Arts & Culture :: Culture

Bambi Lake, Oct. 20, 1950-Nov. 4, 2020: Trans chanteuse left a legacy of melancholy music

Bambi Lake, Oct. 20, 1950-Nov. 4, 2020: Trans chanteuse left a legacy of melancholy music

  • by August Bernadicou
  • Nov 5, 2020

Bambi Lake, an actor, singer and performer known for the song 'The Golden Age of Hustlers,' died Nov. 4. Along with her solo singing, Lake performed with The Cockettes and Angels of Light.

Blakk to the Future: The Agitprop of Joan Jett-Blakk's Queer Visibility

Blakk to the Future: The Agitprop of Joan Jett-Blakk's Queer Visibility

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Nov 3, 2020

Queer Nation Chicago inspired Terence Alan Smith to become Joan Jett-Blakk and run a write-in campaign amid the reelection campaign of Richard M. Daley, and later, a write-in run for the presidency.

Fall 2020 reading list: LGBTQ books in fiction and nonfiction

Fall 2020 reading list: LGBTQ books in fiction and nonfiction

  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Oct 27, 2020

Bryan Washington, Lucy Jane Bledsoe, Nicole Krauss and others have great new novels out. In nonfiction, Charles Monroe-Kane, Big Freedia and a book about Keith Haring top our recommended autumn reading list.

Theater, Technically: Bay Area plays with a political edge

Theater, Technically: Bay Area plays with a political edge

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Oct 27, 2020

Shotgun Players, Berkeley Repertory and Marin Theatre Company each have new shows ready to be viewed safely online, with astute and timely political and social messages told through innovative ways.

Art for/by the People: galleries and museums, re-opened and/or online

Art for/by the People: galleries and museums, re-opened and/or online

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Oct 25, 2020

As health safety precautions remain in effect, some large museums have reopened under careful guidelines, while others, including smaller galleries, showcase beautiful and thought-provoking works online.

Not curtains: theater companies adapt to retain audiences

Not curtains: theater companies adapt to retain audiences

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Oct 20, 2020

The most unusual new theater season in ages is now officially underway at Bay Area companies. From live-streamed productions to audio adaptations, new and classic plays are finding online audiences.

Equal time: History mini-series dramatizes LGBT lives

Equal time: History mini-series dramatizes LGBT lives

  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Oct 20, 2020

In honor of LGBTQ History month, HBO Max has produced a new limited four-episode docudrama series called Equal about the trailblazers and unsung heroes who fought for queer justice and equality in the pre-Stonewall era.

Dash-ing fun: gay noir comic released

Dash-ing fun: gay noir comic released

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Oct 19, 2020

'Dash,' the new noir-themed graphic novel from Northwest Press, blends classic mystery intrigue with a modern queer style.

When GAY was good: Pioneering weekly magazine covered community and arts scene

When GAY was good: Pioneering weekly magazine covered community and arts scene

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Oct 17, 2020

Two years before the Bay Area Reporter premiered, the New York City-based GAY covered politics, arts, civil rights and sexuality with a bold and groovy style. The complete issue collection from 1969 to 1974 is online.

Homing's In Oct. 15-24

Homing's In Oct. 15-24

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Oct 16, 2020

Mid-October, fall is ripe for surprises and scares. But you can still enjoy arts, nightlife and community events online, with several bars, museums and venues cautiously re-opening, too.

Chanticleer's engaging endurance: the choral group's new directors on music and a 'societal awakening'

Chanticleer's engaging endurance: the choral group's new directors on music and a 'societal awakening'

  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Oct 14, 2020

Chanticleer, founded in 1978 in San Francisco and dubbed as "the world's reigning male chorus," is not immune to the disruption engendered by the coronavirus. Yet despite tour cancellations, they continue to evolve and engage fans.

Poems, pops and pups: New works by Felice Picano, Yvonne Zipter, Michael Montlack

Poems, pops and pups: New works by Felice Picano, Yvonne Zipter, Michael Montlack

  • by Jim Piechota
  • Oct 6, 2020

New LGBTQ poetry available to distract and delight your senses and tickle your literary fancies, with works by Felice Picano, Michael Montlack and Yvonne Zipter.

Plot for Teacher: Hugh Jackman's school corruption flick gets an A+

Plot for Teacher: Hugh Jackman's school corruption flick gets an A+

  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Oct 6, 2020

Based on a true story, 'Bad Education,' the school financial corruption scandal tale, embodies our current political and social condition all too well. The acting and direction make it one of the finest movies of the year.

New photo books' loving look at LGBTQ lives

New photo books' loving look at LGBTQ lives

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Oct 5, 2020

Three new photo books visualize queer lives from the past and present day in uniquely different ways: Rainbow Revolution, Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love 1850s-1950s, and Self Evident Truths: 10,000 Portraits of Queer America.