Raven’s Night at the Birchmere
The queer-run Raven's Night offers special spectacles at The Birchmere
Last year, Belladonna and Ken Vegas got married on stage at the Birchmere, to the surprise of everyone — family and friends included — in attendance at their annual show Raven’s Night.
“We didn’t want to tell people ahead of time because it would have been really weird selling tickets to our wedding,” show organizer Belladonna says. Instead, the program simply noted that Bella and Ken would perform together as the final act of the evening, which was built around a sci-fi theme. They performed — and married — in costume: Ken, the drag king extraordinaire, portrayed Boba Fett, the Star Wars bounty hunter, who successfully ensnared Bella as Inara, the elite escort from Joss Whedon’s Firefly.
Bella and Ken don’t hope to top that spectacular personal display at this year’s fourth annual Raven’s Night. Though, if they were to reenact their same-sex marriage, at least this year it would be legally recognized in the state of Virginia. Still, the evening promises to have plenty of appeal with its supernatural theme. Bella will serve as the show’s host and also portray Mórrígan, Celtic goddess of war and sovereignty, leading a troupe of dancing sword jugglers. Ken plans to stick to a behind-the-scenes role as producer and coordinator. She’ll ensure that a hex-breaking witch, several pagan goddesses, angels and X-Files reenactors, among others, all stick to the script.
The wide-ranging show is rooted in Bella’s primary work as a “tribal fusion bellydance” performer and teacher, as well as her background as a medieval re-enactor. It also encompasses other forms of dance, performance art and music, with performers from all over the country. In many ways, not least because the audience is encouraged to dress up, Raven’s Night is the sort of event you’re only going to experience around Halloween — not least for its name, an homage to Baltimore’s master of macabre, Edgar Allan Poe.
“We just wanted to create something where people could dress up, have a sense of community and come see a lot of different styles of entertainment,” Bella says. “It’s really meant to be a festive, all-inclusive space where people get to play with their creativity.”
Raven’s Night is Saturday, Oct. 24, starting with a pre-show “All-Hallow’s Exposition” carnival at 5:30 p.m., before the main “Cabaret Melancholia” at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $25. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.
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