Seattle Gay News
Issue 33, Volume 44, August 12, 2016
Arts & Entertainment
Seattle Opera presents outlandish and funny Count Ory
Hanna Hipp (Isolier) and Sarah Coburn (Countess Adèle) - Photo by Philip Newton
by Sharon Cumberland SGN A&E Writer SEATTLE OPERA THE WICKED ADVENTURES OF COUNT ORY MARION OLIVER MCCAW HALL Through August 20
Summertime is a great time for an opera as outlandish and funny as The Wicked Adventures of Count Ory, by the master of the opera buffa tradition, Gioachino Rossini. Everything you want in a frothy summer evening is there – fabulous cos-
Birbiglia’s Don’t Think Twice
a thoughtfully perceptive ensemble gem
Don’t Think Twice – Photo courtesy variety.com
by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer DON’T THINK TWICE Now playing For the past eleven yea rs the improvisational comedy troupe k nown as T he Com mune has happi ly en-
see COUNT ORY page 13
ter tained the citizens of New York, each night hoping some talent scout or ca st i ng agent wi l l cat ch t hei r show and ma ke each and ever y one of t hem a st a r. But t he rest au ra nt t hey’ve ca lled t hei r home for over a decade is shutting down, and consider ing the cutth roat world of Big see DON’T THINK page 6
Warm-hearted Foster The One – The Only – Jenkins sings a happy tune Groucho!
Florence (Meryl Streep), Lily Pons (Aida Garifullina) and St. Clair Bayfield (Hugh Grant) – Photograph courtesy Nick Wall
by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS Now playing Based on a true story, director Stephen Frears’ (The Queen, Dirty Pretty Things) warm-hearted Florence Foster Jenkins
is inspirational cinematic comfort food, meaning it’s a terribly difficult movie to dislike while at the same time also an almost equally tough one to embrace with any passion. A good movie, one featuring turns by Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant that are spellbinding in their all-around magnificence, it’s still awfully hard to say anything that transpires here comes as anything apsee FOSTER page 8
Frank Ferrante plays Groucho – Photo by John Cornicello
by Eric Andrews-Katz SGN A&E Writer “AN EVENING WITH GROUCHO” TEATRO ZINZANNI August 10
Groucho Marx is one of the most recognizable figures in American history, if not the world. His trademark look, glasses, greasepaint mustache and eyebrows, while jostling a cigar between his fingers, has become so iconic that the “look” (aka Groucho glasses) has been sold in joke stores and gag shops around the world. Even though the man passed away in 1977, see “GROUCHO” page 6 see TERRA page 4
PRESENTED BY ALASKA AIRLINES
SUMMER MOVIES IN CAL ANDERSON PARK
FRIDAY NIGHTS IN AUGUST AUG 12 Spaceballs
AUG 5 Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same
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AUG 26 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy AUG 19 Barbarella
August 12, 2016
Celebrating 41 Years!
New music festival in Seattle set to launch next spring by Albert Rodriguez SGN A&E Writer
Paul Allen – Photo courtesy of forbes.com
There’s a new music festival coming to town and it’s going to be big. Really big. The inaugural Upstream Music Festival and Summit is set for May 11-13, 2017 with a mission “to promote music discovery, spark transformative conversations and foster opportunities for emerging artists and the industry within the new entertainment economy.” The event, backed by Paul Allen and similar to the SWSX Festival in Austin, will host more than 200 artists throughout the Pioneer Square district. According to the Allen-founded company Vulcan’s website, you can expect to see “intimate performances, surprising collaborations and curated stages.” More news on the Upstream Music Festival in the months ahead. Don’t ask me what this show is all about, because I’m honestly a bit mystified myself. But I think it’s going to be really good. The “Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience” promises to be both a visual and audio production that will be supported by a full orchestra and choir, all under the direction of the Emmy-winning series’ com-
poser Ramin Djawadi. The performance will take fans on a riveting musical journey through various storylines and settings of the popular drama-fantasy show, from King’s Landing to Winterfell, along the northern stretches of the Kingsroad to The Wall, and across the Narrow Sea to Braavos, Meereen and beyond. As of yet, none of the cast members have been announced to appear, which is a shame because I’d love to see a live reenactment of King Joffrey dying all over again. Tickets for the Seattle concert, scheduled for March 31, go on sale August 13 (10am) at LiveNation.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, or charge by phone 1-800-745-3000. Country star Eric Church has included a Tacoma date on his upcoming “Holdin’ My Own Tour,” set to kick-off January 13. The multiple Grammy nominee will perform early next year at the T-Dome with no opening acts; it’s just him and his band. He announced the tour live this week during the second of back-to-back sold concerts at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, in Colorado. Promoting last year’s critically acclaimed album, Mr. Under-
Ramin Djawadi – Photo courtesy alchetron.com
Eric Church – Photo courtesy of courier-journal.com
stood, Church’s 2017 road outing boasts 60 dates on the itinerary, including the Tacoma show on March 18. For ticket information, go to ericchurch.com. Other new shows to announce: The Moondoggies on September 22 and 23 (Tractor Tavern), Jason Marsalis Quartet featuring Etienne Charles on September 27 and 28 (Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley), Rae Sremmurd on November 8 (The Showbox SoDo), The Chris Robinson Brotherhood on December 2 (Neumos), Sweet Honey in the Rock on December 15-18 (Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley). And, by popular demand, local indie pop band, The Head and the Heart, have added a third show at the Paramount Theatre on November 7. Finally, if you read this in time, you can still catch some of the free live music being staged at the South Lake Union Block Party on Friday, August 12. The artist lineup for the event, happening at Denny Way and Westlake Avenue North, features local acts Beat Connection, Hibou, The True Loves, Lemolo and Danny Newcomb and the Sugarmakers, plus DJ Tomi and DJ Ahold. Visit slublockparty.com for details.
Bianca Del Rio to interview with Seattle Gay News next month, ahead of tour launch t o a n n o u n c e a n u p c o m i n g i n t e rv iew w it h t he L ousia na-b or n ent ert a i ner a nd c ost u me d esig ner i n ou r Fa l l A r t s & Tr avel i s su e, o n S e p t e mb e r 16. T h i s i s D el R io’s f i r st t i me i nt er v iewi ng wit h S e a t tl e G a y Ne ws a nd t he fou r t h “Ru Pau l” a lu m t o do so, fol low i ng Ji n x x Mon so on, Ben D eL a Cr em e a nd Ma n i la Lu z on. T h e “ No t To d ay Sa t a n” t ou r k ick s of f i n Se at t le; t he Showb ox c onc er t i s t h e f i r st d a t e of a t h r e e -m o nt h Nor t h A mer ica n it i ner a r y, r u n n i ng t h r o ug h e a rly Nove mb e r, a n d w i l l t h en r e su m e next su m m e r for a s e r i e s of p e r fo r m a n c e s i n E u r o p e, i n clu d i ng a p p e a r a n c e s i n No r way, t h e Net h e rla nd s a nd t h e U K. Ticke t s fo r t h e sh ow h e r e a r e o n s a le now t h r oug h her websit e, t hebia nc a d el r io. c om /t ou r.
by Albert Rodriguez SGN A&E Writer BIANCA DEL RIO “NOT TODAY SATAN” THE SHOWBOX SODO September 28 A l t h o u g h s h e’s h a d t o c a n c e l s om e r e c ent sh ows t o u n d e rgo vo c a l s u r g e r y a n d r e c ove r, Bi a n c a D el R io i s ex p e c t e d t o a p p e a r i n S e a t t le fo r h e r S e p t e mb e r 2 8 p e rfo r m a n c e a t T h e Sh owb ox S o D o. T h e “ Ru Pa u l’s D r a g R a c e” s e a s on 6 w i n n e r i s t a k i n g a few we e k s of f h e r ve r y bu sy s ch e du le t o s e ek t r e a t m e n t fo r h e r t h r o a t , w h i c h I’m su r e i s t h e r e su lt of t h e m a ny l ive c onc e r t s she’s g iven t hes e few ye a r s s i n c e e a r n i n g t h e c ove t e d d r a g c r ow n. B efo r e c o m i ng t o t h e E m e r a ld Cit y, h oweve r, I’m h a p py
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Bianca Del Rio – Photo courtesy of Producer Entertainment
August 12, 2016
Seattle Gay News 3
Enjoy unexpected new plays in Seattle Playwrights Studio Showcase For about the price of a matinee movie theater ticket, you can see two brandnew plays from the creative minds of local playwrights during the Seattle Playwrights Studio Showcase in August at Burien Actors Theatre. The Showcase offers performances from Aug. 19 through 21 of four new shows written by playwrights from the greater Seattle area. Tickets a re just $10, and each ticket includes admission to a performance of two plays.
THE PLAYS In the hush-hush world of the undocumented, a brush with police spins out of control in Undocumented, written by Margaret O’Donnell. Performed on Aug. 19 and 21. A mother fiercely fights the painful heritage of racism to ensure a better life for her daughter, and finds how much it can divide – or unit – in Andrea, written by Mari Salinas and directed by Roi Martin-Brown. Performed on Aug. 19. What’s a woman to do when her date picks an ex-brothel for their first meeting? Anywhere but Auschwitz, written by Bruce Firestone and directed by Geoff
Little, is an often-wry look at the serious side of a building’s history. Performed on Aug. 19 and 20. Not Around Gordie, written by George Savage, Jr. and directed by Bruce McLean, is a comedy about progress, generational differences and young gas station employees exploring their identities in 1961 Santa Monica. Performed on Aug. 20 and 21. Some of the shows are suitable for ages 13-plus due to some adult language or content. The plays are products of the Seattle Playwrights Studio workshop, which is affiliated with BAT and meets at BAT twice monthly. Performances are Friday, Aug. 19
and Saturday, Aug. 20 at 7:30 p.m., plus a matinee on Sunday, Aug. 21 at 2 p.m. at Burien Actors Theatre. The Sunday matinee will be followed by a free reception. Tickets are $10 and the reception on Sunday is free. For information or tickets, go to www.burienactorstheatre.org or call 206-242-5180. Burien Actors Theatre is located at 14501 4th Ave. S.W. in Burien. ABOUT SEATTLE PLAYWRIGHTS STUDIO Seattle Playwrights Studio is a mutually-suppor tive group, providing space, encouragement and feedback for readings of local playwrights’ written work. SPS’ goal is to help its members develop strong, entertaining and
producible plays. The group also provides networking opportunities, facilitating interaction among playwrights, directors and actors. SPS is affiliated with Burien Actors Theatre. ABOUT BURIEN ACTORS THEATRE Burien Actors Theatre gives audiences an intriguing and invigorating theatre experience with unusual and fantastical productions they can’t see anywhere else. Incorporated in 1980, the nonprofit Burien Actors Theatre has been a leading producer of quality live theater serving residents of the Seattle and south Puget Sound areas. Courtesy of Burien Actors Theatre
Studio 18 Productions presents Bonnie and Clyde by Myriam Gordon SGN A&E Writer BONNIE AND CLYDE STUDIO 18 PRODUCTIONS (AT 12TH AVENUE ARTS) Through August 13 How to Mount a Production of a New Musical When You’ve Never Produced a Show Yourselves? I guess the answer is: “Be Studio 18 Productions!” Somehow, the young folks (Matt Lang and Alia CollinsFriedrichs) heading up this effort to bring the Seattle premiere of Bonnie and Clyde (the musical) to town found a way to get the rights, get a highly sought after venue (12th Avenue Arts) and a stupendous cast for this effort, and they pulled it all together! Bonnie and Clyde debuted on Broadway in 2011 and is written by Frank Wildhorn (music), Don Black (lyrics) and Ivan Menchell (book). The show did not do very well and only lasted a month before closing. It is, of course, based on the lives of the infamous duo who lived, loved, and robbed in Texas, destined to die in a hail of bullets. Laura Osnes originated the role and she probably was able to elevate the production by force of will. A local claim to fame, if you will, is that local musical theater performer, Louis Hobson, originated the Broadway role of Ted Hinton. Ted Hinton, whether real or fictional is unknown, is a young lawman who falls in love with Bonnie, who never does really love him. In this local production, Randall Scott Carpenter is one of the standout performers as Ted. Another standout is Kate E. Cook, a new transplant from Arizona who wows as Blanche Barrow, Buck Barrow’s wife and sister-in-law to robber-turned-murderer Clyde. Kate’s performance eclipses even other strong performers and you should keep an eye out for her. I understand she’ll be seen in Village Theatre’s Singin’ in the Rain.
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Bonnie and Clyde presented by Studio 18 Productions – Photo by Ashley Joncas
And another name to keep in mind is Victoria Rosser. One of the standouts in Sound Theatre Company’s Parade this past spring, I look forward to a role that brings her powerhouse vocals front and center. The leads, Jasmine Jean Sim as Bonnie and Zack Summers as Clyde, acquit themselves well, as does Brian Pucheu as Buck. Pucheu has an amazing voice and, unfortunately, this role didn’t show it off. It did show his acting range. Sim and Summers had good chemistry, a crucial element to the show. Most of the problems with the show are with the material itself and the execution (oops, pun unintended) of its music, primarily. I know lauding “bad guys” is a “thing” these days, on TV and movies, too, but why are these two people so com-
August 12, 2016
pelling that they deserve a musical? The musical skirts the idea that they’re worth a psychological examination into how they sought fame and fortune illegally, but the book does not make a compelling presentation. Also, the music, a blend of rockabilly and standard musical fare, does not impress. In fact, the second act ends with SIX reprises and one of the reprises is a SECOND reprise!!!! Seriously, the songs weren’t that great to begin with, so why do we need ‘em over again? The lyrics are pretty good though, overall. One of the best songs is sung by Blanche to Buck – “You’re Goin’ Back to Jail” – and reflects a humor that ends up lacking in the rest of the script. If more of the show would make fun of these killers, it might actually have had longer “legs” than it did.
Kudos to this young company in their success so far, and it’s great that musical theater lovers can see this show on its feet, live. It’s only two weekends long, so you’ll need to be quick or you’ll miss it. PLEASE NOTE: The show opened last weekend and the last two performances of this production are Friday and Saturday, August 12 and 13. For more information, go to http://www. studio18productions.org/ or http://www. brownpapertickets.com/event/2569202 or call 800-838-3006. Discuss your opinions with SGNcritic@ gmail.com or go to www.facebook.com/ SeattleTheaterWriters. More articles can be found at MiryamsTheaterMusings. blogspot.com.
Celebrating 41 Years!
Seattle’s 2016-2017 musical theatre season by Eric Andrews-Katz SGN A&E Writer The new musical theatre season was announced last March! Here are The Village Theatre’s, The 5th Avenue Theatre’s and Seattle Theatre Group’s Broadway at the Paramount’s line-ups for the upcoming season, and they are not to be missed. Several theatres offer package deals that are more than worth looking into, but no matter which (or all) you decide on attending, you won’t be disappointed. THE VILLAGE THEATRE Issaquah and Everett
THE 5TH AVENUE THEATRE Man of La Mancha – October 7-30 Musical adaptation of Cervantes’s Don Quixote. Not seen on the 5th Avenue stage in over 20 years. This “Golden Age” musical originally won Best Musical 1966 and has enjoyed several revivals on Broadway.
Image courtesy of 5thavenue.org Image courtesy of villagetheatre.org
Pump Boys and Dinettes – Issaquah (September 15-October 23) Everett (October 28-November 20) Enjoy a group of Good Ol’ Boys, playing music at a local diner. Nominated for Best Musical of 1982. Singing in the Rain – Issaquah (November 10-December 31) Everett (January 6-29) What a glorious feeling! Why not be happy again?
The King and I – January 24-February 3 This lavish new production tells the classic story of the Western teacher that arrives in Siam to teach the King’s numerous children, only to end up learning a few things herself. Original production was Pre-Tony Awards, but the show has been revived on Broadway several times. The current incarnation is still running on Broadway.
Dreamgirls – Issaquah (May 11-July 2) Everett (July 7-30) All you need to do is dream, and they will be there! Nominated for Best Musical of 1982.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid – November 23-December 31 Disney’s adaptation of their own animated feature movie. The musical will become “Part of Your World.” Nominated for Best Original Score Written for the Theatre in 2008.
Image courtesy of 5thavenue.org
Fun Home – July 11-30 Based on Alison Bechdel’s best-selling graphic memoir, Fun Home tells the story about a girl growing up in their family’s funeral parlor, and the ways we look at our parents through adult eyes. Winner of 5 Tony Awards including Best Musical of 2015 – a show NOT TO BE MISSED! Still running on Broadway.
Beautiful – The Carole King Musical – October 19-30 Legend grows into Legendary in this true-life tale of one of the greatest American (pop) songwriters and performers. Nominated for seven Tony Awards including Best Musical of 2014. Still running on Broadway. Image courtesy of stgpresents.org
An American in Paris – May 9-14 Based on the hit MGM film, you can expect sweeping dances in this new stage production. Nominated for 11 Tony Awards (including Best Musical) it won for Best Choreography of 2015. Still running on Broadway.
Image courtesy of stgpresents.org
The 39 Steps – Issaquah (January 19-February 26) Everett (March 3-26) A hysterical take on Hitchcock’s masterpiece. Nominated Best Play for 2008. A Proper Place – Issaquah (March 16-April 23) Everett (April 28-May 21) Billed as “Downton Abbey” meets “Gilligan’s Island” this hysterical new musical is based on J.M. Barrie’s play, The Admirable Crichton.
Image courtesy of villagetheatre.org
Image courtesy of 5thavenue.org
Murder for Two – March 25-June 4 (Co-Production with ACT) A new original musical where everyone is suspect. The Secret Garden – April 14-May 6 The beloved children’s classic comes alive on stage in a lavish musical adaptation. Winner of three Tony Awards including Best Musical of 1991, and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Daisy Eagan holds the record for the youngest Tony Award winner) Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, the musical – June 8-July 2 (WORLD PREMIERE!) They’re back and are now on stage. Mark it with a Post-It!
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Mamma Mia! – March 28-April 2 (Season Special Offer) The ever-popular musical returns to please audiences with the wonderful music of ABBA. The Eighth Longest Running Show in Broadway history was nominated for seven Tony Awards including Best Musical of 2002.
SEATTLE THEATRE GROUP’S BROADWAY AT THE PARAMOUNT
The Pajama Game – February 9-March 5 The classic musical telling the story of workers at the Sleep Tite Pajama factory that dare to strike for a 7-½ cent raise. Originally winning three Tony Awards including Best Musical 1955 – the show that would make Shirley MacLaine a star.
Image courtesy of villagetheatre.org
RENT – February 21-26 (Season Special Offer) The musical that taught us “There’s no day but today” is back for it’s 20th Anniversary. The Pulitzer Prize winning musical (1996) also won four Tony Awards including Best Musical of 1996.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch – December 13-18 (Season Option) “This genre-bending, fourth-wallsmashing musical sensation, with a pulsing score and electrifying performances, tells the story of one of the most unique characters to ever hit the stage.” Winner of 3 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical 2014. Finding Neverland – January 10-15 The hit musical that tells the story of author J.M. Barrie, and how he conceived the ideas for Peter Pan. Still running on Broadway.
Cabaret – June 13-25 The dark metaphor for Nazi Germany returns to Seattle. Come to the Cabaret, Old Chum…come to the cabaret. Originally nominated for 11 Tony Awards (including Best Musical 1967), the latest revival was nominated for two Tony Awards of 2014.
Image courtesy of stgpresents.org
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – July 25-30 “Fifteen-year old Christopher has an extraordinary brain; he is exceptionally intelligent but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life.” This straight-play (non-musical) is hailed by The New York Times as “One of the most fully immersive works ever to wallop Broadway.” Winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Play of 2015. Still running on Broadway.
Image courtesy of stgpresents.org
August 12, 2016
All three theatres promise a wonderful and entertaining season. Go see as many as you can and enjoy. Just remember to silence all phones, and texting/recording during the shows is STRICTLY prohibited.
Seattle Gay News 5
DON’T THINK continued from cover
Apple n ightlife the cha nces they’ll f i nd a n a f ford able new home a re rat her sl ig ht. St i l l, f r iends M i les (Mi ke Bi rbiglia), Samantha (Gillian Jacobs), Jack (Keegan-Michael Key), A l l ison ( Kat e M icuc ci), Li nd say (Tami Sagher) and Bill (Ch r is Getha rd) remain hopeful, especially once they lea r n the producer of late night television’s prem ier sketch comedy series is coming to a show sometime soon to check out their act. Bu t wh e r e a s Ja c k a n d S a m a n t h a get i nv it a t ion s t o c om e i n a n d t est for a sp ot on t he show a s pa r tt i m e g u e s t a c t o r s, t h e r e s t of t h e m e m b e r s of T h e C o m mu n e a r e n’t s o luck y, t h i s bit of go o d n ews fo r t wo of t hei r m emb e r s st i l l hav i ng a p r ofou nd ef fe ct on t he g r oup’s p ers o n a l a n d wo r k i n g r el a t i o n s h i p s. St r a i n i ng t h i ngs even mor e is when o n e of t h e t wo a c t u a l ly s e c u r e s t h e j o b wh i le t h e o t h e r d o e s n o t, a n d c o n sid e r i ng t h e p a i r a r e i n a r om a nt ic r ela t ion sh ip t h i s pla nt s a m ig ht y big r o a d blo ck r ig ht sm a ck d a b i n t h e m id d le of t h e f r e eway le a d i ng t o f ut u r e happi ness. Wr it ten a nd di rected by Bi rbiglia (Sleepwalk with Me), the moving, emotionally complex comedy-drama D on’t T hin k Twice is t he k i nd of movie I k new I liked exiting the theatre but didn’t realize just how much so until I’d had a few ext ra days to ponder all its na r rative nuances. It’s a beautiful, cha racter-dr iven affai r, a nd wh i le t he i nt rospective observat ions t he f i l m ma ker toys wit h a re ha rdly revolut iona r y t hat st i l l do esn’t ma ke t hem a ny less pro -
found or affecting. T his is the k ind of movie that sticks with you, gives the viewer so much to mull over and ponder they feel a lmost lucky they were given the oppor tunity to give it a look, the stor y a thoughtful, wa r tsand-all look at a r t, romance, dreams a nd f r iendsh ip t hat’s vi r t ua lly i m-
Key as the brea kout talent just waiting for his big brea k, and he r ises to t he occasion beautif ully, deliver ing a per for mance that’s without a doubt t he most c omplex a nd i nt rosp e ctive of h is ca reer up to t h is poi nt. But it is Jacobs, a scene-stealer most k now n for her sma l l sc re en work
Photo courtesy rottentomatoes.com
possible to resist. Bi rbigl ia has cast t h i ngs beautif ully, each actor given multiple moments to sh i ne, a l l of t hese recogn izable faces br inging each of thei r resp e ct ive cha r act er s to l i fe wit h wi nsomely aut hentic deter m i nation a nd g race. It’s no sho ck he’s cast
on shows l i ke “Com mu n it y” a nd “Gi rls,” who pops off the screen the most, her Samantha a fragile enigma who fa lters at t he worst t i me on ly to d iscover t a lents a nd aspi rat ions she’d never have been able to rea li ze i f not for some ser ious, se emi ngly m isg uided m issteps. T he ac-
“GROUCHO” continued from cover
Frank Ferrante has brought him back to life in “An Evening with Groucho” and the show was sold out quickly! Frank Ferrante (known to Teatro ZinZanni fans as the Latin lover, “The Caesar”) took to the stage and sat behind a small vanity mirror. He started applying the simplistic greasepaint and told a story about his role model and inspiration, Groucho. He proceeded to tell a second story, and by the time he was finished, one of the clearest facsimiles of the classic comic stood before us on stage. He leapt from his seat immediately going into the role of Captain Spalding and singing the theme song, “Hello, I Must be Going.” For the next 90 minutes (two hours with intermission), Groucho Marx was alive and well, performing underneath the Teatro ZinZanni Spiegeltent. Sharing stories from his entire career, a journey spanning over 60 years, Groucho entertained the audience and held them captive. He spoke of Minnie, his “show business” mother as well as her brother Al Sheen, who was half of the famous vaudeville team Gallagher and Sheen. Stories of his brothers Chico, Harpo, Zeppo and Gummo were recalled, including how each got their now famous nicknames. And, of course, the acerbic wit and brilliant comic timing (to say nothing of his energy level) that made Groucho famous came through with full playful jabs and interactions with the audience. Songs and skits were presented from the Broadway productions and the many films that starred the Marx Brothers. Anecdotes were retold giving the audience
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Dancing Groucho – Photo courtesy of alistcalendar.com
August 12, 2016
t ress com ma nded my at tention l i ke no one else, and had this movie been made a nd released i n t he 1970s or ’80s it’s li kely she’d have ga r nered a r ich ly deser ve d Academy Awa rd nom i nation for her cha r ismatica l ly multifaceted effor ts. All the same, the insights Birbiglia is trading in a ren’t exactly or iginal. There were moments I felt like I was watching a feature-length va riation on the pa r ty scenes that t ranspi red i n Sydney Pol lack’s Tootsie, t he obser vations a nd i nsights ver y simila r to those discussed by Dustin Hoff ma n, Ter i Ga r r a nd Bill Mu rray in the 1982 classic. Compa risons can also be made to David Seltzer’s Punchline and Judd Apatow’s Funny People, both of those tromping down a cinematic path that looks a lot like the one this film happens to be exuberantly walking upon. Sti l l, t he di rector’s ha ndl i ng of t he mat er ia l is elega nt ly pre cise, having a light if still confident air to it that reminded me of John Sayles or Woody Allen in their pr imes. W hile I’d never compa re Don’t Think Twice to Return of the Secaucus Seven or Broa dway Da nny Rose the fact I’m mentioning them all together in the sa me breat h do es sp ea k volu mes, and I can only imagine Birbiglia has a stor y lu rk i ng i nside of h i m t hat will r ise to such th r illing heights. I really li ked this ensemble gem, and i f d iscer n i ng aud iences de cide to t u r n it into a su r pr ise sum mer time a r t house h it I won’t compla in one tiny little bit.
a plethora of examples as to why Groucho earns the title of “The One and Only.” Frank Ferrante evokes the spirit of Groucho with such ease, it is eerie to see his representation on stage. Mr. Ferrante’s timing is sharp and his energy seems completely boundless, as he leaps across the stage, while telling a joke, and mugging the audience with one of Groucho’s many classical expressions. To recreate an iconic comic to such perfection would take a lifetime of dedication and accomplishment; lucky for us Frank Ferrante has done just that, and his loving homage to this brilliant man hits the jackpot and pays off. It is easy to see why Arthur Marx, Groucho’s son, personally chose Mr. Ferrante to continue on the legacy. While “An Evening With Groucho” is predominantly a one-man-show, there are two other main players; the piano player and the show’s director. The assisting piano player is the talented Mark Rabe. Mr. Rabe does an excellent job providing musical accompaniment as well as playing the “silent, straight man” of the act. Seattle audiences will immediately recognize Mr. Rabe from his many performances with The 5th Avenue and Showtunes theatre companies among other venues. The director of the show is Dreya Weber. Another familiar veteran of Teatro ZinZanni, Ms. Weber is behind the scenes instead of performing her astonishingly breathtaking aerial ballet. Ms. Weber uses the sharp insight she’s gained as a performer to direct the incredibly gregarious Frank Ferrante, and does a highly impressive job of it. “An Evening With Groucho” is based on an earlier incarnation of the show entitled, “Groucho: A Life in Review.” The earlier version was written by Arthur Marx. “Groucho: A Life in Review” also stars Frank Ferrante and is available on DVD from Amazon.
Celebrating 41 Years!
Don’t Think Twice – An interview with Mike Birbiglia by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer I can’t say I loved writer/director/star Mike Birbiglia’s Don’t Think Twice at first sight. I knew I enjoyed the ensemble improv comedy-drama but at the same time I wasn’t over the moon about it, either. But the more I kept thinking about the film the more nuances I found myself wanting to explore and discuss, little pieces here and there capturing my attention in ways I didn’t immediately notice. It’s the kind of movie you almost can’t help but fall in love with; just don’t expect to do so instantaneously. With that in mind, it goes without saying I was excited to sit down with Birbiglia during a recent visit to Seattle to talk about his second feature-length directorial outing (2012’s semi-autobiographical Sleepwalk with Me being the first). While brief, our conversation covered a fairly broad range of topics, not all of which focused entirely on his film or its production. Here are some of the highlights: Sara Michelle Fetters: Talk to me how you go from a movie like Sleepwalk with Me to a follow up like Don’t Think Twice? Mike Birbiglia: It’s fictional, that’s the first thing. That makes it very different than Sleepwalk with Me or any of my one-person shows. It’s the first thing I’ve written that’s entirely fictional. But, it was also an idea that came to me but wouldn’t go away. Those are the ideas you have to go with, and therein lies the universality of [Don’t Think Twice]. I remember my wife coming to this improv show I was doing at [the University of California, Berkley] one night and she sparked this thing in my brain when she said, “It’s so weird watching because everyone’s equal when they’re up there on the stage. It’s just the rules of improv.” She went on by noting that one person was a movie star while another was on “Saturday Night Live” and the third was a struggling student who lived with five dudes in a one room apartment and slept on an air mattress and I immediately thought, that should be a movie. It was so obvious. To me, that observation transcended theatre. It transcended improv. It got to this idea that life isn’t fair. That we’re all in these situations all of the time where we are equal yet still not equal, that we’re all at certain times looking at other people thinking that he got this and she got that and wondering why while at the same time believing we could do the same. It’s a failing of my own that I think is universal, and the more I kept thinking about it and sharing it with people the more I found myself trying to dig deeper. I think I had about ten different readings of various drafts of the script at my house and people really related to it. Each reading, someone would state that this was their life, that they’d gone through something similar. I took that as a good sign. Sara Michelle Fetters: I think one of the best things about the film is how closeknit this group is, and yet, as you say, none of them are above having those moments of envy, or despair, or euphoria, as they react to what is going on both in the respective lives as well as their improv theatre troupe. It had to have been difficult to keep these emotions pure, to make them feel real, as I imagine it would have been a lot easier to drip into tired, over-familiar melodrama instead of presenting things in a way that felt grounded and authentic. Mike Birbiglia: It was a challenge. A lot of it was using the subtlest take. A lot of it was making everyone go
again, finding a way to make less of what was going on in the scene. Finding ways to underplay things. At the beginning of the film, when the group is made up entirely of best friends, when they’re all, “I’ve got your back, I’ve got your back, I’ve got your back, I’ve got your back,” you don’t have to have any of them say something derogatory to understand there are still levels of resentment lurking there. All you have to do is just take away some of the enthusiasm by just a single decibel that you instantly know something is up. Film is such an intimate medium that you turn things down just a little the audience will be aware of what is going on, that they’ll understand things are on the verge of going awry with this group of friends. Sara Michelle Fetters: But that’s also very different than what you have to do on the stage, isn’t it? By the very nature of the stage you’re projecting, and every performance is different every single time. It can’t be duplicated. Mike Birbiglia: You’re right. That’s exactly it. Sara Michelle Fetters: With a movie, once you’ve done a scene, once you’re happy with it, that’s it, that’s how it is going to be for eternity. It never changes. So, balanc-
So, I always said to the actors here, let’s shoot [Don’t Think Twice] as if it were documentary. Let’s try and trick people. Let’s try and have people in other countries watch the movie and not even realize this isn’t a real comedy troupe. That just seemed like such a fun idea to me. And, I knew, if we could pull that off, if we could trick people into thinking what was happening was real, then we’d likely have a real shot at getting into people’s souls. Making them feel something. At least, that was the goal. That was what I was hoping for. Sara Michelle Fetters: As an aside, back at the end of 2009 I named Once as my favorite film of the decade, so I’m right there with you on that one. Mike Birbiglia: It’s a perfect movie. I’ve watched it again and again. My wife and I are obsessed with it. If there were a book on the making of that film I’d read it ten times because I am fascinated by it. And so little is said! It’s mostly songs. It’s mostly glances and looks. It’s fascinating. Sara Michelle Fetters: Back to this movie, talk to me about casting. You’ve got one person on the verge of superstardom in Keegan-Michael Key. You’ve got a number of others, like yourself, who are instantly recognizable if not quite household names.
And then you’ve got a couple of others that you potentially might have forgotten you’d seen their work before, but the moment they start riffing alongside the others in the cast it’s almost as if you’ve been watching their work for years and for some reason forgotten you had been. I guess what I’m trying to say is, in your own movie, in this story about fame, about what it means to be a professional actor, about performers at different levels of stardom in their respective careers, you’ve also got different layers in the actual casting of those parts themselves. Was that by design? Mike Birbiglia: It was. Keegan was the first one to come aboard, mainly because it was important to me to have someone in that part I knew was arguably the most talented at sketch comedy but also recognizable enough it would make sense he’d be the shiniest of the bunch making up this ensemble. He’s good-looking, he’s charming, he’s outgoing, he’s got “it,” he’s got that “it factor,” and I knew I had to have that kind of guy to fill that role. But next was Gillian Jacobs, and she was Lena Dunham’s idea. She had read the script as a favor to me and as a friend and she was like, you’ve really got to get Gillian for this part. And, honestly, I didn’t see it. I watched “Community.” I watched “Girls.” I called Lena up and I was like, I just don’t
see it. I had just never seen her play a part like this one. But she was adamant. “Gillian Jacobs can do anything,” she said. Just like that. Matter-of-fact. So I was like, I guess I need to at least give her a chance. So Gillian put herself on tape. She did one of the final scenes and it honestly almost brought me to tears it was so good. This little iPhone video of her giving this performance, it was sensational. So I think we got really lucky finding her and I guess I owe Lena a thank you card. As for the rest, Chris Gethard and Tami Sagher, I improvise with both all the time, so it was just natural to ask them to come aboard for the ride. Kate Micucci, she is just someone I’d crossed paths with a number of times over the years, and she’s just so genius in “Garfunkel and Oates.” We got on Skype together and just started talking. She’s just such a unique, quirky human being; the right mix of genuine and funny. I was so happy she was willing to be a part of the team. Sara Michelle Fetters: Were there points where you wondered if you were cutting too close to the bone? That this story was almost too inside baseball, if you will, and only theatre, sketch comedy and improv nerds would understand what it was you were talking about? Mike Birbiglia: I wanted to capture that idea of fear of failure, that sense that, even if we’re ambitious, there’s still that part of us that fears what it is we’re trying to accomplish. That interview scene, where Keegan and Gillian’s characters are supposed to go into that television studio for an audition, I think that’s a universal moment all of us have gone through in one fashion or another. It’s a moment where these characters want to be true to themselves in ways I don’t think they can quite put their fingers on. For Sam, Gillian’s character, I don’t think she can quite tell you why it is she ends up making the decision that she does. She probably can’t even describe why it is she makes this particular choice. But I also think everyone can relate to it, even if they’d potentially made a decision diametrically opposite of the one she does. Sara Michelle Fetters: How hard is that for the audience to absorb, though? Did you ever worry it might be too much for them to handle? Mike Birbiglia: I hope it wouldn’t be. There’s no doubt about it, there is a danger there, and watching moments like that one are certainly uncomfortable. But that’s why this is an independent film, right? There’s a reason why Fox or Warner Bros aren’t releasing this movie on 3,000 screens. You couldn’t walk into Paramount and say my movie is about how failure is okay and expect them to write you a gigantic check then and there. It ain’t happening. But I think you have to take that risk. I also think audiences want you to. I want people to laugh. I want them to cry. But, most of all, I want them to watch the film again. I want them to think about the movie almost as if it were a record. I’ve watched Hannah and Her Sisters a dozen times. I’ve watched The Big Chill seven or eight times. I’ve watched Almost Famous like ten times, maybe more. I could quote it verbatim. I love movies that, when you come across them on TV, even if you own a copy you still can’t change the channel. You have to watch it to the end. And, thank goodness for these five actors because, not to toot my own horn, I think we’ve made a movie like that. For a specific group of people, maybe a bigger one than I let myself imagine it to be, this could be a film that gets watched multiple times, viewers finding things inside of it that I didn’t even know were there. How great would that be?
August 12, 2016
Seattle Gay News 7
Mike Birbiglia posing with cast member Keegan-Michael Key – Photo courtesy forbes.com
ing those two worlds, telling a story about theatre, about improv, no less, but doing it in a film, how difficult was that? Where do you find that wherewithal to hold back, to use that restraint and to keep things intimate and not let individual scenes get too broad or performances grow to the point they end up going over the top? Mike Birbiglia: I read a zillion of these books on directing. I read Elia Kazan’s book, which I think is my favorite of the bunch. I read David Mamet’s book. I read Sidney Lumet’s book. If you want to learn how to be a director, I think that’s how you do it. It’s all there. People go to film school and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to do something I think you can probably do by taking six months off and reading 17 books cover-to-cover. No disrespect to film school. Alexander Payne went to film school so it’s not all bad, I’m sure. Everyone has their own path. But, for me, I do think this was the way to go. I also think that I know the types of films that I love, films like Hannah and Her Sisters and Broadcast News and the movie Once, John Carney’s first film. These are films where you’re like, wow, I can barely tell the difference between what’s real and what’s not. When you watch Once, you’re like, is this real? Are they together? I just love that aspect to it.
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Disney’s Pete’s Dragon a magically enchanting remake by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer PETE’S DRAGON Now playing Deep in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, forest ranger Grace Meacham (Bryce Dallas Howard) and young schoolgirl Natalie (Oona Laurence) have made a startling discovery. A boy, no more than nine or ten, named Pete (Oakes Fegley) has apparently been living out in the wild all on his own. But that’s not entirely true. He claims he’s had help, a friend who has seen him through both thick and thin for the past handful of years. A friend named Elliot. A friend who just so happens to be a gigantic, fire-breathing, furry green dragon. As unbelievable as this sounds, Grace finds herself wanting to believe Pete’s story, if only because then it would mean all the tall tales her father (Robert Redford) has been recounting over the years about a dragon secretly living in the woods would be more than a fanciful fairy tale. Her fiancé Jack (Wes Bentley), who also happens to be Natalie’s father and is operator of the local lumber mill alongside his brother Gavin (Karl Urban), is a little more incredulous, certain there has to be another reason for the boy’s survival in the wilderness. But there is magic in the forest, and it’s up to Pete to protect it, and in the process inspire Grace, Natalie and a number of others to achieve a kind of greatness heretofore they had never dreamt was possible. Dipping into their deep well of classics for the second time this year (box office smash The Jungle Book being the other), Disney sets their sights on the 1977 live action-animation hybrid Pete’s Dragon for their latest remake. Handing the reins over to Ain’t Them Bodies Saints auteur David Lowery, this isn’t so much a new take on Seton I. Miller and S.S. Field’s source material as it is a complete and total reinvention of it, the movie something of an E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial meets The Black Stallion meets Tarzan hybrid that while comfortably familiar still manages to be strikingly original and new at the exact same time.
FOSTER
continued from cover proaching a shock. As such, this ends up being a remarkably easy motion picture to watch and yet an equally problematical one to remember much about afterwards other than the brilliance of the two stars around which everything revolves. In 1944, aging New York City socialite, philanthropist and amateur opera singer Florence Foster Jenkins (Streep) wants to do something special for the troops who have freshly returned home after fighting in Europe and the South Pacific. Up to now, manager and faux husband St. Clair Bayfield (Grant) has done a grand job of fanning his beloved’s illusions of being a great singer, bribing critics to write kindly reviews of her shows while also making sure she performs in front of audiences who will respond positively to her performances. Now, however, not only is he having to break in a new pianist to accompany her, the perplexed Cosme McMoon (Simon Helberg), he also has to figure out how to schedule a showcase at Carnegie Hall. With time running short and his real wife Kathleen (Rebecca Ferguson) starting to tire of her husband’s double life, St. Clair is at his wits end as to how he’s going to pull this off. His instincts are to protect Florence from ridicule no matter what, knowing that by allowing her to perform in front of 3,000 strangers he can’t handpick he’ll be opening her up to just that, maybe even something worse.
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Pete and his dragon – Photo courtesy of momdoesreviews.com
It is a beautiful, life-affirming reworking, one that is as pure as it is heartfelt, the final product a rousing testament to the human spirit that’s darn near close to perfect. This is a movie that never overplays its hand, doesn’t attempt to dive into self-indulgent extremes in order to provide audiences with pointless action sequences that add nothing to the characters or their collective stories. Lowery, composing the script with his Ain’t Them Bodies Saints producer Toby Halbrooks, goes out of his way to cement events in a believable reality that allows the fantastical to come to life with striking intimacy. While the various motivations driving each protagonist are understandably different, they are still comfortably familiar and thus easy to relate to, allowing the inherent emotionalism at the center to resonate with viewers of all ages. While still kid-friendly, the opening is still rather startling, the events that end up putting Pete in the forest all alone enough to break even the most hardened heart into two. But the way Lowery depicts the first
encounter between dragon and child is remarkable, deftly hinting at the majesty and magic to come but not in a way that feels heavy-handed or overly melodramatic. It’s also the moment where I realized just how essential Daniel Hart’s (Tumbledown) poetically haunting score would end up being in the proceedings, the composer delivering a litany of themes that highlight and augment the on-screen action without ever coming close to overwhelming them. Urban’s villain is a little one-dimensionally cartoonish, his actions far more on-thenose than anything else that lurk inside the picture’s myriad of otherwise complexly humanistic layers. He goes from nonbeliever to opportunist at the drop of the hat, and while the veteran character actor still underplays things nicely, that doesn’t make Gavin any less silly. He’s the bad guy because the movie feels that it needs one, has to have someone around who longs to take advantage of the situation and allow for moments of capture, escape and frantic chase during the climax. Thing is, Lowery handles all of this with the same frank simplicity he brought to the
elegiac temperaments running through Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, and while that rural piece of Americana crime noir was a much different motion picture, the respect with which the director treats both stories is no less significant. As a filmmaker, he trusts his audiences, understands he can save the biggest, boldest moments for last, and as such doesn’t feel the need to fill the screen with superfluous visual filler which would add little of substance and even less that’s dramatically necessary. Lowery isn’t afraid of emotion, but that doesn’t mean he’s willing to let his version of Pete’s Dragon wallow in it, so when the tears ultimately flow, they do so with a luminosity so genuine the overall effect is positively miraculous. He’s crafted a movie that feels so of the moment, so of the now, walking out of the theatre I doubt I could have stopped smiling even if I had wanted to try. As remakes go, Disney’s latest might just be their best one yet, soaring to such stratospheric heights I almost can’t help but be amazed.
You can listen to some of Florence Foster Jenkins’ recordings on YouTube and, quite honestly, they’re pretty amazing. Not because they’re better than you think they’ll be but more because they’re maybe even worse than anticipated. But there’s something magical about these pieces of music history, a slice of Americana that are as beguiling as they are terrible. Listening to them, it’s easy to understand in some ways why Florence became such a New York icon during the 1940s, the fearless way in which she throws her body and soul into them close to extraordinary. It is a credit to both Frears and to screenwriter Nicholas Martin that they are both able to understand this about the woman, embracing her uniquely selfless ferocity, as her passion for music, the city she loves and the men fighting for her country overseas comes to the forefront of their story time and time again. This is a profile in courage John F. Kennedy would likely have applauded, and watching St. Clair do everything he can to make sure Florence’s dreams and aspirations are nurtured and allowed to blossom no matter what can’t help but soften even the hardest heart. But even not knowing a thing about the people involved in this story before the film began, I still had every beat of this tale down right from the opening frame. I was never surprised by anything that happened, even the revelation that St. Clair wasn’t really married to Florence and, in fact, had a real wife living on the other side of the city didn’t catch me entirely off guard. There was never any question how all of this was going to end up, and if truth really is stranger than fiction this is one instance where that axiom felt far
more contrived and mechanically scripted than it typically does. Yet I wasn’t kidding when I said Streep and Grant were magnificent. The two deliver, so much so, if awards recognition were to come either of their respective ways in the latter portion of this year I’d not complain one single little bit. They are spellbinding, both separately and as a duo, each building their characters in ways
Frears could direct a story like this in his sleep. And, while he’s not digging as deeply as he did with 2013’s somewhat similarly themed Philomena, comparisons between this film and that aren’t altogether out of place. He’s also assembling a strong supporting cast to work alongside his two stars, Ferguson, Helberg and a sensationally effervescent Nina Arianda, channeling Judy Holliday as a smart-alecky trophy wife who’s far more
August 12, 2016
Meryl Streep as Florence Jenkins – Photo courtesy youtube.com
that are genuine, heartfelt and melodiously pure. Streep and Grant navigate the more melodramatic portions with rapturous eloquence while also bringing to life less fleshed out aspects of Florence and St. Clair the script only has the time to hint at. In doing so they put the movie on their shoulders, carrying it to a place of happy ebullience with joyful ease.
intelligent, and compassionate, than she initially appears, all delivering the goods when asked to. None of which makes Florence Foster Jenkins itself extraordinary, just entertaining, but in a summer season where so many movies have underwhelmed that’s one happy tune I’m happy to hum no matter how overly familiar it ends up proving to be.
Celebrating 41 Years!
A RIVER OF MIGRATION:
An installation by Vancouver BC Artist GU XIONG at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art
Comparing his own journey from China to Canada, with that of the migration of the salmon, Canadian multi-media artist Gu Xiong has installed “A River of Migration” in the San Juan Islands Museum of Art’s (SJIMA) Atrium Gallery. In celebration of SJIMA’s ongoing relationship with the artistic community of British Columbia and shared concerns about the marine environment, as well as the human cost of migration, SJIMA invited Gu Xiong to present his installation “A River of Migration.” A Chinese immigrant to Canada, Gu Xiong is now a professor in the Department of Art History, Visual Art, and Theory at the University of British Columbia.
Canadian multi-media artist Gu Xiong – Photo by Matt Pranger
as the dynamics of globalization, local culture and identity politics, through which he constitutes an amalgamation of multiple cultural histories and seeks to create an entirely new identity. The construction of a new level of being is Gu Xiong’s primary interest. Observe the emergence of two rivers and two cultures – a spiritual river and a river of migration.
Gu Xiong has exhibited nationally and internationally, including in more than forty solo exhibitions on four continents. He has received numerous public art commissions, including “The Crowd,” a mural at Safeco Field, as well as “A Place Called Home,” an installation at the Seattle Public Library, Columbia City Branch, both in Seattle, Washington.
In his artist statement, Gu Xiong writes about his own and the salmon’s migration: “My mixed-media installation ‘A River of Migration’ focuses on the rich symbolism embodied in socks and salmon, expressing my spiritual rebirth. When I saw the salmon spawning in the river and streams in the Fraser Valley, I was really moved by their life. I feel a deep connection between their experience and my own. I dreamt I was in a red space, swimming through the Yangtze River, into the Pacific Ocean, and finally arriving at the Fraser River. I felt like I was being carried by the current, not knowing where it would take me. “I swam in the red river, my white socks laid out, forming a winding path on the bottom of the river. I felt like I was sinking, and then resurfacing…… “During this long swim, I saw the silver fish turn red, then white. The river changed from yellow to blue, then red. The fish and the river are intermeshed of two different cultural geologies, carving out an interstitial space. It is full of energy and gives birth to a hybrid culture. “When the water comes, there will be a river. When the salmon returns, the river flows red. A spiritual river. A river of migration.” Gu Xiong’s practice centers on the creation of a hybrid identity arising from the integration of different cultural origins. Through the critical angle of visual art, his work encompasses sociology, geography, economics, politics, and literature, as well
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He has participated in over one hundred prominent national and international group exhibitions including the 55 Venice Biennale Parallel Exhibition “Voice of the Unseen, Chinese Independent Art 1979-today” (Venice, 2013); Border Zones: New Art Across Cultures, (Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, 2010); Post Avant-garde Chinese Contemporary Art – Four Directions of the New Era (Hong Kong, 2007); the Shanghai Biennale (2004), Multiple City (Panama, 2003); the Montréal Biennale (2000), the Kwangju Biennale (Korea, 1995); and the ground-breaking exhibition “China Avant-Garde” at the China National Museum of Fine Arts (Beijing, 1989). He has repeatedly been awarded Canada’s Arts Award. Gu Xiong has published two books and over ten solo exhibitions catalogues. His artwork has received significant critical recognition, including reviews in the international art magazines, Art in America, The New York Times and Flash Art. The installation took place August 1-5 (and was open to the public for observation). The exhibition opened August 6 and will be on display through November 28. Continuing SJIMA’s Art as a Voice series, Gu Xiong gave a lecture / multimedia presentation: “A River of Migration” on August 3 at 7:30 pm at the San Juan Community Theatre in Friday Harbor. The installation is on display along with the exhibition FRAGILE WATERS: Ansel Adams, Ernest H. Brooks II and Dorothy Kerper Monnelly, which runs through September 5. The installation is sponsored by Harbor Rental, Western Prince Whale & Wildlife Tours. The San Juan Islands Museum of Art is located at 540 Spring St. in Friday Harbor, WA. Museum Hours: August 6 to September 5, Thursday to Monday, 11 am to 6 pm; September 6 to November 28, Friday to Monday, 11 am to 5 pm. For more information, go to http://www.sjima.org. SJIMA can also be found on: www.twitter.com @_SJIMA and http://www.facebook.com/ SanJuanIslandsMuseumofArt
“A River of Migration” art installation – Photo by Matt Pranger
August 12, 2016
Courtesy of the San Juan Islands Museum of Art
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Celebrating 41 Years!
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COUNT ORY
continued from cover
tumes, clever sets, witty animation, and (on the surface of things) a very funny tale about a very naughty aristocrat whose raison d’être is sex. The music is charming – more in the Gilbert & Sullivan mode of patter songs, melodramatic arias, and rousing choruses than the weighty mode of Wagner or Verdi – wonderfully conducted by the appropriately sexy Giacomo Sagripanti. Seattle Opera makes the evening even more fun by greeting the audience with an entry concert by the “Bad Habits” – a band of male jazz musicians dressed as nuns. So guess how Count Ory finagles himself into the boudoir of his choice (hint, hint)? It’s a jolly opera about bad behavior billed as a Monty Python-esque farce in which bedroom trickery and countertricky dominate a goofy and glorious evening of opera. The first cast stars our own Lawrence Brownlee, a Seattle Opera Young Artist who has taken the international opera community by storm due to his confident, stratospheric tenor voice. He’s singing opposite another Seattle Young Artist discovery, Sarah Coburn, playing the Count’s love-object, Countess Adèle. I would love to have heard that splendiferous pair again, having heard them both sing here in seasons past, but instead I had another treat in store. On Sunday, August 7 I attended the first matinee performance of the second cast which included no fewer than four highly successful Seattle Opera debuts in all the principal roles: Barry Banks as the rascally Count Ory, Lauren Snouffer as the beautiful Countess-in-distress, Adèle, Stephanie Lauricella in the pretty-boy trouser role of Isolier, and Will Liverman as the Count’s sidekick, Raimbaud. These up-and-coming singers illustrate the virtue of having two casts to choose from: the gold cast consisting of guaranteed star power, and the silver cast consisting of relative newcomers who allow you to say “I heard them first, folks, when they were young and fresh
Members of the Seattle Opera Chorus perform in Count Ory – Photo courtesy of Philip Newton
and headed straight up!” On Sunday, Ms. Snouffer struck the perfect balance between over-the-top drama and elegant, flexible Rossinian singing. I also loved Barry Banks’ pouter-pigeon strut in his Elvis outfit of sparkly coat and leopard skin boots – the perfect match for his crystalline upper register. My favorite of all the debutants, however, was Stephanie Lauricella, who not only deployed a deep, rich mezzo as the true lover of Adèle, but had the virtue of being both tall enough and manly enough in her gestures to trick the viewer into seeing a handsome young fellow on the stage. The most striking debutant of all was Dan Potra, the production and costume designer, who achieved a fascinating balance between the exaggerated realism of the costumes and the cartoon-like artificiality of the sets. And the most striking decision among all those moving parts – the animated clouds, the expanding castle, the swirling moon, the medieval dresses and the Hindu-style hermit – was the use of codpieces on the aristocratic men.
Sarah Coburn (Countess Adèle) and Hanna Hipp (Isolier) – Photo courtesy of Philip Newton
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Yes, f r iends, b efore t here were zippers there were codpieces – modest ones, a r mored ones, k ingly ones, and, in Count Or y, leather ones with brass st uds t hat look l i ke t he a r ms on a Chester field sofa. A nd just li ke t he moder n codpie ces t hat ca n b e found at your local leather shop, the st yle cont i nues to desc r ib e p ower i n ter ms of endowment, à la Hen r y t he Eig ht h. I n t he ca se of Cou n t O r y, however, I t houg ht t he p oi nt was bet t er made wit h good act i ng a nd si ng i ng. T he adde d f u r n it u re, for me, was more d ist ract i ng t ha n funny – possibly because the subtext of Count Or y, when seen in a la rger operatic context, is much more complicated than the straight-on comedy Seattle Opera is adver tising. The sexually rapacious aristocrat is a stock opera character found not only in Count Ory but also at the center of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Verdi’s Rigoletto, and Rossini’s own dramatic opera William Tell, to name a few examples. This character, who often has a sidekick /enabler like Ory’s Raimbaud or Don Giovanni’s Leporello, rapes as many women as he can for his own pleasure, and ca res nothing that their marriages or their lives are ruined. Though Don Giovanni is dragged into hell at the end of his opera, Mozart’s librettist, Lorenzo Da Ponte, labeled it a “dramma giocoso” or “drama with jokes.” For most of its 230 year history it was played for laughs, with the more tragic dimensions foregrounded only in the last four or five decades. Rigoletto is even more clear in its representation of the rapacious Duke of Mantua, who uses his power and wiles to seduce Gilda, then kidnaps her so that he can rape her in the comfort of his castle. That she sacrifices her life to save him later only makes the story more pathetic and complex. So Count Ory, who is another iteration of this lustful aristocrat, is funny – but not funny enough to ma ke us forget that his comic attempts on t he ma r r ied Countess Adèle is i n the t radition of a t r uly despicable stock cha racter. Of course, we love despicable cha racters – they a re the hea r t and soul of conf lict, which is the hear t and soul of drama. And in this production the Countess is so cha r m ingly melod ra matic that you k now nothing really bad is going to happ en to her. But Cou nt O r y never get s h is c omeuppa nc e. I n st e a d, wh e n t h e m i s si ng k n ig ht s c o m e hom e f r om t h e C r u s a d e s a nd t h e women a re sa fe wit h t hei r sp ouses
aga i n, Cou nt O r y just put s a ba si n o n h i s h e a d, D o n Q u i xo t e - st yle, a nd ma rches back i nto t he ca st le – clea rly i ncor r igible, clea rly i ntendi ng to r e deploy h is co dpie c e, even wit h Adèle’s husba nd at home. I haven’t got a problem with this – it made the opera more interesting to me, as did the stock character of Isolier, the boy-lover-sung-by-a-woman, who brought the gender-bending dimension of a woman playing a man who is in love with a woman into the stor y – like Strauss’ Octavian, Mozart’s Cher ubino, and Glück’s Orfeo. In this case, however, I was confused by the final bedroom scene in which the Count is bamboozled into making love to Isolier instead of the Countess – a good joke on the bad Count… except Adèle then crawls into the bed on Count Ory’s side, as if it were her intention to undo all of her protestations of vi r tue. T his appea red to be funny – and the audience got a big laugh out of it – but li ke the misstep in last season’s Marriage of Figaro, in which the stage direction called for the Contessa to undermine her own vi r tue by having a f li r tation with Cher ubino, this action went against the grain of the basic plot, muddying t he humor wit h un foreshadowed irony. Aidan Lang, now in his sophomore year as the General Manager of Seattle Opera, deserves kudos for bringing so much new talent to Our Fair City, and for making every trip to McCaw Hall a delightful adventure. I loved The Wicked Adventures of Count Ory – it was beautiful, edgy, surprising, and, yes, very funny. Still, I think it would be more accurately entitled “The Adventures of the Wicked Count Ory” which would acknowledge that this comedy gets it laughs from a convention that can only be funny in a fantastic, imaginary world. The Wicked Adventures of Count Ory will be performed at McCaw Hall through August 20. For more information and tickets, visit www.seattleopera.org/ or call (888) 428-7036.
August 12, 2016
Seattle Gay News 13
Volunteer Park
• BACON MANSION
E. PROSPECT ST. • SHAFER MANSION E. ALOHA ST.
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Cal Anderson Park
• LAMBERT HOUSE
BROADWAY
Seattle Central Community College
HARVARD AVE. E. • LINDAʼS • BILLʼS OFF BROADWAY
C.C. ATTLEʼS• BOYLSTON AVE.
BELMONT AVE.
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NEW YORK EXCHANGE • STUDIO 229 • PANACHE • LAUGHING BUDDHA TATTOO •
BELLEVUE AVE.
• SEATTLE COUNSELING SERVICE FOR SEXUAL MINORITIES MELROSE AVE.
• JULIAʼS
DENNY WAY
E. OLIVE ST. GLSEN ONYX LEATHER • SEAMEC
• STOUT • PURR
• UNICORN • POST OPTIONS •WILDROSE • HOT HOUSE
BATHS
CLUB Z - (men) 1117 Pike near Boren - 622-9958 HOT HOUSE SPA & SAUNA - (women) SW corner of Pike & 11th (stairs behind Wildrose) - 568-3240 STEAM WORKS - (men) 1520 Summit - 388-4818
RESTAURANTS & BARS
88 KEYS - 315 2nd Ave. S. - 839-1300 BALTIC ROOM - 1207 Pine St. - 625-4444 THE BOTTLENECK LOUNGE 2328 E. Madison St. - 323-1098 C.C. ATTLE’S BAR & GRILLE 1701 E. Olive Way - 726-0565
THE CANTERBURY - 534 15th Ave. E. - 322-3130 CHANGES IN WALLINGFORD 2103 N. 45th - 545-8363 THE CRESCENT - 1413 E. Olive Way - 720-8188 THE CUFF COMPLEX 1533 13th Ave. - 323-1525 DIESEL BAR - 1413 14th Ave. - 322-1080 GLO’S - 1621 E. Olive Way - 324-2577 GNOCCHI BAR - 1542 12th Ave - 328-4285 HOT MAMA’S PIZZA - 700 E. Pine St. - 322-6444 JAZZ ALLEY - 2033 6th Ave. E. - 441-9729 JULIA’S - 300 Broadway Ave. E. - 860-1818 KREMWERK - 1809 Minor Ave. #10 - 682-2935 MAE’S CAFE 6412 Phinney Ave. N. - 782-1222 MADISON PUB - 1315 E. Madison - 325-6537 NEIGHBOURS - 1509 Broadway - 324-5358 OUT WEST - 5401California Ave. SW THE PINE BOX - 1600 Melrose Ave - 588-0375 POCO WINE ROOM 1408 E. Pine St. - 322-9463
RETAIL SHOPS
CASTLE SUPERSTORE #17 1017 E. Pike St - 204-0126 DOGHOUSE LEATHERS 1312 E. Pike St. - 257-0231 EMERSON SALON - 909 E. Pike St. - 323-7437 NEW YORK EXCHANGE 231 Broadway Ave E - 726-7978 ONYX LEATHER - 1605 12th Ave. #8 - 328-1965 PANACHE - 225 Broadway E. - 726-3300 RUCKUS 1465 E Republican St. - 257-4805 STAN’S ADULT SUPERSTORE 9630 16th Ave. SW - 762-3299 TOYS IN BABELAND - 707 E. Pike St. - 328-2914 UNDER U 4 MEN 709 Broadway Ave. E. - 324-6446 WILD AT HEART 1111 NW Leary Way - 782-5538 YOUR CHOICE VIDEO 9811 16TH AVE SW - 768-0711
BELLINGHAM
LOVER’S 193 Telegraph Road - (360) 752-1862 RUMORS CABARET 1119 Railroad - (306) 671-1849
BAR MYX - 1212 California St. - 425-610-4071 LOVER’S - 112 SE Everett - (425) 353-3607 LOVER’S - 3402 Broadway - (425) 252-8754
KENT
LOVER’S 25801 104th Ave. S.E. - (253) 852-1720 THE FANTASY SHOP 604 Central Ave. S. - (253) 850-8428 NASHVILLE’S SPORTS BAR (Drag Shows) 114 - Railroad Ave. N. - (253) 852 - 0909
14 Seattle Gay News
August 12, 2016
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PONY - 1221 E. Madison St. - 324-2854 PURR - 1518 11th Ave. - 325-3112 R PLACE - 619 E. Pine - 322-8828 RE-BAR - 1114 Howell at Boren - 233-9873 SEATTLE EAGLE - 314 E. Pike - 621-7591 SHORTY’S 2222 2nd Ave - 441-5449 SPINNAKER BAY BREWING 5718 Rainier Ave S - 725-BEER(2337) STOUT -1530 11th Ave - 397-3825 TOULOUSE PETIT 601 Queen Anne Ave N - 432-9069 UNICORN - 1118 E Pike - 325-6492 WILDROSE - 1021 E. Pike - 324-9210 ZIPPY’S GIANT BURGERS 5633 Airport Way S - 466-5954 9614 14th Ave SW - 763-1347
EVERETT
• THE GASLIGHT INN
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E. UNION ST.
SEATTLE
• RUCKUS
E. UNION ST.
LA CONNER
THE HERON INN & WATERGRASS DAY SPA 117 Maple Ave. - (877) 883-8899 info@theheron.com
OLYMPIA
DARBY’S CAFE 211 5th Ave. S.E. - (360) 357-6229 LOVER’S 3959 Martin Way E. Suite D - (360) 456-7300 JAKES - 311 4th Ave. E. - (360) 956-3247 URBAN ONION 116 Legion Way - (360) 943-9242
PORT ANGELES MAPLE ROSE INN 112 Reservoir Rd - (800) 570-2007
SPOKANE
ANDY’S 1401 W. 1st Ave. - (509) 747 - 0304 IRV’S (Drag Shows) 415 W. Sprague Ave. - (509) 624 - 4450 NYNE BAR AND BISTRO 232 W. Sprague Ave. - (509) 474 -1621 SPOTLIGHT LOUNGE 321 W. Sprague Ave. - (509) 624 - 0722
TACOMA
CASTLE SUPERSTORE 6015 Tacoma Mall Blvd. - (253) 471-0391 CLUB SILVERSTONE 739½ St. Helens Ave. - (253) 404-0273 THE FANTASY SHOP 2301 6th Ave. - (253) 272-6640 LOVER’S 7002 Tacoma Mall Blvd., #F - (253) 475-2271 THE MIX - 635 St. Helens Ave. - (253) 383-4327 RAINBOW CENTER 2215 Pacific Ave. - (253) 383-2318 SHAKABRAH JAVA CAFE 2618 6th Ave. - (253) 572-2787 TANDEM FOR GEAR, CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES 3019 6th Ave, Ste. B - (253) 301-3026
TUKWILA
LOVER’S 530 Southcenter Blvd. - (206) 248-5085
WENATCHEE
THE CELLAR CAFE 240 N. Mission St. - (509) 662-1722
Celebrating 41 Years!
community calendar
Meetings Events Activities
FOR A CALENDAR LISTING: Send details to: SGN, Attn: Community Calendar, 1707 23rd Ave, Seattle, WA 98122. SGN phone: 324-4297. E-mail: sgn2@sgn. org. INCLUDE: Date, time, location, contact phone # for publication (if possible), brief description of event & sponsoring organization. DEADLINE: Tuesday 5pm. ACCESSIBILITY: Is your event accessible to LGBTQ people with disabilities? See Jean’s List webpage www. scn.org/activism/calendar/disabilities.html for Marla Nonken’s disabilities accommodations lists. NOTE: Phone numbers accompanying listings are within area code (206) & locations of meetings/ events are in Seattle unless otherwise noted.
SUNDAY - August 14
Queer Pride on Whidbey! 2016. www.queerparade. com; facebook.com/queerpridewhidbey 2016 Capitol Hill Garage Sale Day. 9am-4pm. Cal Anderson Park and all over Capitol Hill. www.capitolhillgaragesale.com Gay Men’s Bowling in Lynnwood. 9:30am. Brunswick Majestics Lane, Lynnwood. 9:30am Every Sunday. Spectators welcome. Join us for lunch afterwards! Sponsored by the Snohomish County Gay Men’s Task Force. For info email John at johndmarsh@mac.com; www.gaysnohomish.org Seattle Sunday Bowling. 10:30am. West Seattle Bowl, 4505 39th Ave SW (at SW Oregon St). Open bowl every Sunday for the GLBT community & friends. You don’t have to worry about how you bowl! $6.50 + $3 shoe rental. (425) 785-4729. Lotus Sisters Guided Meditation. 11am-1:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Meets 2nd Sunday each month. Senior students lead the meditation, provide dharma talks or reflections & lead discussion. 3295908; www.LotusSisters.org; www.sasgcc.org (Meets in 2nd floor meeting room; no elevator.) Meditation for GBT Men. 11am-1pm. Cal Anderson House, 400 Broadway. Suitable for beginning & experienced meditators. Sponsored by Dharma Buddies. Contact Forrest Rode, 920-6117, Mike Chin (509) 990-0007, or Doug Allison, doug.l.allison@gmail.com. www.dharma buddies.org. (Women may wish to contact our sister meditation group at www.LotusSisters.org.) Just for Today. 12-1:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Sunday. Drop-in 12-step (Narcotics Anonymous) group open to anyone in recovery. 3222437; www.sasgcc.org Paths to Recovery Al-Anon Family Group. 12-1:30pm. Seattle University Student Center, 901 12th Ave, Room 122. Every Sunday. LGBTQ supported. The Al-Anon Family Groups are a fellowship of relatives & friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength & hope in order to solve their common problems. We believe alcoholism is a family illness & that changed attitudes can aid recovery. Greater Seattle AIS 24-hour number 625-0000; www.seattle-al-anon.org Rain City Soccer Club - Ripple Effect. Sunday afternoon. Location varies. Ripple Effect soccer team plays
with others about their experiences & concerns related to identifying as Transgender. www.lamberthouse.org Lambert House Art Night. 7:30-9:30pm. 1818 15th Ave. Every Monday. Bring your ideas & let’s have some fun. 322-2515, www.lamberthouse.org Washington Gender Alliance Support Group Meeting in Shoreline. 7:30pm. Center for Human Services, 17018 15th Ave NE, Shoreline. Meets every Monday. For information email info@washingtongender alliance.com Queers, Crackpots & Fallen Women AA. 8-9pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Monday. Open women only AA group. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org.
TUESDAY - August 16
SATURDAY - August 13
Queer Pride on Whidbey! 2016. www.queerparade. com; facebook.com/queerpridewhidbey A Gathering of Men in Edmonds. 8:15-11:30am. Edmonds UUC, 8109 224th St SW, Edmonds. Meets 2nd Saturday each month. Men gather monthly for drumming, singing, storytelling & sharing of life experience. www.agatheringofmen.org Seattle Frontrunners Fun Run. 9am. Greenlake (outside Evans Pool). Every Saturday. GLBT running & walking club sponsors weekly runs, monthly potlucks, track & field activity, annual Run With Pride. 448-8518. www.seattlefrontrunners.org. Yoga With Andrew Conner. 9:30-11am. Amor Spiritual Center, 2528 Beacon Ave, Suite B. Meets every Saturday. A love offering is suggested but no one will be turned away. Crystal Meth Anonymous. 10:30am. Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, 1729 Harvard Ave. Also meets Mon @ 6:30pm, Thurs @ 6:30pm, Sun @ 6:30pm. More info: crystalmeth.org. Mature Friends Annual Picnic. 12 noon. Magnuson Park, 7400 Sand Point Way NE. Picnic Shelter #1 at NE 65th St and Lake Washington near Boat Launch and Boat Trailer Parking Lots E1 & E2. Google Magnuson Park for Seattle Parks & Recreation map. The park offers walking trails, ball fields, kite flying, the outdoor wind chime exhibit and the opportunity to check out the sunbathers. Hot dogs, bratwurst and turkey dogs provided with condiments and beverages. Potluck contributions encouraged. www.maturefriends.org Victor Janusz - Solo Piano. 5-8pm. Marriott Waterfront Hotel, Cafe Vita Lobby Bar, 2100 Alaskan Way. No cover. Ms/Mr Orgeon State Leather Contest. Doors 6pm. The Embers Bar, 110 NW Broadway, Portland OR. www.oregonleatherpride.org, www.blackoutleather.org Oasis Youth Center in Tacoma - For Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning Youth, Ages 14-25. 6pm-12 midnight. Call for location & details. Every Saturday. (253) 671-2838. www.oasisyouth center.org. (Also meets Thursdays & Fridays 4-10pm.) Rainbow Duplicate Bridge. 6pm. Bus-accessible Central Area location. Every Saturday. Games also on Tuesdays & Thursdays. $4 fee includes coffee & snacks. For more information visit www.rainbowbridgeclub.org or email rainbowbridgeclub@gmail.com
August 13 thru August 21
an almost weekly recreational scrimmage game for LGBTQ players in Seattle. Perfect for individuals looking for more relaxed play, who are just getting back into soccer, just learning the game and/or want to supplement their competitive play with a recreational team. To sign up visit www.raincitysoccer.org Orca Swim Team Workout. Sun: Afternoon; Mon/Weds/ Fri: Evenings. Seattle University, Connolly Athletic Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. Every Sun, Mon, Wed & Fri. Pre-registration required. Orca Swim Team workouts are for both competitive & recreational swimmers. www. orcaswimteam.org Amplify Love: Dance Party Fundraiser for Gay City. 6pm-12midnight. Kremwerk, 1809 Minor Ave #10. Amplify Love is a collective response of light to darkness, the assault upon the Orlando community. Features live vocal performances, drag performers & DJs from a wide variety of backgrounds, who all have gathered simply out of the hope to bring smiles to the faces of those who have been affected, the community & its allies. 21+. $5 cover. 14th Annual LEO Party. 6pm. Neighbours Nightclub, 1509 Broadway. Features Manila Luzon & Phi Phi O’Hara. Presented by Muckleshoot Charities to benefit Seattle Counseling Service & Gender Diversity. Tickets: General admission $13 advance, $25 at the door; VIP $35 advance, $50 at the door. VIP includes meet & greet with stars, swag bag and buffet dinner. Hosted by Aleksa Manila and Roxy Doll. LEO Party is produced by Joe Torres, founder of The Leo Foundation, board member at SCS, and favorite bartender at Neighbours. www.strangertickets.com Shame to Grace Sunday SAA. 6-7:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Sunday. SAA is a fellowship of men & women who share their experience, strength & hope with each other so they may overcome their sexual addiction & help others recover from sexual addiction or dependency. Seattle SAA helpline 237-8828, SAA International Service Organization 1-800-477-8191. SASG 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Crystal Meth Anonymous. 6:30pm. Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, 1729 Harvard Ave. Also meets Mon @ 6:30pm, Thurs @ 6:30pm, Sat @ 10:30am. More info: crystalmeth.org. Three Dollar Bill Cinema’s Cineoke! 6:30pm doors; 7pm show. Re-bar, 1114 Howell St. Meets 2nd Sunday each month. It’s like Karaoke - only better! You’re the star of your favorite movie musical. There are hundreds of songs to choose from, or you can bring your own special request (on DVD). $8 cover ($5 for Three Dollar Bill Cinema members). www.threedollarbillcinema.org.
Visit us online www.sgn.org
Noche Latina - Latino Night. 10pm. Neighbours, 1509 Broadway. Every Sunday.
MONDAY - August 15
SOBER - On Meds. 1-2pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Monday. 12-step group open to anyone in recovery & living on a medicine regimen. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Strength Over Speed. 2-3:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. FREE drop-in support group (not a 12 step) for Gay & Bi men who desire recovery from meth. For information visit www.strengthoverspeed.org. SASG 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Women’s HIV+ Support Group in Tacoma. 2-3:30pm. Pierce County AIDS Foundation, 3520 S Pine St, Tacoma - 3 blocks east of Tacoma Mall. Meets 3rd Monday each month. (253) 383-2565. Seattle Women’s Commission Meeting. 5:30-8pm. Municipal Bldg, 600 4th Ave Rm 221. Meets 3rd Monday each month (except December). SWC is a 20-member volunteer advisory board that advises the Mayor, City Council, & all City of Seattle departments on matters concerning women & women’s rights. Meetings open to the public. 684-4537. Crystal Meth Anonymous. 6:30pm. Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, 1729 Harvard Ave. Also meets Thurs @ 6:30pm, Sat @ 10:30am, Sun @ 6:30pm. More info: crystalmeth.org. Freely Speaking Toastmasters. 7pm. FredLind Manor, 1802 17th Ave. Every Monday (except holidays & the last Mondays in August & December). Seattle’s only LGBT speaking club. www.FreelySpeaking.org Lotus Sisters South End/Columbia City Meditation & Dharma Discussion. 7-8:30pm. Meets 3rd Monday each month. Call 206-725-3608 or 434-5521 for details and location; www.LotusSisters.org. (Not wheelchair accessible.) Orca Swim Team Workout. Evening. Seattle University, Connolly Athletic Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday listing.) PFLAG/Bremerton Monthly Meeting. 7pm. St Paul’s Episcopal Church, 700 Callahan Dr, Bremerton. Meets 3rd Monday each month. PFLAG/Puget Sound: 3257724. PFLAG/Everett Monthly Meeting. 7pm. First Congregational Church of Everett, 2624 Rockefeller Ave, Everett. Meets 3rd Monday each month. PFLAG/Puget Sound: 325-7724. Trans Youth Group. 7-8:30pm. Lambert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Monday. A chance for youth to talk
August 12, 2016
Safe Schools Coalition Monthly Meeting. 3-5pm. Planned Parenthood, 2001 E Madison. Meets 3rd Tuesday most months (schedule varies in summer). A Public-Private Partnership in Support of LGBT youth. All are welcome at meetings; lots of volunteer opportunities are discussed. 632-0662 ext 49; CRISIS LINE: 1-877-SAFE-SAFE; www.safeschoolscoalition.org. Amor Open Meditation. 5-6pm. Amor Spiritual Center, 2528 Beacon Ave, Suite B. Meets every Tuesday. LGBTQ Questioning & Allied Youth Drop-in Group in Renton. 6-8pm. Renton Area Youth Services (RAYS), 1025 S 3rd St, Renton. Meets every Tuesday. Confidential. Snacks provided. Bring friends or come alone - anyone 12-18 is welcome. Questions? Call Sarah Hardin, 425-271-5600 ext 155, or email sarahh@rays.org Strength Over Speed. 6-7:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. FREE drop-in support group (not a 12 step) for Gay & Bi men who desire recovery from meth. For information visit www.strengthoverspeed.org. SASG 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Diverse Harmony. 6:30-9pm. Seattle First Baptist Church, 1111 Harvard Ave. Every Tuesday. Diverse Harmony is the nation’s first Gay/Straight Alliance Youth Chorus. Youths ages 13-22 are welcome regardless of sexual orientation. www.diverseharmony.org North City Jazz Walk in Shoreline. 6:30-10:15pm. Along 15th Ave NE in Shoreline’s business district. www. northcityjazzwalk.org/tickets.html Queer Young Females Group - For Female-Identified Youth, Ages 22 & Under. 6:30-7:30pm. Lambert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Tuesday. Topics range from family issues to school happenings to like/lust/love relationships. All Queer females welcome. Come discuss how smart. strong Queer women live their lives. 322-2515, www. lamberthouse.org Tuesday Night Sex Addicts Anonymous (GLBTQI). 7-8:30pm. All Pilgrims Christian Church, 500 Broadway E (enter at 509 10th Ave E; buzz in, Dickson room). Every Tuesday. SAA is a fellowship of men & women whose primary purpose is to stop addictive sexual behavior & help others recover from sexual addiction. Seattle SAA helpline 237-8828. SAA International Service Organization 1-800-477-8191. Over 40’s Group - For Lesbian Women 40 & Older. 7-8:30pm. University Congregational Church, 4515 16th Ave NE, Pilgrim Room. Every Tuesday. Open group for Lesbian women, 40 & older, in every stage of coming out or being out. Lots of social activities in addition to Tuesday meetings. 545-3521. Rain City Jacks. 1st & 3rd Tuesday each month at 7pm; 4th Sunday each month at1pm. West Queen Anne/ Interbay. Location & membership details provided upon request. RCJ is a traditional jack-off club. Friendly, sexpositive, non-profit and private. Membership required. Adult men only. Enroll at the door. www.raincityjacks. org, email info@raincityjacks.org or call 1-888-809-5035. Rainbow Duplicate Bridge. 7pm. Bus-accessible Central Area location. Every Tuesday. (See Saturday listing at 6pm.) Different Drummers. 7:15-8:30pm. Every Tuesday. Hand drumming classes for Gay men. Learn traditional African & Afro-Caribbean rhythms & basic hand drumming techniques. Drums are provided. For info & location call Dennis at 363-4500 or www.outdrum.com What About Me? 7:30-9pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Tuesday. Drop-in social, support & discussion group for Gay & Bi men of all ages. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Spiritual Empowerment. 7:30-9pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. A group for all LGBT & friends of any spiritual belief to explore how spiritual practice can enrich their life. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Seattle Poetry Slam. Doors 8pm, Show 8:30pm. Rebar, 1114 Howell St. Every Tuesday. A spoken word poetry event that features a weekly open mic, feature poet, and slam (poetry competition). Come out and express yourself. LGBTQ- & QTPOC-friendly; all genders welcome. $5. 21+. seattlepoetryslam.org
WEDNESDAY - August 17
Mature Friends Morning Exercise/Health & Fitness Get-Together. 10am. Ballard Odd Fellows Hall Bldg, 1706 NW Market St. Every Wednesday. An hour of health-related activities, followed by a walk around Greenlake & lunch at a local restaurant. MF is a social group for Gay men & women, 40 years & over. www. maturefriends.org True Colors: Connecting LGBTQ Teens in Shoreline. 4-5pm. Every Wednesday. Discussing your important issues, building a supportive community. For information, location & to REGISTER call Lindsay Bagley 362-7282 x 8018 or email lbagley@chs-nw.org
Seattle Gay News 15
GLOBE (GLBTQ Loving Ourselves, Becoming Empowered): A Support Group & HIV/STD Prevention for Youth (14-20) in Everett. 6-8pm. CCA Building, 3331 Broadway - Bottom Floor, Everett. Every Wednesday. Sponsored by PFLAG Everett chapter. David/Brenda, (425) 263-2908. globeleaders@hotmail.com The Rowing Team Peer Recovery Group. 6-7:30pm. All Pilgrims Church, 500 Broadway E. Meets every Wednesday. This peer recovery group provides a safe & supportive faith community to share your recovery journey with, God answers our prayers & sends us a boat. Sometimes rowing furiously for yourself & sometimes for others. All are welcome. Seattle Gay & Lesbian Book Club. 6-7:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Wednesday. Discuss the best LGBT novels with other book-lovers in a safe, comfortable conversation. Come once or come every week. Check our website for this month’s book. http:// faculty.washington.edu/swittet/SGLBookClub/ SASG 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Lotus Sisters Meditation & Dharma Discussion North. 6:15-8pm. Ravenna Bryant neighborhood. Meets every Wednesday. Call 525-7295 for location. www. LotusSisters.org. Seattle Frontrunners Fun Run. 6:30pm. Volunteer Park (in front of Black Sun across for museum). Every Wednesday. (See Saturday at 9am.) Ingersoll All-Trans Drop-In Support Group. 7-9pm. Seattle Counseling Services, 1216 Pine St, Suite 300. All Transgender, Gender Variant, Gender Queer, Gender Questioning, allies, family & friends are welcome. This is a drop in group to get & give support, social interaction & information for the whole Gender community. www. ingersollcenter.org Seattle Movie Bears Movie Night. Check website for details. Every Wednesday night. Gay & Bi men enjoy a movie at a local theater with opportunity to socialize before & after movies. More info: http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/seattlemoviebears; or e-mail: seattlemoviebearssubscribe@yahoogroups.com Family Affair - Cabaret Served Up Family-Style. 7pm doors; 7:30pm show. Rendezvous/Jewel Box Theater, 2322 2nd Ave. Every 3rd Wednesday. Performers from all disciplines gather to share their stories and feelings about family. Presented on stage by storytellers, writers, dancers, musicians and visual artists who share their sick, hilarious, and ultimately relatable familial skeletons. Hosted by Jennifer Jasper. Tickets: $10 cash at the door. Must be 21 + over. www.therendezvous.rocks/ HIV/AIDS Newly Diagnosed or Newly Dealing. 7:309pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave, Suite 200. Meets 1st & 3rd Wednesday each month. Ongoing support group for anyone who is HIV+. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Mature Friends Weekly Bridge Group. 7:30pm. Call for location. Every Wednesday. All levels welcome. MF is a social organization for Gay men & women, 40 years & over. www.maturefriends.org Washington Gender Alliance Open Support Meeting in Everett. 7:30-9pm. Everett United Church of Christ, 2624 Rockefeller Ave, Everett. Every Wednesday. Trained peer facilitators lead a structured support meeting helping people deal with issues of gender identity & expression. All adults are welcomed, including those who are questioning, allies, or identify as FTM, MTF, Transgender, Queer, or Intersex, among others. (360) 445-2411; www.washingtongenderalliance.com. Border Riders Motorcycle Club Meet & Greet. 8-9pm. The Cuff Complex, 1533 13th Ave (at E Pine St). Meets the Wednesday before the 3rd Saturday each month. BRMC provides a social & educational fraternity for individuals interested in recreational motorcycle touring. www.borderriders.com
THURSDAY - August 18
Alcoholics Anonymous “Safe & Sober Group.” 12noon-1pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Open meeting of AA. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org. BABES Women’s Support Group/Lunch Meeting. 12 noon-2pm. Call for location. Every Thursday. The BABES Network is a peer led agency; a sisterhood of women facing HIV together. 720-5566 or 888-292-1912; www.babesnetwork.org. Seattle LGBTQ Employees for Equality (SEqual). 12noon. Seattle Municipal Tower, 700 5th Ave, Room 4070. Meets the 3rd Thursday of every month. Open to the public. Oasis Youth Center in Tacoma - For Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning Youth, Ages 14-25. 4-10pm. Call for location & details. Every Thursday. (253) 671-2838, www.oasisyouthcenter.org (Also Fridays 4-10pm & Saturdays 6pm-12 midnight.) Q Hour. 4:30-5:30pm. Orion Center, 1828 Yale Ave. 1st & 3rd Thursday each month. A group for LGBTQ youth 13-21 & their allies. Sponsored by Youthcare. FREE. 622-5555 x 212. Gay City Eden Garden Party. 5:30-8:30pm. Premiere on Pine’s Revue Rooftop Garden Space, 1525 9th Ave, Floor 40. Prepare to celebrate & be inspired at this exclusive event to support Gay City. Our one of a kind auction, sumptuous eats & beverages, you & all your glamorous friends will make this an evening to remember. Space is limited. RSVP to www.gaycity.org Shifting Gears. 6-7:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Thursday. Drop-in support group (non 12-step) for anyone of any orientation or gender who desires recovery from drugs or alcohol. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org B-GLAD (Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Trans & Questioning Adolescent Drop-In Group). 6:30-8pm. Call for location. Every Thursday. Sponsored by Youth Eastside Services, which offers many programs for GLBT youth. (425) 747-4937. Crystal Meth Anonymous. 6:30pm. Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, 1729 Harvard Ave. Also meets Mon
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12-step) for Gay & Bi men who desire recovery from meth. www.strengthoverspeed.org. SASG 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org All-Star Women Jam. 7pm. Spinnaker Bay Brewing, 5718 Rainier Ave S (at S Orcas St). Featuring All-Star women artists - 1st Friday feature; 3rd Friday jam. Great food trucks & great beer. spinnakerbaybrewing.com, bluestodo.com First Fridays in Yakima. 7-9pm. 223 N 1st St, Yakima. Meets 1st & 3rd Fridays. Social, support, education & advocacy group for the Yakima area GLBTQ community & their allies. All are welcomed & invited. (509) 576-0276. www.gayakima.com/1stfridays.html Gay City Arts Presents Mosaic: Alotta Sh*t Has Happened - LGBTQ Elders Speak (8/19-8/21). Fri-Sun: Doors 6pm, Show 7pm; Sunday matinee: Doors 1pm, Show 2pm. Gay City Calamus Auditorium, 517 E Pike St. Features some of Seattle’s most amazing artists over 40, including Greg Brisendine, Laurie Cox, Miss Violet Deville, Chad Goller-Sojourner, Tara Hardy, Jourdan Imani Keith, Mary Anne Moorman, Lector Morales & Fred Swanson. FREE. www.gaycity.org Lambert House Queer Movie Night. 7-9:30pm. Lambert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Friday. Lambert House is a nationally-recognized activities & resource center for GLBT & questioning youth, ages 14-22. 322-2515, www.lamberthouse.org Rain Country Dance Night. 7-11pm, lessons at 7:15pm. The Cuff, 1533 13th Ave. An evening of country-western dancing for the LGBTQ community. FREE. www.raincountrydance.org. Orca Swim Team Workout. Evening. Seattle University, Connolly Athletic Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday listing.) LGBT Friday Night Al-Anon Family Group. 7:45pm. Seattle Counseling Service, Rainbow Room, 1216 Pine St at Melrose Ave. Every Friday. (See related listing Sunday at noon.) Greater Seattle AIS 24-hour number 625-0000; www.seattle-al-anon.org The Fierce Awakens - Summer Movies in Cal Anderson Park: “Barbarella” (1968). 8pm. Far in the future Barbarella (Jane Fonda) has to intercept the evil Doctor Duran Duran & bring him back to earth. Through the Labyrinth of Love, around the Palace of Pleasure, and surrounded by Matmos... Barbarella will overcome! www.threedollarbillcinema.org GaYme Night 4 the LGBT Community. 8pm-1am. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Meets the 3rd & 4th Friday of every month. Board games, cards & fun. www.sasgcc.org
SATURDAY - August 20
@ 6:30pm, Sat @ 10:30am, Sun @ 6:30pm. More info: crystalmeth.org. Seattle Commission for Sexual Minorities. 6:308:30pm. Municipal Bldg, 600 4th Ave, Room 221. Meets 3rd Thursday each month. SCSM is made up of 15 volunteer members who work to ensure that the City of Seattle fairly & equitably addresses sexual minority concerns. Meetings open to the public. 684-4514. Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation - Contemplative Service. 6:30pm. 7141 California Ave SW. 935-0418, office@wsuu.org, www.wsuu.org Bottom Dwellers Scuba Club Monthly Potluck & Meeting. 7pm. Meets 3rd Thursday each month. Bottom Dwellers promotes safe & responsible scuba diving & other outdoor activities for the GLBT community & friends at all experience levels. For info & location, www. bottomdwellers.org. Boys’ Group - For Male-Identified Youth, Ages 1422. 7-8:30pm. Lambert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Thursday. Youth take the opportunity to talk about issues that relate to their everyday lives, with the facilitation of a male volunteer. 322-2515 ext 16. www.lamberthouse.org GLBT Legal Clinic. 7-9pm. Meets the 3rd Thursday each month. QLaw Foundation holds a monthly legal clinic addressing the legal needs of LGBT individuals & couples. Volunteer attorneys provide FREE 30-minute consultations. For information and to schedule an appointment, call 235-7235. Clinic volunteers return calls on Tuesdays between 12noon-3pm. For information, visit www.q-law.org/legalclinic PFLAG Bellevue/Eastside Monthly Meeting. 7-9pm. First United Methodist Church, 1934 108th Ave NE, Bellevue. Meets 3rd Thursday each month. Wheelchair accessible. http://community.pflag.org/PFLAGBellevue, info@bellevue-pflag.org or 425-483-6642. Rainbow Duplicate Bridge. 7pm. Bus-accessible Central Area location. Every Thursday. (See Saturday listing at 6pm.) Buddhism & Recovery. 7:30-9pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Thursday. A meditation/recovery group. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Gay Fathers Association of Seattle. 7:30-9pm. Group Health, 201 16th Ave E, Central Bldg, Lower Atrium. Every Thursday. Support meetings for Gay fathers & Gay men who are currently or previously married. Safe, anonymous, non-judgmental environment of caring fathers & friends. You are not alone. For information, community events & “questioning” visit www.gfas.org or our message board at http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/ gayfathersseattle
August 12, 2016
(See previous Saturday for ongoing activities.) Lambert House Queer Rec. 1pm. 1818 15th Ave. 3rd Saturday each month. Outdoor & indoor adventures for youth ages 22 & under. www.lamberthouse.org Seattle Prime Timers Annual Picnic. 3pm. Lower Woodland Park, Shelter 5. RSVP REQUIRED: 7896778 or gregryloomis@msn.com with choice of meat or veggie burgers &/or hot dogs by August 18. Bring a potluck dish to share. Guests pay $10 to defray costs. www.seattleprimetimers.org Pink Pistols Seattle. 6:30pm. Bull’s Eye Indoor Range, 414 Puyallup Ave, Tacoma. Monthly range meet, target Gay Male Sexuality & Relationships. 7:30-9pm. shooting/practice. Contact us on Facbook for more SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Thursday. A information. discussion group that is strictly focused on sexual topics and relationship issues related to being a Gay male. Gay City Arts Presents Mosaic: Alotta Sh*t Has Happened - LGBTQ Elders Speak (8/19-8/21). Fri-Sun: 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Doors 6pm, Show 7pm; Sunday matinee: Doors 1pm, Amor Chorale Rehearsal. 8-9pm. Amor Spiritual CenShow 2pm. Gay City Calamus Auditorium, 517 E Pike ter, 2528 Beacon Ave, Suite B. Meets every Thursday. St. Features some of Seattle’s most amazing artists over Calling all sopranos, altos, tenors & basses. The Amor 40, including Greg Brisendine, Laurie Cox, Miss Violet Spiritual Center currently has openings for singers in Deville, Chad Goller-Sojourner, Tara Hardy, Jourdan its Chorale group. Imani Keith, Mary Anne Moorman, Lector Morales & Debauchery. Doors 7:30pm, Show 8pm. Neighbours Fred Swanson. FREE. www.gaycity.org Nightclub, 1509 Broadway. Queers stripping for Queers in a hot, anti-oppressive space, raising money for SUNDAY - August 21 organizations that serve the Queer community. The (See previous Sunday for ongoing activities.) show features stripteases, lots of audience interaction & even birthday lapdances on stage! Be sure to bring Ethyl Forever Car Club, Pacific NW Region Lambda plenty of dollar bills - a portion of the proceeds goes to Car Club Monthly Tire Kick/Social. 10:30am. Randy’s non-profits providing health & social services within the Restaurant, 10016 E Marginal Way S (south of the Queer community. Tickets: $10 in advance; $15 at the Museum of Flight). Meets the 3rd Sunday each month. This monthly informal auto enthusiasts event starts with door. www.lilydivine.com breakfast at this location with a show & tell and continues to a chosen point of interest. Open to all LGBTQ persons FRIDAY - August 19 & friends who have an interest in the automobile, not AA Ageless in Recovery. 12noon-1pm. SASG, 115 just collector or performance vehicles. ethylforever@ 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Meets every Friday. A drop in hotmail.com AA group for older & wiser people 55+. www.sasgcc.org Gay City Arts Presents Mosaic: Alotta Sh*t Has HapRe-Parenting Ourselves. 12noon-1pm. SASG, 115 pened - LGBTQ Elders Speak (8/19-8/21). Sunday 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Meets every Friday. A peer matinee: Doors 1pm, Show 2pm; Fri-Sun: Doors 6pm, support group for adult children of any addiction. www. Show 7pm. Gay City Calamus Auditorium, 517 E Pike sasgcc.org St. (See related listing Saturday at 7pm.) FREE. www. SLAA Road to Recovery. 12noon-1:30pm. SASG, 115 gaycity.org 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Meets every Friday. Ongoing Seattle Poly Potluck & Discussion Group. 5-8pm. 12 step group for sex & love addicts. www.sasgcc.org Center for Sex Positive Culture (Main Space), 602 15th Oasis Youth Center in Tacoma - For Gay, Lesbian, Ave W. Meets 3rd Sunday each month. For people Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning Youth, Ages interested in polyamorous, open, and ethically non14-25. 4-10pm. Call for location & details. Every Friday. monogamous relationships. $5 donation; please bring (253) 671-2838, www.oasisyouthcenter.org (Also Thurs- a potluck dish. This event is open to the public. Look for days 4-10pm & Saturdays 6pm-12 midnight.) us on Facebook or Meetup. LGBT Pride Night at SAFECO Field. 5:10pm. 1250 1st COMMUNITY RESOURCES Ave S. The Seattle Mariners & GSBA team up for LGBT Pride Night. A special ticket offer includes a Mariners Allyship - an organization of LGBTQ individuals fighting rainbow logo T-shirt & admission to a pre-game mixer for economic and social justice. www.LGBTQ Allyship. with appetizers & a free drink. Major League Baseball’s org, allyship@yahoo.com, 279-8169. first Ambassador for Inclusion, Billy Bean, will throw American Veterans for Equal Rights - www.aver.us out the ceremonial first pitch before the Mariners vs. Mikwaukee Brewers game. Tickets: $38 View Level & Another Gay Social Club! - www.meetup.com/Another$55 Main Level with $5 from each ticket benefitting the Gay-Social-Club/ GSBA Scholarship Fund. Deadline to purchase special Bellingham/Whatcom County - www.theslowlane. tickets is 5pm Thursday, August 18. www.thegsba.org com/guide.html Strength Over Speed. 6-7:30pm. SASG, 115 15th BiNet Seattle is a mixed gender, social group for BiAve E, Suite 201. FREE drop-in support group (not a sexuals, their partners & other Bi-friendly folks - www.
Celebrating 41 Years!
binetseattle.org. Bremerton/Kitsap County - www.outwestsound.org Capitol Hill Alano Club - www.chacseattle.org Central Washington University GALA Hotline: (509) 963-1994. DIFFA/Seattle (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS). 763-8885; www.diffaseattle.org DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT: Crisis Clinic, 461-3222 (24 hour line); King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC) - 24-hour crisis line for information, support, & medical & legal assistance: 1-888-99-VOICE; Northwest Network - support & advocacy for Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian & Gay Survivors of Abuse & Dating Violence, 568-7777 (voice), 517-9670 (tty), www.nwnetwork.org; Pierce County Domestic Violence Helpline: Teresa, (253) 798-4166; Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities - offers on-going support groups for men: 323-1768; Seattle Police Dept Domestic Violence Unit, 684-0330; State Wide Domestic Violence Hot Line, 1-800-562-6025. In an emergency call 911. Report domestic violence and sexual assault. Equal Rights Washington - 324-2570; www.equal rightswashington.org Everett/Snohomish Cty - www.gaysnohomish.org Freely Speaking Toastmasters - www.freely speaking.org Gay City promotes wellness in LGBTQ communities by providing health services, connecting people to resources, fostering arts, and building community. Gay City Health Project’s Wellness Center provides anonymous & confidential HIV/STD testing. 517 E Pike St. More info or to schedule an appointment, 860-6969. www.gaycity.org Gay & Lesbian National Hotline (GLNH): 1-888-THEGLNH (1-888-843-4564). Non-profit, peer-counseling, information & local resources telephone hotline for GLBT people across the country. GLSEN/WA - Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network - 330-2099; www.glsenwa.org Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) - 3639188; www.thegsba.org HIV/AIDS Program, Seattle/King County Dept of Public Health, provides confidential/anonymous information about & testing for HIV/AIDS. 205-7837. For a comprehensive list of HIV/AIDS service organizations see the GSBA Guide or visit www.thegsba.org or call Lifelong AIDS Alliance, 328-8979. Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle & the Olympic & Rainier Empire - www.facebook.com/ISCSORE; www. imperialcourtofseattle.com Lambert House - 322-2515; www.lamberthouse.org LGBT Library - 517 E Pike St. Open Mon-Fri 2-8pm; Sat 2-5pm. LGBT MS Connection - 250-5002; LGBTMS Connection@gmail.com. Support group for LGBT persons with MS and their partners and their caregivers. Sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Lifelong AIDS Alliance - 328-8979, www.lifelongaids alliance.org MEN: Gay City: 860-6969, www.gaycity.org; Knights of Mantra: 329-0886, www.jetchapterkofm.com; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.mature friends.org; Northwest Bears: www.nwbears.com; The Olympians: www.TheOlympians.net; POZSeattle: www.pozseattle.org; Q-Squared: www.qsquared.org; Rain City Jacks: 888-809-5035, www.raincityjacks. org; Seattle Gay Couples: www. seattlegaycouples. org; Seattle Men in Leather: www.seattlemeninleather. org; Seattle Prime Timers: Gay & Bi men 40 & over, www.seattle primetimers.org. MUSIC: Diverse Harmony: www.diverseharmony.org; Rainbow City Band: 1-866-841-9139 ext 2126; rainbowcityband@onebox.com; www.rainbowcity band.com; Seattle Men’s Chorus and Seattle Women’s Chorus: 388-1408, 323-0750. www.flyinghouse. org. Northwest Lesbian & Gay History Museum Project - gayhistnw@aol.com Northwest Rainbow Alliance for the Deaf - www. nwrad.org Olympia/Thurston County: www.RainbowCenterOly. org Out & Equal Workplace Advocates/Seattle Regional Affiliate supports the work of LGBT employees and the growing number of ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) making a difference within local companies. www.outandequal.org/affiliates/seattle PARENTHOOD: Families Like Ours provides a gateway for LGBT families interested in adoption & provides a network of safe placement agencies, training, support & resources: 441-7602, www.familieslikeours. org; Family Works offers support, information & activities for LGBT families: 694-6727, www.familyworksseattle. org; Gay Fathers’ Association of Seattle offers support groups & social activities: www.gfas. org; Proud & Loud Families - Northwest, www.meetup.com/proudand-loud-families-northwest, plfnorthwest@aol.com; Queer Parent Networking Dinners: 568-7777, info@ nwnetwork.org; Rainbow Families of Puget Sound: www.rainbowfamiliesps.org PFLAG is the national organization for parents, families, allies, and LGBTQ people united for equality with chapters in Seattle, Bellevue/Eastside, the Puget Sound region and across Washington state. PFLAG Seattle: 206-325-7724, info@pflagseattle.org, and www.pflag seattle.org; PFLAG Bellevue/Eastside: 425-4836642, info@bellevue-pflag.org, http://community.pflag. org/PFLAGBellevue; PFLAG Pacific Northwest: www.pnwpflag.org; PFLAG Washington state: www. pflagwsc.org. PEOPLE OF COLOR: AARTH (African American Reach & Teach Health Ministry), 850-2070, www. aarth.org; Asian/Pacific Islander Queer Network
community calendar
Program at API Chaya, 467-9976; Center for MultiCultural Health, 461-6910, www.multi-culturalhealth.org; Entre Hermanos, GLBT Latinos/as, 322-7700, www. entrehermanos.org; Ile LaiLai, 781-3565, iya@ilelailai. org; Men of All Colors & Cultures Together (MACCT), 923-8313, macctseattle@yahoo. com, www.macctsea.org; Nubian Pride Productions, nubianpride@ gmail.com; People of Color Against AIDS Network (POCAAN) offers rapid HIV testing, M-F, 10am-5pm, 322-7061, www.pocaan.org and on Facebook; Seattle Two Spirit, SeattleTwoSpirit@ hotmail.com; Sistah 2 Sistah, LBT women of African descent, 322-7061, 2558951; Sistah Sinema, www.sistahsinema.com, info@ sistahsinema.com; Trikone-Northwest, GLBT South Asians, (425) 985-4376, www.trikonenw.org; Two-Spirit Honor Project, 1-866-685-0164; U.T.O.P.I.A. Seattle. Pride Foundation - 323-3318; www.pridefoundation. org Project NEON is a program of Seattle Counseling Service providing FREE information & services to Gay & Bi men to reduce health risks associated with methamphetamine use. 323-1768. www.crystalneon.org Public Health-Seattle & King County Online Comprehensive Health Information for Sexual Minorities: www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/personal/ glbt.aspx Q Law: The GLBT Bar Association of WA - 682-6711; www.q-law.org Q Law GLBT Legal Clinic - 235-7235. Resource & Referral Line can connect you to LGBTfriendly resources throughout Puget Sound and beyond. Call 323-LGBT Mon-Fri 2-8pm; Sat 2-5pm. At other times leave voice mail and your call will be returned. Or visit www.gaycity.org to view list of resources online or through Facebook. Safe Schools Coalition - www.safeschoolscoalition. org; 451-SAFE (451-7233). SEAMEC interviews, researches & rates candidates for public office on issues of concern to the LGBT community. 905-9941, www.seamec.org Seattle Area Support Groups & Community Center (SASG) is a non-profit organization that builds community and cultivates powerful, healthy lives by providing emotional support and personal development services to those affected by HIV/AIDS, the Queer communities, and those who love them. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Seattle Commission for Sexual Minorities - 684-4503. Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities is a community mental health service for GLBT persons
Visit us online www.sgn.org
& their families. 323-1768. Seattle Out & Proud - 206-322-9561; www.seattlepride. org Seattle Police Department Sexual Minorities Community Advisory Council: kim.bogucki@seattle.gov Seattle PrideFest - www.seattlepridefest.org Seattle Treatment Education Project (STEP) E-zine is an electronic resource distributed to people affected by HIV/AIDS, case managers, front line workers & other health professionals. Now a part of Lifelong AIDS Alliance, 328-8979, www.thebody.com/step/steppage.html Servicemembers Legal Defense Network - (202) 328-3244; www.sldn.org SHIFT: A Peer Recovery Network - www.shift recovery.org Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, The Abbey of St. Joan - 860-3666; www.theabbey.org Snohomish Health District HIV/AIDS Program provides free confidential/anonymous HIV counseling & testing 9am-5pm Monday-Friday, until 7pm Tuesdays. (425) 339-5298. Social Outreach Seattle (SOSea) - www.facebook. com/socialoutreachseattle South Sound Q Calendar - LGBTQ events in Tacoma, Olympia & Sound Puget Sound area; www.South SoundQCal.com Spokane/Inland Northwest - www.outspokane.com; www.stonewallnews.net SPORTS & RECREATION: Bent Car Guys: www. bentcarguys.org; Border Riders Motorcycle Club: www.borderriders.com; Bottom Dwellers Scuba Club: www.bottomdwellers.org; Capitol Hill Cyclers: join their Facebook group or email capitolhillcycling@ groups.facebook.com or jordan.l.simonson@gmail.com; Cascade Flyers: www.cascadeflyers.org; Different Spokes Bicycling Club: www.differentspokes.org; Emerald City Mudhen Rugby: www.mudhenrugby. com; Emerald City Softball Association: www.emeraldcitysoftball.org, www.eteamz.com/womensecsa; Ethyl Forever Car Club: ethylforever@hotmail.com; Olympic Yacht Club: www.oycnw.org; OutVentures: outdoor education & recreation activities, www.outventures.org; Pacific Northwest Gay Rodeo Association: www.pacific nwgra.org; Puddletown Squares: www. puddletown squares.org; Rain City Soccer: www. raincitysoccer.org; Rain Country Dance Association: a country-western dance organization catering to the LGBTQ community but open to all, www.raincountrydance. org; Sea Dawgs: LGBT ice hockey - SkateSeaDawgs@
gmail.com and on Facebook; Seattle Frontrunners: www.seattlefront runners.org; Seattle Gay Basketball Association: www.seattlegaybasketballassociation. com; Seattle Orca Swim Team: www.orcaswimteam. org; Seattle Otters Water Polo: www.otterpolo.com; Seattle Quake Rugby: www.quakerugby.com; Seattle Tennis Alliance: www.seattletennisalliance.org; Seattle Unified Bowling Association (SUBA): magee98106@ aol.com, www.teamseattle.org/bowling.htm, www. theprideleague. com, Century 21 League; Seattle Volleyball Club: www.seattlevolleyballclub.com; Ski Buddies: www. skibuddies.org; Team Seattle Gay Sports Network is an umbrella organization for a wide range of local GLBT sports activities, 367-4064, www. teamseattle.org (see website for comprehensive list of sports clubs); Triangle Recreation Camp at Bender Creek: recreational camping for GLBT folks. Must be 21; ID required. trc@camptrc.org, www.camptrc.org, 1122 E Pike St #1069, Seattle 98122-3934. Strength Over Speed - www.strengthoverspeed.org Tacoma/Pierce County - Rainbow Center, 2215 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, a resource center for the LGBTIQA community of Pierce County, (253) 383-2318, www. rainbowcntr.org TRANSGENDER: Emerald City Social Club: (425) 827-9494; Gender Alliance of the South Sound: www. SouthSoundGender.com; Gender Diversity: www. genderdiversity.org; Gender Justice League: www. genderjusticeleague.org; Gender Odyssey: www.genderodyssey.com; Hermanos Trans Latino & ForeignBorn Support Group: 322-7700; Ingersoll Gender Center: 329-6651, www.ingersollcenter.org; The New BoyZ Club: www.olympiaftmgroup.webs.com; Olympia Trans Discussion Group: www.facebook.com/pages/ Olympia-Trans-Discussion-Group/262449878114; Washington Gender Alliance: (360) 445-2411, www. washington genderalliance.com WOMEN: Aging Lesbians in South Seattle (ALISS): Fai, 722-0729, alissquestions@gmail.com; BABES: support groups for HIV+ women. 720-5566, 1-888-2921912; Festival of the Babes: www.festivalofthebabes. com; Lesbians Over 40: 722-0729; Mature Friends: Gay men & women 40 & over, www.maturefriends.org; Older Lesbians Organizing for Change/WA State Chapter: gloria@oloc.org, mary@oloc.org, www.oloc. org; Pacific Northwest Lesbian Archives: www. pnwlesbianarchives.org; RainshadowWomen: RainshadowWomen@aol.com; Seattle Girls of Leather: www.sgol.org; Tacoma Lesbian Concern (TLC): www. tacomalesbianconcern.org; Women of West Seattle (WOWS): a fun, member-driven social group for Lesbians, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/womenofwestseattle; YWCA Women’s Health Outreach: providing low or no-cost mammograms for income eligible 40+ LBTQ individuals. Follow us at http://lbtqhealth-ywca.blogspot. com, twitter.com/ingridWHO or email lbthealth@ywcaworks.org, 461-4493. Yakima: First Fridays - (509) 576-0276. www.gayakima.com/1stfridays.html YOUTH: B-GLAD (Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Trans & Questioning Adolescent Drop-In Group): Youth Eastside Services offers many programs for GLBT youth, including B-GLAD, (425) 747-4937; Diverse Harmony: www.diverseharmony. org; GLSEN/Washington State (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) & Washington State GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) Network: GLSEN works to create safe schools for LGBT students. WA GSA Network supports youth-led GSA’s to fight harassment & homophobia in Washington state schools. 330-2099; www.glsenwa. org; www.wagsa. org. GLOBE (GLBTQ Loving Ourselves, Becoming Empowered): a support group & HIV/STD prevention program for GLBTQ youth, 14-20, in Everett, (425) 263-2908, www.globeyouth.org; It Gets Better Project: www.itgetsbetter.org; Lambert House: an activities & resource center for LGBT youth, 14-22, in Seattle, 3222515, www.lamberthouse.org; Lifelong HEYO (Health Education Youth Outreach): for LGBTQ youth, ages 16-24: 957-1665; www.llaa.org/HEYO; www.Matthews Place.com; The Mockingbird Society: 323-KIDS (5437), www.mockingbirdsociety.org; Oasis Youth Center: for GLBTQ youth, ages 14-25, in Tacoma, (253) 671-2838, www.oasisyouthcen ter.org; Parents, Family & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG)/Puget Sound: 325-7724, www.seattle-pflag.org; Peace for the Streets by Kids from the Streets (PSKS): 7268500; www.psks.org; Pizza Klatch: weekly lunchtime support groups for LGBTQ youth in Thurston County, www.pizzaklatch.org; Prism: for LGBTQ youth, 14-21, in Puyallup - Cherise.Alexander@ multicare.org; www. facebook.com/PuyallupPrism; Proud Out Wonderful (POW!): for LGBTQ youth, 13-21, in South King County, 206-326-9112, www.facebook.com/proudoutwonderful; Q Youth Resources: in Kitsap County - 360-698-3335; www.kchaf.org; Renton Area Youth Services (RAYS): LGBTQ, questioning and allied youth drop-in group, ages 12-18 - Sarah Hardin, 425-271-5600, ext 155; sarahh@rays.org; Safe Schools Coalition: www. safeschoolscoalition.org; 451-SAFE (451-7233) (nonemergency), 1-877-SAFE-SAFE (1-877-723-3723) (crisis line); Seattle Young People’s Project (Queer Youth Resource Board): 860-9606, www.sypp.org; Street Youth Ministries (SYM): 524-7301 ext 111; www.streetyouthministries.org; Teen Link: 461-4922, 1-888-431-TEEN; The Trevor Project: 866-4-U-Trevor; www.thetrevorproject.org; True Colors - Connecting LGBTQ Teens: in Shoreline, 362-7282 x 8018, lbagley@chs-nw.org; Vista Youth Center: for LGBTQ, questioning and allied youth, ages 14-21, in Kennewick, 509-396-5198, www.vistayouthcenter.org; YouthCare/ Isis Program (Transitional Living Home for LGBTQ Young Adults, 18-22): 522-8412; YouthCare/Orion Center: 622-5555; Youth in Focus: 723-1479; www. youthinfocus.org; Youth Suicide Prevention Program (OUTLoud-GLBTQ): 297-5922, ext 116, 1-800-273TALK, www.yspp.org
August 12, 2016
Seattle Gay News 17
22 FOR SALE
10 HOUSEMATES 11 FOR RENT 3 BEDROOM HOUSE in South Park/West Seattle area. Newly remodeled. $1,700/month. Available August 1. More info at: DivineMissSister@hotmail.com 31/1
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12 HOUSING WANTED 13 HOUSING FOR SALE 14 HELP WANTED NOW HIRING MEN AND WOMEN TO TRAIN AS DANCE INSTRUCTORS NO DANCE EXP. NECESSARY WILL TRAIN
Bellevue Ballroom dance studio is hiring men and women to train as pro ballroom/Latin dance instructors. F/T position; will train. Hourly wages start at $10.50/hr, $15.00/hr to teach, after training. Call Sarah 425-8838233 or email teachme@pacificdance.com to schedule and interview. 27/3
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19 HOME SERVICES
20 HEALTH & WELL-BEING
ENERGY/BODYWORK
Therapeutic massage. 29 years experience. Relaxation, major/minor injuries, chronic muscle pain. Small Queen Anne home office/studio. Massage table or massage chair. Convenient parking. (I’m a Gay-friendly straight male graphic artist, web author.) First session 50% off = $45/1.5 hours (travel extra). By appointment only. References available. Chris Pringer, Reiki Master, 206-286-0899. If you get a voice message mentioning “extension #,” please hang up and call back again. Brochure, testimonials, etc. via chalicebridge.com/ BMI-Brochure.html. 44/21
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21 LICENSED MASSAGE - NON-SEXUAL
EXCEPTIONAL BODYWORK
Given by highly trained LMP. I specialize in injury treatment, acute, chronic, and repetitive stress motion. I have a studio on CapHill, and one just north of the UW. Insurance accepted. Matt Shafer, LMP, 206-2357766. 33/12
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RELAXATION and DEEP TISSUE massage on Capitol Hill. Last minute appointments welcome until 9pm. Jeff, LMP, 206-650-0542. www.broadwaymassage. com. 23/3
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LEATHER TOP selling off some Leather gear. Many Brands: Perfecto, Schott, Vanson, Harley Biker Jackets, Chaps, Vests, Leather Jeans, Boots. Sizes: Jackets: 38-42; Jeans: 32-36; Boots: 8-12; some 19” tall boots also. Rubber gear also. Txt or email what you’re looking for. lynfordd@mac.com; 425-591-5915. 32/4
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24 NOTICES/AUDITIONS FEMINIST BAND SEEKS DRUMMER
Established indie band releasing new record this fall,. Seeking solid, flexible, and creative player. We have 3 CDs, toured West Coast and played Neumo’s and Crocodile. Influences include Sleater-Kinney, Sunny Day Real Estate, Ixies, PJ Harvey, Marnie Stern, Joy Formidable, Fugazi. Collaborative writing on songwriting retreats. Text or call for more info: 206-696-4485. anotherperfectcrime.com. 33/3
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MEN IN DANCE SEEKING MALE DANCERS to perform a new work by Mike Esperanza (NYC) at the 2016 Men in Dance Festival. Dancers will receive a rehearsal and performance stipend for this process. AUDITION: Tuesday, August 30 / check-in 6:30-7pm; audition 7-8pm. Velocity: V2 location: 1525 11th Ave. RSVP appreciated, but walk-ups accepted. This is a free audition. Questions and RSVP to MenInDance@ hotmail.com. Rehearsal Schedule: September 18-27; Performance Schedule: Fri 9/30 8pm, Sat 10/1 2pm & 8pm, Sun 10/2 5pm; Fri 10/7 8pm, Sat 10/8 2pm & 8pm, Sun 10/9 5pm. 35/5
DADDY BEAR
Magic touch bodywork. 12noon-8pm. 206-328-5828. 16/6
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– EROTICALLY CHARGED nude full body rubdown from playful top, stimulating the senses. Get seduced. Incalls in Renton area. Scott, 206-355-4469. 12/3
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GREAT MASSAGE given by highly-trained, clean-cut, handsome guy. I have two private studios, one on CapHill, and one just north of the UW. Call/text Matt, 206-235-7766. In/out calls. 33/12
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38 MEN
RAIN CITY JACKS
Seattle’s own JO Club, RCJ hosts three group jack-off events every month. Hot, friendly, safe fun! Adult men only. 888-809-5035. info@raincityjacks.org; www. raincityjacks.org. 27/12
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FREE & ANONYMOUS HIV & STD COUNSELING/TESTING Walk-In or by Appt GAY CITY HEALTH PROJECT 517 E. Pike St. MON-FRI: 3pm-8pm SAT: 12:30pm-5pm More Info & to Schedule Appt 206-860-6969 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
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36 ESCORTS
TIDY’S LANDSCAPING, LAWN CARE, HAULING, HANDYMAN, & TRASH REMOVAL SERVICES
37 BODYWORK
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AMAZING BODYWORK! Deep tissue, erotic bodywork by handsome, hairy-chested, hung therapist. Reasonable rates. PhYotos, phone number and reviews at website: www.amazingbodywork.com. Robert. 27/6
We are just a couple of guys with a good back along with some tools. We do not believe in charging through the roof prices. Free estimates. Serving Seattle and surrounding areas. 206-354-8949. 34/3
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18 Seattle Gay News
August 12, 2016
Celebrating 41 Years!
PRESENTED BY ALASKA AIRLINES
SUMMER MOVIES IN CAL ANDERSON PARK
FRIDAY NIGHTS IN AUGUST AUG 12 Spaceballs
AUG 5 Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same
AUG 26 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy AUG 19 Barbarella
Visit us online www.sgn.org
August 12, 2016
Seattle Gay News 19
20 Seattle Gay News
August 12, 2016
Celebrating 41 Years!