DEAN
Known for wry comedy as a former writer on late-night TV shows, including Conan O’Brien and Jon Stewart, Demetri Martin has made an uncharacteristic splash with his directorial debut. Winner of Best Narrative Feature at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival, this dramedy, about an illustrator struggling over the recent death of his mother, is one that Martin also wrote, stars in and illustrated. Kevin Kline plays his father. Opens Friday, June 2. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2
★★★½
Guardians maintains the scrappy, jokesy, lovable nature that made the first film such a huge success — and such a breath of fresh air compared with the slightly stale, formulaic nature of Marvel’s other franchises. With its bold colors, brilliant soundtrack and wonderful array of performances, it was a necessary jolt of adrenaline to the cinematic superhero canon. But three years and a bigger budget later, the originality has diminished. What’s here isn’t fresh, though it’s still very palatable. Now playing. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (Rhuaridh Marr)

I, DANIEL BLAKE
Winner of the top prize at Cannes, this drama is the latest from Ken Loach, the heralded yet rabble-rousing British TV and indie filmmaker. Dave Johns plays a widowed woodworker failed by the welfare system after suffering a heart attack in writer Paul Laverty’s gripping tale about the value in standing up for oneself — as well as a reminder of the power of empathy. Opens Friday, June 2. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.

PARIS IS BURNING
Jennie Livingston’s award-winning film introduced the world to gay ball/voguing culture, as well as the concept of throwing shade. It screens as the first offering in a month-long series from the Library of Congress, its LGBTQ affinity group LC-GLOBE, and Capital Pride. Friday, June 2, at 7 p.m. Mary Pickford Theater in the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. SE. Tickets are free but limited. Call 202-707-8000 or visit loc.gov/concerts/pride.

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UNION MARKET DRIVE-IN: HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS
Union Market readies the third round of its monthly warm weather Drive-In Series focused on Disney’s hit from 1989, a sci-fi comedy directed by Joe Johnston and starring Rick Moranis as an inventor whose experiment on his kids goes awry. You don’t have to have a car to take it all in — just grab a viewing spot in the free picnic area. Food and beer are available, delivered to you or your car window by the DC Rollergirls. Friday, June 2. Gates at 6 p.m., with the movie starting at sunset — around 8:15 p.m. In the parking lot at Union Market, 1305 5th St. NE. Free for walk-ups or $10 per car. Call 800-680-9095 or visit unionmarketdc.com.

CALLADO CONMIGO/SILENCED WITHIN ME
In partnership with Mary’s Center, Elia Arce interviewed survivors of domestic and sexual violence in the local Latinx community to create a dramatic multimedia piece with music and movement revealing their stories. Arce co-founded the Los Angeles Poverty Department, which develops dramatic works with the homeless, and previously developed the 1999 piece No Le Digas A Nadie/Don’t Tell Anyone for GALA Theatre, focused on the experiences of HIV-positive Latinas. Callado Conmigo, performed by area residents in Spanish with some English, also features singer Maria Isolina. Friday, June 2, and Saturday, June 3, at 8 p.m., followed each night by a post-performance discussion. GALA Theatre, 3333 14th St. NW. Tickets are $40 to $60. Call 202-234-7174 or visit galatheatre.org.

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FEAR EATS THE SOUL
A stage adaptation of eccentric German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s emotionally powerful drama about star-crossed lovers makes its U.S. premiere and closes out the 30th Anniversary season of internationally focused Scena Theatre. Centered on timely topics such as race, immigration and class, Helen Hayes Award winner Nanna Ingvarsson plays Emmi, an older German woman who falls in love with a younger Moroccan migrant worker, to the appall of everyone around them. Closes Sunday, June 4. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $35 to $45. Call 202-399-7993 or visit scenatheatre.org.

HIR
Shana Cooper directs Taylor Mac’s audacious, uproarious black comedy billed as “a kitchen-sink drama covered in glitter.” The story focuses on an Iraqi war veteran who returns to his childhood home and discovers that his family has transformed, from a formerly timid mother out to subvert the patriarchy, to a sister who is now a genderqueer anarchist, to a father who now wears clown makeup. Emily Townley and Mitch Hebert are part of the cast. To June 18. Woolly Mammoth, 641 D St. NW. Call 202-393-3939 or visit woollymammoth.net.

IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU
A Jewish bride, a Catholic groom, two clashing mothers, and a jilted ex-lover are the combustible ingredients ensuring that anything that can go wrong will in this musical comedy by writer Brian Hargrove and composer Barbara Anselmi. Jon Kretzu directs “the wackiest wedding you will ever attend.” Now to July 1. Richmond Triangle Players, 1300 Altamont Ave. Richmond. Tickets are $10 to $35. Call 804-346-8113 or visit rtriangle.org.

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JAZZ
A world premiere stage adaptation of Tony Morrison’s exhilarating novel, following a couple who moves from the Virginia countryside to Harlem at the turn of the 20th century as the genre of jazz was just beginning to flourish. Shanesia Davis is Violet and Leon Addison Brown is Joe, whose later interactions with another woman sets off a series of violent, unforgivable acts. Adapted by Nambi E. Kelley and featuring a cast of 10, including an on-stage Trombonist. To June 25. Baltimore Center Stage, 700 North Calvert St., Baltimore. Tickets are $20 to $69. Call 410-332-0033 or visit centerstage.org.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s rock opera about Jesus gets a “sleek, modern” makeover in a Signature Theatre production helmed by Joe Calarco and starring Nicholas Edwards. The cast includes Signature standouts Natascia Diaz as Mary, Sherri L. Edelen as King Herod, and Bobby Smith as Pontius Pilate. To July 2. Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Call 703-820-9771 or visit sigtheatre.org.

KING LEAR
Lauded local actor Rick Foucheux will retire after a starring turn as Shakespeare’s most troubled patriarch in his greatest tragedy. Avant Bard makes some characteristic tweaks to the classic with this production helmed by Tom Prewitt, including making the Earl of Gloucester a female character, played by Cam Magee. Meanwhile, Christopher Henley, the company’s Artistic Director Emeritus, will play the Fool. Now to June 25. Gunston Arts Center, 2700 South Lang St. Arlington. Tickets are $30 to $35. Call 703-418-4808 or visit avantbard.org.

LAURA BUSH KILLED A GUY
Billed as a smart, surreal and surprising reexamination of the Bush years, upstart local theater collective Klunch offers a world premiere written by its artistic director Ian Allen. John Vreeke directs rising local actress Lisa Hodsoll in a one-woman show that imagines the former First Lady ruminating on killing a guy in 1963 and reminiscing about her Texas childhood and married life with George W. Closes Sunday, June 4. Caos on F, 923 F St. NW. Tickets are $25 to $35. Call 202-215-6993 or visit theklunch.com.

MASTER CLASS
Ilona Dulaski stars in Terrence McNally’s love letter to opera great Maria Callas in a new production at Virginia’s MetroStage. Ayana Reed is the Second Soprano (Sharon), a role made famous by Audra McDonald, and Joseph Walsh plays Accompanist while serving as music director. Emily Honzel, Ayana Reed, Daniel Noone and Michael Sharp round out the cast. Nick Olcott directs. To June 11. MetroStage, 1201 North Royal St., Alexandria. Tickets are $55 to $60. Call 800-494-8497 or visit metrostage.org.

MERCY KILLERS SIDE EFFECTS
Michael Milligan offers a timely, unblinking look at health care in America with two new plays each told from different perspectives. Mercy Killers focuses on those seeking care, such as a blue-collar American grappling with his red state ideals and his sickly wife, while Side Effects follows a doctor struggling to practice medicine as bureaucratic pressures collide with his professional and personal responsibilities. Taffety Punk Theatre Company produces the two plays in repertory to June 3. Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th St. SE. Tickets are $15. Call 202-355-9441 or visit taffetypunk.com.

NOISES OFF
A love letter to the thrilling unpredictability of the stage, this famed farce by Tony-winning British playwright Michael Frayn is revived in an Everyman Theatre production directed by Vincent M. Lancisi. Deborah Hazlett and Danny Gavigan lead a cast of eight resident company members portraying a cast of bumbling British thespians, whose backstage buffoonery during a run of the play-within-a-play Nothing On steals the show. You can expect wall-to-wall wackiness, carefully choreographed hijinks and sight gags — including flying sardines — from a comedy that the famed former New York Times theater critic Frank Rich once called “the funniest play written in my lifetime.” To June 18. Everyman Theatre, 315 West Fayette St. Baltimore. Tickets are $43 to $64. Call 410-752-2208 or visit everymantheatre.org.

PROOF
With echoes of the recent Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures, Proof explores the uphill climb a woman faces in gaining recognition in the male-dominated field of mathematics, even when she has genetics on her side. Dawn Ursula and Craig Wallace star in David Auburn’s 2001 Tony-winning play by David Auburn. To June 18. Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md. Call 301-924-3400 or visit olneytheatre.org.

SHE SPEAKS!
Suburban Maryland community theater troupe the Rude Mechanicals presents an ambitious production subtitled “Shakespeare’s Women in Their Own Words.” Leanne Stump helms a new work that laces together the voices of the most memorable women written by the Bard, from Beatrice’s sharp wit to Juliet’s broken heart. “Though the men take the title, the women oft steal the show,” goes a tagline for the production, which goes even further by letting the “fairer sex” run away with it. Opens Thursday, June 1, at 8 p.m. Weekends to June 17. Greenbelt Arts Center, 123 Centerway. Greenbelt, Md. Tickets are $22. Call 301-441-8770 or visit rudemechanicals.com.

THE ARABIAN NIGHTS
Ten years ago, Constellation Theatre Company launched its first season with a production of Mary Zimmerman’s entrancing adaptation of The Arabian Nights. Now, Founding Artistic Director Allison Arkell Stockman closes out the 10th anniversary season by revisiting the company’s roots and reimagining the show, once again with live music by Tom Teasley. Veronica del Cerro leads the ensemble as famed storyteller Scheherazade. Closes Sunday, June 4. Source, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets $20 to $45. Call 202-204-7741 or visit constellationtheatre.org.

THE FATHER
Ted Van Griethuysen stars as an 80-year-old man whose world starts unraveling in an original and moving play from Florian Zeller, one of France’s most prolific contemporary playwrights, translated by two-time Tony Award winner Christopher Hampton. The Father won a Moliere Award, the French equivalent of the Tony, in 2014. Kate Eastwood Norris, Caroline Dubberly, Erika Rose, Manny Buckley, and Daniel Harray also star. David Muse directs. To June 18. Studio Theatre, 14th & P Streets NW. Call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org.

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME
Synetic Theater’s Founding Artistic Director Paata Tsikurishvili brings his mind-bending, cinematic style to Victor Hugo’s gothic, heartbreaking epic — relayed, like many Synetic productions, in wordless fashion, stripped of Hugo’s dialogue. Vato Tsikurishvili is Quasimodo, Phillip Fletcher is Frollo, and Irina Kavsadze is Esmeralda. To June 11. Synetic Theater, 1800 South Bell St., Arlington. Tickets are $35 to $60. Call 800-494-8497 or visit synetictheater.org.

THE SCHOOL FOR LIES
Michael Kahn helms David Ives’ adaptation of Molière’s Le Misanthrope, in an update of the aristocratic, ruthless French satire. Gregory Wooddell plays Frank, whose barbed truth-telling wreaks havoc in a world of pompous suitors and extravagant ladies, until rumors ricochet and alternative facts become reality. In previews. To July 2. Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th St. NW. Call 202-547-1122 or visit shakespearetheatre.org.

TIMON OF ATHENS
Sparing no expense on lavish parties, expensive gifts and charity, the abundantly generous Timon suffers a downturn of fortune and friendship in Shakespeare’s tragic satire. Director Robert Richmond sets the action in modern times, where technology has taken over and high finance takes place online. Ian Merrill Peakes stars in the final production of Folger Theatre’s 25th anniversary season. To June 11. Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $35 to $75. Call 202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu.

ULYSSES ON BOTTLES
The culmination of its second season, Mosaic Theater Company presents the 2017 Voices From a Changing Middle East Festival in the 50th year since the Six Day War and the start of the Occupation. The festival launches with Israeli playwright Gilad Evron’s poetic and poignant allegory about an Israeli-Arab ex-teacher’s attempts to sail into Gaza on a raft made of plastic bottles. Serge Seiden directs Michael Kevin Darnall as Ulysses, an anonymous schoolteacher locked in an Israeli prison for a fanciful attempt to smuggle Russian literature to the children of Gaza, and Matthew Boston as an attorney assigned to defend him. Sarah Marshall, Elizabeth Pierotti and Chris Genebach round out the ensemble cast of Ulysses on Bottles, as translated by Evan Fallenberg. To June 11. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20 to $60. Call 202-399-7993 or visit mosaictheater.org.

!!!
A discofied dance-punk group that emerged in the same hipstery orbit as LCD Soundsystem, the California-derived five-piece band, whose name is pronounced “chk-chk-chk,” just released its seventh set. Shake The Shudder is chock-full of indie rock tunes that revolve around funky bass guitar grooves, including current single “Dancing Is The Best Revenge,” which recalls the Scissor Sisters with its chorus featuring group vocals, in and out of falsetto. Baltimore’s house-driven indie dance-punk act Nerftoss, the alter-ego of John Jones, opens. Thursday, June 8, at 7 p.m. U Street Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW. Tickets are $20. Call 202-588-1880 or visit ustreetmusichall.com.

AIR
Roughly around the same time that Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo started making waves as arbiters of French house and neo-disco as Daft Punk, fellow Frenchies Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel were quietly positioning themselves to have every bit as much influence on today’s electronic music. Air’s sensual, atmospheric downtempo sound, partly inspired by the sounds of the ’70s — from the sleepy pop of Burt Bacharach to the trippy rock of Brian Wilson and Pink Floyd — started with 1998’s Moon Safari and the alternative hit “Sexy Boy.” Air gained further recognition for composing soundscapes for filmmaker Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation). The duo offers a ride through its repertoire on a tour celebrating its first twenty years and last year’s double album with that title. Tuesday, June 6, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $48 to $88. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
George Gershwin’s jazzy An American in Paris is the centerpiece of a French-inspired program led by Christoph Konig also featuring the Ukrainian-Israeli Vadim Gluzman performing Prokofiev’s fiery Violin Concerto No. 2. Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin and Messiaen’s Les offrandes oubliées are also on the bill. Friday, June 2, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, June 4, at 3 p.m. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore. Also Saturday, June 3, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $33 to $99. Call 410-783-8000 or visit bsomusic.org.

BROODS
Brother-sister duo Georgia and Caleb Nott are the reigning young pop act from New Zealand — aside from Lorde, who’s a co-writer on one of the strong synth-pop songs (“Heartlines”) on Broods’ smashing sophomore set Conscious, released last summer. Swedish sensation Tove-Lo also shows up on “Freak of Nature,” dueting with Georgia, whose breathy voice is similar to Ellie Goulding. The Kiwis offered an extensive U.S. tour last year, including a stop at the 9:30 Club. But if you missed that, you get another chance — though you’ll have to journey to Baltimore. Tuesday, June 6, at 8 p.m. Ram’s Head Live, 20 Market Place. Tickets are $22 in advance, or $25 day-of. Call 410-244-1131 or visit ramsheadlive.com.

CAPITAL JAZZ FEST
As much about pop and R&B/soul as it is jazz, this annual three-day festival returns to Merriweather and kicks off Friday, June 2, with gates at 6:30 p.m., for performances by Charlie Wilson and Robin Thicke. Highlights to come Saturday, June 3, include Corinne Bailey Rae, Jaheim, El Debarge, Avery*Sunshine, Pieces of a Dream and Kelly Price, while Sunday, June 4, offers George Benson, Anthony Hamilton, Chris Botti, Sheila E, Loose Ends, Maysa and the headlining hunk from this year’s DC Black Pride, rapper Tank. Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. Tickets are $64.50 to $115. Call 800-551-SEAT or visit capitaljazz.com.

CONGRESSIONAL CHORUS: MUSIC WITHOUT BORDERS
The 160 voices from this family of choruses will unite for the 30th season closer, a diverse celebration focused on the power of music, the international language, to tear down the walls that divide nations. The centerpiece of the concert is the D.C. premiere of Calling All Dawns by Grammy-winning Chinese-American composer Christopher Tin. A 12-movement song cycle in 12 languages, this lush, cinematic masterwork is inspired by musical traditions from every corner of our planet and includes texts drawn from both sacred and secular sources, from Japanese haiku to Portuguese poetry, the Latin mass to Maori proverbs. Also on tap is Ethan Sperry’s a capella choral arrangement of A.R. Rahman’s Oscar- and Grammy-winning song “Jai Ho!” from Slumdog Millionaire. Saturday, June 3, at 7:30 p.m. National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW. Tickets are $15 to $30. Call 202-347-2635 or visit congressionalchorus.org.

JESSICA HERNANDEZ & THE DELTAS
Punky, spunky Jessica Hernandez and her band create a joyous, entertaining sound rich with Southern rock, country and blues — as well as Motown influences from their Detroit hometown, plus a little extra thrown in from south of the border, courtesy of rock en español and Hernandez’s roots as an American born to a Cuban father and Mexican mother. Her powerful pipes will sometimes put you in mind of Adele, other times the Gossip’s Beth Ditto, even a little Janis Joplin here and there. She sings in both English and Spanish on the new bilingual sophomore set Telephone/Telefono as a way to show her pride in her duality. Saturday, June 10. Doors at 7 p.m. Songbyrd Music House, 2477 18th St. NW. Tickets are $10 to $12. Call 202-450-2917 or visit songbyrddc.com.

JOHN PIZZARELLI
John Pizzarelli has established himself as one of the prime interpreters of the Great American Songbook and early rock and pop, putting jazz guitar spins on tunes from Rodgers, Gershwin, Lennon and McCartney, and Jobim. But Nat “King” Cole is his biggest inspiration. Thursday, June 1, through Sunday, June 4, at 8 and 10 p.m. Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are $45, plus $12 minimum purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or visit bluesalley.com.

LULU
You may know her best from several Absolutely Fabulous skits as Edina’s most disgruntled celebrity client, but the Scottish singer first came to international attention as the voice behind the title track to the 1967 film To Sir With Love, as well as the 1974 James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun. In 2010, she also sang the theme song “The Word Is Love” to the indie film Oy Vey! My Son is Gay! Saturday, June 3, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $35. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.

PAUL SIMON, SARAH MCLACHLAN
Still a crazy-genius after all these years, Paul Simon worked with underground Italian dance producer Clap! Clap! on his new set, last year’s Stranger to Stranger. He’ll perform new songs as well as his many classics, including the ’70s folk/pop standards from his days recording with Art Garfunkel. An inspired pairing, Simon is joined at Merriweather with special guest Sarah McLachlan, the Canadian singer whose quiet-storm ballads of the ’90s and aughts left a lasting impression. Friday, June 9. Doors at 6 p.m. Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. Tickets are $55 to $175. Call 800-551-SEAT or visit merriweathermusic.com.

QUEERING SOUND
Founder JS Adams has described the annual experimental music event as “an exploration of expression through audio, the digital arts, performance art and spoken word [with] a non-exclusive curatorial focus towards gay, lesbian, and post gender-identified participants.” Ruth Trevarrow has curated a queer visual art exhibit that runs all month long and two concerts, kicking off Saturday, June 3, with a reception starting at 8 p.m. featuring performances by Analog Tara, the Sloth Ensemble, VJ Poppins, Arthur Loves Plastic, Mind Over Matter Music Over Mind, Praxis Cat + Tag Cloud and Front & Follow. The second show, Saturday, June 17, at 8 p.m., focuses on spoken word and digital media, featuring Dan Vera, Joe Belknap Wall, H. Paul Moon, Danielle Evennou, Mark Beazley, Johnny Brown and Inga Yellere. Rhizome DC, 6950 Maple St. NW. Tickets are $10 for each concert. Visit dc-soniccircuits.org.

WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA GALA WITH ARETHA FRANKLIN
Billed as the opera “crossover” event of the year, this year’s “Trading Voices” gala pairs the Queen of Soul Franklin with D.C.’s homegrown opera superstar Denyce Graves, Broadway sensations Brian Stokes Mitchell (Man of La Mancha, Kiss Me Kate) as well as Hamilton‘s Leslie Odom Jr. and Jordan Donica with former WNO Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Soloman Howard, and a special appearance by Renee Fleming. The WNO Orchestra and Chorus performs throughout, accompanying the selections from opera, showtunes and pop. Saturday, June 3, at 6:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $49 to $300. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

CHAMBER DANCE PROJECT
The Kennedy Center offers a free preview of the upcoming fourth season of the New York-birthed, D.C.-based dance company. The Mosche Brass band will perform rousing New Orleans-style music to accompany Jennifer Archibald’s dance piece Rue Noir, then there’ll be hip-hop/pop for D.C. artist Victor Adebusola’s Festival, and finally Lena Seikaly and Barry Gurley will perform Cole Porter’s music to preview the new ballet Songs by Cole from Chamber Dance’s founder and artistic director Diane Coburn Bruning. Wednesday, June 7, at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Call 202-467-4600 or visit chamberdance.org.

DANCEAFRICA DC: 30TH ANNIVERSARY
Dance Place hosts this annual celebration paying tribute to the vibrancy of African heritage through dance, music, visual arts, food, clothing and crafts. The core of the event is a African Marketplace, where vendors sell food and wares on the street in front of the venue and local dance groups offer performances inside and out. Companies participating include Soul in Motion, Coyaba Dance Theater, Dance Place Step Team, KanKouran West African Dance Co., Sankofa Dance Theater, Ezibu Muntu and Farafina Kan. Marketplace hours are Friday, June 2, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4, from 12 to 7 p.m. Dance Place, 3225 8th St. NE. Tickets for stage performances are $25 in advance or $30 at the door, and $16 for Master Classes. Call 202-269-1600 or visit danceplace.org.

NEW YORK CITY BALLET
For its annual engagement at the Kennedy Center, the renowned company offers two programs of repertory including four D.C. premieres by standout contemporary choreographers Alexei Ratmansky, Justin Peck and Christopher Wheeldon, and all accompanied by the New York City Ballet Orchestra. Opens Wednesday, June 6, at 6 p.m. Runs to June 11. Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $29. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

BOOKS IN BLOOM
Michael Eric Dyson with Tears We Cannot Stop, Alec Ross and Industries of the Future, a Summer Reading Media Panel moderated by NPR’s Petra Mayer are just a few of the attractions at the inaugural book festival presented by the Downtown Columbia Partnership of Maryland as part of a Columbia 50th Birthday Event. The Howard County Library System and Politics & Prose are partners in this event, including readings, panel discussions, a children’s author tent, poetry wall, and pop-up bookstore. Sunday, June 11, from 12 to 5 p.m. The Chrysalis in Merriweather Park, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. Free. Call 443-539-8468 or visit booksinbloom.eventbrite.com.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS: LGBTQ HOMELESS DISCUSSION, HISTORY WORKSHOP
The Library of Congress toasts Capital Pride with several explicitly LGBTQ-themed discussions, including a reading at the end of June by David France, author of How I Learned to Survive a Plague. But first comes a panel discussion focused on the issue of LGBTQ homeless youth and featuring U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, Jane Sanchez, Law Librarian of Congress, Linda Britton of the American Bar Association, and Monica Palacio of the D.C. Office of Human Rights, Wednesday, June 7, at noon. Law Library of Congress, James Madison Building. Next is an Oral History Workshop hosted by the Library’s Veterans History Project at the American Folklife Center, designed to give attendees hands-on training in conducting oral histories, with a focus on LGBTQ+ veterans and service members. Friday, June 9, at noon. LJ-139 B, Thomas Jefferson Building, 101 Independence Ave. SE. Free. Call 202-707-5000 or visit loc.gov/lgbt.

STORY DISTRICT: OUT/SPOKEN
In 2010, the organization originally known as SpeakeasyDC began holding its first LGBTQ storytelling night. Sharing hilarious or heartfelt true stories at the seventh annual Out/Spoken: Queer, Questioning, Bold & Proud are: Robin Katcher, Mike Boyd, Elyse Hannah, Patrick McBride, Darryl Smith, Sean Wells, Rebecca Kling and Melvin Thomas. Saturday, June 3. Doors at 6 p.m. Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $22. Call 202-265-0930 or visit storydistrict.com.

EXPLODING RAINBOWS AND F*KING UNICORNS: POETRY SLAM
Also known as the “Super Queer Woolly Mammoth Poetry Slam,” the DC Center’s Capturing Fire program has organized this event as a free preview of what’s to come at the annual spoken word and poetry festival held during Capital Pride weekend. Regie Cabico hosts a roster of queer-identified poets. Monday, June 5, at 7 p.m. Woolly Mammoth, 641 D St. NW. Free. Call 202-393-3939 or visit woollymammoth.net.

AN AMERICAN DIPLOMAT IN 1820S RUSSIA
Friends and Fashion paints a captivating picture of diplomatic life in early 19th century St. Petersburg, based on an album of watercolors assembled by the family of politician and statesman Henry Middleton. The collection was acquired by Hillwood in 2004 and conserved in 2015, but this marks the first time the fascinating set is presented in its entirety. To June 11. Hillwood Estate, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. Suggested donation is $12. Call 202-686-5807 or visit HillwoodMuseum.org.

CHINAMANIA
An interrogation of the enduring craze for Chinese blue-and-white ceramics which started in London three centuries ago. Ceramics from the Smithsonian’s collection join monumental installations by contemporary sculptor Walter McConnell and 3D objects printed especially for this exhibition, the third and final one in the Peacock Room Remix series. McConnell’s Kangxi porcelains in this exhibit are similar to those originally displayed in the Peacock Room. Closes Sunday, June 4, 2017. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Call 202-633-4800 or visit asia.si.edu.

IN THIS MOMENT: CHRISTINA TENAGLIA, ANNE C. SMITH
A multi-genre visual artist from Hudson, New York, Christina Tenaglia exhibits a series of fragmented sculptures made using mostly wood and paint, as well as whimsical works on paper suggestive of architecture and landscape. Also on display are works by D.C.-based visual artist Anne C. Smith, whose fascination with nighttime is reflected in her drawings, inspired by memory and landscape, and combining the intense black of charcoal with delicate lines of graphite. Closes Sunday, June 4. Opening reception, with live music by Terraplane, is Saturday, April 8, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Adah Rose Gallery, 3766 Howard Ave. Kensington, Md. Call 301-922-0162 or visit adahrosegallery.com.

KAREN SILVE: BEIJING TREES
Inspired by the carefully pruned ancient trees she noticed while in China, Silve has created a series of intuitive and deliberate acrylic paintings that unfold through layers of lush colors, aggressive brushwork and drips pushing and pulling off the sides of her canvases. Having exhibited throughout the world, Silve maintains two studios, one in Portland, Oregon, the other in Provence, France. Closes Saturday, June 3. Susan Calloway Fine Arts, 1643 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Call 202-965-4601 or visit callowayart.com.

KHANH LE: WHILE WE WAIT
Cultural DC presents works by a D.C. interdisciplinary artist motivated by Syrian refugees and immigration issues to develop a mixed-media photography series reflecting on his personal experiences waiting with his Vietnamese family for permission to immigrate to the U.S. in the late ’80s. The resulting works are a mix of abstract and identity-based art. Closes Saturday, June 3. Flashpoint Gallery, 916 G St. NW. Tickets are free. Call 202-315-1310 or visit flashpointdc.org.

PRIDE IN THE LIBRARY: POP-UP DISPLAY
The centerpiece of a month-long LGBTQ Pride series at the Library of Congress is a pop-up display featuring items from the Library’s extensive LGBTQ+ collections and presented by the LC-GLOBE affinity group and Capital Pride. Walt Whitman poetry collections, Leonard Bernstein’s music manuscripts, letters and assorted materials from the father of the local LGBTQ community, Frank Kameny, and original panels from the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt are among items on display. Thursday, June 8, through Saturday, June 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. LJ 113 and LJ 119 in the Thomas Jefferson Building, 101 Independence Ave. SE. Free. Call 202-707-5000 or visit loc.gov/lgbt.

VIVIAN BEER: DRESSED UP AND PINNED
The 2016 winner of “Ellen’s Design Challenge” unveiled a new public artwork last fall, principally a functional bench that takes the shape of a surreal stiletto high heel, inviting passersby to take diva-esque selfies in repose. Commissioned by Arlington Public Art in the Arlington Cultural Affairs Division, the streamlined Art Deco-inspired structure includes a drapery wrapping around the facade of a new Hyatt Place in the city. Conceived while the lesbian furniture designer took up residence as an Artist Research Fellow at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Dressed Up and Pinned is Beer’s third piece of public art. Hyatt Place Arlington/Courthouse Plaza, 2401 Wilson Blvd. Call 703-228-1850 or visit arlingtonarts.org.

DINE-N-DASH WITH JOSE ANDRES, TED ALLEN, ANDREW ZIMMERN
On Tuesday, June 7, 30 of D.C.’s best restaurants will be closed to the public for Jose Andres’ annual summer culinary event benefiting his nonprofit World Central Kitchen and this year featuring Queer Eye for the Straight Guy Allen, host of the Food Network’s Chopped, and Zimmern of the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods. A wristband gains you unlimited food and drink until last call at participating restaurants, including all Andres’ properties plus, among others, Bantam King, Graffiato and Del Campo in Penn Quarter, Doi Moi, Colada, B Too, Estadio and Lupo Verde on 14th Street, plus an MGM National Harbor Pop-Up in Penn Quarter with selections from Marcus, the Voltaggio Brothers Steakhouse, and Fish by Jose Andres. Tuesday, June 7, from 6 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $125, or $400 for VIP including a pre-reception at 5:30 p.m., pedicab transportation all evening, additional offerings at Denson, Cork and Proof and an After-Party starting at 9:30 p.m. Visit dinendash.info.

FYVE: FATHER’S DAY “GONE FISHING” BRUNCH
Chef Alexander Gut from the main restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City offers a festive brunch with dad in mind. The focus is on local seafood, from snow crab claws to oysters to a selection of sushi rolls and sashimi, and fresh barbeque. The menu includes cheese and charcuterie carving, an omelette station, sliders and desserts. Sunday, June 11. Fyve in the Ritz-Carlton, 1250 S. Hayes St., Arlington. Tickets are $59, or $39 for those 12 and under. Call 703-412-2762 or visit ritzcarlton.com.

NOPA KITCHEN+BAR: $70 WEEKEND DINNER FOR TWO MENU
Across from the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Penn Quarter, this 160-seat American brasserie, part of the same family as Rasika, Bibiana and the Oval Room, should already be on your shortlist for brunch. On Sundays between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., each diner can choose between an appetizer and entree or sandwich, as well as a special mimosa or bloody Mary, for $28 to $30 each (or $38 with bottomless classic mimosas). Now Executive Chef Matt Kuhn is working to get Nopa on your radar earlier in the weekend as well, with a new dinner menu focused on composed dishes designed for couples, whether lovers or close friends, reasonably priced at $70 for two, before tax and tip. Though the menu changes weekly, regular options include: Nopa Spring Mixed Grill, with bites of quail, fennel sausage, ribeye, red prawns and grilled asparagus, plus garlic custard and ramp salsa verde; Crispy Chesapeake Soft Shell Crabs, three jumbo crustaceans served with Old Bay sweet corn and crab succotash, smoked new potatoes and pickled ramps; and the standout Maine Lobster Bake, a whole lobster with Old Bay-seasoned kielbasa, local clams and red prawns, and sides of roasted sweet corn, pee-wee potatoes and “smoked tomato butter.” Available exclusively on Fridays and Saturdays during dinner service, 5 to 11 p.m., subject to availability. Nopa Kitchen+Bar, 800 F St. NW. Call 202-347-4667 or visit nopadc.com.

SUNDAY SUPPER BENEFIT AT UNION MARKET
A Latin-inspired “Flavors of the Americas” food event celebrates community and communal dining as well as being a benefit for the James Beard Foundation’s new Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program supporting the next generation of women business leaders. Participating chefs and cocktail masters include Jose Garces (Rural Society), Amy Brandwein (Centrolina), Victor Albisu (Del Campo), Camila Arango and Tom Wellings (Bluebird Bakery), Anna Bran-Leis (DC Empanada), Giana Cavaliere (Volt), Gina Chersevani (Buffalo & Bergen), Violeta Edelman and Robb Duncan (Dolcezza), Gabriela Febres (Arepa Zone), Mario Monte, Daniella Senior and Juan Coronado (Colada Shop), Omar Rodriguez (Oyamel) and the team from Latin wine shop Grand Cata. Also whipping up concoctions at this event, initiated by Jodie W. McLean of Union Market’s parent retail company Edens, is San Francisco’s Traci Des Jardins (Jardiniere), Philadelphia’s Douglas Rodriguez (Amada de Cuba), New Orleans’s pastry chef Kelly Fields (Willa Jean) and New York’s Alex Raij and Eder Montero (El Quinto Pino) and Carolina Santos-Neves (Comodo). Sunday, June 4, at 5 p.m. Union Market, 1309 5th St. NE. Tickets are $250 per person. Call 800-680-9095 or visit unionmarketdc.com/sundaysupper.

OTTER CROSSING FEAT. BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT
Under his Gremlins-inspired alias, Rod Thomas returns to DJ the hirsute-oriented Otter Crossing. “I tend to play a mix of ’80s and ’90s club stuff,” Thomas told Metro Weekly. “And pop songs that feed into that — Jam and Lewis with Madonna or Mariah Carey, and remixes by David Morales and Todd Terry. The odd anthem or two and then some songs that maybe are less …played out, but by the same artist.” Sounds pretty perfect for Pride. Friday, June 9, starting at 10 p.m. Green Lantern, 1335 Green Ct. NW. Cover is $10. Call 202-347-4533 or visit facebook.com/ottercrossing.

HUGH JACKMAN, MARGARET CHO: A NIGHT OF LAUGHTER & SONG
Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, Katie Couric, Deborra-lee Furness, Kesha, Ben Folds, Angelique Kidjo, and Sharon Isbin join Jackman and Cho for a one-night-only concert to benefit the David Lynch Foundation’s Center for Health and Wellness, working to heal traumatic stress and transform the lives of at-risk populations, both youth and adult. Monday, June 5, at 8 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $69 to $149. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

NATIONAL PRIDE SHABBAT
Rabbis Shira and Laurie Green of Bet Mishpachah and members of GLOE at the Edlavitch DCJCC lead an inclusive service celebrating the diversity of the LGBTQ community on the night before the Capital Pride Parade. The festivities begin with a happy hour at 6:15 p.m., followed by a Joyous Shabbat service at 7:15 p.m., and then a home-cooked kosher dinner followed by Pride-inspired trivia. Friday, June 9. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. 600 I St. NW. Tickets are $15 in advance, or $18 the day of. Call 202-408-3100 or visit sixthandi.org/pride.

PRIDE AT MISS PIXIE’S
The most eclectic, interesting store on 14th Street offers at least three reasons to stop by during the week leading up to Capital Pride. First up is a Pride Sign Making event organized by Midcity Mad Crafters on Thursday, June 1, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Next comes the opening reception for Bounty, an exhibit of works by artist Joe Case, Thursday, June 8, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. And then there’s the “Hi, I’m Here! Kickoff Party” Friday, June 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. And all day that Friday, anyone dressed in drag gets 20-percent off purchases. Miss Pixie’s, 1626 14th St. NW. Call 202-232-8171 or visit misspixies.com.

THE ASK RAYCEEN SHOW
For the June edition of his monthly variety show, Rayceen Pendarvis hosts live music by Durell Arthur, standup comedy by Curt Mariah, Anthony Oakes and Violet Gray, a fashion show by X FaKtor Productions and burlesque by Bella La Blanc, plus music throughout from DJ Suspence. Also featuring free catered food and a cash bar. Wednesday, June 7, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the HRC Equality Center, 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Free. Call 202-505-4548 or visit http://askrayceen.com.