By Doug Rule on July 30, 2021 @ruleonwriting
Founded in 1938 as a summer playhouse and relaxing weekend getaway in what was then rural Montgomery County, the Olney Theatre Center recently unveiled a summer-long performing arts slate that nods to its roots while also reflecting the current zeitgeist.
The multi-genre “Olney Outdoors” presents a range of programming that, according to the theater’s Kevin McAllister, celebrates “bringing together both our likenesses and differences in a positive light,” performed as Washingtonians of all different backgrounds and experiences “sit under the stars and find joy in our commonalities together.”
To help encourage new guests to make the trek, Olney Theatre has implemented a new First Show Is On Us initiative in which those who have never been to the campus can get four free tickets to a paid event of their choice.
Grouped across eight categories, the lineup includes Friday night revues, part of the Andrew A. Isen Cabaret Series, each week featuring two stars of Washington’s theater scene sharing the open-air Root Family Stage. Upcoming pairings include Donna Migliaccio and Nova Y. Payton (8/6), Rayanne Gonzales and Rayshun Lamarr (8/13), Greg Maheu and Vishal Vaidya (8/20), and Malinda Kathleen Reese and Alan Wiggins (8/27). Saturday nights bring Jazz@Olney with performances by some of the area’s best jazz artists including Christie DaShiell (7/31), Elijah Jamal Balbed (8/7), Akua Allrich & The Tribe (8/14), Warren Wolf & WOLFPACK (8/21), and Mark G. Meadows & The Movement (8/28). Additional paid weekend shows that first-time attendees could attend for free include Theatre for Young Audiences performances as well as faith-centered “Sing Praise!” concerts.
On Wednesday nights in August, Olney will present free showcases, two apiece, of slam poets and drag performers. Sip ‘N’ Slam is set for the first two hump days of the month, with spoken-word artists Megan Rickman Blackwood, Black Root, Regie Cabico, and Carlynn Newhouse scheduled for Part One (8/4), and Vijai Nathan, Amin Drew Law, Charity Blackwell, and Analysis for Part Two (8/11). It’s followed by two hump nights with a glittery gaggle of drag queens storming the stage including Brooklyn Heights, Betty O’Hellno, Ariel Von Quinn, and Evon Michelle on August 18, and Kristina Kelly, Vagenesis, Tiara Missou, and Echinacea Monroe pulling on August 25.
The programming takes place in and around the outdoor Root Family Stage, with guests seated distanced on blankets or in chairs, or on raised bleachers offered at full capacity for fully vaccinated or more risk-tolerant guests. (In case of inclement weather, some performances will be moved indoors to the Mainstage with up to 200 patrons spread out at less than half-capacity.)
Olney Theatre Center is located at 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, in Olney, Md. Call 301-924-3400 or visit www.olneytheatre.org.
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By Doug Rule on May 7, 2022 @ruleonwriting
Saturday, May 14, will be a good time to explore the arts-rich stretch of Rhode Island Avenue just over the District line connecting the Maryland towns of Mt. Rainier, Brentwood, and Hyattsville.
Known as the Gateway Arts District, the strip will be abuzz on that day with dozens of artists, chefs, and musicians participating in a new, free community open-house event.
The inaugural Arts, Beats, and Eats Festival is largely concentrated around two buildings located one block apart in Brentwood: Studio 3807, housing the Portico Gallery and Studios as well as the miXt Food Hall, and Artisan 4100, home to Just Rock and the Art Annex Studios.
By Hugh McIntyre on April 12, 2022 @popbanghugh
In just a few days, countless thousands of music lovers and those who simply need to be where the action is will flock to the Coachella Valley in California for the region's namesake music festival.
Coachella isn't just another concert or even a major festival, but what might very well be the most famous -- and one of the most lucrative -- musical events of the year. As of a few years ago, the show takes place across two weekends, with the same artists performing for enormous crowds so big, they couldn't even fit in three days.
While the man who runs the company behind Coachella has been called out for possibly supporting anit-LGBT causes, the festival remains incredibly popular among people of all walks of life, including gay, lesbian, and trans music lovers.
By Sean Maunier on May 8, 2022
Every so often we get a standout talent like Philadelphia native Vincint, a one-time contestant on Fox's The Four: Battle for Stardom.
After his well-received debut EP The Feeling, released in February of 2020, and wide recognition for "Be Me," the opening song for season five of Netflix's Queer Eye, the dynamic and charismatic Vincint doubled down on his strengths and bared his soul on his first full-length LP, There Will Be Tears, released last summer.
Part of what makes Vincint's songwriting feel so remarkable is a sense of emotional honesty. He's hardly the first artist to channel his vulnerability into catchy pop numbers, but the intensity of the feelings he conveys as well as the earnestness in his voice make the journey through his emotional state that much more compelling.
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