The Red Circle is Sherlock's home in Washington DC. Now in our eighth decade, we continue to celebrate his immortality and enjoy each other's company. All are welcome to join us and share our interest in all things Sherlockian and Doylean.
Welcome
The Red Circle is Sherlock's home in Washington DC. Now in our eighth decade, we continue to celebrate his immortality and enjoy each other's company. All are welcome to join us and share our interest in all things Sherlockian and Doylean.
Next Meeting
Saturday, March 14, 2026
Red Circle Luncheon Meeting
Speaker: Matthew Hall, BSI
"Digging Into the Dancing Miners"
Drinks at Noon -- Lunch at 1:00
J. Hollinger's Waterman's Chophouse
Archives
All times US prevailing Eastern
2026
- February 14 - 15 Is Anybody Holmes? A play by Heather Kork, presented by Thunderous Productions at the Brentwood Firehouse in the Mt. Ranier, MD neighborhood. Two days only. Sounds like fun. More info and tickets here.
- March 14 Red Circle Luncheon Meeting Our speaker will be Matt Hall. Details in Inner Circle at left.
- March 26 Agatha Christie: A Century of Mystery VIRTUAL 6:45 - 8:15 pm Our own Dan Stashower will explore Christie's work in a presentation for the Smithsonian Associates. Actors Scott Sedar and Bari Biern will also be on hand to give voice to Christie's famous characters. Tickets available here.
- March 29 Sherlock In Wonderland A new production from Arlington's Encore Stage & Studio, aimed at kids 4 and up. See what happens when Sherlock and Alice collide! One performance at 3:00. Tickets are here.
- April 4 The Hound of the Baskervilles George Mason University, Hylton Performing Arts Center, 4:00pm. One performance only by the Aquila Theatre Company of New York. SPECIAL NOTE: The producers have invited us all to a talk-back with the cast one hour before the performance at 3:00pm. Information and Tickets here.
- April 23 - May 17 Miss Holmes Returns to the Fells Point Corner Theatre in Baltimore. Holmes and Watson return for an encore as Victorian women in Christopher Walsh's gender-bending take on our heroes. Information and tickets here.
- June 12 - 29 The Reluctant Resurrection of Sherlock Holmes by D. M. Belke at the Arts Barn in Gaithersburg. Information and tickets here.
- October 23 - 24 It's Always 1895: An Exploration of the Life and Work of Vincent Starrett The Torists International of Chicago will host what promises to be an important conference centered around one of history's most illustrious Sherlockians. Registration is now open and you can get information here.
For a much more comprehensive list of Sherlockian meetings and events around the United States and beyond, see Ron Fish's
Sherlockian Calendar.
The Slavering Hound by Frederick Dorr Steele is an unpublished drawing for the 1939 Basil Rathbone Hound of the Baskervilles film. It was shown in the program for the film and featured in the 1951 Festival of Britain exhibition
Matthew Hall to Headline Red Circle March 14 Luncheon We're pleased to announce that Matt Hall, BSI, will be the featured speaker at our "swing into spring" luncheon meeting. His topic will be "Digging Into the Dancing Miners." He'll tell us about his exploration of what happened when the Strand Magazine published a photograph of Australian miners displaying a message in the Dancing Men cipher. Matt grew up in Australia, and moved to the US about twenty years ago. A lifelong Holmes fan, Matt discovered the world of Sherlockians about ten years ago. He is a member of the Red Circle, invested in the Six Napoleons of Baltimore, and is currently the Gasogene of Watson's Tin Box of Ellicott City MD. One of his research interests is in shining a light on the people in Doyle's and Sherlock's world. Matt regularly posts about his Sherlockian musings at his blog. By day he is a scientist at the National Institutes of Health. In January he was invested into the Baker Street Irregulars as the "Earl of Maynooth."
Because of your enthusiastic approval of our 75th anniversary dinner at J. Hollinger's Waterman's Chophouse in Silver Spring, we'll be returning to this delightful restaurant for this meeting. Hollinger's is located at 8606 Colesville Road in Silver Spring, near the corner of Georgia Avenue and just a short walk from the Silver Spring Metro stop. The restaurant is not normally open for Saturday lunch, but Nick the manager is making it available for our exclusive use, and offering a lovely three-course menu with a variety of choices for each course, a cash bar, and free parking in the restaurant's lot. As usual, the bar will be open at noon, with lunch to follow at 1:00. Cost for the lunch remains at $55.00, including tax and tip. Payment in advance is neither requested nor required, but will be collected at the restaurant (cash or check please). Reserve your place by Tuesday, March 10. Simply contact Peter Blau here.
Birthday Bash in the Books Another Sherlock Holmes birthday weekend has wrapped up in New York, and Scott Monty has published a rundown of many of the highlights. You can read it here.
Red Circle 75th Anniversary Party in the books; acclaimed a smashing success November 15 was a red letter day for the Red Circle, as we celebrated our 75th with a spectacular screening of three century-old and brilliantly restored Eille Norwood films at the American Film Institute's Silver Theatre, and an equally spectacular celebration dinner after the curtain came down. Carla Coupe's Meeting Notes, along with some nice photos, are available here. To read a classic Strand Magazine article about Eille Norwood's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, click here.
To see a short documentary on the restoration of the Norwood films, click here.
A Deep Dive into our Namesake Story Alexander E. Braun regularly posts expansive looks at Canonical stories at the Hounds of the Internet. He's given the OK to repost his 2025 take on "The Adventure of the Red Circle" here for all of us to see. It's fascinating. Take a look.
The Red Circle enjoyed a late summer luncheon meeting, featuring Cattleya Concepcion as our guest speaker. Carla Kaessinger Coupe's meeting notes document the details of this enjoyable afternoon.Videos of three more Red Circle meetings now available We’ve added three videos to our growing collection, and we’re pleased to invite you to screen them. Ira Brad Matetsky's June 25 talk on "Sherlock Holmes and Washington" is available here; Burt Wolder’s June 2024 talk on “Arthur Conan Doyle: Adventurous Life, Enduring Memories,” is available here; and Olivia Rutigliano’s March 2025 reflections “On Charles Dickens’s Magician-Detectives” is available here. Thanks to Matt Hall for making the recordings and to Kyle Brimacombe for his post-production work. While you’re at it, click on the “Writings + Videos” tab in the Archives box above for links to all 19 Red Circle videos available for you to watch.
Scuttlebutt: One Fixed Point in a Changing Age Our own Peter E. Blau's monthly Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press has endured for more than 50 years, and has a permanent home right here on our website. It's the most remarkable collection of Sherlockian news and notes anywhere, and your webmaster recommends a monthly visit. The very latest edition is available now, as are past numbers. It's just a click away--use the "Scuttlebutt" button at the top of the page.
- Be an Inner Circle Contributor We welcome submissions from all quarters for this page. Please direct materials to the webmaster, alan@redcircledc.org
- For earlier, archived items from The Inner Circle, click here.
