The Center for Black Equity held a gala event at the National Press Club on Saturday, Oct. 4. Awardees at “BE. A Gala for Black Equity” included Tracey Africa Norman, A. Cornelius Baker, Jack Mizrahi, Hope Giselle-Godsey, MOBI, Patrik-Ian Polk, Eva Marcille, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) and Big Freedia.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

The Dragon
Spooky Action Theater
1810 16th St., NW
$23-$43
Spookyaction.org

Weird and abusive, yet still inexplicably tolerated by the populace. That describes the titular ruler in “The Dragon,” the story of how a 400-year-old authoritarian regime endures, now running at Spooky Action Theater. 

Originally written by Evgeny Shvarts in the 1940s, “The Dragon” has the feel of a fairytale yet it’s a powerfully subversive play written (and banned) in Stalinist Russia.

And now adapted by Jesse Rasmussen and Yura Kordonsky for Spooky’s new production, the reworked play is relevantly and disturbingly set in an immigrant detention center with the tale acted out by the detainees. Their reality mixes with the story.

The new work is staged by the company’s artistic director Elizabeth Dinkova and performed by a five-person cast (including immigrants from South America, Syria, and Bangladesh) in Spooky’s black box theater on 16th street in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. 

Included among the players are Helen Hayes Award-winning actor Fran Tapia and talented actor Gabriel Alejandro, two residents of Columbia Heights, a diverse and currently heavily policed neighborhood in Northwest. While Tapia is working with a visa for those with extraordinary ability and Alejandro is a U.S. citizen, the vibe remains extremely worrying for much of the area’s population. 

Tapia, who self describes as “Chilean, Latina, queer and a proud immigrant,” says “The Dragon” resonates to her core: “Despite the stress, you keep going while everything around remains strange; you can’t be your authentic self. You’re thinking twice about what you’re saying and posting, and where and what time you go anywhere. Danger is there as much as we try to pretend it’s not.”

“The Dragon’s” actors are cast in multiple roles, Tapia plays Lancelot, the hero who comes to save the day; Sophia, a journalist who comes to report on detention center conditions; and a beautiful cat.   

“As Lancelot, I’m a bit of an outsider. He’s used to fixing things and helping people in distress. In this town the people are unaware that they need help.”

And regarding real life, Tapia says, “Immigration has become topsy turvy. It’s not unusual to see people being detained in broad daylight. It’s not unusual to have five police cars parked on the corner in the afternoon. It makes us think about how people respond to authority and absurd behavior.”

Similarly, Alejandro plays multiple roles including Henry, the son of the mayor (played by Ryan Sellers) and Officer Luis, a guard in the detention center. “Luis is comparatively a nice guy,” Alejandro explains, “Yet, he accepts what’s bad about the regime he serves.”

As a Latino, Alejandro is exploring his identity through the play. “In my daily routine I’m more anxious. I present in a way that I could be a target for the government even though I’m a U.S. citizen.”

What’s happening on the streets isn’t entirely alien to what’s happening in the play, he adds. “In the play, I have some power over people who look like me. I could be in the detention center, and that’s not altogether different from what’s going on in the real world.”

Alejandro who identifies as pansexual moved from his native Puerto Rico to D.C. six years ago. After acting in just one show the pandemic hit and work dried up. Next, he attended the Shakespeare Theatre’s MFA in Classical Acting program at George Washington University, and since graduating in 2023, he’s been consistently working as an actor, something he calls “a joy and privilege.” 

And as pansexual, he has an openness to people, says Alejandro. “That’s how I approach my characters. I find a way to love them. Even if they’re bad guys, I find a way to figure them out. That’s what I do here.”  

“The Dragon” is satirical, and funny. Still, we know what we’re referring to in the real world, which is very scary and painful. And yet, audiences are given permission to laugh without losing the gravity of the work. 

The 2025 Winchester Pride Festival was held at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, Va. on Saturday, Oct. 4.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)