Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: July 6
Parties, events, concerts and more through July 12
TODAY (Friday)
The HIV Working Group does outreach tonight for Bear Happy Hour at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) from 7-10 p.m. For more information, visit thedccenter.org or towndc.com.
Phase 1 (525 8th St., S.E.) hosts a dance party tonight for guests 21 and older with DJ Jay Von Teese from 7:30 p.m.-3 a.m. For more details, visit phase1dc.com.
CaShandra J, a jazz and blues singer, performs tonight at Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) from 6-9 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, visit blackfoxlounge.com.
Saturday, July 7 Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
DJ Oren Nizri, an Israeli DJ, spins tonight at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.). Doors open for guests 21 and older at 10 p.m. and the drag show starts at 10:30. Admission is $8 from 10-11 p.m. and $12 after 11; $3 drinks will be served before 11. For details, visit towndc.com.
Phase 1 (525 8th St., S.E.) hosts a āPop Rocksā party with DJ LS tonight for guests 21 and older from 7:30 p.m.-3 a.m. For details, visit phase1dc.com.
The Mayu Saeki Trio (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.), an alternative Jazz ensemble, perform tonight at Black Fox Lounge from 8-11 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, visit blackfoxlounge.com.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers today for the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation at the Falls Church, Va., PetSmart (6100 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church) from 11:45 a.m.-3 p.m. If interested, email [email protected] or visit burgundycrescent.org for more information.
The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) has free HIV testing today from 4-7 p.m. today. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
The Black Cat hosts Hellmouth Happy Hour tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. One episode of the gay cult classic series āBuffy the Vampire Slayerā screens and a drink special is served. Admission is free. For more details, visit blackcatdc.com.
The Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) hosts Code tonight from 9 p.m.-3 a.m. Code is a leather, jock gear, uniforms and skin gear party with a strictly enforced dress code. For details, visit codedc.com.
Sunday, July 8
The D.C. Kings perform tonight at Phase 1 (525 8th St., S.E.). Doors open at 7 p.m. and the performances begin at 9. Tickets are $10 and limited to guests 21 and over. For more information, visit phase1dc.com or dckings.com.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers today for the D.C. Central Kitchen (425 2nd St., N.W.) from 9 a.m.-noon. The activity is limited to 15 volunteers. Volunteers will help cook alongside D.C. Kitchen chefs, but prior cooking experience is not required. If interested, email [email protected] or visit burgundycrescent.org for more information.
The Lambda Sci-Fi club hosts its monthly meeting for LGBT science fiction, fantasy and horror fans at 1:30 p.m. this afternoon at 1425 S St., N.W. Guests are encouraged to bring a snack and non-alcoholic drink to share. For more information, visit lambdascifi.org or email [email protected].
Monday, July 9
The D.C. Lambda Squares Beginner Class starts tonight from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at National City Christian Church (5 Thomas Circle, N.W.). No prior square dancing experience, special outfits or partners are required to participate. The cost is $100 in advance or $125 at the door for the 16 classes. For details, visit dclambdasquares.org or thedccenter.org.
The Goethe-Institut German Cultural Center (812 7th St., N.W.) screens āThe Complaint of an Empress,ā a film directed by Pina Bausch, tonight at 6:30 p.m. The film features a collage of scenes of the city of Wuppertal, Germany, and focuses on the human quest for love. For more information, visit goethe.de/washington.
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (200 N Boulevard, Richmond) hosts a textile design workshop today from 9 a.m.-noon. Enrollment is limited to 10 people and costs $135 per workshop ($120 for VMFA members). For more information, visit vmfa.museum.
Tuesday, July 10
Dupont Italian Kitchen (1637 17th St., N.W.) hosts the monthly D.C. Bi Women meeting from 7-9 p.m. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
The D.C. Center hosts a FUK!T Packing Party tonight from 7-9 p.m. at the Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.). Volunteers will help make FUK!T packets and TOOLK!Ts. For more details, visit thedccenter.org.
Cobalt (1638 R St., N.W.) hosts Flashback tonight with DJ Jason Royce from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Dance jams from the ā70s, ā80s and early ā90s play all night. Admission is free and $2 draft beer will be served all night. For more information, visit cobaltdc.com.
The Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) features the opening show of āThe Addams Family,ā a morbid musical comedy classic, tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $39-$115 and can be purchased online at kennedy-center.org.
Wednesday, July 11
The Rainbow Response Coalition, a group that addresses intimate partner violence among LGBT people in the greater Washington area, meets tonight from 7-8 p.m. at the D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence (5 Thomas Circle, N.W.). For more information, visit rainbowresponse.org or thedccenter.org.
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts karaoke tonight for guests 21 and older. Doors open at 10 p.m. and admission is free. $5 Absolut and Smirnoff cocktails will be served. For details, visit cobaltdc.com.
Thursday, July 12
The Art League Gallery (105 North Union St., Alexandria) hosts an opening reception with featured artist Cecily Corcoran for her āGenius Lociā solo exhibition tonight from 6:30-8 p.m. The exhibit has paintings of various Washington landscapes inspired by her daily commute to work. For more information, visit theartleague.org.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers tonight for Food & Friends (219 Riggs Road, N.E.). Volunteers will help with food preparation and chopping vegetables. If interested, email [email protected] or visit burgundycrescent.org for more information.
The Gay Menās Chorus of Washington host an open mic tonight at Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) from 8-11 p.m. Admission is free. Participants receive a complimentary drink after their first song. For more details, visit blackfoxlounge.com.
Cobalt (1638 R St., N.W.) hosts its weekly best package contest at midnight this evening with DJ MadScience and DJ Sean Morris. Admission is $3 and limited to guests 21 and over. $2 rail drinks will be served from 9-11 p.m. For details, visit cobaltdc.com.
Theater
Timely comedy āFake Itā focuses on Native American themes
Arena Stage production features two out actors

āFake It Until You Make Itā
Through May 4
Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St., S.W.
Tickets start at $59
Arenastage.org
A farce requires teamwork. And Larissa FastHorseās āFake It Until You Make Itā now at Arena Stage is no exception.Ā
The timely comedy focuses on Native American nonprofits fractiously housed in a shared space. Friction rises when rivals River (Amy Brenneman), a white woman operating in the Indigenous world, goes up against the more authentic Wynona (Shyla Lefner) to win a lucrative Native-funded grant.
While Brenneman (best known for TVās Judging Amy) is undeniably a big draw, it takes a group collaboration to hit marks, land jokes, and pull off the well-executed physical comedy including all those carefully timed door slams.
As members of the six-person āFake Itā cast, Brandon Delsid and Eric Stanton Betts, both out actors of partly indigenous ancestry, contribute to the mayhem. Respectively, Delsid and Betts play Krys and Mark, a pair of two-spirited Native Americans who meet farcically cute and enjoy one of the playās more satisfying arcs.
For Krys, every attractive man is a potential next fling, but when Mark, handsome and relatively reserved, arrives on the scene, itās something entirely different.
Both onstage and sometimes off, Betts plays the straight man to Delsidās waggishness. But when it comes down to real life business, the friends are on the same page: not only are the L.A.-based, up-and-coming actors intensely serious about their film and stage careers, but theyāre also particularly engaged in the themes of Indigenous People found in āFake It.ā
On a recent Wednesday following a matinee and an audience talkback, they were ready for a phone interview.
In establishing whose voice was whose, Delsid clarified with āIām the one who sounds a little like a Valley girl.ā
WASHINGTON BLADE: Brandon, youāve been with the show since its early work-shopping days in 2022 and through its debut in Los Angeles and now Washington. Have things evolved?
BRANDON DELSID: Definitely. Iāve grown up in the last couple of years and so has my character; itās hard to know where I end and Kry begins. Thereās been a real melding.
Eric and I are both queer, and to get to play these roles that are so human, imperfect, sexy, and interesting is really joyful.
As queer artists you donāt always get the chance to do work like this. So many stories are queer trauma, which is incredibly important, but itās liberating to feel joy and ride it off into the sunset, which, without revealing too much, is kind of what we get to do.
BLADE: Thereās some race shifting in āFake Itā particularly with regard to āpretendianā (a pejorative term describing a person who has falsely claimed Indigenous status).
ERIC STANTON BETTS: The last few years Iāve been on a journey with my cultural identity and place in the world. Iām a mixed BIPOC artist, my dad is Black and Native American by way of the Cherokee tribe and my mom is white.
Since 2020, Iāve tried to figure out where I belong in this cultural history that I havenāt had a tie to throughout my life; itās gratifying to find my way back to my indigeneity and be welcomed.
In the play, race shifting is introduced through farce. But itās never in a disrespectful way; itās never mocked or done in a way to take away from others. The playwright parallels race shifting with gender fluidity.
DELSID: But in life, there are people posing as Indigenous, actively taking grants, and the play goes there, we donāt hold back. Larissa, our playwright, has made it clear that sheās not trying to figure it out for us. With that in mind, we hope people leave the theater interested and curious to learn more.
BLADE: Mark arrives kind of the middle of some crazy drama, bringing along a jolt of romance.
BETTS: Yeah, when I show up, weāre all sort of shot out of a cannon, struggling to keep up with the initial lie.
DESLID: A very gay cannon.
BLADE: Whatās up next for you two?
BETTS: Both Brandon and I are up for the same part in a TV pilot, so one of us may be getting some very good news. I also have a Tyler Perry film coming out soon [he plays a model, not an unfamiliar gig for Betts].
DELSID: Coming up, I have a recurring part on HBOās āThe Rehearsal,ā and a supporting part in āJune and John,ā a John Besson film. But doing āFake It Until You Make Itā in L.A. and now D.C. has been a special time in our lives. Itās 23/7 togetherness. Thereās that hour for sleep.

Point Foundation will host its annual āTaste of Point Receptionā on Wednesday, May 7 at 6:30 p.m. at Room & Board.Ā
The popular event will take place on the top floor and outdoor terrace at Room & Board, featuring small plates from area restaurants, hand-crafted cocktails from local mixologists, and a speaking portion where guests will hear directly from Point Foundation scholars. This year, Point is supporting a record-breaking class of 755 scholars and guestsā support will allow Point to continue its mission. Point Foundation is the nationās largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBTQ students of merit.
Tickets are tax deductible and can be purchased at Pointās website.Ā

Friday, April 25
Trans Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is intended to provide an emotionally and physically safe space for trans* people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression to join together in community and learn from one another. For more details, email [email protected].Ā
Go Gay DC will host āLGBTQ+ Community Happy Hourā at 7 p.m. at Uproar Lounge and Restaurant. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.Ā
Saturday, April 26
Go Gay DC will host āLGBTQ+ Community Brunchā at 11 a.m. at Freddieās Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including Allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Black Lesbian Support Group will be at 11 a.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-led support group devoted to the joys and challenges of being a Black lesbian. You do not need to be a member of the Beta Kappa Chapter or the Beta Phi Omega Sorority in order to join, but they do ask that you either identify as a lesbian or are questioning that aspect of your identity. For more details, email [email protected].Ā
Sunday, April 27
āTrans Open Mic and Author Talk with Jeanne Thorntonā will be at 5 p.m. at Busboys and Poets 14th & V. Itās a difficult time for trans people in the USA, and Jeanne would like to extend the opportunity to local trans fiction writers to build community by coming on stage and sharing their work as part of an opening āopen micā to this event. There are spaces for up to 6-8 readers to share work of up to five minutes each. If you are interested in reading, please select the āOpen Mic Ticketā and find Jeanne before the show at 4:30 p.m. The reading will be arranged on a first come, first served basis on the night of the event. For more details, visit Eventbrite.
Monday, April 28
āCenter Aging Monday Coffee & Conversationā will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].Ā
Queer Book Club will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This monthās reading is āAll Systems Red and Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries Book 1 & 2)ā by Martha Wells. For more details, email [email protected].Ā
Tuesday, April 29
āOutPro Meaningful LGBTQ Networkingā will be at 6 p.m. at Number Nine. Out Pro creates an environment that is welcoming to the full diversity of the LGBTQ community, as well as supportive allies. Guests are encouraged to embrace purposeful networking with the goal of helping connect people with opportunities. If you’re hiring, please come and meet motivated, aspiring LGBTQ professionals. As always, our events warmly welcome community allies. For more details, visit Eventbrite.Ā
Wednesday, April 30
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking ā allowing participants to move away from being merely āapplicantsā toward being ācandidates.ā For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.
Thursday, May 1
API Queer Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a support group for the Asian and Pacific Islander queer community. For more information, email [email protected].Ā
Virtual Yoga with Charles M. will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a free weekly class focusing on yoga, breath work, and meditation. For more details, visit the DC Center for the LGBT Communityās website.
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