to 6 p.m. Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd and 7th Streets NW. General Admission tickets, offering unlimited tastings and a commem-

Alternately billed as “Virginia’s Oldest Wine Festival” and “the East Coast’s Longest-Running Wine Festival,” this 44th annual event organized by TasteUSA features more than 200 wines from many of the commonwealth’s most revered wineries. The festival also features Virginia craft beers poured in the Virginia Oyster Pavilion, with bivalves served on the half shell, grilled, or baked in special dishes. It will all be complemented by live entertainment, craft vendors, and of course food trucks and vendors. Saturday, Oct. 19, and Sunday, Oct. 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. One Loudoun, 44600 Freetown Blvd., Ashburn. Tickets, including tasting glass, unlimited wine (and cider) tastings, and access to the Oyster Pavilion, are $39 plus fees in advance, while a VIP pass, granting one-hour early admission, plus access to a private tent and bathrooms with additional reserve wine tastings, is $69 plus fees. Visit www. virginiawinefest.com.

ART & EXHIBITS ARTY QUEERS: D.C.’S LGBTQ+ ART MARKET

The DC Center for the LGBT Community offers the chance for local LGBTQ and queer-identified artists to showcase and sell their works on the second Saturday of every month, including Oct. 12, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Prospective art buyers can expect to see original artworks in a range of media, including painting, pottery, photography, jewelry, glasswork, textiles, and clothing. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Call 202-682-2245 or visit www.thedccenter.org.

GISELLE SHEPATIN: DRESS FOR THE SEASON OF JOY

The Zenith Gallery presents an exhibition of recent creations by a wearable art designer whose work focuses on “the beauty we share, the love we desire to give and to receive, the nurturing of what we find important, and the desire to dress for and to delight ourselves with the whimsy.” Now to Oct. 26.

Opening Reception is Saturday, Oct. 12, from 12 to 6 p.m. Zenith Gallery, 1429 Iris St. NW. Call 202-783-2963 or visit www.zenithgallery.com.

ABOVE & BEYOND CONGRESSIONAL CEMETERY: SOUL STROLLS

J. Edgar Hoover, buried alongside his “deputy” Clyde Tolson, surely rests as the most sinister of all 67,000 permanent residents at this 35-acre historic graveyard. It’s an OOTT continues on page 36

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Community FRIDAY, October 11

PROJECT STRIPES hosts

LGBT-affirming social group for ages 11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road NW. Contact Tamara, 202-319-0422, www. layc-dc.org.

GAMMA is a confidential, vol-

untary, peer-support group for men who are gay, bisexual, questioning and who are now or who have been in a relationship with a woman. 7:30-9:30 p.m. Luther Place Memorial Church, 1226 Vermont Ave NW. GAMMA meetings are also held in Vienna, Va., and in Frederick, Md. For more information, visit www.gammaindc.org.

SMYAL’S REC NIGHT provides

a social atmosphere for LGBTQ and questioning youth, featuring dance parties, vogue nights, movies and games. 4-7 p.m. For more info, email rebecca.york@ smyal.org.

SATURDAY, October 12

WOMEN IN THEIR TWENTIES (AND THIRTIES), a social

discussion and activity group for queer women, meets at The DC Center on the second and fourth Friday of each month.

Group social activity to follow the meeting. 8-9:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www. thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH

offers free HIV testing and HIV services (by appointment). 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Decatur Center, 1400 Decatur St. NW. To arrange an appointment, call 202-291-4707, or visit www.andromedatransculturalhealth.org.

BET MISHPACHAH, founded

by members of the LGBT community, holds Friday evening Shabbat services in the DC Jewish Community Center’s Community Room. 8 p.m. 1529 16th St. NW. For more information, visit www.betmish.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB holds

a practice session at Howard University. 6:30-8 p.m. Burr Gymnasium, 2400 6th St. NW. For more information, visit www.swimdcac.org.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-

Walker Health. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at 1525 14th St. NW. For an appointment, call 202-7457000 or visit www.whitman-walker.org.

KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY (K.I.) SERVICES, 20 S. Quaker Lane, Suite 210, Alexandria, Va., offers $30 “rapid” HIV testing and counseling by appointment only. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Must schedule special appointment if seeking testing after 2 p.m. Call 703823-4401. www.kiservices.org.

METROHEALTH CENTER

offers free, rapid HIV testing.

Appointment needed. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. To arrange an appointment, call 202-8498029. www.metrohealthdc.org.

HABIT FORMING

The DC Sisters bring a dash of flamboyance and fun to the ongoing fight for LGBTQ equality.

I

N 1979, AS A COUNTERCULTURE REACTION TO THE hyper-masculine gay motif of the time, a group of friends in San Francisco donned nun’s habits and formed The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Over the years, the organization spread, some might say like glittery moss, across the land. A D.C. chapter was formed in 2014.

“Our main purposes are to expiate stigmatic guilt and promulgate universal joy,” says Sister Sedusa Paula Tishen, the D.C. abbess. “If someone has made you feel bad about yourself for whatever reason, we want to be a presence to go, ‘You know what? That’s their problem, not yours. The things that you want to do and be are valid,’ and we try to lift that up for people.”

Originally, the organization focused on community service and outreach to those who are marginalized, starting with visiting patients in hospice during the early years of the AIDS epidemic. In recent years the group has shifted its focus to larger issues of LGBTQ inclusion and equality. It’s not unusual to see The DC Sisters, in their trademark bejeweled habits and vivid-white face paint, often adorned with rainbow-colored, glittery facial hair, demonstrating in front of the Supreme Court when LGBTQ cases are being argued, or at social justice rallies and vigils.

There’s a social aspect to the group, as well, which hosts a karaoke night every Mondays at the Green Lantern and a monthly bingo night at Red Bear Brewery, where they collect “tips” to raise money for local LGBTQ nonprofits.

Those interested in joining the sisters should be able to prove their commitment to the organization by regularly attending events and the group’s monthly meetings, which take place at the Shaw Library on the second Tuesday of every month. Only then, says Sister Sedusa, can they begin the process of becoming a sister and creating a unique identity.

“I couldn't really figure out what I wanted as a name,” Sedusa recalls of her own initiation. “Nothing that really seemed to fit. Sister Helen Wheels had created a website of sister names, and I was looking through it, and I got to one that was ‘Sedusa Mormon.’ I was like, ‘Oh, that's funny, but I’m not in Utah, I’m in D.C., so I would be seducing politicians.’ And that's when it struck me: Sedusa Paula Tishen.” —John Riley The DC Sisters will hold a free queer-affirming guided meditation session in Logan Circle Park on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 4 to 6 p.m.

For a complete list of upcoming events, visit www.dcsisters.org.

ADVENTURING outdoors

group hikes eight strenuous miles with 1800 feet of elevation gain through dramatic canyon in Shenandoah National Park. Experienced hikers only.

Bring beverages, lunch, sturdy boots, bug spray, and approximately $15 for fees. Possible dinner on return home. Carpool at 8 a.m. from the East Falls Church Metro Station Kiss & Ride lot. For more info, contact David at 240-938-0375 or visit www.adventuring.org.

AGLA hosts its monthly AFTERNOON COFFEE JOLT, a time for members of the LGBTQ community in Northern Virginia to socialize and make connections over a cup of coffee. Organizer Eric will be wearing gold and purple Mardi Gras beads for easy identification. 2:30-3:30 p.m. Detour, 946 N. Jackson St. (next to the Jiffy Lube), Arlington, Va. For more info, visit www.agla.org.

CHRYSALIS arts & culture

group visits the National Gallery of Art to see exhibition on Florentine Renaissance artist Verrocchio. Free admission.

Lunch in gallery cafe follows.

Meet at 11 a.m. inside the 6th & Constitution Avenue NW lobby of the Old (West) Building.

For more information, contact Craig, 202-462-0535 or craighowell1@verizon.net.

The DC Center hosts ARTY QUEERS, a monthly indoor LGBTQ+ art market featuring original artwork, textiles, pottery, photography, jewelry, glasswork, textiles, and clothing created by queer artists. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, email Kimberley@thedccenter.org.

The DC Center hosts a monthly meeting of UNIVERSAL PRIDE, a group to support and empower LGBTQIA people with

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disabilities, offer perspectives on dating and relationships, and create greater access in public spaces for LGBTQIA PWDs. 1-2:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, contact Andy Arias, andyarias09@gmail.com.

Vida hosts its 5TH ANNUAL VIDA THRIVE 5K to raise money for Thrive DC, a nonprofit dedicated to combating homelessness in D.C. The race will take place along Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park.

Registration closes at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11. Parking is available at Carter Barron Park in the lot off Colorado Ave. NW. Check-in starts at 6:45 a.m. Race kicks off at 8 a.m.

16th and Kennedy Streets, NW. To register or for more information, visit www.vidathrive5k.com.

Weekly Events DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a

practice session at Montgomery College Aquatics Club. 8:30-10 a.m.

7600 Takoma Ave., Takoma, Md. For more information, visit www. swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/

walking/social club welcomes runners of all ability levels for exercise in a fun and supportive environment, with socializing afterwards.

Route distance will be 3-6 miles.

Walkers meet at 9:30 a.m. and runners at 10 a.m. at 23rd & P Streets NW. For more information, visit www.dcfrontrunners.org.

SUNDAY, October 13 CHRYSALIS arts & culture group

visits the Newseum to view its exhibit “Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement” and other shows prior to its permanent closing at the end of the year. Lunch at on-site cafeteria.

Admission: $25 for adults, $20 for seniors. Meet at 11:30 a.m. inside the lobby near the ticket desk. For more information, contact Craig, 202-462-0535 or craighowell1@ verizon.net.

Weekly Events

INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT, God-centered

new age church & learning center.

Sunday Services and Workshops event. 5419 Sherier Place NW. Visit www.isd-dc.org.

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. Visit www.reformationdc.org.

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. For more info, call 202-638-7373 or visit www.mccdc.com.

RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH,

a Christ-centered, interracial, welcoming-and-affirming church, offers service at 10 a.m. 680 I St. SW. For more info, call 202-5544330 or visit www.riversidedc.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. For more info, visit www.uucava.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. For more info, call 202-3873411 or visit www.universalist.org.

MONDAY, October 14 COLUMBUS DAY

Federal Holiday. The DC Center is closed for the day.

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

ADVENTURING outdoors group

FAIRLINGTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH is an open, inclusive church. All welcome, including the LGBTQ community. Member of the Reconciling Ministries Network. Services at 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. 3900 King Street, Alexandria, Va. 703-6718557. For more info, visit www. fairlingtonumc.org.

OCTOBER 10, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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. Visit www. quakersdc.org.

LGBT-inclusive ALL SOULS

MEMORIAL EPISCOPAL CHURCH

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FRIENDS MEETING OF WASHINGTON meets for worship,

hikes 5 easy miles through the northern tip of Rock Creek Park on the Columbus Day holiday. Bring water, snacks, good walking shoes, bug spray, and the $2 trip fee.

Leashed dogs welcome. Optional lunch in downtown Silver Spring follows. Meet at 10 a.m. outside the entrance to the Silver Spring Metro Station along Colesville Road. For more information, contact Peter, 202-352-4796 or visit www.adventuring.org.

Out & Equal Workplace Advocates hosts its 2019 OUT & EQUAL WORKPLACE SUMMIT from Monday, Oct. 14 to Thursday, Oct. 17, featuring workshops, seminars, and networking opportunities centered around LGBTQ inclusion in the workplace. Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, 201 Waterfront St., Fort Washington, Md. Visit www.outandequal.org.

Weekly Events DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a

practice session at Dunbar Aquatic Center. 7:30-9 p.m. 101 N St. NW. For more information, visit www. swimdcac.org.

DC’S DIFFERENT DRUMMERS

welcomes musicians of all abilities to join its Monday night rehearsals. The group hosts marching/color guard, concert, and jazz ensembles, with performances year round. Please contact Membership@DCDD.org to inquire about joining one of the ensembles or visit www.DCDD.org.

WASHINGTON WETSKINS WATER POLO TEAM practices 7-9

p.m. Newcomers with at least basic swimming ability always welcome.

Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. For more information, contact Tom, 703-299-0504 or secretary@wetskins.org, or visit www.wetskins.org.

TUESDAY, October 15 CENTER BI, a group of The DC

Center, hosts a monthly roundtable discussion around issues of bisexuality. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Visit www.thedccenter.org.

The DC Center holds a monthly VOLUNTEER NIGHT for those interested in giving back to the local LGBTQ community. Activities include sorting through book donations, taking inventory, or assembling safe-sex packets. 6:30-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.

For more information, visit www. thedccenter.org.

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS

holds an LGBT-focused meeting every Tuesday, 7 p.m. at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 915 Oakland Ave., Arlington, just steps from Virginia Square Metro. Handicapped accessible.

Newcomers welcome. For more info, call Dick, 703-521-1999 or email liveandletliveoa@gmail.com.

Support group for LGBTQ youth ages 13-24 meets at SMYAL. 4-7 p.m. 410 7th St. SE. For more information, contact Dana White, 202567-3156, or visit www.smyal.org.

US HELPING US hosts a support

group for black gay men 40 and older. 7-9 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. Call 202-446-1100. www.ushelpingus.org.

Whitman-Walker Health holds its weekly GAY MEN’S HEALTH AND WELLNESS/STD CLINIC. Patients are seen on a walk-in basis. No-cost screening for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. Hepatitis and herpes testing available for a fee.

Testing starts at 6 p.m, but should arrive early to ensure a spot. 1525 14th St. NW. For more information, visit www.whitman-walker.org.

WEDNESDAY, October 16 BOOKMEN DC, an informal men’s

gay-literature group, discusses The Collected Writings of Joe Brainard at The DC Center. All are welcome.

7:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Visit www.bookmendc.blogspot.com.

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.

FREEDOM FROM SMOKING, a

Weekly Events

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 www.thedccenter.org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds prac-

JOB CLUB, a weekly support pro-

tice. The team is always looking for new members. All welcome.

7-9 p.m. Harry Thomas Recreation Center, 1743 Lincoln Rd. NE. For more information, visit www.scandalsrfc.org.

gram for job entrants and seekers, meets at The DC Center. 6-7:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.

For more info, email centercareers@thedccenter.org or visit www.thedccenter.org/careers.

THE GAY MEN'S HEALTH COLLABORATIVE offers free

WASHINGTON WETSKINS WATER POLO TEAM practices 7-9

HIV testing and STI screening and treatment every Tuesday.

5-6:30 p.m. Rainbow Tuesday LGBT Clinic, Alexandria Health Department, 4480 King St. 703746-4986 or text 571-214-9617. www.inova.org/gmhc

p.m. Newcomers with at least basic swimming ability always welcome.

Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. For more information, contact Tom, 703-299-0504 or secretary@wetskins.org, or visit www.wetskins.org. l

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Healthy Outlook Whitman-Walker Health’s Naseema Shafi aims to promote diversity and social justice as part of the organization’s greater mission.

Interview by John Riley Photography by Todd Franson

T

HERE’S NO WAY THAT YOU COULD WORK AT Whitman-Walker and not become a better person,” says Naseema Shafi, the CEO of the federally-qualified community health center that specializes in HIV/ AIDS and LGBTQ-affirming care. “You must open your mind, unlearn things, open your heart, treat other people with dignity, and embrace them. I don’t know any other way to be than authentic in my leadership style. And what you get back is this incredible amount of love.”

Shafi says she has become less binary in her thinking about gender, something that wouldn’t otherwise have happened if she weren’t exposed to the concept through her work at WhitmanWalker Health and her interactions with transgender and nonbinary co-workers. “It’s a fantastic shift in the way you think,” she says. “It’s way more than pronouns. I think for people who don’t exist in spaces where they’re thinking about it all the time, it is a complete paradigm shift, and it's a really important one.”

The youngest of four children born to immigrant parents, Shafi grew up in a household that prized and celebrated diversity, and developed an appreciation for social justice — values that have shaped her work at the venerated organization.

“I have been conscious for my entire life that I would not have what I have without other people suffering and making big sacrifices,” she says. “I have been very conscious of how much privilege and power I have, and that I have a responsibility to do more for people.”

As a Muslim-American, Shafi has also experienced her share of prejudice, particularly in the years immediately following 9/11, when she felt the level of Islamophobia in the United States ramp up. Her experiences also made her more empathetic to those who experience mistreatment because of their identities.

In 2007, Shafi applied for a position with Whitman-Walker Health, and was hired as the director of compliance, staying in the role for three years before being promoted to chief operating officer. Following Whitman-Walker’s reorganization in January of 2019, she became the CEO of Whitman-Walker Health, the entity that deals with health care delivery and patient outreach.

Shafi experienced culture shock during her first few months on the job in 2007. She had joined the organization during a turbulent time when it was experiencing financial instability.

Don Blanchon, in only his second year as CEO, was attempting to right the ship.

“I was coming from a corporate law firm world to a nonprof24

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it,” she says. “Don had been here for a year and we were really in the middle of trying to unearth ourselves from that place we had been in. And my first major responsibility was to look at our 2005 audit, which was a year late being produced...and was told that I needed to help us get to a clean audit. So I was trying to understand what our grant requirements were, what we weren’t doing that we needed to be doing, and meeting with program staff on it. It was just so chaotic.”

Reflecting on Whitman-Walker’s legacy as it begins its fifth decade of service to D.C.’s LGBTQ community and other underserved populations, Shafi says resiliency and innovation have been, and will most likely be in the future, crucial to the health center’s survival. She emphasizes the importance of engaging and seeking feedback from the patients and communities that Whitman-Walker serves, and crafting the organization’s mission going forward.

Shafi says the most frustrating part of her job is the highly technical, heavily regimented way in which health care is delivered, as well as barriers, like the quality or availability of insurance coverage or the lack of a support system or patient advocates, that impede those seeking treatment. To Shafi, such issues are personal.

“My husband Sean died from brain cancer in June of 2012,” she says. “He was diagnosed in 2009, and I learned through that experience how important it is to have a health care advocate, and how in some health care settings, when it’s complex, you do need another person in the room to understand what’s happening. Our system isn't set up for that either, because someone then has to take off from work, which is a loss of income sometimes.

But it’s a really important lesson and it informs the way I think about this place.”

Shafi takes satisfaction in helping those who can seek out Whitman-Walker’s services and is immensely proud of the high-quality care the health center provides.

“I still feel the most satisfied or the most pride either in our elevators or in our waiting areas,” she says. “Those are the places where people who are so different from one another would never ever be together but for our sites. The team who works here really strives to provide an environment where everybody feels welcome and that we live out our ‘We See You’ message that we try to communicate through our work.

“Yesterday, I was leaving and someone was coming in, and I got to say, ‘What are you here for?’ and help them get where they’re going. It’s hard out there, but in here, it shouldn't be.”

METRO WEEKLY: What was your childhood like?

NASEEMA SHAFI: I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I'm

the youngest of four and we were all born there. My family, the second time they immigrated to the U.S., we landed in, of all places, New Mexico. When I was 10, we relocated to Sharon, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston.

I think what was so special about my parents’ experience, because they come from two different places — one’s from Trinidad, one’s from Pakistan — that when they got to New Mexico, the Muslim community was brand new and all immigrant-based and largely made up of students. And they started

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to create this environment where it was okay for everybody to be together. All the students would get together, and my mom and dad would host dinner parties at their house and they’d host prayers at their house.

And so, from a really young age, I got to see different kinds of people together. I got to see different kinds of people together, celebrated and safe and happy and content, and it’s fantastic.

MW: Did that set the tone for the rest of your life, in terms of how you value diversity and inclusion?

SHAFI: Yes, absolutely. I’ve been reflecting a lot on that as I enter this phase in my career here at Whitman-Walker that what motivates me to improve what we do here and how we reach out to the communities that we serve is that thing that my parents did, which was really cultivate a space where people could be together. I think that ability to be different together was informative for me. I think I still move through the world longing for a sense of place and a sense of belonging. It’s one of those things where you know it when you’re in it, and that to me is community.

MW: What was it like growing up as a Muslim in the United States?

SHAFI: I don’t think that I experienced outright discrimination, but there were definitely things said that were problematic.

When I lived in Massachusetts, for example, there was a year in middle school when swastikas had been written on a bathroom stall, and one of my classmates said that I must have done it. I was 11. And then when the IraqKuwait war happened, one of my classmates asked if it was okay that she was mad at me.

So from a really young age, I had this feeling of, “Why am I having to be in this crazy big identity pool and defend my faith and defend my identity?”

And that never went away. I think the level of Islamophobia in the country kind of dipped for a little while, and then ratcheted back up after 9/11, and then dipped again, and it was really bad with this last presidential election. My father is a very active leader in the community, and certainly was when we were younger, so I think I was also really conscious of how he was treated differently, including having federal authorities question him at dif-

“Matthew Shepard was killed when I was in college and I just thought, ‘That could be me.’

People hurt people out of hatred, and that’s horrible. I will never not stand up in the face of that and protect people.” ferent times in our lives.

MW: Was that scary?

SHAFI: It wasn’t scary, but it was so clearly wrong, and so clearly being caught up in this big net. So I think it committed me to making sure that people knew me. Because if I was going to be the only Muslim you knew, you would know someone who you liked. And from an early age, I just felt like, “I have this really unique opportunity to make sure that people have to challenge their stereotypes because they know me.”

MW: What were your teenage and college years like?

SHAFI: During my teenage years, I was vice president of my class.

I was voted “Most Spirited” and went to every athletic event, and I was in theater and it was fun. I went to the University of Maryland in College Park and was really active in student government. My favorite times were at the student union, where the had a suite where all the identity-based student groups were on the perimeter, and we would all get together and have these conversations about our identities on these dirty old couches. It was so fantastic, and such a great learning opportunity, and fostered this sense of community.

It was in college when two things happened that really relate to my experience and my commitment to Whitman-Walker. The first was that The Diamondback, which is the publication that the undergraduates put together at Maryland, would do an insert as part of Coming Out Day, where you could put your name in, and you could either come out or you could be an ally. And I was like, “Oh, I’m totally going to put my name in as an ally.” And there were parts of the Muslim community on campus that felt a certain way about that. So I was challenging these deep things that I love about myself. I love my Muslim identity, and it is not friendly to members of community that I love. And so I had to think of “How do I rectify that in my head?”

The second thing was Matthew Shepard was killed when I was in college and I just thought, “That could be me.” People hurt people out of hatred, and that’s horrible, and I will never not stand up in the face of that and protect people.

MW: Who was the first person that came out to you as LGBTQ? SHAFI: My best friend in Massachusetts came out to me when we were in high school, and then one of my dearest friends in college came out to me when we were in college. And then I knew another who came out early in college, so the queer community around me grew quite a lot there.

I think I always had an awareness that people around me were part of the LGBTQ community. I had two educators when I was in middle school who were women that lived together and we knew that they were lesbian. I was also in this play when I was 11 years old that my teacher wrote called Baby X. The premise of the story was that there was a child named Chris that was raised with dolls and trucks and their gender identity and pronouns were never revealed throughout the play.

In college, I remember my very dear friend was starting to go to national meetings to talk about what came after domestic partnership, and whether marriage equality was the path that the LGBTQ community should pursue. And we would have these great conversations about whether that was going to happen or not.

MW: Let’s talk about how your career path changed and how you ended up working for Whitman-Walker.

SHFAI: I’m an attorney by trade. I wanted to be an educator when I was younger, and then I wanted to work in college student personnel and be an advisor for student groups. And then 9/11 happened, and I thought, “I want to serve my community, and I want to serve my country in a way that makes us better somehow.” So I went to law school, and when I was done, it was at a time when the Bush administration wasn't hiring anybody that looked like me, and I just really wanted to serve the community.

I got an opportunity to interview here in a compliance function, and it was a brand new role that was created to work under general counsel. And I thought, “I have to apply for that job.”

And when I was interviewed, the general counsel at the time said, “You’ve never worked in a healthcare setting, you don't know anything about compliance.” I said, “I’m going to read everything you tell me to read, I’m going to learn everything that I can. I’m going to do a great job." And I just convinced her that I would, and thankfully, she hired me. So I didn’t mean to land in health care, I meant to land in some institution that mattered to the community, and I got to do that.

MW: How is Whitman-Walker’s reorganization going, and where do you stand on the major initiatives you prioritized?

SHAFI: It’s been like a regulatory nightmare, on one hand. I’m constantly pulling all the documents to make sure. Because every new thing is brand new in so many ways, so I’m checking back all the time. But it’s also been exciting to kind of engage people with us newly and differently — on Don's side, with the foundation, the institute, thinking about our new fundraising partners, and what else we can be doing on research. And then on the health center side, thinking a lot more about which parts of the community we need to expand services for, and how we’re going to expand in Wards 7 and 8. And, of course, I still get to be really involved in Liz [the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center building] and its redevelopment, and that's been fantastic.

MW: How is the redevelopment of Elizabeth Taylor going, and what are you thinking in terms of timeline for when it will open?

SHAFI: It’s going very well. We will occupy the entire second floor of that building, which when we were in it it was about 35,000 square feet in total. Now, that one floor is 35,000 square feet. So we’ll have public benefits and legal services and research there. We move in next week. So it’s going to be busy and bustling with us again.

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ceremony the first week in November and the cultural center, which is where the foundation will open, will probably open with real activity in the first quarter of next year, but you’ll start to see it buzzing around. And then the rest — the third floor tenant — moves in in November as well, so it'll be busy.

MW: Who is that third floor tenant?

SHAFI: It's the Goethe-Institut, a cultural organization. And then our real estate partners, Fivesquares Development, will also be on that floor.

MW: What's happening in terms of the Max Robinson Center?

SHAFI: Yeah, so super beautiful painted gorgeous Max Robinson Center. Our pharmacy there is very busy. We opened it last year and all the services that are there are going well. That space is small, it doesn't offer the kind of opportunity for service that we want, and what I say to people is it's this great beautiful space you walk in, you feel warmth and embracement.

It's extremely high quality care, but we just can't grow there, and if you're in a wheelchair, it’s not a good experience for you the way you access the building. So we continue to look for space in Wards 7 or 8, and we hope to be close to being able to make a public announcement in the coming months on what that space would be, but we plan to have a similar footprint as we have in Northwest.

MW: If there were to be a place that were to open, would it just be that Max Robinson moves altogether, or would you keep the current building open?

SHAFI: We would move all the services that are at Max and then the services that we have on Capitol Hill at the youth site, and then I think the board would look at the Max Robinson Center to think about what to do with that space. We have a lot of experience thinking about what to do with the Elizabeth Taylor space, but I’m not sure what they would decide on.

MW: On the medical side, what’s the status of your outreach efforts to different communities?

SHAFI: One of our first major priority areas is to expand who understands PrEP [pre-exposure prophylaxis] and who is engaged on PrEP. And the most recent epidata numbers from the city for HIV show us that we’ve sort of plateaued in the new infections and there are big parts of the community who really understand and big parts who don't. And so we were able to secure funding to use our social networks to try to reach out to people, and I think that’s going to be really important for us. So we’ll be focusing those efforts on reaching people of color, cis women, all trans folks, and men who have sex with men.

We are particularly interested in how we get more queer women engaged in the life of the health center and engaged in healthcare. For a long time, especially because we had so much specific HIV funding, didn’t have a lot of HIV-negative queer women engaged with us, and we’d like to increase that number.

We continue to do a lot for youth. What we’re trying to do is build the right staffing model in place to make sure we’ve got the right kinds of clinicians to take care of folks under eighteen.

MW: You’ve had several research trials at Whitman-Walker and now you’re launching this HIV vaccine trial. What does that entail?

SHAFI: I think it’s a long acting PrEP. It’s a long acting HIV pre-

vention tool. So there was a lot of movement to get PrEP out of the pill form and get it into an injectable and it’s definitely what’s coming down the pike. So something that you would only have to take three or four times a year, an injectable form, which would be fantastic, we could go out in the field and do it that way.

We start enrolling patients in November at our 1525 building at 1525 14th St. NW. We’re the only D.C.-based site. Most study sites are at academic institutions, and participants will receive a stipend to cover transportation costs. I know patients have to be treatment naive, which means they can’t already by on PrEP. There’s more to it, but I think the vaccine trial continues to tell the story about the innovative research that we've been a part of and are going to continue to be a part of.

MW: We’re seeing more billboards, bus stop ads, and even TV commercials with the “I’m on the pill” tagline promoting PrEP. Have those ads helped increase widespread awareness of PrEP, or are they only reaching certain populations?

SHAFI: I think it’s still mostly reaching the same populations. Our PrEP numbers are going up, so we provide care to a large number of folks in the city who are on PrEP. We are looking more and targeting other folks that we might reach. So, for example, we're really focused on getting women and trans folks thinking about PrEP and whether it’s the right thing for them. So I’m not sure that that ad campaign has had a specific impact.

MW: At a time when grant money and government funding are being reduced, how are you coping to ensure you can fund your initiatives? Is there a need for more community engagement in the fundraising sphere?

SHAFI: There is absolutely a need. It’s really important that people know that we lose money on every single face-to-face patient visit, and we lose money on most of our grants. Se need the support of the community, in terms of how they donate to the foundation, to help us close gaps all over the place. And then we have some services, like legal services, some of our youth-focused work, some of our prevention work in the community, and trans care navigation that, without the donor community, we wouldn’t be able to offer as robustly as we are. And of course the need is just great.

MW: The 33rd Walk to End HIV is coming up later this month.

Beyond the addition of the Brunch to End HIV, how has the walk changed in the years since you joined Whitman-Walker?

SHAFI: One thing is there are a lot of walks and I think there is a lot of competition in the walk space, nationally. So for us, the question has been, “How do we remain compelling and get people out and have them be with us and fundraise for us that day?”

So that’s been interesting, and, of course, we went from calling it “AIDS Walk” to the “Walk to End HIV,” and I think that was a really important change. Not without its own controversy, but an important change to really put our flag in the ground and say that we have all the tools we need to end the epidemic, and now we can focus on just taking great care of people.

I think the political climate, interestingly, has made it feel somehow more important to stand so near the White House on Freedom Plaza that day. Like it’s part of a very important thread

“We have a really unique opportunity because we deliver the care, and we know exactly what the impact will be...

People will be harmed [by the Trump administration’s actions] and now is not the time for Whitman-Walker to be shy about that.”

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that this is a resilient community that is not going anywhere and will continue to demand its rights, and health care is just one of those.

MW: Whitman-Walker has been more outspoken, particularly against the health care exemptions proposed by the Trump administration. Why was it important to speak out against, for example, the denial of care rule?

SHAFI: It was a very deliberate decision, and it was a long decision. We knew that it was coming and we knew speaking out was the only choice we had. We have a really unique opportunity because we deliver the care, and we know exactly what the impact will be, and we have an incredibly talented policy shop, that from a legal perspective understood and could be engaged with us to help us get through it.

Just as when section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which is the nondiscrimination portion, was being put together, we understood we were advocating for it to be very broadly interpreted and make sure that it protected everyone. We will be as protective in maintaining that level of protection. People will be harmed [by the Trump administration’s actions] and now is not the time for Whitman-Walker to be shy about that.

MW: Regarding Section 1557, if we see insurance starting to deny people for care, is that going to exacerbate the problems on the health provider side?

SHAFI: It’s going to do a bunch of things. It’s definitely going to overload the community providers, especially a place like us that’s culturally competent. But we don’t do surgeries, so we can’t do a gender-affirming surgery and help someone achieve the wholeness that they deserve. So what it will do, which is worse in some ways, is it will spiral the level of chaos and anxiety and pain in the community. Without any of these laws being actually passed, without any actual legislative change, just the talk of it has made people so much more concerned. Our immigrant patients are more concerned, the trans folks are more concerned. I was recently with an HIV-positive long-term survivor who was hoarding meds because they were worried about whether the administration is going to take their drugs away.

MW: On the most recent HAHSTA report for D.C. in terms of HIV, hepatitis, STDs, and tuberculosis, what did you see in the report that was cause for concern and what was a positive development?

SHAFI: The good thing is we take care of thirty percent of the people living with HIV who are D.C. residents. WhitmanWalker is really proud of that. I think we diagnosed a third of the primary and secondary syphilis cases, and we do a lot of that through the evening STI clinic. But we have about the same or more new HIV infections as last year. And I don't feel good about that.

We’ve probably gotten to all the easy stuff, and the hard stuff is complicated by social determinants of health, transportation, access, income, housing. And we can’t solve all of those problems, but I think we can do better getting out into the community

in the places where people are and in the social networks where communities are together, and helping people understand their prevention options.

MW: I know the HAHSTA report actually breaks down by precinct-level data. When you're trying to use your mobile testing units for outreach, are you looking at that data and saying, “Oh, we need to send somebody to this area”?

SHAFI: Yes, we’re looking at that data really closely. We also have our own data showing a map with density. So we can look at, for example, our own patients whose viral load we don’t have data on in the past year, and we know that those folks have fallen out of care and we can go to them. But on the testing van we are going to start bringing clinicians out with us and so we’ll really be able to get out to the communities more and in a targeted way. It's really important that we be targeted.

MW: How would you gauge the general level of support that Whitman-Walker enjoys within the larger community?

SHAFI: We're community-owned and I think people are proud that Whitman-Walker has been able to maintain its position in the community, has been able to grow. I think we made mistakes in the past, but we’ve tried really hard to repair relationships along the way and make sure people know that we’re still here for them. And I think our evidence of that is that our patient population has grown. We've seen about a 800 to 900 patient growth every year since we opened the 1525 health center site.

It’s a lot of growth.

MW: What else do we need to do to fulfill Whitman-Walker’s mission?

SHAFI: We need to do a lot more, but I don't know what exactly.

The communities we serve will tell us and it will always change.

I think what we need to do is be flexible and be open and be available. I was saying the other day that I think we’re at a place beyond believing that the sky is the limit. This is an incredibly capable group of people working towards really important values with the right communities. So we can really do anything we want. But I don’t think we know what it is yet. l Whitman-Walker’s Walk and 5K to End HIV is on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Freedom Plaza, near 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Check-in starts at 7:30 p.m., with the 5-kilometer race kicking off at 9:15 a.m., and the walk starting at 9:20 a.m. For more information, visit www.walktoendhiv.org.

Whitman-Walker will be enrolling 40 to 60 patients as part of its HIV Vaccine Trial starting in November of 2019. Enrollment is limited to HIV-negative cisgender men, transgender men and women, and gender-nonconforming individuals aged 18 to 60. For more information, visit the HIV Vaccine Trials Network at www.hvtn.org.

For more information on Whitman-Walker Health, visit www. whitman-walker.org.

OCTOBER 10, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

Movies

Pondering Pedro Art imitates art imitating life in Pedro Almodóvar’s brilliant, autobiographical Pain & Glory. By André Hereford

S

TARRING IN PEDRO ALMODÓVAR’S RICHLY SELF-REFLEXIVE DRAMA Pain & Glory, Antonio Banderas sports a version of Almodóvar’s spiky hairdo and more than a hint of the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s colorful fashion sense.

Salvador Mallo, the fictitious, gay Spanish filmmaker that Banderas portrays, might not be precisely molded on the writer-director of All About My Mother and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, but Salvador’s story in Pain & Glory appears to be the closest we’ve seen to Almodóvar contemplating himself as a character onscreen.

As such, Pain & Glory (HHHHH) amounts to a daring act of confession, or a canny convergence of truth and fantasy, a shared intimacy between folks who’ve lived enough to be done with pretending. And however candid, the film is built on not just one, but many confessions — some spoken between characters, some spoken to Almodóvar’s audience, via collaborators like Banderas.

The actor first achieved international fame as the most prominent of Almodóvar’s early muses in hits like Law of Desire and Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, then went more than 20 years before teaming up with the director again for the haunting 2011 thriller Skin I Live In. So Banderas brings his own multi-layered history to playing Salvador, an artist in the later stages of a celebrated career, who reconnects with his former muse Alberto Crespo (Asier Etxeandia), an actor who shot to stardom appearing in Salvador’s films.

Since a falling-out on their most famous film together, the long-estranged friends haven’t worked together or even spoken in over 30 years, but Salvador seeks to bury the hatchet when they’re both invited to come present at a film festival.

Really, what Salvador’s seeking is some shock to his system, to resuscitate him from a midlife malaise exacerbated by loss, loneliness, and the aches and pains of aging. It’s been years since he last made a movie, and he not only fears that his creative fires might be dying, but that his body can no longer hold up to the rigors of film production. In his quiet desperation, he’s not exactly sure what he needs to right himself, until he feels his first hit of heroin.

Alberto introduces Salvador to smoking up while they make up, and, indeed, “chasing the dragon” helps trigger a rush of mostly rosy recollections for Salvador of his childhood, and of his mother Jacinta (Penélope Cruz). But, as Salvador follows this Proustian trail towards rediscovering seminal sparks of inspiration, he also treads a dangerous path towards possible dependency on heroin and opioids. You can bet that smoky path also leads to some

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of the film’s juicy confessions — though, ultimately, Pain & Glory is less about addiction than about inspiration.

One of the film’s most inspired qualities is Banderas’ flawless performance. His Salvador can sting with his unfussy wit and candor in exchanges with Alberto or with his hardworking assistant Mercedes (Nora Navas), then he might melt with affection when an old lover, Federico (Leonardo Sbaraglia), turns up out of nowhere in Madrid.

Time and again, Almodóvar’s script conveniently provides Salvador just the right opportunities for closure and redemption (plot coincidences like Federico’s appearance can feel far too fortuitous), yet the emotional payoff of those moments lands beautifully, caressed by careful pacing and the painterly cinematography of José Luis Alcaine, another longtime Almodóvar collaborator. A scene from Salvador’s boyhood, depicting stat-

uesque laborer Eduardo (César Vicente) bathing in clear sight of nine-year-old Salvador (Asier Flores) looks like a work of art that might be forever seared on the boy’s brain.

The film is a work of art that might especially sear itself in the memories of viewers who have followed Almodóvar and Banderas and their shared artistic journey across eight films and nearly 40 years since their first feature together, Labyrinth of Passion. But whether entering Almodóvar’s world for the first or the twenty-first time, the film provides a smart, lucid look at a passionate search for purpose and connection, and how to keep the juices flowing, at an age when the body and mind might be slowing down. Whatever Salvador Mallo’s struggles may be to keep up with the public’s high expectations, Pain & Glory demonstrates that Almodóvar still wields the power and ambition to exceed what’s expected of him. l

CLAUDETTE BARIUS/NETFLIX

Pain & Glory is rated R, and opens Friday, Oct. 11 at Landmark’s E Street and Bethesda Row Cinemas.

Visit www.landmarktheatres.com/washington-d-c.

Dirty Money

The Laundromat is a disjointed misfire that still makes salient points and reveals some delicious surprises. By André Hereford

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N STEVEN SODERBERGH’S MEANDERING SATIRE THE LAUNDROMAT (HHHHH), Antonio Banderas and Gary Oldman make a drolly unscrupulous pair as law partners Ramón Fonseca and Jürgen Mossack, whose shady, Panamabased firm specializes in forming and administering tax-avoiding shell companies and offshore accounts for any client with the funds, regardless of how those funds are acquired.

The dapper partners of Mossack & Fonseca serve as the film’s direct-to-camera hosts, guiding viewers through the murky world of money laundering. From their privileged position at the center of the scandal over the so-called Panama Papers, they present interconnected vignettes depicting the sorts of clients and deals, crimes and losses that led to the 2016 data leak exposing multitudes of real-life Mossacks and Fonsecas.

Soderbergh, directing from a jazzy script by frequent collaborator Scott Z. Burns, also

shot and edited the film, which assembles a starry cast for its free-wheeling adaptation of Jake Bernstein’s non-fiction book Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation of Illicit Money Networks and the Global Elite. The performances — including cameo appearances by James Cromwell, Larry Wilmore, Sharon Stone, Robert Patrick, and Will Forte and Chris Parnell, as Doomed Gringo #1 and #2 — are energized, and the subject matter is engaging, but the densely episodic format doesn’t flow smoothly, and the regulation reform messaging registers as flatly didactic too much of the time.

Individual sequences offer witty twists and a-ha moments, as well as intriguing character work by David Schwimmer as a victim of insurance fraud, Nonzo Anozie as a self-serving family man, and, most notably, Rosalind Chao as the sweetly devious wife of a corrupt Chinese government official. Meryl Streep is deceptively good portraying Michigan widow Ellen Martin, another victim of insurance fraud, driven by her need to hold someone accountable for her devastating losses. Streep is a hoot as the cantankerous granny who will not be denied her sense of justice and resolution.

In its ambitious attempt to encapsulate a colossal global financial scandal within a cute, 95-minute comedy, the movie doesn’t quite add up. The 2015 Oscar-nominated financial crisis satire The Big Short covered similar territory with sharper focus and better results. Still, The Laundromat will be worth a spin for the Banderas brigade and Streep completists, and the film does pay dividends with one very wellplayed punchline in the end. l

The Laundromat is rated R, and opens Friday, Oct. 11 at Landmark’s E Street Cinemas.

Visit www.landmarktheatres.com/washington-d-c.

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SCOTT SUCHMAN

Stage

Home Runs

Craig Wallace and Erika Rose masterfully lead a top-notch ensemble through August Wilson’s Fences at Ford’s. By André Hereford

A

SYMPHONY OF DRAMA IN SEVERAL MOVEMENTS, AUGUST WILSON’S Fences (HHHHH) rises, falls, and rises mellifluously. In Timothy Douglas’ astute new production at Ford’s Theatre, Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning text supplies the moving range of emotional notes that tell the story of trash collector Troy Maxson (Craig Wallace) and stalwart wife Rose (Erika Rose) struggling to hold their family together in racially segregated 1950s Pittsburgh.

The company’s approach seems to be about setting in motion a sound, credible vehicle for Wilson’s full-bodied language and nimble plotting, then getting out of the way of a good thing. There’s nothing showy about the design or presentation. Scenic designer Lauren Halpern’s realistic row-house and mostly bare backyard are backed by a photographic backdrop that just subtly suggests the vibrant but crumbling, low-income black neighborhood the Maxson family calls home.

While the Maxson’s brick house looks solid, it also appears to be shoved up against the Ford’s box Lincoln was shot in. That might be a comment on urban overcrowding, or a cramped use of the stage. The pacing of characters’ entrances and exits through and around the Maxsons’ steadily growing fence are more effective at defining the family’s place in the world. The running visual joke of Troy’s money-grubbing musician son Lyons (KenYatta Rogers) bopping in past the fence every payday, or the tendency of aspiring athlete son Cory (Justin Weaks) to streak out of the yard and off into the distance, expertly accentuate the performances. Such grace notes constitute the something extra that helps drive home the meaning in each moment.

The action onstage, evocatively lit by Andrew R. Cissna, revolves around Troy, por-

trayed by Wallace as a boisterous, braggadocious bear of a man, who takes care of his family yet is probably a disappointment to himself. This Troy is not as intimidating as he could be. He can be hurtful and cruel, but he comes off not as mean, just bitter. He charms to hide that potent bitterness, except when he unleashes it as a weapon, usually in the direction of one of his sons. The charm, he expends on Rose, whom he teases and hits on and outwardly respects, at least by handing over his pay every Friday for her to manage the household income.

As Rose, Erika Rose stands tall as one of the two pillars of a towering play. Her Rose gives as good as she gets, but only when she judges the moment right to put in the effort. She doesn’t rebuff her husband’s lusty advances, and leans into his attention, but the performance signals a vague disconnect between Mr. and Mrs. Maxson.

Doug Brown is slyly observant, folksy, and funny, if not always on-cue, as Troy’s best buddy and fellow garbageman Jim Bono. Bono knows Troy and Rose well enough to also notice the disconnect in their marriage. Perhaps a minor player when considered in the larger context of Wilson’s century-spanning, ten-play

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SCOTT SUCHMAN

Pittsburgh Cycle, Jim Bono still stands out as a sterling example of true friendship. Brown is at his best in the scene where Jim is bold enough to reproach Troy, but gingerly, about whether or not Troy’s stepping out on Rose with another woman.

This symphony allows for a spotlight solo from each player, as well as various engaging duets, in harmony and discord — between Rose and Cory, and half-brothers Cory and Lyons, and Troy and his mentally ill, war vet brother Gabriel (Jefferson A. Russell). Some solos and suites register more strongly than others. Or, in terms that reflect Troy’s history as a former Negro Leagues pro, each player gets their turn at bat, resulting in doubles, triples, a whiff or two (as in one particularly unreadable, wordless interlude featuring Rose), and a good share of homeruns.

What matters is the team effort, which succeeds at connecting the generational dots Wilson plots throughout the Maxsons’ back yard, and across decades of history. A mother’s love and resignation, a father’s shame and rage, a nation’s original sin, all visited on a younger generation that can’t fix the past or clearly foresee a hopeful future, add up to create a recipe for penetrating drama. l Fences runs through October 27 at Ford’s Theatre, 511 Tenth St. NW. Tickets are $17 to $72.

Call 888-616-0270, or visit www.fords.org.

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Stage

Royal Disappointment

Creative Cauldron serves up a lackluster production of a grown-up fairy-tale spoof. By André Hereford

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N DISENCHANTED! (HHHHH), AN ENDEARINGLY fired-up Snow White (Candice Shedd-Thompson) leads Cinderella (Molly Rumberger), Sleeping Beauty (Karen Kelleher) and a crew of fairy tale princesses determined to take back control of their narratives by singing the real T about getting the guy, not wanting the guy, or whatever the case may be.

Creator Dennis T. Giacino’s book, score, and lyrics for this parody of happily-ever-after fantasies aren’t exactly toothless. There’s bite and badass intent behind the royal coterie’s musical revue of songs like “Big Tits,” sung by the central trio with Pocahantas (Sally Horton). But director/choreographer Matt Conner’s production at Creative Cauldron falters on multiple fronts, starting with the musical accompaniment. The three-piece band led by musical director Elisa Rosman packs very little bite, or swing, or bottom, or pick your term for beats and melodies that move you, into the disenchanting renditions of Giacino’s Broadway genre-hopping score.

The revue purports to tell a thought-provoking story of what the ladies call the “Princess Complex,” the inward and outward

pressure to play the part of damsel-in-distress. But the songs, and the direction, generally opt for obvious jokes and moves, and dated winks about the battle of the sexes that don’t especially serve the story. And since the numbers are played and sung just adequately, the score keeps revving up without ever taking off — from the stale girl-group doo-wop of “Insane!,” with Belle (Amber A. Gibson) contemplating the practical and domestic aspects of beastly lovin’, to the ersatz country-pop ballad “Two Legs,” led by the Little Mermaid (also Gibson). At least Rapunzel (Gibson, again) stirs up frothy fun with the cabaret rag of “Not V’One Red Cent.”

The Princess Who Kissed the Frog (Ashley K. Nicholas) sings “Finally,” in which she exults that the studio was at long last ready to “bet on black.” A one-note nod to Disney’s first black princess (Tiana in the 2009 feature The Princess and the Frog), the song ignores that movie’s fabulous gumbo of bayou style to dully spoof Dreamgirls R&B. It’s the more accessible musical reference, but stale by comparison, yet of a piece with the flat characterizations rendered by the script and more than one member of this royal court.

On the bright side, Shedd-Thompson is a confident mistress of ceremonies as Snow White, and Molly Rumberger creates winning comedy out of her dim-bulb Cinderella. She makes the character funny and builds from there, not just by slinging broad boob humor and off-key revisions of a famous fairy-tale dame. l

Disenchanted! runs through Oct. 27 at Creative Cauldron, 410 South Maple Ave. in Falls Church.

Tickets are $20 to $35. Call 703-436-9948, or visit www.creativecauldron.org.

Worlds Apart

In Escaped Alone, Caryl Churchill throws into question our sense of safety and civility in a rather unique manner. By Kate Wingfield

MARGOT SCHULMAN

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HEN IS A TEA PARTY JUST A TEA PARTY AND when is it a harbinger of the apocalypse? Without being flip, that’s the sort-of question behind Caryl Churchill’s cogitative puzzler, Escaped Alone (HHHHH). Alternating between a seemingly benign tea party and a dark poetic monologue on the human race’s penchant for self-annihilation, Churchill seems to be almost literally offering parallel universes.

When the tea party ladies begin to reveal that all may not be well their Home County exteriors, it feels as if Churchill is offering a clue as to how these two worlds connect. But this is not a play for answers, and how (or whether) to try and reconcile the two vantage points is left to the mind and imagination.

If it sounds like a tough evening, it isn’t. The tea party interludes live within milder forms of British sitcom territory and entertain at face-value. Director Holly Twyford keeps her lines bright and clear, but there is never quite the pacing and fluidity this play needs, especially with Churchill’s lean towards “the-

ater of the absurd-style” dialogue. Escaped Alone is written in contemporary English and although many American actors may have learned how to deliver Shakespeare, few have mastered the rhythms, pacing, and melodies of the modern language. With only two in the ensemble genuinely capable, the banter can only occasionally sing.

Carrying the production are Catherine Flye as Vi and Brigid Cleary as Lena, each capturing their character and speech with color and precision. Flye brings an affecting sense of Vi’s uneasy grasp on the normal, her wish for a simple kind of happiness, while Cleary delivers some subtle comic timing and a stand-out monologue revealing Lena’s inner angst. Although Helen Hedman is memorable for Sally’s tightly-wound neuroticism, she doesn’t quite convince without a deeper understanding of this kind of British woman.

Also hard to grasp is Valerie Leonard as the somewhat mysterious Mrs. Jarrett, who moves between the tea party and her own omniscient space. Although she has a memorably dangerous charisma, her attempt at the accent could make a dog howl and it gets wildly in the way. When Mrs. Jarrett steps out of the tea party to chronicle a Boschian future, it is a fantastic vision of our corruption. Each are eminently watchable, even if the question of where, and if, they meet hovers like an unexplained, inside joke. Still, at only an hour running time, Escaped Alone never has a chance to get old. l

Escaped Alone runs through Nov. 3 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave. in Arlington. (Pride Night is Oct. 18.)

Tickets are $40 to $90. Call 703-820-9771 or visit www.sigtheatre.org.

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FORD'S THEATRE'S HISTORY ON FOOT

A local actor offers the guided tour Investigation: Detective McDevitt, portraying Detective James McDevitt, a D.C. police officer patrolling a half-block from Ford’s Theatre the night President Lincoln was shot. Written by Richard Hellesen and directed by Mark Ramont, the 1.6-mile walking tour revisits and reexamines the sites and clues from the investigation into the assassination. Tours are offered approximately three evenings a week at 6:45 p.m. Ford's Theatre, 511 10th St. NW. Tickets are $17. Call 202-397-7328 or visit www.fords.org.

ADAM MCMATH

THE GHOST STORY TOUR OF WASHINGTON

A SPEAK EASY EVENING FEATURING SAMPSON MCCORMICK

The National Museum of African American History and Culture presents an evening of “Queer History, Film, and Entertainment” featuring McCormick, the former D.C.-based comedian and budding filmmaker who last year became the first queer comic to headline an event at the newest Smithsonian on the Mall. At this year’s return engagement, McCormick will offer more funny and astute social commentary as well as share some details about recent creative pursuits, from his new film a different direction to his forthcoming memoir.

Captivating young local queer pop singer-songwriter Be Steadwell will also perform, while works by photographer L. Zhee Chatom will be on display, at an event highlighting the contributions of black queer artists and political or historical figures. Among the latter are Stonewall icons and transgender rights pioneers Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, featured in the short film Happy Birthday, Marsha! Tuesday, Oct. 15, from 7 to 10 p.m. Lower-Level Concourse and the Oprah Winfrey Theater, 14th St. & Constitution Ave. NW. Tickets are free but required. Call 844-750-3012 or visit www.nmaahc.si.edu.

OOTT continued from page 18 eerie proposition any time of year, taking a nighttime stroll past the graves of Hoover and Tolson, former Presidents John Quincy Adams and Zachary Taylor, composer John Philip Sousa, and the many Civil War-era Congressional leaders interred here. But every year, the nonprofit-run, Christ Churchowned landmark offers guided, hour-long tours with docents and costumed interpreters in the weekends leading up to Halloween. Beer, wine, and cider are available for purchase in the Chapel. Meanwhile, the graveyard’s Public Vault will

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be transformed into a Victorianera funeral parlor hosting a cocktail party every night reserved for those who purchase VIP tickets with vouchers for three drinks. Tours depart every 15 minutes from 7 to 10 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18, and Friday, Oct. 25, and from 6 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, and Saturday, Oct. 26. 1801 E St. SE. Tickets are $26.50 with fees online, or $62.20 for VIP. Call 202-543-0539 or visit www. congressionalcemetery.org.

OCTOBER 10, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

A costumed tour guide will discuss the spirits said to haunt Lafayette Square and surrounding buildings, including the Hay Adams Hotel and Decatur House, some for over 200 years. Touted as D.C.’s “oldest costumed ghost tour,” the all-outdoor affair lasts approximately 90 minutes, and advertises that “someone on the tour will win a prize.” All tours start at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays through October. St. John’s Episcopal Church, 1525 H St. NW. Tickets are $10 to $20. Call 301-873-3986 or visit www.historicstrolls.com.

LA TI DO: NEW WORKS FEAT. CHRIS URQUIAGA

Regie Cabico and Don Mike Mendoza’s variety show, held at Adams Morgan’s Afghani-inspired bistro Lapis, offers an evening of songs and spoken word considered “new work,” with a music feature on singer-songwriter Urquiaga.

Guest performers include Kemi Adegoroye, Moriah Austin-Brantly, Morgan DeHart, Adrianna Marino, Michelle Moses-Eisenstein, Michael Santos Sandoval, and Robyn Swirling, all accompanied

by Josh Cleveland. 1847 Columbia Rd. NW. Tickets are $5 to $20. Call 202-299-9630 or visit www.latidoproductions.com.

MARYLAND RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

As summer nears its end, thoughts naturally turn to jousting, feasting, crafts, theater, music, and merriment. Yes, it's time once again for one of the world’s largest festivals recreating 16th century England.

Now in its 43rd season and set in a park outside of Annapolis, Md., the festival encourages patrons to dress up in period costume. They’re available to rent if you don’t have your own doublet and hose. Just don’t bring weapons, real or toy, or pets, as they tend to eat the turkey legs. It all takes place in the 27-acre Village of Revel Grove, where more than 200 professionals perform as characters of the era, naturally led by His Most Royal Highness King Henry VIII,

wandering the steeds and streets when not on the village’s 10 stages or in the 3,000-seat arena, where a headline attraction is the jousting troupe Debracey Productions with its field full of horses, men in armor, chariots, trick riding and thrills for all ages. Also on hand are over 140 artisans exhibiting their predominantly handmade crafts in renaissance shops, five taverns and watering holes helping adult patrons stay hydrated and in good spirits, and 42 food and beverage emporiums to quench the hunger and thirst of even the youngest and most discerning. Weekends through Oct. 20. 1821 Crownsville Road, Annapolis, Md. Tickets are $23 to $27; passes range from $41 for a 2-Day Pass to $160 for a Season Pass. Call 800-296-7304 or visit www.rennfest.com.

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: THE GREAT CHEESY MOVIE CIRCUS TOUR

Joel Hodgson, the original host of one of TV’s most enduring shows, straps in for one last ride with his wisecracking robots on what is billed as an “exhilarating rollercoaster ride through some of the cheesiest films ever made.” Specific targets for attack include JeanClaude van Damme’s 1986 martial arts “classic” No Retreat, No Surrender and the 1960 British horror bomb, Circus of Horrors. Friday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 19, at 3 and 8 p.m. National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $59 to $99. Call 202-628-6161 or visit www.thenationaldc.org.

WASHINGTON WALKS: THE MOST HAUNTED HOUSES, CAPITOL HAUNTINGS

Washington Walks offers two popular annual outdoor tours shining a light on the many ghosts and buildings said to be haunted in the nation’s capital. “The Most Haunted Houses: The Original Washington, D.C. Ghost Tour” is another guided excursion by night through Lafayette Park, purportedly “the most haunted site in the city.” Bustling with White House staffers by day, the seven-acre park turns eerily quiet by night, aside from the ghosts and spirits serving as reminders of the many violent quarrels, vicious attacks, murders, and suicides that have taken place there. Meanwhile, “Capitol Hauntings: Ghosts of the U.S. Capitol” explores one of D.C.’s oldest neighborhoods — also historically one of its gayest — with, naturally, a focus on the apparitions said to haunt the U.S. Capitol as well as the Supreme Court. Each two-hour tour starts at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays through October. Tickets are $15 to $20.

Call 202-484-1565 or visit www. washingtonwalks.com. l

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NightLife Photography by Ward Morrison

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Scene

Wundergarten’s PRIDEtoberfest - Thursday, October 3 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

DrinksDragDJsEtc...

Thursday, October 10 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm-close GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Shirtless Thursday, 10-11pm • Men in Underwear Drink Free, 12-12:30am • DJs BacK2bACk

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • $15 Buckets of Bud Products all night • Sports Leagues Night NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover PITCHERS Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 11pm • Thirst Trap Thursdays, hosted by Venus Valhalla, 11pm-12:30am • Featuring a Rotating Cast of Drag Performers • Dancing until 1:30am

Destinations A LEAGUE OF HER OWN 2317 18th St. NW 202-733-2568 www.facebook.com/alohodc AVALON SATURDAYS Soundcheck 1420 K St. NW 202-789-5429 www.facebook.com/ AvalonSaturdaysDC 40

SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Half-Priced Bottles of Wine, 5pm-close TRADE Doors open 5pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers, 9pm-close • “New Meat” Open Dancers Audition • Music by DJ Don T. • Cover 21+

Friday, October 11 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-3am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 Rail and Domestic • $5 Svedka, all flavors all night long • Alpha and Omega Productions and Matt Black Productions present GLÖ Underwear Dance Party, featuring DJs Ultra and Phoenix, 10pm-close • $5 Cover • $5 Fireball special

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR 555 23rd St. S. Arlington, Va. 703-685-0555 www.freddiesbeachbar.com GREEN LANTERN 1335 Green Ct. NW 202-347-4533 www.greenlanterndc.com

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NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Open 3pm • Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Weekend Kickoff Dance Party, with Nellie’s DJs spinning bubbly pop music all night NUMBER NINE Open 5pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover • Friday Night Piano with Chris, 7:30pm • Rotating DJs, 9:30pm PITCHERS Open 5pm-3am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 2am

SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Live Music with Luke James Shaffer, 9pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 • Otter Happy Hour with guest DJs, 5-11pm ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Men of Secrets, 9pm • Guest dancers • Rotating DJs • Kristina Kelly’s Diva Fev-ah Drag Show • Doors at 9pm, Shows at 11:45pm • Music by DJ Jeff Eletto • Cover 21+

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR 900 U St. NW 202-332-6355 www.nelliessportsbar.com NUMBER NINE 1435 P St. NW 202-986-0999 www.numberninedc.com PITCHERS 2317 18th St. NW 202-733-2568 www.pitchersbardc.com

NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS Compiled by Doug Rule

ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS: HOWARD HOMECOMING REUNION MEGAPARTY To help usher in Howard University’s homecoming weekend, promoter Daryl Wilson presents a special night this Friday, Oct. 11 at Southwest’s spacious LGBTQ entertainment complex. The Megaparty is open to all who want to celebrate with the many Howard alum and partygoers from out of town and getting down on both dance floors to DJs Sedrick, Mike Malapit, and Cameron spinning house and DJs UNKNYC, Tim Nice, and Markie B aka Scientific mixing hip-hop.

There will also be a live performance by celebrity guest Saucy Santana, the social media sensation and budding musical artist, as well as MC Roy Jones.

Naturally, there will be a bevy of all-nude male dancers shaking and sizzling things up on the upper level. Ages 21 and up only. Ziegfeld’s/Secrets is at 1024 Half St. SW. Call 202-863-0607 or visit www.secretsdc.com.

Saturday, October 12 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 2pm-3am • Video Games • Live televised sports AVALON SATURDAYS Avalon will be closed tonight due to a private event at the club. Join them on Oct. 19 for their 1st Anniversary Party.

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Saturday Breakfast Buffet, 10am-3pm • $14.99 with one glass of champagne or coffee, soda or juice • Additional champagne $2 per glass • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Freddie’s Follies Drag Show, hosted by Miss Destiny B. Childs, 8-10pm • Karaoke, 10pm-close

GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $5 Bacardi, all flavors, all night long • Freeballers Party, 10pm-close • Music

by DJs BacK2bACk • No Cover • Clothes check available NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Drag Brunch, hosted

by Chanel Devereaux, 10:30am-12:30pm and 1-3pm • Tickets on sale at nelliessportsbar.com • House Rail Drinks, Zing Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer and Mimosas, $4, 11am-3am • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Guest DJs playing pop music all night

SHAW’S TAVERN 520 Florida Ave. NW 202-518-4092 www.shawstavern.com TRADE 1410 14th St. NW 202-986-1094 www.tradebardc.com ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS 1824 Half St. SW 202-863-0670 www.ziegfelds.com

FALL U STREET BAR MIXER Four Shaw neighborhood watering holes have partnered up for a daytime pub crawl this Saturday, Oct. 12, to benefit Casa Ruby, which assists the most vulnerable members of the area’s LGBTQ community. A donation of $10 gets those of legal drinking age a wristband granting “super cheap” specials at all four participating establishments, capped by a free shot for those who manage the feat of hitting all four venues over the course of six hours — from 2 to 8 p.m. The promotion offers a $3 Absolut cocktail as your first drink at Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St. NW), followed by $5 refills. Across the street at the Dirty Goose (913 U St. NW), the same deal applies for those drinking Deep Eddy Vodka. Orange Crushes are the chief $3-then-$5 drink specials a few blocks east at Shaw’s Tavern (520 Florida Ave. NW), which adds food to the mix with $5 Fried Green Tomatoes and $5 Hushpuppies. Finally, at Uproar (639 Florida Ave. NW), you can enjoy a $3 Bud Light draft and then a $5 “Bear-sicle Watermelon,” as well as $5 Bourbon BBQ wings. Search “U St Bar Mixer” at www.eventbrite.com.

CHURCH! AT TRADE If she asks, you can tell your mother you did indeed go to church this Sunday, Oct. 13. She doesn’t need to know that this isn’t a traditional daytime service.

Church! — note the punctuation — isn’t really traditional whatsover. It doesn’t even take place in a house of worship. Instead, this regular party at Trade features DJs in the pulpit, and drag queens who get down and dirty with the crowd. Helping whip all the proud parishioners into a “Hallelujah, tomorrow is a holiday” frenzy will be wesstheDJ and StrikeStone!, and a show hosted by Pussy Noir with Citrine and Sippi. Service starts at 10 p.m. Trade is at 1410 14th St. NW. Call 202-986-1094 or visit www.tradebardc.com.

THE BIG BOARD: MARKET CRASH HALLOWQUEEN LGBTQ NIGHT This popular watering hole in the H Street Corridor offers an early Halloweenthemed treat for regulars of its Market Crash party, touted as “H Street’s longest-running LGBTQ+ Night,” and held every first and third Wednesdays.

“Costumes and Lewks are highly encouraged” for patrons attending the annual Hallowqueen party next Wednesday, Oct. 16, with additional costumes and lewks to come a la performances from drag queens Summer Camp, Vagenesis, and Daisy Confused, plus beats by DJ Dean Sullivan, and drink specials including $2 specialty shots and $5 draft and rail offerings from 9 to 11 p.m. The Big Board is at 421 H St. NE. Call 202-543-3630 or visit www.thebigboarddc.com.

BLOOMINGAYS SPOOKY SZN AT EL CAMINO DC One night after the Big Board’s Halloween-themed LGBTQ event comes a similar party at El Camino DC. The “kitchy-cool” Mexican restaurant in Bloomingdale, which reopened in August under new ownership (and with a revamped menu), welcomes back BloominGays and the regular third-Thursday gathering on Oct. 17, with a “Spooky Szn”-themed party where guests are invited to “hang out and share ghost stories.” Prepare for a spirited outing, aided and abetted by $6 margaritas, as well as other late-night happy hour drink specials on offer from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. El Camino DC is at 108 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Call 202-847-0419 or visit www.elcaminodc.com. l

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NUMBER NINE Doors open 2pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5 Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close • Pop Tarts, featuring DJs BacK2bACk, 9:30pm PITCHERS Open Noon-3am • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 2am SHAW’S TAVERN Brunch with $15 Bottomless Mimosas, 10am-3pm • Homme Brunch, Second Floor, 12pm • Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • U Street Bar Mixer benefiting Casa Ruby, 2-8pm

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TRADE Doors open 2pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Men of Secrets upstairs, 9pm-close • Guest dancers • Ladies of Illusion Drag Show with host Ella Fitzgerald in Ziegfeld’s • Doors open at 9pm, Show at 11:45pm • Music by DJs Keith Hoffman and Don T. • Cover 21+

Sunday, October 13 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 2pm-12am • $4 Smirnoff and Domestic Cans • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Fabulous Sunday Champagne Brunch, 10am-3pm • $24.99 with four glasses of champagne or mimosas, 1 Bloody Mary, or coffee, soda or juice • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Piano Bar with John Flynn, 5-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm-close GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Karaoke with Kevin downstairs, 9:30pm-close

OCTOBER 10, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Drag Brunch, hosted

by Chanel Devereaux, 10:30am-12:30pm and 1-3pm • Tickets on sale at nelliessportsbar.com • House Rail Drinks, Zing Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer and Mimosas, $4, 11am-1am • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Guest DJs NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5 Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • Pop Goes the World with Wes Della Volla at 9:30pm • No Cover

PITCHERS Open Noon-2am • $4 Smirnoff, includes flavored, $4 Coors Light or $4 Miller Lites, 2-9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Dinner and Drag with Miss Kristina Kelly, 8pm • No Cover • For reservations, email shawsdinnerdragshow@gmail.com TRADE Doors open 2pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 •

CHURCH: A Church-themed Dance Party featuring House Music and Pop-Up Performances • Music

by WesstheDJ, Jesse Jackson, and other special guest DJs • Special guest performers

Monday, October 14 FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Singles Night • Half-Priced Pasta Dishes • Karaoke, 9pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 rail cocktails and domestic beers all night long • Singing with the Sisters: Open Mic Karaoke Night with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, 9:30pm-close

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NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Half-Priced Burgers • Paint Nite, 7pm • PokerFace Poker, 8pm • Dart Boards • Ping Pong Madness, featuring 2 PingPong Tables NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Shaw ‘Nuff Trivia, 7:30pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price,

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5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5

Tuesday, October 15 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Taco Tuesday • Karaoke, 9pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 rail cocktails and domestic beers all night long • Tito’s Tuesday: $5 Tito’s Vodka all night NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),

$4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 • Drag Bingo with Sasha Adams and Brooklyn Heights, 7-9pm • Karaoke, 9pm-close NUMBER NINE Open at 5pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover PITCHERS Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 11pm SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Half-Priced Burgers and Pizzas, 5-10pm • Democratic Debate Watch Party

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TRADE Doors open 5pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 • Sissy That Tuesday: A Monthly Cabaret hosted by Pussy Noir with Special Guests, 8pm

Wednesday, October 16 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • $6 Burgers • Beach Blanket Drag Bingo Night, hosted

by Ms. Regina Jozet Adams, 8pm • Bingo prizes • Karaoke, 10pm-1am GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4pm-9pm • Bear Yoga with Greg Leo, 6:30-7:30pm • $10 per class • $3 rail cocktails and domestic beers all night long • Karaoke, 9pm NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR SmartAss Trivia Night, 8-10pm • Prizes include bar tabs and tickets to shows at the 9:30 Club • $15 Buckets of Beer for SmartAss Teams only • Absolutely Snatched Drag Show, hosted by Brooklyn Heights, 9pm • Tickets available at www.nelliessportsbar.com NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover

PITCHERS Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 11pm SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Piano Bar and Karaoke with Jill, 8pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 l

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LastWord.

People say the queerest things

“When a man is discriminated against for being gay, he is discriminated against for not conforming to an expectation about how men should behave.”

— PAMALA KARLAN, co-director for Stanford University’s Supreme Court Litigation Clinic, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court why sexual orientation discrimination should be considered a form of sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

with the ACLU to sue me. But my faith calls me to “At first, it was hard to accept [that] mylovefriend...partnered people — not hold a grudge.

And I miss seeing Rob. I wish he’d come back so that I could serve him for another decade.”

— BARRONELLE STUTZMAN, the owner of Arlene’s Flowers in Richland, Wash., writing in an op-ed for USA Today about her relationship with Rob Ingersoll, the gay man and longtime customer who sued her for refusing to provide flowers for his wedding.

Stutzman says she will serve gay customers, but cannot provide flowers for same-sex weddings, which offend her religious beliefs.

“Even though transgender individuals are at increased risk of mental health problems, such problems can be reduced with the right support and access to high-quality, evidence-informed treatments.”

— Dr. RICHARD BRÄNSTRÖM, associate professor at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and senior author of a study finding that trans people who undergo gender-affirming surgery experience better long-term mental health benefits.

“ so they’ll stop hurting others.”

My hope is for that person or those people that they can find some kind of healing and some kind of peace in their own heart

— Rev. JO VONRUE, pastor of the May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society Church in Syracuse, N.Y., responding to an incident in which a gay Pride flag that hung from the church was burned in an apparent bias-motivated crime.

“It is inappropriate to force training on either sexuality or morality without the input of the parents. ” — Barnegat, N.J., Deputy Mayor JOHN NOVAK, who will take over as mayor in January, responding to questions about his opposition to a law requiring New Jersey schools to teach the contributions of LGBTQ Americans in history classes. Novak’s predecessor, current Mayor Alfonso Cirulli, previously came under fire for calling the law “an affront to almighty God” and accusing it of trying to “indoctrinate” students into LGBTQ lifestyles.

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