SGN July 28, 2017 - Section 2

Seattle Gay News

Issue 30, Volume 45, July 28, 2017

Arts & Entertainment

Forever in blue jeans: Neil Diamond at Key Arena July 26

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a curious incident

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Photo courtesy of Broadway at the Paramount

by Eric Andrews-Katz SGN A&E Writer Neil Diamond – Photo courtesy of neildiamond.com

by Jessica Price SGN A&E Writer NEIL DIAMOND 50TH ANNIVERSARY WORLD TOUR KEY ARENA July 26 Growing up I knew Neil Diamond as this oddly captivating guy who sang the

songs my parents loved, cranking up the volume in our Bronco’s 8-track player or radio whenever they came on. That was a lot of songs – all of them seemed to be either anthems or dramatically passionate ballads that even at the tender age of 7, I knew only a heartless bastard could ignore. I got a look at Neil in the 1980 film The Jazz Singer and in some televised performances of the era. I

see NEIL DIAMOND page 5

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME PARAMOUNT THEATRE Through July 30 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is the Tony winning play that is causing many discussions wherever it goes.

Based on the best selling novella, the play’s subject is being talked about as much as the innovative staging of the show itself. Currently playing at Seattle’s Paramount The-

atre, the play is bound to leave any audience member seeing it to become lost in thought for a while afterwards.

The story centers around Christopher Boone, a “15 years, three quarters and two weeks” old English boy who has a particular type of either Asperger or highfunctioning autism (it never is defined in the play). Christopher describes himself as a “mathematician with some difficulties.” When the play opens, Christopher has discovered the next-door-neighbor’s dead dog on the lawn killed by a “garden

see INCIDENT page 6

Zombies, Tesla, and Moving Castles Another winning weekend for Village Theatre’s 17th Annual Festival the Capitol Hill Block Party of New Musicals – August 11-13

Capitol Hill Block Party – Photo by Paul Torres

Admission to the Festival is available to Village Originals members and industry professionals only.

For information, visit www.villagetheatre.org/issaquah/vo-memberships.php Village Theatre is excited to announce the lineup for The 17th Annual Festival of New Musicals, which will take place in Issaquah on August 11-13 and continues the theatre’s dedication to the development of new work. This year, the Festival’s five readings will include Nikola Tesla Drops the Beat, an electronic pop musical about one of the world’s greatest inventors; Hart Island, a look at social justice and the peo-

ple society has forgotten; Afterwords, a tale of art and love; Howl’s Moving Castle, based on the novel by Diana Wynne Jones and animated feature by Hayao Miyazaki; and ZM, a hilarious romp through a zombie-filled future by the Tony Award-winning authors of Urinetown.

The five new musicals featured in The Festival will truly encompass a wide variety of music and subject matter. “This summer has an unbelievable mix of writers, shows, and styles,” says Associate Artistic Director, Brandon Ivie. “From established Broadway teams to up-and-coming writ-

see NEW MUSICALS page 6

by Paul Torres SGN A&E Writer CAPITOL HILL BLOCK PARTY July 21-23 The streets of South Central Capitol Hill echoed with the sounds of Diplo, Perfume Genius (who is always excellent), Lizzo, and Naked Giants among others last weekend at Seattle’s 21st annual Capitol Hill Block Party under a dizzying heat with temps in the 80s. This year musical artists played in six venues: Main Stage crowning Pike and Broadway, the Vera Stage on 11th, the Neumos Stage, and at the venues of Barboza, Cha Cha, and The Runaway.

From its most humble beginnings as a simple street party to its more modern incarnation as a major musical festival, the focus has always been music and the artists who create it. Here is my Letterman-esque Top 10 list of the Friday and Saturday performances I attended.

10. Lizzo – Saturday/Main Stage Brassy, sultry and downright funky Lizzo. It was the heat of the day and Lizzo shook the street with her electric R&B vibrations. Her booming voice could be heard down Pike Street rightfully branding the CHBP as unadulterated adult fun.

see BLOCK PARTY page 4

THIS PRODUCT HAS INTOXICATING EFFECTS AND MAY BE HABIT FORMING. MARIJUANA CAN IMPAIR CONCENTRATION, COORDINATION, AND JUDGMENT. DO NOT OPERATE A VEHICLE OR MACHINERY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THIS DRUG. THERE MAY BE HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH CONSUMPTION OF THIS PRODUCT. FOR USE ONLY BY ADULTS TWENTY-ONE AND OLDER. KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN

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July 28, 2017 T H I S S H O P :

S C I E N C E

BLACK

I S

LIVES

R E A L

W AT E R I S L I F E

REFUGEES ARE WELCOME

MATTER

YOUR BODY IS YOUR CHOICE

LO V E I S LO V E WE LOVE CANNABIS

Celebrating 43 Years!

Lorde announces Key Arena show in March

Lorde – Photo courtesy of Lava Records

by Albert Rodriguez SGN A&E Writer You can see Lorde perform at Bumbershoot in about six weeks with a bunch of obnoxious young festival-goers, or you can wait to see her headline a show at Key Arena next year. The New Zealand-based musician and two-time Grammy winner will embark on a big tour in 2018 that includes a stop in Seattle on March 13 to help promote her latest album Melodrama.

“Green Light” and “Perfect Places” have already been released as singles from the album with the former already reaching the #1 spot on the pop charts. I saw Lorde a few years ago at WaMu Theater and she was nothing short of amazing, so don’t miss her in concert – and lucky for us, she’ll be in town twice in the coming months. At press time, the tour promoter had not yet released an official announcement of the concert.

I’ll provide a quick update next week with ticket information.

Are you a classic rock fan? It doesn’t get much more classic rock than The Doobie Brothers and Eagles, two of the top bands from the ’70s and ’80s. Both legendary acts joined forces recently to play concerts on each US coast, simply titled “Classic West” and “Classic East,” with another rock icon, Fleetwood Mac. The multi-artist mini festival now expands to Seattle, the first concert outside of Los Angeles and New York

that will be staged under the name “Classic Northwest” with The Doobie Brothers and Eagles again on the bill, although sadly Fleetwood Mac is not participating, likely due to scheduling conflicts. The show will take place September 30 at Safeco Field with the probability that other performers and special guests will be added to the lineup. And speaking of lineup, the Eagles will play minus Joe Walsh, who has a prescheduled gig in Las Vegas that night, unless he makes an adjustment. At press time, the tour promoter had not yet released an official announcement of the concert. I’ll provide a quick update next week with ticket information.

Singer-songwriter Josh Ritter is planning a return to the Emerald City early next year with his usual group of co-horts, The Royal City Band. The musician, son of the late actor John Ritter, has not only created buzz for his Americana-folk albums – his newest is 2017’s Gathering – but he also made headlines when in 2013, after a performance at religious school Messiah College he told the crowd that he would no longer play there because of an antiLGBT policy that prohibited “homosexual behavior” on its campus. The 40-year old artist and his band will appear January 25 at The Neptune with tickets available online at www.Ticketmaster.com, in person at the Paramount box office, or by phone at 1-800-745-3000. For more information,

Josh Ritter – Photo courtesy of Signature Sounds

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July 28, 2017

visit STGPresents.org.

More new shows to announce include Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, who will perform both sides of his album Black on Both Sides in its entirety at The Neptune on August 31, Marcus Miller at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley on September 7-10, Silversun Pickups at The Showbox SoDo on October 25 and Peter Hook & The Light at The Neptune on May 10.

Miley Cyrus is the lone LGBT nominee going into the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), competing in the category of Best Pop Video for “Malibu” against Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley for “Chained to the Rhythm,” Shawn Mendes for “Treat You Better,” Harry Styles for “Sign of the Times,” Ed Sheeran for “Shape of You” and Fifth Harmony featuring Gucci Mane for “Down.” Leading all nominees is Kendrick Lamar, who could leave the awards ceremony with as many as eight Moonman statues; “HUMBLE” is in the running for Video of the Year and Lamar vies for Artist of the Year, a new category where the performers aren’t nominated for a singular video but for their catalog of work the past twelve months; similarly the Best New Artist race also eliminated the video portion of the category. Besides “HUMBLE,” Video of the Year nominees include The Weeknd for “Reminder,” Bruno Mars for “24K Magic,” Alessia Cara for “Scars to Your Beautiful” and DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller for “Wild Thoughts.” Facing off against Lamar for Artist of the Year are Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, The Weeknd, Ed Sheeran and Lorde. For Best New Artist, the nominees are Julia Michaels, Noah Cyrus, Kodak Black, SZA and Khalid. The 2017 MTV Video Music Awards will be held on August 27 at The Forum in Inglewood, California, honoring music videos released from June 25, 2016 to June 23, 2017.

Finally, Linkin Park has canceled its upcoming tour, which included a Seattle date at Key Arena this fall. Mourning the loss of its frontman and co-lead singer Chester Bennington, who died last week, the band has no immediate plans to perform. For ticket refunds, go to Ticketmaster.com.

Seattle Gay News 3

Oh my GaGa! Pop diva’s “Joanne” tour lands in Tacoma this week

by Albert Rodriguez SGN A&E Writer LADY GAGA TACOMA DOME August 5

Lady GaGa – Photo courtesy of Interscope Records

BLOCK PARTY

tival, they had a line out the door and this time the stage on 11th Avenue & Pike St gave them the audience they truly deserved.

9. Grynch – Saturday/Neumos Northwest natives Grynch brought waves of musical metal sounds sweeping across the crowd. Maybe it was the heat and slight dehydration, but it’s more than likely the awesome musical effect they have on the crowd. Plenty of awesome power chord moments brought down the house.

5. Manatee Commune – Saturday/Main Stage Manatee Commune, a music artist hailing from Bellingham, is a truly eclectic sound and theme musical master. The music transcribes the scenery and the scenery becomes rhythm. The rhythm was pulsing down Pike Street along with bubbles from an apartment window and blue inflatable pool toys body surfing through the crowd.

The music made me appreciate the festival and how everyone was just having fun, fun, fun in the hot Seattle sun.

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8. Wolf Parade – Friday/Main Stage Wolf Parade has been on many of my song lists culled from KEXP Song of the Day or just from “who is that, gotta have it” collections. I forgot about how I loved their immediate affective sounds striking me like the first time I heard R.E.M. Those reminiscent feelings returned with their latest performance of hypnotizing and emotive rock music. The audience was swaying and bobbing and then it was over like a dream, an indie-musical dream.

7. Skating Polly – Saturday/Vera Stage I wasn’t familiar with Skating Polly and decided to give them a try. This talented duo sounds like they could have been Vera Project music scholars. With their poemdriven lyrics, they are not roses and serenity, they are thorns and vitriol. This intimateness came across on the outdoor stage as immediate and moving.

6. Sloucher – Friday/Vera Stage I am always a sucker for ’90’s like indie rock music, but truly appreciate a modern twist of more universally weathered music sounds. Sloucher knows their music and played with heart and soul to the growing crowd in the early evening hours of the Block Party. At the Upstream Music Fes-

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4. Phantoms – Saturday/Main Stage EDM artists Phantoms’ music seems mined from an alternate genre by the way the audience was reacting. It’s inspired from someplace deep inside their creative imagination and expressed with electronic deliciousness for everyone to taste like sweet candy or a delicious hot cherry snow cone on a hot Saturday a delicious cherry snow cone. But their music isn’t throwaway saccharine treats, it’s something that stays with you long after the beats leave your feet, like a long lasting caramel.

3. My Goodness – Friday/Neumos I first saw My Goodness play in Fremont years ago with a guy I met the night before at the old Manhattan bar. I even had a souvenir pin stuck in a curtain at my old apartment. Like all fond mementos, this band is something to cherish. My go-to sound has never been heavy guitars and metal-inspired vocals, but when you’re good, you’re good… especially live. And My Goodness nearly knocked the paint off the walls of Neumos. If they play anywhere, anytime soon, go see them.

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What hasn’t she done? In less than ten years, Lady GaGa has accomplished what many entertainers hope to do in an entire career. #1 albums, sold out tours, Grammy Awards, Super Bowl Halftime Show, Oscars ceremony performer, memorable collaborations, magazine covers and a credible venture into acting, just to name a few. Two weeks ago, her much lauded performance during this year’s Super Bowl LI championship game earned her team of collaborators six Emmy Award nominations, and if you didn’t know it already she’ll soon be starring in a remake of the Hollywood classic A Star is Born with Bradley Cooper, who’s also directing it.

Besides all this, Lady GaGa (real name: Stefani Germanotta) has also managed to become one of the biggest LGBT icons in history and one of our community’s most visible and important voices, marching in Washington for equal rights, headlining the massive Europride festival and speaking at a vigil last summer held in Orlando for victims of the Pulse nightclub attack.

Just how successful has the 31 year-old been since breaking through in 2008 with her pop-dance debut The Fame? For starters, Lady GaGa has sold 27 million albums and 146 million singles worldwide as of January 2016, and this doesn’t count sales of her latest album, Joanne, or any of its hits – “Perfect Illusion,” “Million Reasons,”

2. Haunted Horses – Friday/Cha Cha Haunted Horses was my favorite band at Upstream Music Festival; now they are one of my favorite bands to listen to and see live. They did not disappoint during CHBP. These punk duo disciples wear their emotions on their guitar strings and drum sticks and then shove it into your face with pedal power amplifying sound after sound with waves of musical lust, angst, and salvation.

On this night it was their Pentecost.

1. Prom Queen – Saturday/Neumos I never heard of Prom Queen, but decided by their name alone to check them out. I was not let down. They are seemingly a pastiche cabaret-pop band, but after their first note sung by lead singer Celene Ramadan, you are hooked by her musical hooks. At once girl group then torch song then back room surfer music, Prom Queen reminds you of all the stuff you love from a wide array of genres. They bring it together

“The Cure.” Her six world tours have raked in over $300 million in ticket sales, she’s won six Grammys and a Golden Globe, was named Billboard magazine’s Woman of the Year in 2015 and launched the Born This Way Foundation that promotes youth empowerment and combats bullying.

Lady GaGa is as super as superstars come. An artist who’s developed from a kitschy pop act to global powerhouse, a musician with deep talent and distinct style, a fearless songwriter who can make us dance or cry at the same time and a performer who demands our attention, whether we love her or not. To her fans, she’s known as “Mother Monster,” a towering yet relatable idol figure that is beloved and glorified by diehard supporters who go to great lengths to show their loyalty, but have formed their own community and identity, calling themselves “Little Monsters.”

The “Joanne World Tour” stretches from August 1 through December 18, and is scheduled to land in three continents with almost all of the shows already sold out. The Tacoma Dome concert this week is Lady GaGa’s third performance of the tour, meaning Seattle monsters get a very early opportunity to see her before thousands of other fans will. Her set list will likely include songs from Joanne, to help promote it as we enter Grammy voting season, and the icon’s top hits, such as “Poker Face,” “Just Dance,” “Bad Romance” and “You and I.” An opening act has not been announced for Lady GaGa at the Tacoma Dome, but arrive on time in Tacoma, which is 7:30pm, just in case there is one. For tickets, go to www.

LiveNation.com.

with style, talent, and sheer musical genius.

Ramadan is backed by a supremely talented guitarist, Jason Goessl, who wowed the crowd several times during their all too short set. She is also flanked by two backup singers sprouting cotton candy colored wigs wearing mid-century style cocktail dresses. Her songs knocked me out, especially “Pretty Little Thing” where she croons: don’t call me honey/if you can’t handle my sting/don’t hand me that bat/ if you don’t want to see me swing… You should see them SING wherever they play next!

It was another winning weekend for this annual event where the polished Eastside folks rocked alongside young Capitol Hill hipsters and fraternity boys dressed in khakis danced next to club kids dressed in furry animal onesies – all coming together for your not so average neighborhood block party.

Prom Queen plays at Neumos – Photo by Paul Torres

Celebrating 43 Years!

NEIL DIAMOND continued from cover

found him not quite what I expected; straddling the line as he did between rock and roller and sparkly diminutive showman. He reminded me a little bit of another figure with star power that I was drawn to at the time, Neil’s former Brooklyn classmate and fellow choir member Barbra Streisand.

Over the years I came to appreciate that under all the bombast, Neil was an immensely talented songwriter who has steadily penned hits for himself and everyone else since 1966. The cover of that debut album (amusingly titled The Feel of Neil Diamond) presented a hunky, mildly devilish but fresh-faced young man, leaning back in his black jacket with crossed arms and one foot propped on a guitar. No one could have predicted that 50+ years later Neil Diamond would have sold over 125 million albums worldwide, charting 37 Top 40 singles, scooping up Grammys, various songwriting achievement awards, and the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor for lifetime contributions to American culture along the way.

Amid his 50th Anniversary World Tour, the 76-year-old stopped in Seattle and held a sold out Key Arena in thrall for a relaxed two-hour set featuring a handpicked variety of tunes from various parts of his lengthy career. He delivered hits like “Cherry Cherry,” “Forever in Blue Jeans,” “I’m A Believer,” “Red Red Wine” and “Love on The Rocks,” mixing in album tracks and lesser known songs that seemed to be fan favorites, if not simply a song that was a fa-

vorite of the man himself.

Though he’s definitely moving slower and hitting those showman poses with noticeably less gusto these days, Neil looked sharp and in good shape and his voice, though a bit more restrained, was familiar and lovely. Above all he seemed pleased and genuinely touched by the lifelong love and adoration of his diehard fans and the constant applause. He may be up there in years, but on stage he is in his element.

Including his two backup singers, two back up acoustic guitars, four-piece horn section, two percussionists, keys, guitar, and bass, there were 13 musicians supporting the star, many of whom have played with him for years. He continued at a steady pace, showing family pictures during “Brooklyn Roads” and a stirring “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” “Shilo,” “Skybird,” and “Holly Holy.”

Ever the consummate crowd-pleaser, Neil delivered an encore of “Sweet Caroline,” “Cracklin Rosie” and “America.” The set list has changed a bit from city to city; I would have loved to be treated to “Desiree” or even “Oh Mary” from the excellent, Rick Rubin produced 2005 album 12 Songs, which expertly showcased Neil’s true talent by stripping it down to its simplest elements.

An old-fashioned songwriter with an extremely polished ability to bring joy to an arena while barely breaking a sweat is uncommon these days, much less to have practiced this over a lifetime. For that achievement alone Neil Diamond’s 50th Anniversary Tour upheld expectations, to say nothing of watching an elder statesman of American music show just how it’s done.

Neil Diamond – Photo by Aaron Lavinsky / Star Tribune

eSe Teatro presents MUD (or Barro)

Marco Adiak Voli, Monica Cortes Viharo, and Fernando Cavallo – Photo by Maryssa Lagervall

by Miryam Gordon SGN A&E Writer MUD (OR BARRO) ESE TEATRO (AT SLATE THEATER) Through July 30 eSe Teatro is producing MUD (or Barro), by Maria Irene Fornes, in both a Spanish-language and English-language

production at the versatile Slate Theater (in the former INS Building). The three actors, Monica Cortes Viharo, Marco Adiak Voli, and Fernando Cavallo, perform in both languages.

The play is a plaintive drama about three people surviving in poverty and depravation who still have desires and aspirations like all of us. This effort by director (and formidable power behind eSe Teatro) Rose Cano is clearly to open our minds and hearts to those who live on the edges and

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who strive to find joy. The company’s dedication to elevating those who have little to nothing was written about recently in The Seattle Times as Cano was shown reaching out to the local homeless shelter to invite clients to come to her production.

MUD takes place in the ‘30s somewhere in America. Mae (Viharo) and Lloyd (Voli) begin this production by entering a dirtied “basement” of a space and taking it over. It appears to be an abandoned building squat effort, partly because Cavallo, as Henry,

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also enters and is wordlessly encouraged to “squat” with them.

However, nothing further is done to indicate that the space was not theirs to inhabit. It’s a bit of a disconnect from what the rest of the play seems to suggest. In fact, there is food served, electricity for an iron and lighting, and even heat, one supposes.

Mae’s relationship with Lloyd is unclear. It’s clear that they’d been sexually intimate – she says so. She tells Henry that she’s unsatisfied with Lloyd and that Henry is her new love interest. Mae and Lloyd are illiterate, but Mae tries to continue to improve her reading and Lloyd seems to mostly want to have sex again. But Lloyd is deterred from doing much because of a mysterious illness. Mae does seem to finally get Lloyd to a doctor for medicine, but Henry is incensed that Lloyd’s medicine is paid for with Henry’s money.

Fornes has been lauded by many luminaries of the American theater. Some love her style of minimalism and simple, almost characterless dialogue. I don’t understand why anyone likes her plays. Certainly, I respect eSe Teatro’s desire to produce Spanish-language writers and Latinx writers, and perhaps the Spanish version of MUD is more evocative to a general audience.

I appreciate Cano as a writer of plays that have been done by her company and look forward to many more of those. I also hope that she can bring many more Latinxwritten plays to Seattle, hopefully by less “avante garde” writers with perhaps a more conventional storytelling technique. Cano’s recent productions of her plays include Don Quixote and Sancho Panza: Homeless in Seattle and Bernie’s Apt. For more information, go to http://www. eseteatro.org or http://eseteatromud-barro. brownpapertickets.com or call 800-8383006.

Discuss your opinions with SGNcritic@ gmail.com or go to www.facebook.com/ SeattleTheaterWriters. More articles can be found at MiryamsTheaterMusings. blogspot.com.

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INCIDENT

continued from cover [pitch] fork.” At first stunned by the discovery, Christopher decides to go “detecting” to find out who killed the dog and why. As Christopher’s investigation goes further, he accidentally uncovers more secrets than just who killed the dog.

The ensemble cast is more of a single unit with small solo spot-lights. They form the collective group of people in Christopher’s life, and all have single moments of interaction with the boy. Most everyone in the cast (with Christopher being the exception) pull double duty playing multiple roles. All members of the ensemble are good, adding subtle performances and nuances to enhance the main characters.

Maria Elena Ramirez plays Siobhan, a friend and teacher for Christopher, and acts as a sort of narrator for the show. Ms. Ramirez brings a tenderness to the role creating an air of genuine care for Christo-

pher. She encourages the boy to explore his thoughts and to record them, which become the basis for the play.

The role of Christopher Boone is played

by Adam Langdon (and alternatively Benjamin Wheelwright at certain performances).

Mr. Langdon’s performance as the autistic Christopher (as seen on opening night) is definitely something to marvel at. He embodies the sensitivities and peculiarities of someone with autism with great care. His stage presence is strong, which is good because he is in every scene of the show. Mr. Langdon changed in a moment from going about his business to curled into a ball, yelling and resisting any form of touch from outsiders.

The unspoken main character of the show is clearly the set, the staging and the direction. The entire play is told from the viewpoint of Christopher’s autism and the creative team brings the audience into the working mind of the boy. The scenes and costumes are designed by Bunny Christie with video design by Finn Ross. The

stage is a large box completely in black and white and looking like a “light-bright” set of yesteryear. It is used most creatively by showing the images forming in Christopher’s mind as he draws out thoughts on the floor, simultaneously appearing on the wall behind so the audience can further understand the intricacies of his mind. Numbers, images, lights and sound flash across the wall to show the fast-paced and different ways an autistic mind works.

The direction is under the eye of Marianne Elliot. She should definitely be commended for the unique vision this show brings to the stage. Placing the ensemble on stage (most of the time) Ms. Elliot has it staged so that the cast depicts certain movements to mimic what is going on in Christopher’s mind. In order to show that, lights, sounds, flashes, words and images are projected (sometimes at breakneck speed) with such intensity that it can be overwhelming to the audience. This, of course, is the point; to demonstrate – even for a moment – of how the brains of people, with some types

of autism, functions. Although the staging is done very well as is the direction, by the time I left the theatre, I was grateful for the quiet interior of my car and the silent ride home.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time first opened on Broadway on October 5, 2014 where it ran for just shy of two years. Based on the novel by the same name, the play was nominated for six Tony Awards, winning five including Best Play of 2015. In London, it held the record for the most Olivier Award nominations in 2013.

The play (written by Simon Stephens) is based on the 2003 book by the same name written by Mark Haddon. Hailed as a mystery, it was unusually released in two separate editions, both Adult and Young Adult genres. The year it was published in the U.K. It won the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Best First Book, the Whitbread Book Award for Best Novel of the Year and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.

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ers, from brassy musical comedies to complex and emotional dramas, from authentic folk tunes to boundary-pushing electronic dance music. I’m thrilled to have such a varied and accomplished group of writers with us!”

The Festival of New Musicals provides an essential platform for writers to incorporate a key component of live theatre – the audience. Each new musical will be rehearsed during the week and then presented to the audience in a staged reading format, performed in full using scripts.

Many of these readings go on to be further developed in The Beta Series as well as on Village Theatre’s Mainstage. The readings are not open to the general public; however, those interested in being the first to see these new works may become a Village Originals Member to gain access to this and other exciting benefits and events.

The weekend will also feature The Northwest Songwriters Showcase, which celebrates the Puget Sound’s vast pool of talent by presenting individual songs composed by local musical theatre writers. This year’s collection will include works by Sonya Schneider and Robertson Witmer; Leslie Wisdom and Nathan Young; Rheanna Atendido; Kat Sherrell and Natalie Wilson; Naomi Morgan; Daniel Maté; Kristen deLohr Helland, Justin Huertas, and Sara Porkalob; Monti Fleck, Zoe Johnson, Sophie Poole, Andrea Scott, Megan Titus, and Riley Toland.

The Festival of New Musicals is a vital cornerstone to the Village Originals program, which represents one of the strongest commitments to new musicals in the nation. The program fosters a creative and nurturing environment, allowing the creators of developing works the opportunity to further evolve their piece through readings, workshops, and developmental productions. The Village Originals program, as well as The Festival of New Musicals has been essential in launching Brian Yorkey’s Next to Normal, winner of three Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize, Million Dollar Quartet, nominated for the Best Musical Tony Award and Outstanding Musical Drama Desk Award, Stephen Schwartz’s Snapshots, and It Shoulda Been You, which played Broadway in 2015. During the upcoming 2017-2018 Season, the new musical String will be featured on Village Theatre’s Mainstage, having been developed in The Festival of New Musicals in 2016 and The Beta Series in 2017.

NIKOLA TESLA DROPS THE BEAT – Book, Music, and Lyrics by Nikko Benson and Benjamin Halstead A misunderstood genius. A rivalry for

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The 2016 Festival of New Musicals – Photo by Sam Freeman

the ages. A dream that would change the world forever. Nikola Tesla Drops the Beat is an Electronic Dance Musical that turns the volume up on one of the world’s most influential yet overlooked inventors and his struggle to realize his vision of the future.

In this anachronistic universe, Tesla is a genius DJ whose sounds push the limits of what his audience can handle. The innovative score translates his electric obsessions into electronic music: alternating current loop-pedal soundscapes, wireless dancefloor frequencies, and mad-scientist dubstep breakdowns. Come feel the beat drop!

HART ISLAND – Book, Music, and Lyrics by Danny Larsent and Michelle Elliott – Contains strong adult language and content Hart Island is the story of two people on the fringe of society – Charles, an incarcerated man, and Marielena, an undocumented young woman. Their lives intersect on Hart Island, New York City’s public burial ground. Although Charles and Marielena are marginalized by the rest of the world, they come to appreciate each other’s humanity – a powerful action in a world that elevates division and isolation over compassion and respect.

AFTERWORDS – Musical and Lyrics

by Zoe Sarnak, Book by Emily Kaczmarek When an accomplished war reporter is killed on assignment, his diaries are left to his protégé, Jo. But their pages provide her with more questions than comfort, chronicling his turbulent midlife love affair and pointing mysteriously toward Kali and Simone, artist sisters mourning the loss of their volatile mother. As entanglements deepen and past collides with present, Kali, Simone, and Jo relay three sides of one story through the show’s music, set, and book.

Afterwords is a new musical about three

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women bound by notes scribbled down on paper, and the art we make from the love that makes us.

HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE – Based on an original book by Diana Wynne Jones, Adapted by Myra Platt, Music and Lyrics

by Justin Huertas When Sophie unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, she finds herself transformed into an old woman. To break the enchantment, Sophie must strike a bargain with a fire demon and seek the help of the heartless wizard Howl before facing the Witch head-on. Based on the award-winning novel and animated feature, Howl’s Moving Castle inspires each of us to find our voice.

ZM – Music and Lyrics by Mark Hollmann, Book and Lyrics by Greg Kotis ZM takes place in a remote American town where a fast-food franchise is testmarketing a new sandwich that, apparently, turns people into zombies. ZM follows Barnabas Young and Mercy Rider, two teenage lovers/fast-food workers, who are separated during the outbreak. Barnabas searches for the franchise president to warn him about the sandwich while Mercy stays behind to look after the president’s wounded son. The lovers eventually reunite, but not before committing unspeakable acts that change them forever. In the end, the two learn the terrible truth about the source of the plague and the outcome it was designed to create.

About Village Theatre’s Village Originals Program Village Theatre’s mission stipulates a dedication to the development of new musicals that achieve national exposure. The Village Originals program of readings, workshops, and developmental produc-

tions represents one of the strongest commitments to new musicals in the nation, developing such musicals as Pulitzer Prizewinning Next to Normal, Tony Award-winning Million Dollar Quartet, Drama Desk Award-winner Cupid & Psyche, Stephen Schwartz’s Snapshots, and the Drama Desk Award-nominated It Shoulda Been You, After the Fair, and Making Tracks. Village Theatre is one of the few resident theatres to provide regular opportunities at every step of musical development, from first table reading to full-scale premiere production.

Each season, new works are included as part of Village Theatre’s Mainstage five-show lineup alongside the classics. Anchored by the Annual Festival of New Musicals and The Beta Series, the Village Originals program is dedicated to the continued growth and evolution of musical theatre, and a determination that the form will remain vibrant and relevant for generations to come.

About Village Theatre Based in Issaquah, WA, with operations in Everett, Village Theatre is a leading producer of musical theatre in the Pacific Northwest. Producing entertaining, quality productions for the entire family since 1979, Village Theatre has grown into one of the region’s best-attended Equity theatres, with over 20,000 Subscribers and 200,000 projected total attendance each season.

Through its Village Originals program, Village Theatre is nationally recognized for its contribution to the development of new musicals, having launched over 150 new works to date. Village Theatre also takes pride in nurturing tomorrow’s audiences through its youth education programs, Pied Piper and KIDSTAGE, serving over 60,000 young people, families, and schools annually.

Courtesy of Village Theatre

Celebrating 43 Years!

“Alex & Aris” has a dual audience

Chip Sherman and Darragh Kennan in Alex & Aris – Photo by Chris Bennion

by Miryam Gordon SGN A&E Writer ALEX & ARIS ACT THEATRE Through August 6 I expect large chunks of people to like something I might not and vice versa – nature of criticism… But sometimes when I feel very intrigued, I get startled when I become aware of others who don’t feel the same way. Attending opening night of ACT’s world premiere play, Alex & Aris, I heard about a fair amount of intermissionleavers and people who just plain didn’t care about the characters.

I understand it and therefore will focus this review around what “they” (the playwright, Moby Pomerance, and director John Langs) may be attempting to demonstrate in this play about the historical but murky period of time, four years, that the great philosopher, Aristotle, spent tutoring the young man who would go on to become Alexander “the Great.”

The genesis of the play was essentially a “commission,” where Langs asked Pomerance, who had a play chosen as ACT’s New Play Award, The Piano Men, if Pomerance had any more plays to look at.

Pomerance gave him a treatment of this play (a few pages) and Langs asked him to finish it, as a two-hander (only two characters), in a matter of months. This restriction was both an opportunity and a huge challenge. That specific choice becomes a matter to consider in the success of the material.

On the one hand, that allows for an extremely intense interaction between Aristotle (Darragh Kennan), whose career has stalled out and for whom this job, teaching young Macedonian aristocrats, is presented as sort of scraping the bottom of a career barrel, and Alexander (Chip Sherman) who begins the play as a 14 year-old boy who is being trained as a soldier, and apparently was abused for years as a teaching method in order to learn military strategy and harsh concepts of war.

On the other hand, the play depends essentially on the teaching part. To a certain extent, it forces the audience to attend class with Alex. I particularly liked the first act lessons and trying to follow the points where “Aris” (who knows if anyone ever used a diminutive for Aristotle…) set up – and then doubled back on – concepts teach-

ing the difference between warmongering and what happens when an army wins, the aftermath being almost more important than the war itself. We have plenty of examples of bungling that lesson in current history (cough cough “Iraq” cough cough “Afghanistan”).

Aristotle appears to want to teach the breadth of humanity. He asks questions like, “What kinds of poetry do (the subjugated populants) recite?” These are ideas that Alexander has never been asked before. Any questions about how many soldiers an enemy has or what kind of terrain one has to cover can quickly be recited. Aristotle apparently understands the popular methods of teaching a warrior, with abusive tactics like starvation and beatings, and introduces a new teaching method based on analysis to young Alexander.

Kennan and Sherman both embody their roles well. There are aspects of tight timing that they pull off (some fight choreography, for instance) in syncopated rhythms. Kennan is suitably commanding and whiny and manipulative and compassionate. Sherman is suitably self-effacing and intimidated and intimidating. The material gives them a lot to work with.

A main question is what a second act should accomplish. The pay-off of the play would seem to be that Alexander fundamentally changed after spending those four years with Aristotle. Perhaps it is hinting that if Alexander had failed to receive this particular tutoring, that Alexander would never have become “the Great.” In the second act, the last scene is years removed from the tutoring, when Alexander is now an assured general and overlord to vast provinces of land. He seems to explain how he was able to become this man.

However, the linkage to Aristotle’s influence is currently tentative and oblique.

That is, if the intent is to show that influence. It could be debated that much of the second act could be dispensed with and a coda – some sort of speech by Alexander in which we can see remnants of Aristotle’s thoughts issuing from Alexander’s lips – created instead.

Has Alexander infused those teachings into an aspect of a benevolent ruler or become a tyrant? I wish it were much clearer.

As it is, the second act may please audience members who want more “action” in their play, but I’m not sure if it accomplishes the mission of the two-character limitation and the ultimate meaning we’re to draw from

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the entire effort.

In summary, if you like “talky” plays and the mental exercise of following characters thoughts, complicated though they be, you may well enjoy the hell out of this play. If that description gives you the heebie jeebies, I’ll guess you’d be one that would be unhappy and wish you hadn’t gone.

For more information, go to www.acttheatre.org or call 206-292-7676.

Discuss your opinions with SGNcritic@gmail.com or go to www.facebook.com/SeattleTheaterWriters. More articles can be found at MiryamsTheaterMusings.blogspot. com.

Alex & Aris – Photo by Chris Bennion

July 28, 2017

Seattle Gay News 7

Check out what’s opening in August!

by Miryam Gordon SGN A&E Writer There are still plenty of shows to see in August, especially in neighborhood parks, but only a few debuting this month, including a show that didn’t make the July cut off, here is a list of productions opening in August.

American Archipelago, Pony World Theatre, July 27-August 12 (at 12th Avenue Arts) This new play examines the joys and heartaches of being an American today.

The script was collaboratively composed by Holly Arsenault, Kelleen C. Blanchard, Tré Calhoun, Vincent Delaney, Brendan Healy, Maggie Lee, Sara Porkalob, and Seayoung Yim. We welcome you to a quaint little neighborhood called the United States of America. Upscale and working class, where suburban streets wind through packed city blocks, this neighborhood feels like a community – and a powder keg. White picket fences will blur and the American tapestry will start to unravel. Eight next door neighbors from Nashville and New York and Montana and San Francisco will gather at the big block party cookout to grill hotdogs, share recipes, fall in love, murder chickens, and finally tell each other what they think. http://archipelago.brownpapertickets. com Over & Under, Annex Theatre, August 1-16 (Tue/Wed nights) Playwrights Bret Fetzer and Juliet Waller Pruzan present two intricate oneact plays. Cumulus begins on an airplane, where conversations between strangers reveal the passengers’ complex lives; Turnstile begins on a subway car where a young girl, riding alone for the first time, finds her

imagination sparked by overheard conversations. Both plays spin off into alternative lives, some mundane, some dramatic, some completely fantastical. www.annextheatre.org Goblin Market, Sound Theatre Company, August 10-27 (Seattle Armory) Based on the poem by Victorian Era poet Christina Rosetti, this musical blends music, poetry and imagery to journey through the psyches of two sisters. The siblings, Laura and Lizzie, return to their old nursery and unlock the women’s shared past in a child’s game of make-believe. The nursery magically becomes a woodland glen of menacing “goblin fruit merchant men” and one sister Laura, is enticed by the magical goblins and their luscious fruits and promises of unimagined ecstasies.

The other sister, Lizzie, bargains anxiously with the goblins to save her sister from forever falling under their spell. This market of goblins forces the sisters to explore and question the present Victorian world they inhabit as women and reconcile that with the erotic yearnings of their adolescence. www.soundtheatrecompany.org Proof, Proof Porch Project, various porches, all performances at 6pm Beacon Hill: 3820 13th Ave S, 98108 (August 11-13) North Seattle: 13519 23rd Ave NE, 98125 (August 18-20) Burien: 12827 3rd Ave S, 98168 (August 25-27) Proof introduces a brilliant mathematical father and two daughters who struggle with his mental illness and a suspicion that one daughter has perhaps inherited her father’s condition. Proof Porch Project is presenting it free of charge in a bilingual English-Spanish format. They believe that

viewing it through a Latinx lens adds extra layers to the play’s already complex character relationships, which are not only affected by mental illness, but also by language and their ability to identify with their household culture. https://www.facebook.com / ProofPorch-Project-1977257189162889/ Much Better, Really-Really Theatre Group, August 18-September 2 (12th Avenue Arts) A new play by Elisabeth Frankel, Much Better was a semi-finalist for the 2017 O’Neill National Playwrights Conference.

In an overconnected, information-saturated world, Ashley is diagnosed with a condition known as hyperempathy. She finds it difficult to hold a job, maintain relationships, and otherwise cope with the emotional demands of her everyday life. When Ashley is introduced to a new medical procedure known as Neuroclear, she sees a chance to create a new, better version of herself. A fresh look into our relationships with the world, technology and our best self, and the ethical limits of the use of technology as means for self-improvement. http://www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/3023032

Goblin Market – Photo courtesy of Sound Theatre Company

Girls Trip stars Hall, Latifah, Haddish, and Smith, a comedic dream team

Haddish, Pinkett Smith, Hall, and Latifah in Girls Trip – Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer GIRLS TRIP Now playing Best-selling author Ryan Pierce (Regina Hall) is on the verge of becoming the next Oprah. She’s about to sign a major deal to host her own talk show alongside husband and former NFL star Stewart (Mike Colter) and is a key note speaker at the annual Essence Fest in New Orleans. In other words, all seems perfect. But Ryan misses her girls, the self-described “Flossy Posse,” and it’s been a long five years since she, Sasha (Queen Latifah), Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Dina (Tiffany Haddish) were all together, this fact starting to noticeably

8 Seattle Gay News

weigh on her.

That all changes in Girls Trip, the latest melodramatic comedic confection from writer/director Malcolm D. Lee (The Best Man Holiday, Undercover Brother). Ryan doesn’t just reunite with her girls, they show New Orleans a type of party the city has never seen before. Parallel to this they also repair frayed friendships and put down building blocks that will help make their collective friendship stronger going forward, and while nothing that happens is a surprise it’s equally never boring. Better, it’s all pretty darn funny, all four actresses doing a bang-up job bringing their respective characters to life while also ensuring the lifelong bond being depicted is refreshingly authentic.

Not that the movie isn’t as problematic

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as anything else Lee has ever made. He’s fond of bashing his points home with a cartoon sledgehammer, and as per normal subtlety isn’t in his vocabulary. He remains fond of broad, over-sensationalized emotions that are often bludgeoning, while his pacing skills leave a great deal to be desired, his films frequently losing their momentum as they inch closer to their conclusions. Lee also loves to paint in moralistic black and whites as if he refuses to admit a grey area might exist save when it might grant him a belly laugh or two, undercutting any chance for complexity his otherwise nicely developed characters may have exhibited.

But he’s also very good with actors, and his casting ability is second to none. I doubt I’d have enjoyed this movie at all if it were not for the combined enthusiastic star power Hall, Latifah, Haddish and especially Smith exhibit throughout. This quartet of feminine dynamos are electrifying, willing to do whatever it takes to make their characters worth caring about no matter how horrible any of their respective decisions might prove to be. Ryan, Sasha, Lisa and Dina are easy to fall in love with, each helping make the majority of my misgivings in regards to the script vanish as if they never existed in the first place.

Hall has the most difficult task. The stuff Lee asks her to do are sometimes just too exaggeratedly stupid to be believed.

Additionally, she’s forced to deliver a climactic monolog during her keynote address that in lesser hands would have been unbearable. Instead, Hall finds a way to make the words resonate in ways they probably shouldn’t, finding the heart and the emotion

residing in Lee’s stilted and obvious platitudes, making them sing with far more passionate grace than they deserve to. Latifah also has a number of strong scenes, while Haddish’s unbridled craziness brings a certain spunk to the proceedings that’s absolutely wonderful.

But it is Smith who shines the brightest. After turning in career-best work in Magic Mike XXL, she steals the show here.

She gives Lisa layers the script only hints at, watching her blossom back into the wild child of her youth without sacrificing all she’s learned as a divorced mother of two children wondrous to behold. Even when Lee forces her into some crazy, pointlessly juvenile scenes of bathroom grossout nastiness Smith continues to soar, her performance a thing of comedic beauty that grows in resonance as events progress towards their readily expected climax.

I said jokingly back in May that every summer has at least one breakout R-rated comedy that sets the box office ablaze while also doing moderately well with critics. After Snatched (which I admittedly enjoyed), Baywatch, Rough Night and The House all went home empty on both fronts, I was starting to believe 2017 was going to prove that adage wrong. Thankfully, Lee’s Girls Trip is more than up to the task, and some obvious pandering aside, this movie proves to be so persistently hilarious I cannot imagine a scenario where audiences don’t transform it into a hit. The whole thing is a heck of a lot of fun, and that’s all there really is to say on the matter, Hall, Latifah, Haddish and Smith a comedic dream team I hope get the opportunity to reunite soon.

Celebrating 43 Years!

A filmmaker delves into the secrecy surrounding the death of her uncle in Memories of a Penitent Heart, airing July 31 on POV Film explores the darker side of faith, redemption, and the thin line between sinners and saints

Memories of a Penitent Heart – Photo courtesy of POV

MEMORIES OF A PENITENT HEART POV PBS – KCTS-TV (Channel 9) Monday, July 31 Like many gay men in the 1980s, Miguel moved to New York City in search of a life out of the closet; he found a career in theater and a rewarding relationship. Yet in the midst of the AIDS crisis, his devout Catholic mother pressured him to repent for his homosexuality on his deathbed. Twentyfive years later, his niece Cecilia Aldarondo breaks the silence surrounding her uncle’s death, sifting through conflicting memories of a man she never really knew. She locates Miguel’s estranged partner and begins to unlock long-dormant family secrets.

Through home movies, audio recordings, family photos, letters and interviews, Cecilia Aldarondo’s Memories of a Penitent Heart reconstructs her uncle Miguel’s New York life, one he lived far from his family, especially his religious mother.

Along the way, her investigation untangles a knot of family secrets, denials and repressed conflicts.

Memories of a Penitent Heart has its national broadcast premiere on the PBS documentary series POV (Point ofView) on Monday, July 31. POV is American television’s longest-running independent documentary series, now in its 30th season.

Memories of a Penitent Heart, which premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, is a co-presentation between POV and Latino Public Broadcasting.

Born and raised in the 1970s in Puerto Rico, Miguel Dieppa was a gay man eager to leave the island in search of Broadway fame in New York City.

Aldarondo’s investigation begins with a two-year search for Miguel’s longtime partner, Bob, who disappeared after Miguel’s funeral. When she eventually finds him, he is living in Pasadena, California, as Father Aquin, a Franciscan monk.

Through the reminiscences of Aquin and others who knew him, Miguel emerges as a charismatic and vivacious actor and playwright, struggling to live comfortably in

his own skin.

We see glimpses into Miguel’s restlessness in his autobiographical play, Island Fever: “I guess that’s a diagnosis for my case. It’s that feeling that creeps up on those who have known wide spaces, or long to do so.”

Miguel seems eternally torn between two identities. His New York friends know him as Michael, a freedom-loving gay thespian, while to his family in Puerto Rico he remains Miguel, the obedient son who downplays his sexuality.

Unexpectedly, Miguel begins to get sick, and although he refuses to be tested, telltale skin lesions on his legs indicate AIDS as the underlying illness.

Miguel’s illness places Bob on a collision course with Miguel’s mother, Carmen, as the two come to represent opposing faces of faith. Fearing that her son is not yet “dead to life but dead to grace,” Carmen feels Miguel can only find redemption if he repents.

Delving into her family’s trove of secrets, Aldarondo’s Memories of a Penitent Heart examines the light and dark sides of faith and how we fight over the memories of those we love. In the director’s intensely personal film, Miguel’s friends and family reflect on their imperfect relationships.

Considering her own flaws, Miguel’s sister (Aldarondo’s mother) Nylda reflects, “The bottom line is that we all need to survive and we use different ways of surviving, according to our gifts, our limitations and our circumstances.” That prompts her daughter to ask, “Can’t we survive and look out for others as well?”

Memories of a Penitent Heart is a brave and honest exhumation of buried resentments that ultimately reveals how reflections on grief, betrayal and love bring us closer to reconciliation.“ Cecilia Aldarondo’s beautiful and evocative film explores not only the difficulties of being Puerto Rican in America, but also what it means to be gay and shunned by your community, family and church,” said POV executive producer Chris White.

“This personal and complex portrait of her uncle and those who loved him shows how

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hard it can be to reconcile religion and sexual identity – and how blurry the line between sinners and saints can be.”

About the Filmmaker: Cecilia Aldarondo, Director, Producer, Writer Cecilia Aldarondo is an award-winning documentary director/producer whose work has been supported by the Sundance Institute, Firelight Media, Field of Vision, the Independent Filmmaker Project, the Jerome Foundation and many others. Her feature documentary Memories of a Penitent Heart had its world premiere at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival. She is a 2017 Women at Sundance Fellow and was named one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film” for 2015 by Filmmaker magazine.

Credits: Director, Producer, Writer: Cecilia Aldarondo; Cinematographer: Brennan Vance; Editor: Hannah Buck; Executive Producer: Esther Robinson; Producer: Patricia Benabe; Associate Producers: Matthew Romanelli, Nylda Aldarondo-Jeffries; Virginia Thompson; Music: Angélica Negrón; Executive Producers for POV: Justine Nagan, Chris White ********** About POV Produced by American Documentary, Inc., POV is public television’s premier showcase for nonfiction films. Since 1988, POV has been the home for the world’s boldest contemporary filmmakers, celebrating intriguing personal stories that spark conversation and inspire action. Always an innovator, POV discovers fresh new voices and creates interactive experiences that shine a light on social issues and elevate the art of storytelling. With our documentary broadcasts, original online programming and dynamic community engagement campaigns, we are committed to supporting films that capture the imagination and present diverse perspectives.

July 28, 2017

POV Digital (www.pbs.org/pov/) Since 1994, POV Digital has driven new storytelling initiatives and interactive production for POV. The department created PBS’s first program website and its first web-based documentary (POV’s Borders) and has won major awards, including a Webby Award (and six nominations) and an Online News Association Award. POV Digital continues to explore the future of independent nonfiction media through its digital productions and the POV Hackathon lab, where media makers and technologists collaborate to reinvent storytelling forms. @povdocs on Twitter.

American Documentary, Inc. (www. amdoc.org/) American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia company dedicated to creating, identifying and presenting contemporary stories that express opinions and perspectives rarely featured in mainstream media outlets. AmDoc is a catalyst for public culture, developing collaborative strategic engagement activities around socially relevant content on television, online and in community settings. These activities are designed to trigger action, from dialogue and feedback to educational opportunities and community participation.

Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Corporation for Public Broadcasting and National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding comes from Nancy Blachman and David desJardins, Bertha Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, The Fledgling Fund, Marguerite Casey Foundation, Ettinger Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee, and public television viewers. POV is presented by a consortium of public television stations, including KQED San Francisco, WGBH Boston and THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG. Courtesy of POV

Seattle Gay News 9

Theron an explosively nuclear Cold War Atomic Blonde

Charlize Theron in Atomic Blonde – Photo courtesy of Focus Features

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer ATOMIC BLONDE Now playing Crack MI6 secret agent Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) has been sent to Berlin ostensibly to collect the body of deceased co-worker James Gasciogne (Sam Hargrave). In reality, she is there to recover a piece of microfilm stolen by a wannabe West German defector given the codename Spyglass (Eddie Marsan). It contains the real identities of British, French, Russian and American spies the world over, giving the holder of this information immense power as the Cold War comes to an end and the espionage playfield transforms into something new.

Lorraine is the best of the best, and if anyone can grab this vital piece of intelligence it is her. Ordered by her superiors, most notably MI6 chief “C” (James Faulkner) and his second-in-command Eric Gray (Toby Jones), to work with embedded East German department head David Percival (James McAvoy) she’s immediately suspicious of this uncouth slob who appears to be playing his own personal spy game. She’s also being followed by a shadowy French woman (Sofia Boutella) who is obsessed with chronicling her every move, while a seemingly unending series of Russian agents appear to know every step Lorraine is going to take even before she does.

Based on the acclaimed graphic novel The Coldest City written by Antony John-

ston and illustrated by Sam Hart and set right before the fall of the Berlin Wall in November of 1989, the Cold War thriller Atomic Blonde is the first solo effort for veteran stuntman and John Wick co-director David Leitch. From an action standpoint, the filmmaker does not disappoint. Starting with a crackerjack escape from a speeding car after Lorraine first steps foot in West Berlin, featuring a pair of wonderful fight sequences and shootouts between the spy and a variety of assailants, the filmmaker shows a magnetic ability to stage adrenaline-fueled pyrotechnics that are downright awe-inspiring. But it is a ten minute, seemingly one-take chase-fight-shoot-escapefight again set piece beginning inside a high-rise stairwell and culminating with a speeding car that is the true show-stopper, and without a doubt it is one of the best sequences of its type I’ve frankly ever seen.

If only Kurt Johnstad’s (300) rather rote and blasé script rose to the same heights.

Having never read Johnston and Hart’s source material, I have no idea if the central flaws here appeared there as well. What I will say is that calling this scenario John le Carré-light would be doing the masterful The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and The Russia House author a massive disservice. The mystery at the heart of this particular story is obnoxiously complex and even more annoyingly obvious, everything building to a pair of climactic reveals that are frankly ponderous. For a film that purports to be so sharp and intelligent, there’s honestly precious little to challenge the intellect, and by the time the final bit of mas-

querade and concealment is done with I let out a quiet, indifferently bemused sigh in reaction to where things ultimately ended up.

Even so, when it’s clicking Atomic Blonde is kind of a magnetic blast. Theron was born to play a character like Lorraine Broughton, bringing a level of gravitas, acumen and charisma to the veteran spy that’s only made more impressive thanks to her lethally authentic physical abilities.

More importantly, the Oscar-winning actress never loses an ounce of all the varying internal dynamics that make this woman who she is, her femininity, her sexuality, her confidence, her refusal to abide by societal norms, all of it comes together in a fascinating, deeply invigorating fashion that’s continually astonishing. This is a performance that’s right up there with Theron’s work in Monster, Mad Max: Fury Road, North Country and Young Adult, watching her here a rollicking, free-wheeling, ultraviolent joy that never grows tiresome even if the film itself sometimes does.

As to that amazing action sequence near the end of the film, it’s glorious. Leitch orchestrates things as if he were the love child of John Woo and Gene Kelly, the aggressively pugnacious viciousness of the entire scene only made more incredible because of its balletic grace. Choreographed to feel utterly realistic, culminating with all involved physically exhausted to the point of near incapacitation, the director, along with cinematographer Jonathan Sela (Transformers: The Last Knight), manufactures the type of massive, instantly classic set

piece the type of which we’ll be talking about for some time to come. It’s worth the price of a matinee ticket all by itself, coming incredibly close to making the movie essential all on its lonesome.

But that script, while not terrible, just isn’t anywhere near as interesting as I kept hoping it would be. John Goodman, Bill Skarsgård and Til Schweiger are all more or less wasted in nothing roles that, save for that first member of the trio, end up going pretty much nowhere interesting. As for Jones, Marsan and Faulkner, none are utilized anywhere near to their potential, each wearing the shoes of moderately forgettable characters each could portray in their sleep. Only McAvoy and Boutella make lasting impressions, the former because of his unhinged, over-the-top unconstrained cartoonishness and the latter for a haunting trepidation I personally found captivating.

Still, I want people to see Atomic Blonde. Theron is wonderful and Leitch proves he’s got impressive directorial chops. As dopey as the central mystery at the heart of this Cold War spy-versus-spy tale might be, I was never bored for a single second as I watched things play themselves.

More importantly, the action sequences achieve a magical eloquence that had me grinning ear-to-ear in perpetual glee.

While the movie never lives up to its potential, it’s still a heck of a lot of fun to watch nonetheless, and if Theron had the desire to bring Lorraine back to the screen for a second adventure I guarantee I’d be first in line to find out what it is she might now be up to.

Explore volunteer opportunities at Edmonds Center for the Arts!

Edmonds Center for the Arts (ECA) will be hosting their annual New Volunteer Open House on Tuesday, August 15 at 5:30pm. The event will take place at Edmonds Center for the Arts, located at 410 Fourth Avenue North in Edmonds, WA.

10 Seattle Gay News

Learn more about ECA’s programs and events, get to know their vibrant volunteer community, take a tour of the theatre and learn how you can be a part of the family.

ECA volunteers have the opportunity to share their skills and love of the arts as they connect with people of all ages and backgrounds. They do this in a fascinating environment while interacting with diverse groups of people, and knowing that they are helping to create unique experiences that will surprise, delight, entertain, and educate tens of thousands of patrons each year.

You can support Edmonds Center for

July 28, 2017

the Arts through ushering, concessions, box office, administration and special events.

ECA provides all necessary training and no experience is required! It’s a great way to get involved in your community, make new friends, enjoy the arts and make a difference. Be a part of the ECA Experience!

If you have questions or would like to volunteer, please contact ECA’s Director of Patron Services, Jim Kristian at (425) 2759480 or jim@ec4arts.org for more information, or the volunteer office at volunteer@ ec4arts.org.

About Edmonds Center for the Arts Edmonds Center for the Arts (ECA) is a non-profit performing arts facility located in scenic downtown Edmonds, Washington. Located in the historic original Edmonds High School building, ECA was remodeled and opened in October 2006 to be a cultural resource for the Puget Sound region through performing arts presentations, community partnerships and Education & Outreach programs.

Courtesy of Edmonds Center for the Arts

Celebrating 43 Years!

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Celebrating 43 Years!

Uneven Valerian an eye-popping sci-fi conundrum

Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets – Photo courtesy of STX Entertainment

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS Now playing It is the 28th century. Major Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Sergeant Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are interplanetary special agents tasked with maintaining law and order in human territories throughout the galaxy. After a daring rescue of a rare, endangered creature inside an intra-dimensional marketplace, the pair is ordered by the Minister of Defense (Herbie Hancock) to head to the space station Alpha, a massive installation that houses over a thousand unique species of life, all of them living together in symbiotic harmony.

Something horrible is growing at the center of the station, a mysterious force that could destroy all who live there. After Commander Arun Filitt (Clive Owen) is abducted by a strange, unidentified alien race, it is up to Valerian and Laureline to both bring him home safe as well as learn as much as they can about this nondescript danger threatening Alpha. But the truth they discover is so much more expansive and terrible than any they could have imagined, the two special agents forced into a corner where doing the right thing will have unimaginable consequences for, not just the space station and the civilizations living aboard it, but the entire universe as well.

Based on the acclaimed French comic book series Valerian and Laureline by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières, Luc Besson’s Valerian and the City of Thousand Planets is an obvious labor of love made by a filmmaker with an exquisite eye for detail, an ability to stage action like few others can and a tendency towards juvenile excess bordering on obnoxious. The movie is equal parts profound and ponderous, so far ahead of the curve as far as gender and race are concerned only to move aggressively backward on those very same fronts, sometimes within the same scene.

A convoluted eye-popping mess that never feels as long as its 137-minute running time yet could easily shed a number of pointless subplots and not lose a bit of its cohesion, Besson’s adventurous and risky adaptation is as uniquely perplexing a misfire as anything 2017 has seen, and for my part I can’t wait to see it again.

The first half hour is glorious. Starting with the mesmerizing opening credits depicting the evolution of the International

Space Station into the gigantic mass of a thousand planets that will become known as Alpha and leaves Earth’s orbit to travel the galaxy, and culminating with a wickedly devastating prologue featuring a lithe, angelically reptilian alien race at one with their environment, Besson immediately immerses the viewer inside a visually resplendent sci-fi landscape unlike anything I’d seen before. But more than just an exquisite use of special effect and immersive 3-D camerawork, these sequences also overflow in emotional resonance. The cumulative power of these opening montages is astounding, Besson coming close to achieving a tearful punch to the gut that reminded me of Pixar’s Up, forcing me to inch forward in my seat as I eagerly anticipated what was coming next while a gigantic mournful lump formed in my throat in the very same instant.

But then the director immediately undercuts himself and his film, delivering a tired, tone-deaf joke as he introduces Valerian and Laureline on a virtual beach. Their banter is unpleasant and childish, and the early warning signs that DeHaan, an excellent actor who has delivered superb performance in films as diverse as Chronicle, The Place Beyond the Pines and this year’s underrated mind-bending thriller A Cure for Wellness, isn’t going to be up to the task of portraying a Han Solo meets James Bond heroic rogue are immediately evident. The sexually-charged banter he and Delevingne engage in is flat, tin-eared and moderately offensive, and while I’m sure the idea is to put a satirical spin on the concept of a

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mildly misogynistic hero, to say there’s just not enough wit or nuance located anywhere inside Besson’s script to pull that off is understating the case mightily.

Yet, it takes the talented director all of about five minutes to right the ship, Valerian and Laureline landing on the planet Kirian to attempt a secret mission to steal back an endangered creature at the intra-dimensional Big Market. This is an astonishing set piece, one that utilizes every ounce of the film’s massive $180-million production budget brilliantly. It’s a wondrous bit of crazy, visually rambunctious nonsense and Besson orchestrates events with intricate precision. Tension ratchets up nicely, the gags are funny and the action is spectacular, so by the time the two special agents left Kirian chased by a giant slobbering dog monster I was positive the filmmaker had regained his footing and was about to show me something exceptional.

Only that doesn’t happen. Besson once again slams things into narrative reverse, delivering snippets of expositional dialogue so bad George Lucas would likely raise an eyebrow in disgust. Additionally, as convoluted and as crazy as the plot appears to be, the actual mystery that has placed Alpha in jeopardy isn’t very interesting. Same in regards to the identity of the villain responsible for creating the mess Valerian and Laureline are tasked with cleaning up, the climactic reveal likely to shock absolutely no one sitting in the theatre. It’s all disappointingly underwhelming, especially so considering just how magnificent so much of the film’s first act proves to be.

Even so, the movie is still impossible to dismiss. Besson stages a number of crackerjack action bits, notably a phenomenal chase throughout the interior of Alpha with Valerian literally crashing between different alien worlds and environments as he attempts to catch Arun’s kidnapper. Each realm is meticulously realized down to the smallest detail even if it only appears for a handful of seconds, and even though all of it is practically 100% computer generated, there is a tactile feeling of depth and solidity that only helps give things an extra coat of authenticity. Besson uses the 3-D in a fashion that helps submerge the viewer inside his fantastical world, the picture equal to James Cameron’s Avatar, Martin Scorsese’s Hugo and Ang Lee’s Life of Pi in that regard.

Thing is, every time I had to focus on the two main characters, the noticeable holes in all of this started to grow bigger and become more bothersome. DeHaan is, for likely the first time in his young career, blandly forgettable, and while Delevingne fairs a lot better than her costar, the actress’s athletic physicality sublime, Besson’s script does her no favors, shortchanging the character in ways that are close to inexcusable. As progressive as the movie might be as far as gender, race and sex are concerned, it is equally regressive on those fronts in ways previous efforts from the director, most notably La Femme Nikita, Léon: The Professional, The Fifth Element and Lucy, never were.

It’s a balancing act, one that Besson is frustratingly unable to maintain, the director falling off his tightrope on a number of occasions. He introduces fascinating side characters like a shape shifting indentured sex worker named Bubble, ebulliently portrayed by Rihanna, and then refuses to do much that’s memorable with them. He brings in a wide range of familiar faces for supporting roles, actors like Hancock, Owen, Ethan Hawke and Rutger Hauer, only to give them nothing to do. Only Alain Chabat as the googly-eyed Bob the Pirate makes an impression, the veteran French actor having an obvious blast and thankfully his enthusiasm for the character ends up being infectious.

I can’t dismiss what Besson has done here. Goodness knows, if given the opportunity I’d likely head back out to the theatre to give it another look this very second if I could. The stuff that works is breathlessly magical, the director presenting a fantastical science fiction wonderland that’s second to none. But the black hole at the center of things that are the two heroes themselves makes maintaining interest difficult, as do the screenplay’s more inane absurdities.

I find that I want to like Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets more than I actually do, even if the stuff that’s great about the film is downright extraordinary.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets – Photo courtesy of STX Entertainment

July 28, 2017

Seattle Gay News 15

Heartfelt Midwife delivers authentic human drama

Catherine Deneuve and Catherine Frot in The Midwife – Photo courtesy of Curiosa Films

by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer THE MIDWIFE Now playing Claire Breton (Catherine Frot) is a trusted midwife working for a small Paris clinic that is being shut down by the hospital that runs it in order to move staff to a larger, more technologically advanced facility with an emphasis on pushing patients in and out quickly more than it is in treating them as individuals. While administrators and coworkers desperately want her to stay on, she’s not so sure, and after three decades in the profession where she puts the pregnant mother first changing that now isn’t something she wants to do.

While navigating through the few final weeks of the clinic’s existence, Claire spends her free time tending her garden plot, trying to help her medical student son Simon (Quentin Dolmaire) figure out his future and enter into a blossoming romantic friendship with gregarious international truck driver Paul Baron (Olivier Gourmet).

She also finds herself face-to-face with her late father’s beloved mistress Béatrice Sobolevski (Catherine Deneuve), the woman more of a compatriot and parent to her than her birth mother ever was. But Claire hasn’t seen Béatrice in years, not since her sudden departure helped fuel an unspeakable family tragedy, and after all these decades of silence she’s not certain their reunion deserves to be a pleasant one.

The Midwife might be a quiet, straight-

forward movie, but that does not mean there still isn’t a lot going on inside writer/ director Martin Provost’s (Séraphine) latest, exquisitely acted melodrama. Deeply emotional, filled with little moments that brought hushed tears to my eyes, this story of a middle-aged woman at personal, familial and professional crossroads is continually enthralling, and even when cancer scares and unintended pregnancies get thrown into the mix there is an aura of captivating authenticity that permeates things start to finish. It’s an acutely self-aware motion picture that never overplays its dramatic hand, and as such become far more affecting as it builds to its gentle, reflectively contemplative climax.

This is a measured story, and Provost doesn’t appear to care that things proceed at their own leisurely pace. He is intent on making sure each step in Claire’s journey happens at its own naturalistic fashion, the filmmaker transitioning between scenes of her conversing with Béatrice, dealing with Paul’s advances with secretively bemused enjoyment and assisting her son with his medical school anxieties. All of these incidents come to pass only when necessary, the director never tossing in subplots or side developments just for the sake of doing so.

Provost treats every happening, even Béatrice’s gambling addiction and inability to let go of her more insalubrious indulgences (red meat, smoking, whiskey, etc.), with respectful restraint, finding the inherent humor in tragedy and the requisite heartbreak that can often accompany one’s greatest moments of happiness.

Deneuve, a cinematic legend and one of the world’s greatest living actresses, plays a character not that far removed from some of her more iconic roles. Béatrice is Séverine from Belle de Jour, Geneviève from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and Marion from The Last Metro all rolled into an older, if not altogether wiser, package. She is a woman who has lived life to its fullest, do-

PETS OF THE WEEK

ing so with a wide-eyed joie de vivre that’s both desirable and regrettable. Deneuve portrays this woman with a winsome gracefulness that hints at the regret she goes out of her way to conceal, and while Béatrice doesn’t spend a lot of time ruminating on the missteps and mistakes of her life, it is the ones that involve Claire that haunt her, even if she goes out of her way not to show it.

Frot, another French superstar, who has been nominated for her country’s César Award (France’s answer to the Oscar) ten times, winning twice for her performances in 2015’s Marguerite and 1996’s Family Resemblances, is equally outstanding, bringing Claire to life with vividly realized intensity. Her determined resolve, her ability to channel a variety of emotions at the drop of the hat, changing on a dime depending on the situation of a given moment, all of it is stunning.

There is a moment where a woman, drenched from a pouring rain, on the verge of giving birth any second, arrives at Claire’s clinic on its last night of operation.

The midwife leaps into action, leading her team to do their best work at a moment’s notice even though none of them were supposed to have any patients that evening.

It all builds to a stunning realization that brings everything marvelously full circle, Frot’s channeling of these varying emotional crescendos a beguiling symphony of the human condition that’s amazing.

Provost never dwells too long on any one scene, his directorial confidence apparent throughout. While this story does not go anyplace that’s particularly surprising, the emotions it displays unfailingly are.

With Frot and Deneuve at the top of their respective games, with Gourmet adding tenderly soulful support, The Midwife ends up delivering on all fronts, making it a drama all involved should feel vast amounts of pride assisting in the birth of.

Adoption Center

Sunday – Wednesday | 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Thursday – Saturday | 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

13212 SE Eastgate Wy, Bellevue, WA 98005 (425) 649-7563 | adoption@seattlehumane.org

Meet Brizinger, an incredibly affectionate 8-year-old tabby girl!

Brizinger is a real sweetheart who will ask you for lots of pets and chin scratches. You can’t help but look at and admire this beautiful kitty when she curls up for a peaceful nap or she rubs up against your legs for attention.

With her wonderful personality, Brizinger would make the perfect addition to your family. Brizinger is currently cozied up at PetSmart in Bellevue, one of Seattle Humane’s satellite partner locations. Say hello to this sweet girl – you’ll be glad you did!

As with all of our cats, Brizinger is spayed, microchipped and vaccinated. All of our cats have been tested for Feline Leukemia/ FIV and go home with a certificate for an examination by a King County veterinarian and their very own identification tag and collar. PLUS, most cat adoptions include 30 days of pet insurance from Trupanion - a great way to start off on the right paw!

Meet Shadow, a 9-year-old Chihuahua, who would love to be your snuggle bug. This sweet boy prefers a little more time to get used to his environment, and people who move at his pace. Once he gets to know you, his favorite spot in the world is where he can be right next to & love on his people. Shadow would do well with a quiet owner who can help his personality shine. He’s sure to be a sweet,loyal member of your family.

If you have room in your heart and home for this sweet boy, then come meet him today at the Seattle Humane – you'll be glad you did! Introduce to children 16 years and older. Resident dogs are required to visit Shadow prior to adoption.

As with all of our dogs, Shadow has been neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated. He will go home with a certificate for an examination by a King County veterinarian and an identification tag. PLUS, most dog adoptions include 30 days of pet insurance from Trupanion and a training rebate when you complete a dog behavior course - a great way to start off on the right paw!

16 Seattle Gay News

July 28, 2017

Celebrating 43 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

July 28, 2017

Seattle Gay News 17

Volunteer Park

• BACON MANSION

E. PROSPECT ST.

E. WARD ST. E. ALOHA ST.

12TH AVE. E.

E. ROY ST.

16TH AVE. E.

15TH AVE. E.

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• B&B ON BROADWAY E. ROY ST. • UNDER U 4 MEN

E. VALLEY ST. 14TH AVE. E.

11TH AVE. E.

FEDERAL AVE. E.

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BROADWAY E.

• THE CANTERBURY E. REPUBLICAN ST. E. HARRISON ST.

E. THOMAS ST.

E AV

10TH AVE. E. Cal Anderson Park

• UPS STORE

11TH AVE.

E. HOWELL ST.

• CLUB Z BATHS

• THE STRANGER

NAGLE PL.

BROADWAY

HARVARD AVE. E.

Seattle Central Community College

• LINDAʼS • BILLʼS OFF BROADWAY

C.C. ATTLEʼS• BOYLSTON AVE.

• GLOʼS BELMONT AVE.

• LAMBERT HOUSE

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E. DENNY WAY

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• BALTIC ROOM

• HOT MAMAʼS PIZZA • TOYS IN BABELAND

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SUMMIT AVE.

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• SIMPLY FRAMES & MINER GALLERY

STUDIO 229 • NYX/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 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 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 POKE BAR - 1542 12th Ave - 402-5178 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 ROOT TABLE 2213 NW Market St. - 420-3214 SEATTLE EAGLE - 314 E. Pike - 621-7591 SHORTY’S 2222 2nd Ave - 441-5449 STOUT -1530 11th Ave - 397-3825 TOULOUSE PETIT 601 Queen Anne Ave N - 432-9069 UNICORN - 1118 E Pike - 325-6492

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 HASHTAG - 3540 Stone Way N - 946-8157 NEW YORK EXCHANGE 225 Broadway E. - 726-3300 ONYX LEATHER - 1605 12th Ave. #8 - 328-1965 OZ - 3831 Stone Way N - 251-0630 PANACHE 225 Broadway E. - 726-3300 RUCKUS 1465 E Republican St. - 257-4805 THE FANTASY SHOP 9630 16th Ave. SW - 762-3299 TABOO ADULT VIDEO 9813 16th Ave SW - 767-4855 TOYS IN BABELAND - 707 E. Pike St. - 328-2914 UNDER U 4 MEN 709 Broadway Ave. E. - 324-6446 UNCLE IKE’S 2310 E Union St - 1-800-GET-DRUGS 501 15th Ave E - 1-800-GET-DRUGS 9822 15th Ave SW - 1-800-GET-DRUGS WILD AT HEART 1111 NW Leary Way - 782-5538

BELLINGHAM

LOVER’S 193 Telegraph Road - (360) 752-1862 RUMORS CABARET 1119 Railroad - (306) 671-1849

DES MOINES

ADULT AIRPORT VIDEO 2 21635 Pacific Hwy S - 878-7780

EVERETT

ADULT AIRPORT VIDEO 11732 Airport Road - (425) 290-7555 LOVER’S - 112 SE Everett - (425) 353-3607 LOVER’S - 3402 Broadway - (425) 252-8754

E. PINE ST.

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• DOGHOUSE LEATHERS

E. PIKE ST. • CHOP SUEY • MADISON PUB • DIESEL BAR • PONY

WILDROSE - 1021 E. Pike - 324-9210 ZIPPY’S GIANT BURGERS 5633 Airport Way S - 466-5954 9614 14th Ave SW - 763-1347

RETAIL SHOPS

• THE GASLIGHT INN

• POCO WINE ROOM

• THE CUFF COMPLEX • POKE BAR

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

PORT ANGELES MAPLE ROSE INN 112 Reservoir Rd - (800) 570-2007

SPOKANE

ANDY’S 1401 W. 1st Ave. - (509) 747 - 0304 STRAY NIGHTCLUB 415 W. Sprague Ave. - (509) 624 - 4450 NYNE BAR AND BISTRO 232 W. Sprague Ave. - (509) 474 -1621

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

TRI-CITIES

CLUB OUT & ABOUT 327 W. Lewis St., Pasco - (509) 543-3796

TUKWILA

LOVER’S 530 Southcenter Blvd. - (206) 248-5085

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

18 Seattle Gay News

July 28, 2017

Celebrating 43 Years!

community calendar

Meetings Events Activities

TO GET A CALENDAR LISTING: To have your meeting or event considered for the Community Calendar, please mail, fax, or drop off 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 visible or hidden 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.

SATURDAY - July 29

Puget Sound Fly Fishing Fair. 9am-4pm. Environmental Services Building, 98850 64th St W, University Place.

Special programs for beginners through advanced; special presentations; buy/sell/trade swap meet. FREE. For more information visit PSFF.org. Sponsored by International Federation of Fly Fishers.

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.

Bellevue Arts Museum ARTSfair and Bellevue Festival of Arts (7/28-7/30). Bellevue Square and surrounding area, NE 8th Ave & Bellevue Way, Bellevue.

The Northwest’s premiere arts & crafts festival.

Charleena Lyles Benefit with Seahawks Michael Bennett, Not This Time, and the King County NAACP. 10am-1pm, Judkins Park, 2150 S Norman St. Community gathering with food vendors, merchandise, arts & crafts vendors to help raise funds to benefit the family of Charleena Lyles. www.notthistime.global.

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.

Affordable Seattle Campaign Launch. 1pm. Washington Hall, 153 14th Ave. www.affordableseattle.net Mature Friends Monthly Potluck. 6pm. Wallingford Community Senior Center, Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, Suite 140. Monthly potluck meets last Saturday most months. MF is a social organization for Gay men & women, 40 years & over. www.maturefriends. org [Remaining schedule for 2017: August annual picnic - check website for details, 9/30, 10/28, 11/18 one week early due to Thanksgiving, 12/30.]

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.oasisyouthcenter.org.

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 Chamber Music in the Park. 7pm. Volunteer Park Amphitheatre. FREE outdoor concert featuring Borodin’s “Quintet for Strings in F minor” and Beethoven’s “Septet for Strings and Winds in E-flat Major, Op. 20.” Presented by the Seattle Chamber Music Society.

Emerald City Black Pride Party. 9pm-3am. Hillman City Collaboratory, 5623 Rainier Ave S. This one will be for the records. Grab your boo(s), put on something fabulous and party with us to celebrate #black-love in style on the South end. Featuring Sassyblack and Darqness. Sponsored by the Center for Multicultural Health. www.facebook.com/nwprideofcolor/events

SUNDAY - July 30

Center for Spiritual Living. Services 8:25, 9:45, 11:30am. 5801 Sand Point Way NE. Blessings & we hope to see you soon! Info 527-8801 ext 203, www. cslseattle.org Ravenna United Methodist Church. 5751 33rd Ave NE. 8:30am “Seattle’s most dangerous Sunday school;” 9:45am worship. A reconciling congregation, fully inclusive and affirming of LGBTQ persons. 525-7988.

Seattle Unity Church. 9am & 11am-Sunday Services.

200 8th Ave N. “Come join our Gay & Lesbian-friendly, spiritual family at Seattle Unity Church. Our mission is to bring love, miracles & spiritual awakening into everyday life!” 622-8475; www.seattleunity.org.

Gay Men’s Bowling in Everett. 9:30am. Glacier Lanes, 9630 Evergreen Way, Everett. 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 [NOTE: Location corrected 7-28-17] Bellevue Arts Museum ARTSfair and Bellevue Festival of Arts (7/28-7/30). Bellevue Square and surrounding area, NE 8th Ave & Bellevue Way, Bellevue.

The Northwest’s premiere arts & crafts festival.

Central Lutheran Church. 10am-Worship. 1710 11th Ave (just north of E Pine St). An open & affirming church, which in Lutheran churches is called “Reconciled in Christ.” “We seek to share God’s love with all people regardless of race, age, gender or sexual orientation.”

All are welcome. 322-7500.

July 29 thru August 6 for Gay & Bi men who desire recovery from meth. For information visit www.strengthoverspeed.org. SASG 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org 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. Seattle Unity Church, 200 8th Ave N. Every Monday (except holidays & the last Mondays in August & December). Seattle’s only LGBT speaking club. www.FreelySpeaking.or Orca Swim Team Workout. Evening. Seattle University, Connolly Athletic Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday listing.)

Trans Youth Group. 7-8:30pm. Lambert House, 1818 15th Ave. Every Monday. A chance for youth to talk 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 Unity Gay Men’s AA Group in Tacoma. 7:30pm. New Heart MCC, 759 S 45th St. Tacoma. Every Monday.

(253) 474-8897.

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.

POV Documentary: “Memories of a Penitent Heart.”

10pm. KCTS-TV (Ch. 9) Through home movies, audio recordings, family photos, letters and interviews, Cecilia Aldarondo’s “Memories of a Penitent Heart” reconstructs her uncle Miguel’s New York life, one he lived far from his family, especially his religious mother. Along the way, her investigation untangles a knot of family secrets, denials and repressed conflicts. [Repeat broadcast on 8/1 at 1am.)

TUESDAY - August 1

East Shore Unitarian Church. 10am-Sunday Service.

12700 SE 32nd St, Bellevue. An open & affirming congregation. (425) 747-3780.

Gethsemane Lutheran Church. 10am-Worship. 911 Stewart St. A downtown faith community centered in justice. An open & affirming congregation. 682-3620.

University Congregational United Church of Christ.

All ages education 9am, Worship 10am. 4515 16th Ave NE. UCUCC is an open & affirming congregation. 5242322; www.universityucc.org.

Wallingford United Methodist Church. 10am-Worship.

2115 N 42nd St. A progressive congregation. In 1984 Wallingford UMC became the 9th reconciling Methodist church in the U.S. 547-6945 (office); 285-5077 (George).

All Pilgrims Christian Church. 10:30am-Worship.

500 Broadway E. Come as you are. All are welcome.

A congregation of the Disciples of Christ & the United Church of Christ. 322-0487, www.allpilgrims.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.

Emerald City Metropolitan Community Church Seattle. 11am-Worship. Chapel at University Temple United Methodist Church, 1415 NE 43rd St. MCC is a progressive Christ-centered faith community committed to providing a nurturing environment for individual & community growth thru Jesus Christ while celebrating unity in diversity. MCC is Seattle’s oldest Gay-friendly church. 325-2421, www.mccseattle.org.

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.dharmabuddies.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.

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

Visit us online www.sgn.org

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)

Gay Men’s Task Force of Snohomish County in Everett. 6-8pm. Snohomish Health District, 3020 Rucker Ave Ste 309A, Everett. Meets 1st Tuesday each month.

Open to all Gay & Bisexual men in Snohomish County.

“We will be discussing issues concerning the local Gay community & value your opinion, voice, comments, suggestions & attendance. Come join us as we build community in Snohomish County.” David, (425) 339-5238.

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 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.

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. It’s easy, it’s fun & anyone can do it! Learn traditional African & AfroCaribbean rhythms & basic hand drumming techniques.

Experience connection, community & spirituality. 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 Here & Now Gay & Lesbian AA Meeting in Tacoma.

7:30pm. Christ Episcopal Church, 310 N “K” St, Tacoma.

Every Tuesday.

Spiritual Empowerment. 7:30-9pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. A group for all LGBT & friends of any

July 28, 2017

Seattle Gay News 19

Emerald City Black Pride Family Reunion. 1-6pm.

Alvin Larkins Park, 1504 34th Ave. Black Pride: It’s a family affair. Get ready to cut up and chill out at this all-ages event complete with music, art, food, fun and more. Children and their caregivers are welcome. This event is FREE and open to the public. Additional support provided by the Seattle Public Library. Sponsored by the Center for Multicultural Health. www.facebook. com/nwprideofcolor/events 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 Rain City Soccer Club - Kickabout. Sunday afternoon usually at 3pm. Location varies. Join us for Seattle’s mostly-weekly mostly-LGBTQ pickup soccer game. We play an organized, 2-hour scrimmage on nice fieldturf surface. Sometimes there is a brief training/practice session before we play. Usually there is a “one-beer” after the scrimmage. To sign up visit www.raincitysoccer.org 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.

Integrity/Puget Sound. 7pm-Worship & Fellowship. St. Mark’s Cathedral, Thomson Chapel, 1245 10th Ave E. Integrity is an international ministry of Gay & Lesbian Episcopalians, their friends & families, dedicated to education, support & service within the Church & the GLBT community. (425) 226-2746.

Noche Latina - Latino Night. 10pm. Neighbours, 1509 Broadway. Every Sunday.

MONDAY - July 31

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 2

community calendar

Mature Friends Walk Around Greenlake. 11am. Meet up at 10:50am with a group of older men gathered at the north end of the parking lot that is next to the boathouse along the southwest side of Greenlake. Every Wednesday. Walk around Greenlake followed by lunch at a local restaurant. 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 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 Book Club. 6pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E (upstairs). Meets every Wednesday. This month’s title is “Crazy for Vincent” by Herve Guibert.

Southeast Seattle Lesbian Evening Group. 6pm.

Southeast Seattle Senior Center, 4655 S Holly St. Meets the 1st Wednesday of every month. RSVP to Kate Hawkins 722-0317. www.sessc.org. FREE. Lotus Sisters Meditation & Dharma Discussion North. 6:15-8pm. Ravenna Bryant neighborhood. Meets every Wednesday. Call 525-7295 for location. www.

LotusSisters.org.

Center for Spiritual Living. 6:30pm-Meditation, 7pmService. 5801 Sand Point Way NE. Blessings & we hope to see you soon! Info 527-8801 ext 203, www. cslseattle.org Gay Men of Wisdom’s “Living Out Your Gifts.”

6:30-8:30pm. Companis, 1111 Harvard Ave. Monthly discussion group meets first Wednesday each month.

No registration required. Just drop in. Suggested donation: $15 or whatever you would like to offer. No one turned away for inability to pay. For more information visit www.gaymenofwisdom.org or email peter@gaymenofwisdom.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. No fee, donations welcome. www.ingersollcenter.org Mature Friends Weekly Bridge Group. 7pm. Wallingford Community Senior Center, lower level of Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnywide Ave N. Every Wednesday. All levels welcome. MF is a social organization for Gay men & women, 40 years & over. www. maturefriends.org Orca Swim Team Workout. Evening. Seattle University, Connolly Athletic Center, 14th Ave & E Cherry St. (See Sunday listing.)

PFLAG/Renton Monthly Meeting. 7pm. St Luke’s Episcopal Church, 99 Wells Ave S, Renton. Meets 1st Wednesday each month. Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays is a national support organization for parents, spouses & families of GLBT persons, as well as those minorities. PFLAG/Renton: 425-235-4139. PFLAG/ Puget Sound: 325-7724. www.seattle-pflag.org.

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 Pinochle Group. 7:30pm. Wallingford Community Senior Center, lower level of Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnywide Ave N. Meets the 1st & 3rd Wednesday each month All levels welcome. MF is a social organization for Gay men & women, 40 years & over. www.maturefriends.org Pride Skate Seattle. 8:30-11pm. Southgate Roller Rink, 9646 17th Ave SW. First Wednesday of every month. $8 admission includes skate rental. Must be 18+, with 21+ bar. Performances, roller skating, and fun! See you there! www.southgaterollerrink.com 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.

SATURDAY - August 5

attend. Facilitator: Fai Coffin; Cost: Free for gathering; $5 suggested donation for lunch. Metro route 7. Wheelchair accessible. Kate, 722-0317; www.sessc.org.

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.

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 Q Hour. 4:30-5:30pm. Orion Center, 1828 Yale Ave. 1st & 3rd Thursday of every month. A group for LGBTQ youth 13-21 & their allies. Sponsored by Youthcare.

FREE. 622-5555 x 212.

First Thursday Art Walk in Downtown Seattle/Pioneer Square. 5-9pm. Art galleries in Downtown Seattle/Pioneer Square host opening night receptions. Seattle Art Museum is free today.

Rouge at Maximilien. 5-7pm. 81a Pike Place Market.

Live Parisian music during First Thursday Art Walk.

Seattle Human Rights Commission. 6-8pm. Seattle City Hall, 600 4th Ave. Meets 1st Thursday each month.

SHRC is made up of 15 citizen representatives who advise the Mayor, the City Council, & all City of Seattle Depts in matters regarding human rights. The commission advocates for justice & equal opportunity & collaborates with & educates the public & private sectors about how to prevent & eliminate discrimination city-wide.

Meetings open to the public. 684-4540.

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.

THURSDAY - August 3 Crystal Meth Anonymous. 6:30pm. Capitol Hill PresALISS - Aging Lesbians in South Seattle Lunch byterian Church, 1729 Harvard Ave. Also meets Mon Gathering. 11:30am-2:30pm. Southeast Seattle Senior @ 6:30pm, Sat @ 10:30am, Sun @ 6:30pm. More info: Center, 4655 S Holly St, Rainier Ave S & S Holly St., Arts crystalmeth.org. & Crafts Room. Meets 1st Thursday each month. This is a group primarily for Lesbians but all are welcome to

20 Seattle Gay News

info at www.OutandEqualSeattle.org.

AA Ageless in Recovery. 12noon-1pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Meets every Friday. A drop in AA group for older & wiser people 55+. www.sasgcc.org Re-Parenting Ourselves. 12noon-1pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Meets every Friday. A peer support group for adult children of any addiction. www. sasgcc.org SLAA Road to Recovery. 12noon-1:30pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Meets every Friday. Ongoing 12 step group for sex & love addicts. www.sasgcc.org Oasis Youth Center in Tacoma - For Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning Youth, Ages 14-25. 4-10pm. Call for location & details. Every Friday.

(253) 671-2838, www.oasisyouthcenter.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. www.strengthoverspeed.org. SASG 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org 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 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.

Destiny Gay AA Group in Tacoma. 7:30pm. New Heart MCC, 759 S 45th St, Tacoma. Every Friday.

(253) 474-8897.

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. 8pm.

SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201 - in the O’Neill Room.

Every Friday. (See related listing Sunday at noon for details.) Greater Seattle AIS 24-hour number 625-0000; www.seattle-al-anon.org

July 28, 2017

Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation - Contemplative Service. 6:30pm. 7141 California Ave SW. 935-0418, office@wsuu.org, www.wsuu.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 Rainbow Duplicate Bridge. 7pm. Bus-accessible Central Area location. Every Thursday. (See Saturday listing at 6pm.)

Seattle Prime Timers Coffee Reunion. 7pm. Kaladi Brothers Coffee, 517 E Pike St. Meets 1st Thursday each month. Monthly social meet & greet. Bus routes 2, 9, 10, 11, 43, 47, 49 & 60 and the new Capitol Hill/First Hill streetcar go within 3-4 blocks of Kaladi Bros. www. seattleprimetimers.org Buddhism & Recovery. 7:30-9pm. SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Thursday. A meditation/recovery group. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Emerald City Social Club. 7:30pm. Call for details & location - phone staffed most Tuesday evenings or leave message. Meets 1st Thursday each month. ECSC is a confidential crossdressing social & support organization for Transvestite & Transsexual individuals, primarily MTF, which offers confidential membership, private monthly meetings, frequent events on the town, & help in coming out. (425) 827-9494.

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 Gay Male Sexuality & Relationships. 7:30-9pm.

SASG, 115 15th Ave E, Suite 201. Every Thursday. A discussion group that is strictly focused on sexual topics and relationship issues related to being a Gay male.

322-2437; www.sasgcc.org

FRIDAY - August 4

Out & Equal Seattle 2017 Northwest LGBT Career Fair. 10am-2pm. ATLAS Workbase, 500 Mercer St. Meet employers who want to hire you! You will have the chance to speak with employers and apply for open positions. No advance registration required; however, if possible, please RSVP to OutandEqualSeattle.org. More

(See previous Saturday for ongoing activities.)

Northwest Bears Potluck and Meet & Greet Beer Bust. 6pm. The Cuff, 1533 13th Ave at E. Pine St. Meets 1st Saturday each month. Northwest Bears is a Gay men’s social and service organization providing a focal point within the Gay community for Bears and Bear admirers. www.nwbears.com.

Seattle Center Movies at the Mural - “La La Land.”

Arrive early for best seating; screening begins at dusk.

Seating is first-come, first-served. Spread out a blanket on the Mural Amphitheatre lawn, bring along a picnic or purchase dinner at the Seattle Center Armory. Low back chairs, blankets and bean bags are recommended.

Large bags, large coolers/ice chests, umbrellas and video and audio recorders are not allowed. Please leave pets at home.

SUNDAY - August 6

(See previous Sunday for ongoing activities.)

Border Riders Motorcycle Club First Sunday Ride.

Contact Border Riders for details and rendezvous point.

Meets 1st Sunday most months. BRMC provides a social & educational fraternity for individuals interested in recreational motorcycle touring. www.borderriders.com Knights of Mantra Monthly Meeting. 3pm. The Cuff, 1533 13th Ave. Meets 1st Sunday each month. K of M/Jet Chapter is a fun-loving leather/Levi social & charitable organization that raises money for various causes & organizations. 329-0886. www.facebook.com/ kofmjetchapter/ PFLAG/Kittitas County. 4-5:30pm. First United Methodist Church, 3rd & Ruby Sts, Ellensburg. Meets 1st Sunday each month. For information, (509) 925-7937.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Allyship - an organization of LGBTQ individuals fighting for economic and social justice. www.LGBTQAllyship. org, allyship@yahoo.com, 279-8169.

American Veterans for Equal Rights - www.aver.us Another Gay Social Club! - www.meetup.com/AnotherGay-Social-Club/ Bellingham/Whatcom County - www.theslowlane. com/guide.html BiNet Seattle is a mixed gender, social group for Bisexuals, their partners & other Bi-friendly folks - www. binetseattle.org.

Bremerton/Kitsap County - www.outwestsound.org Capitol Hill Alano Club - www.chacseattle.org Central Washington University GALA Hotline: (509) 963-1994.

DIFFA/Northwest (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS). 763-8885; www.diffanorthwest.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

Celebrating 43 Years!

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.equalrightswashington.org Everett/Snohomish Cty - www.gaysnohomish.org Freely Speaking Toastmasters - www.freelyspeaking.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. A wide range of fiction and non-fiction for the LGBT community and allies can be borrowed free of charge.

LGBT MS Connection - 250-5002; LGBTMSConnection@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.maturefriends.org; Northwest Bears: www.nwbears.com; The Olympians: www.TheOlympians.net; POZSeattle: www.pozseattle.org; Q-Squared: www.qsquared.org; Rain City Jacks: 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. (See also listings under Bisexual, Parenthood, People of Color, Transgender.)

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, including Alaska Airlines, Amazon.com, Amgen, AT&T, Bank of America, Deloitte, Macy’s, Microsoft, Russell Investments, Safeco Insurance, Starbucks Coffee, Xerox. 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/ proud-and-loud-families-northwest, plfnorthwest@aol. com; Queer Parent Networking Dinners: 568-7777, qpnd@nwnetwork.org, www.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.pflagseattle.org; PFLAG Bellevue/Eastside: 425483-6642, 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 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; Northwest Two Spirit Society, https:// www.facebook.com/groups/nw2spiritsociety/, 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; Sistah 2 Sistah, LBT women of African descent, 322-7061, 255-8951; Sistah Sinema, www.sistahsinema.com, info@sistahsinema.com; Trikone-Northwest, GLBT South Asians, (425) 985-

community calendar

4376, www.trikonenw.org; Two-Spirit Honor Project, 1-866-685-0164; U.T.O.P.I.A. Seattle.

Pierce County AIDS Foundation - 253-383-2565; www. piercecountyaids.org 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. www.voteseamec.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. Our work is done in a spirit of safety, trust, inclusiveness, and celebration of individual differences. 322-2437; www.sasgcc.org Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities is a community mental health service for GLBT persons & their families providing comprehensive mental health services on a sliding scale. 323-1768.

Seattle LGBTQ Commission - 684-4503.

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

Visit us online www.sgn.org

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 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.SouthSoundQCal.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; Festival of the Babes: www.festivalofthebabes.com; Olympic Yacht Club: www.oycnw.org; OutVentures: outdoor education & recreation activities, www.outventures.org; Pacific Northwest Gay Rodeo Association: www.pacificnwgra.org; Puddletown Squares: www. puddletownsquares.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.seattlefrontrunners.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

July 28, 2017

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: ALISS - Aging Lesbians in South Seattle - Lesbian Group at the Southeast Seattle Senior Center. This is a gathering primarily for Lesbians but all are welcome to attend. Kate, 722-0317; www.sessc. org; BABES: support groups for HIV+ women. 7205566, 1-888-292-1912; 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. (See also listings under Bisexual, Parenthood, People of Color, Transgender.)

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, 1818 15th Ave @ E Denny Way; 322-2515, www.lamberthouse.org; Lifelong HEYO (Health Education Youth Outreach): for LGBTQ youth, ages 16-24: 957-1665; www.llaa.org/HEYO; www.MatthewsPlace.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) Drop-In Center & Young Adult Shelter: 1609 19th Ave @ E Pine St., 726-8500; 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 - 360-6983335; 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; Roots Young Adult Shelter: 1415 NE 43rd St., 632-1635; www.rootsinfo.org; Safe Schools Coalition: www.safeschoolscoalition.org; 451SAFE (451-7233) (non-emergency), 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): 5247301 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 Young Adult Shelter: 1828 Yale Ave @ Stewart St. 622-5555; Youth in Focus: 723-1479; www.youthinfocus.org; Youth Suicide Prevention Program (OUTLoud-GLBTQ): 297-5922, ext 116, 1-800-273-TALK, www.yspp.org

Seattle Gay News 21

21 LICENSED MASSAGE - NON-SEXUAL EXCEPTIONAL BODYWORK

10 HOUSEMATES 11 FOR RENT

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. 28/12

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22 FOR SALE

12 HOUSING WANTED

35 TRANSGENDER 36 ESCORTS

MATURE, RESPONSIBLE, senior GWM seeks motherin-law apartment or similar situation in a gay or gayfriendly household in the country. Duvall, Carnation, Tiger Mountain. 425-209-7930. 21/3

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13 HOUSING FOR SALE

14 HELP WANTED 19 SERVICES HOME IMPROVEMENT Silver Hawk Services General Contractor SILVES*835KH Licensed Bonded & Insured I do pool painting, interior/exterior painting, remodeling, fire damage, water damage. 31/3 David - 206-465-6639

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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22 Seattle Gay News

38 MEN RAIN CITY JACKS

RCJ is Seattle’s private club hosting hundreds of group jack-off events since 2005. Hot, friendly, and genuine male bonding for men 18+ only. Email or visit our web site for information. info@raincityjacks.org; www. raincityjacks.org. 24/12

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FREE & ANONYMOUS HIV & STD COUNSELING/TESTING Walk-In or by Appt GAY CITY HEALTH PROJECT 517 E. Pike St. M-F: 3pm-8pm; SAT: 12:30pm-5pm More Info & to Schedule Appt 206-860-6969

37 BODYWORK EROTICALLY CHARGED nude full body rubdown from playful top, stimulating the senses. Get seduced. Incalls in Renton area. Scott, 206-355-4469. 25/3

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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. 28/12

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Sensual - Erotic - Swedish Massage Treatments. Rejuvenate, Refresh, Relax. Why Not Pamper Yourself?

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206-432-2606. Trevor. 28/3

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July 28, 2017

Celebrating 43 Years!

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July 28, 2017

Seattle Gay News 23