Arts & Entertainment
Tale of two Washingtons
Gay theater director opens ‘Race’
![Race, James Whalen, Michael Anthony Williams, Crashonda Edwards, gay news, Washington Blade, theater](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2013/03/James_Whalen_and_Michael_Anthony_Williams_and_Crashonda_Edwards_in_Race_thumb_by_C_Stanley_courtesy_Theater_J.jpg)
![Race, James Whalen, Michael Anthony Williams, Crashonda Edwards, gay news, Washington Blade, theater](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2013/03/James_Whalen_and_Michael_Anthony_Williams_and_Crashonda_Edwards_in_Race_insert_by_C_Stanley_courtesy_Theater_J.jpg)
The cast of ‘Race,’ director John Vreeke’s latest project. From left, James Whalen, Michael Anthony Williams and Crashonda Edwards.
āRaceā
Through March 17
Theater J
1529 16th Street NW
$15-$60
202-518-9400
washingtondcjcc.org
Maybe six will be a charm. John Vreeke recently received his sixth Helen Hayes Award nomination for outstanding direction. This time itās for Woolly Mammothās critically well-received production of āThe Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity.ā If Vreekeās name is ultimately called at the awards ceremony celebrating D.C.-area theater in early April, it will be his first win.
Chatting via phone from his home in Seattle (a little house with a big view of Puget Sound that he shares with his partner of 36 years), Vreeke says he definitely keeps awards in perspective. But despite his philosophical tone, he gives the sense that ending this ongoing non-winning streak wouldnāt be such a bad thing.
As a gay director in his 60s known for tackling intellectually complex plays, Vreeke might have seemed an odd match for āChad Deity,ā an action packed, hip-hop-influenced morality tale set in the world of professional wrestling. But Vreeke was so impressed with playwright Kristoffer Diazās distinctive language that he knew it was the right project for him and Woollyās artistic director Howard Shalwitz agreed.
Vreeke’s prior effort, ‘Chad Deity:’
āI was lucky from the start,ā he says. āI worked with a great cast, particularly JJ Perez whoād been waiting to do this play for four years, and an equally good design team.ā
Vreeke describes his directorial style as invasive. He understands but doesnāt ascribe to the idea of directors getting out of the way and letting actors do their work.
āSome directors are cheerleaders: They put together the right people and stand back and let them do their thing. Thatās not me,ā he says. āEarly on, Iāll step in with some very strong ideas about concept, scene, character and what play is saying about the world. But Iām not inflexible. Throughout the three-to-five week rehearsal process there is constant evolution and redefinition with lots of discussion. I try to stay very open to who the actors are themselves. After all, thatās primarily how they got the role ā I see something in them that connects to the role. Some call it type casting. I call it smart casting.ā
Born in the Netherlands, Vreeke (pronounced VrÄ-key) was 8 when his family immigrated to the U.S. They settled near an uncle in Salt Lake City and quickly became immersed in a tightly knit, religiously austere Dutch Reformed community. Vreeke knew he was gay from a young age, but understandably kept it to himself. As a teenager, he was a standout actor in his high schoolās drama club. āTheater,ā he says, āquickly became a form of expression that put issues of sexuality, religion and growing up poor on the back burner.ā
After earning his masterās in directing from the University of Utah, Vreeke began his career at Houstonās Alley Theater. Next, he and his partner (a radio executive) moved to Seattle where Vreeke spent five years in television production. From 2000-2009, they lived in D.C. During this time Vreeke returned to theater, mostly directing at Theatre J, MetroStage and Woolly Mammoth (where heās a company member). And though they are once again based in Seattle, the bulk of Vreekeās directing projects continue to be here in Washington.
āI canāt seem to give it away in Seattle,ā Vreeke says, ābut fortunately D.C. keeps asking me back and Iām grateful for that.ā
His most recent work ā a production of David Mametās āRaceā currently running at D.C.ās Theater J ā examines āguilt, betrayal and racial posturingā in a racially diverse law firm. Written after the formerly liberal playwrightās conversion to neo-conservatism, itās not quite as nuanced as his earlier works, Vreeke says. āBut Mametās wonderful economy of writing is there, allowing a director to play the four-person cast as if it were a string quartet. Itās extraordinary.ā
This spring Vreeke is staging Michael Hollingerās otherworldly love story āGhost-Writerā for MetroStage in Alexandria. In the fall, heās slated to stage the area premiere of āThe Lyons,ā Nicky Silverās comic exploration of family dysfunction at Bethesdaās Roundhouse Theatre, and in 2014 heās remounting his production of Stephen Adly Guirgisā āThe Last Days of Judas Iscariotā at Forum Theatre in Silver Spring.
āI think the Washington theater scene is extraordinary, particularly in terms of growth for medium-sized theater and the germination of small theatres like Forum,ā Vreeke says. āAnd I think the best is yet to come. Theater communities go in cycles, and I think D.C. has yet to hit its peak, especially with its new crop of young and talented artistic directors. I hope I can continue to be a part of it.ā
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The 2024 New York City Pride Parade wound through the streets of Manhattan and past the historic Stonewall Inn on Sunday, June 30.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
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The fourth annual Fredericksburg Pride march and festival was held at Riverfront Park in Fredericksburg, Va. on Saturday, June 29. The event began with a march around downtown Fredericksburg beginning and ending in the park.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Covering Fredericksburg Pride for @WashBlade . City Council member @WillMackintosh speaking: pic.twitter.com/tDdVD2IVsM
— Michael Patrick Key (@MichaelKeyWB) June 29, 2024
Photos
PHOTOS: Goodwin Living Pride
Senior living and healthcare organization holds fourth annual march at Falls Church campus
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The senior living and healthcare organization Goodwin Living held its fourth annual community Pride march around its Bailey’s Crossroads campus in Falls Church, Va. with residents, friends and supporters on Tuesday, June 25. Following the march, a drag brunch was held with performances by drag artists of SADBrunch: Crimsyn, Sapphire Dupree and Evon Dior Michelle.
(Photos courtesy of Goodwin Living)
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