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
Sunday, November 22, 2026
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
at The AFI Silver in Silver Spring
5:45pm 50th Anniversary Screening
Introduced by Alan Rettig
Dinner Afterward at Hollinger's
Archives
All times US prevailing Eastern
2026
- 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.
- October 26 Before Baker Street: Joseph Bell and the Making of Sherlock Holmes VIRTUAL 7:45 p.m. The Smithsonian presents this virtual look at Conan Doyle's muse. Information and registration here.
- October 27 The Great Harry Houdini: Life, Death and the Afterlife VIRTUAL 6:45 p.m. The Red Circle's own Dan Stashower returns to the Smithsonian Insitution to explore the life of the remarkable Harry Houdini. Dan is a magician in his own right, and his talk will focus on Houdini's friendship with Arthur Conan Doyle, and how that friendship was strained as the great magician crusaded to debunk the spiritualism that Doyle had championed in his later years. Actors Scott Sedar and Bari Bierne join Dan to give voice to the spirits and the tricks of the trade. Information and registration here.
- November 14 47th Annual Saturday with Sherlock Holmes at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore. Coffee and bagels at 10:30, program at 11:30 until 2:00. Always lots of fun and always free. Details to follow.
- November 14 Sleuth Hound: The Case of the Real Sherlock Holmes. A great opportunity to hear Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris talk about her new book, which brings Dr. Joseph Bell center stage with an in depth look at his evolution from hospital wards to police courts. Bell is widely understood to have been Conan Doyle's prototype for Sherlock Holmes. It happens at 3:00 pm at Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Avenue in the District. It's free, and more information is here.
- November 22 The Seven-Per-Cent Solution The 50th anniversary screening of the renowned film at the American Film Institute in Silver Spring, with dinner afterward. Co-presented by the Red Circle with an introduction by Alan Rettig. See details in Inner Circle at left.
- November 27 - December 13 A Sherlock Carol A delightful musical holiday treat by playwright Mark Shanahan, wherein Sherlock Holmes takes on a grown up Tiny Tim as a client. It all happens at the Arts Barn in Gaithersburg in their co-production with The Montgomery Playhouse. More information, schedule and ticket information is here, and a very nice trailer from the original off-Broadway production is here. Sounds like great fun! Note: The Red Circle has scheduled a theatre party for the December 6 matinee, which will include a talk-back after the show. Then those who want to meet for food and drink afterward will do so See Inner Circle at left for details.
2027
- January 13 - 17 (roughly) Sherlock Holmes Birthday Weekend We say "roughly" because this seminal Sherlockian "weekend" seems to get longer every year, with more and more events scheduled by more and more enthusiasts. As usual, ground zero for the doings will be the precincts around Grand Central Station in midtown Manhattan. For sure, the BSI's invitation-only dinner will be held on Friday, January 15 at the Yale Club. What was the BSI luncheon on Saturday will morph into a reception from 2 to 4pm, and open to all. Other events will generally "run on their traditional rails" and details will be available here as they are received.
- April 23 - May 9 Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery returns for still another encore, this time by the Newtowne Players in Lexington Park, MD. It's less than a two hour drive from DC, down near the Patuxent Naval Air Station. If you haven't seen this one (or even if you have), it's worth the journey. Details are 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
Special Red Circle Event: The Seven-Per-Cent Solution It's been 50 years since the premiere of The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, the renowned Sherlockian film, with an Oscar-nominated screenplay by uber-Sherlockian and friend of The Red Circle Nicholas Meyer, after his novel of the same name. To celebrate the half-century mark, our friends at the American Film Institute have scheduled a gala screening on Sunday, November 22 at 5:45pm. The location is the gorgeous AFI Silver theatre in Silver Spring. The Red Circle is the co-presenter of the screening, and our own Alan Rettig will introduce the film. Building on our successful 75th Anniversary gala event, Nick the manager at J. Hollinger's Waterman's Chophouse has once again invited us across the street for a post-screening dinner. Hollinger's regular menu will be on offer, with a Ten-Per-Cent Absolution (that is, discount) for the Red Circle, along with free parking in Hollinger's garage for both the screening and dinner. The staff will happily provide separate checks as requested. To join the fun, first purchase your theatre tickets here. The cost is $14 per ticket, $11 for seniors. Then make your dinner reservations at Hollinger's by calling 301-328-0035. Tell them you're reserving for the Red Circle group at 8:00pm on November 22. Finally, email Victoria Wood (victowood@gmail.com) to tell her that you've reserved at Hollinger's so she can send you the parking gate code shortly before the event. We look forward to seeing the Red Circle out in force for this happy start to the holiday season!
Special Red Circle Event: A Sherlock Carol The Red Circle will gather on Sunday, December 6 for the 2:00 matinee of A Sherlock Carol, a delightful musical holiday treat by playwright Mark Shanahan, wherein Sherlock Holmes takes on a grown up Tiny Tim as a client. It all happens at the Arts Barn, 311 Kent Square Road in Gaithersburg in their co-production with The Montgomery Playhouse. At The Red Circle's request, a special talk back with key cast and crew has been arranged after the show. Then, all who are interested will adjourn to the nearby Burton's Grill and Bar at about 5:00 for an informal Dutch treat dinner. Ticket information is here. Be sure to select the December 6 performance. A word to the wise: the Arts Barn is a small venue with only 99 seats. They tell us that advance sales are strong and they expect this performance to sell out. It would be well to snag your tickets sooner rather than later. A very nice trailer from the original off-Broadway production is here. Sounds like great fun, and we look forward to seeing one and all at the Arts Barn!
October Meeting Notes Available Julie McKuras was the guest at The Red Circle's October meeting, and gave us fascinating insights into the history of the Baker Street irregulars. Carla Coupe's meeting notes are available here. A fun read!
Our namesake story examined "The Red Circle" (the short story, not our merry band) is the subject of the 33rd episode of "Sherlock Monthly," an online video offering from the Rosenbach Library in Philadelphia. The episode aired on April 18, but it's been archived and is available for viewing via recording. It's all free, and the upcoming schedule, links to past episodes and more are available here. Highly recommended
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.
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.
