Seattle needs a fantastic piano bar, cabaret, performance venue. Sadly missed are places like Thumpers, an older skewing gay bar and restaurant on the hill, and Sorry Charlie’s, a Queen Anne institution for show goers and performers. Enter John Lehrack, a musical director, choir conductor, and music instructor. Like those of us in the gay community looking for a sing along piano bar, John has had a dream of opening such a place: Dorothy’s.
If I were asked to count off the number of gay, Filipino comics I knew of off the top of my head, I wouldn’t even make it halfway through my first set of fingers. One of those shortlisted names would be Nico Santos, who currently stars on Superstore, NBC’s retail-themed comedy show.
Andrew Russell is the man who stepped into some murky waters at Intiman during their massive reorganization into a Summer Festival 5 years ago. Now their Producing Artistic Director, he recently took some time to catch us up on the ongoing season, as well as a slew of other activities he’s involved in.
Spa Night presents the viewer with an engrossing and challenging emotional journey. It offers a well-crafted glimpse into the often unseen intersections between family, culture and queerness, and it a must see for anyone who’s struggled with reconciling personal identity and family dynamics.
In the great tradition of such inspirational teams as Rodgers & Hammerstein and Lerner & Loewe, PNW musical theatre duo Sam Pettit and Justin Beal are carving a name for themselves in the Seattle musical theatre scene.
Kim Dogluv, star and subject of the Aaron Bear documentary Finding Kim, talks about capturing his emotional journey of a trans man embracing himself and his true identity.
I can’t tell you how painful it is to watch Molly Shannon die. I’d like to tell you that you have a 90 minute movie to get used to the idea, but no. It’s right there, right at the start. And yet, with such a severely maudlin occurrence bookending it, Chris Kelly’s Other People is still heartwarming and funny through and through. Be prepared for your heartstrings to get a severe tugging.
There are 28 films LGBTQ films during SIFF this year, with quite a few stand outs, so we’ve compiled our totally unofficial guide to queer movies you should check out.
The 11th Translations: Seattle Transgender Film Festival kicks off tonight at the Egyptian Theatre with Major!, the story of Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a 73-year-old Black transgender woman who has been fighting for the rights of trans women of color for more than 40 years. The film, which recently sold out its San Francisco premiere at the historic Castro Theatre, shows one woman’s journey, a community’s history, and how caring for each other can be a revolutionary act.
Fresh off the roast of the not so fresh Mark Finley, The Capitol Hill Roast series returns this month to send up the uber fabulous Ladie Chablis.
Trans Arts Month, running May 5 through June 5, will feature performing arts, visual art, film, and more in a month long series of events celebrating the beauty and diversity of work by trans artists.
Timothy McCuen Piggee, a mainstay of the Seattle theatre community, is in the director’s chair for Showtunes’ 2015-2016 season closer, WORKING.