Jun 23, 2006  |  By: GREG MARZULLO  | COMMENTS     

D.C. is seen by many as a conservative, uptight town that could use a little loosening up. Even the gay nightlife scene, full of standard house music and tribal-beat dance parties, could use a little sprucing up.
 
Hoping to bring something edgier to the scene, Karl Jones, one of the promoters behind D.C.’s monthly alternative dance night Taint, will debut a new event on Sunday, June 25, at 10 p.m. at the club DC9, located at 1940 9th St.
 
Titled “Crack,” the new theatrical event, party and overall burlesque of the bizarre is a showcase highlighting D.C. performers who have fallen through the cracks of the traditional art scene of the city.
 
“It’s something that’s a little out of the ordinary, performance-wise,” says Jones, who helped to develop the event along with Chris Farris and Shea Van Horn, a performer whose drag name is Summer Camp. “It’s dirty and off-color and funny and shocking.”
 
The doors will open at 8:30 p.m., and the show itself begins at 10 p.m. Performers will take the stage, hosted by Van Horn as Summer Camp, and the audience will weigh in on their favorite artist. The evening’s winner will receive a $500 cash prize. After the show, visitors can dance the night away until the bar closes around 2 a.m. A $7 entrance fee covers the entire night’s activities, although those unable to attend the show can join the dancing for $3.
 
“We’re interested in cultivating local talent,” Jones says.
 
The first Crack night will be a test-run for the developers who are wondering how frequently they’ll be able to hold the event should it prove popular.
 
“Our first thought is that it will be quarterly,” says Jones. “If it became popular enough, it could be monthly. It really is going to be a huge production. I don’t think we have the resources to pull it off more than monthly.”
 
Van Horn says the event will provide opportunities for D.C. audiences to experience the gamut of what local artists have to offer.
 
“Hopefully, any spectator who has come to Crack one and two and three and so on will see a variety of types of performers,” says Van Horn. “It’s the Gong Show gone crazy.” 
 
VAN HORN, WHO HAS been involved in drag performances for the past 15 years, believes that D.C. residents need to reverse the old adage that D.C. doesn’t have any culture, it imports it.
 
“D.C. has a deep appreciation of culture and art,” Van Horn says. “If anything amazing comes through town, it’s sold out. [D.C.] doesn’t necessarily cultivate its own scene. We need to kick-start this.”
 
Promoters have been handing out little dime bags full of rock candy with a slip of paper inside that states Crack’s vital information.
 
“We’ve been pushing Crack everywhere,” laughs Jones.
 
Jones also says they’ve been using their contacts through Taint to spread the word to local artists. Crack’s website, www.CrackDC.com, has a spot for artists to sign up as prospective performers. The site encourages drag kings and queens, guerilla poets, psychics, performance artists and other oddities to apply as entertainment.
 
“We’re trying to discourage the overt notion of it being a contest,” says Van Horn. “We want it to be a safe, inclusive performance event — that also has this cash prize.”