Lily Tomlin, Wanda Sykes, and cable TV’s two Andys — as far as non-singing, non-dancing entertainment goes, those are some of the best and biggest names in show business today. Again this fall, there are an abundance of culinary celebrities popping up — and not just at the annual food-centric fests put on by the Smithsonian, HRC, or MetroCooking DC at the Convention Center: José Andrés, Carla Hall, and Ina Garten are just three who will also be out and about stirring the pot to promote new books bearing their names.
You can also get more than your fill of weighty discussions with experts from the worlds of science, politics, and international affairs. Yet if by chance what you want is more clever comedy with an LGBTQ bent, look no further than Tig Notaro’s Bentzen Ball, which is gayer than ever this year.
AFI SILVER THEATRE AND CULTURAL CENTER
8633 Colesville Road
Silver Spring
301-495-6720 afi.com/Silver
13th Annual Spooky Movie International Horror Film Festival — The best in horror from around the world, including Phantasm: Remastered, presented by legendary filmmaker Don Coscarelli, who will also sign copies of True Indie: Life and Death in Filmmaking (10/4-7)
Noir City DC — The Film Noir Foundation presents film noir classics paired with rarities or lower-budget features, with select screenings introducted by TCM host and foundation founder Eddie Muller (10/12-25)
Reel Rock 13 — A collection of 2018’s best climbing and adventure films, taking viewers on a wild ride from the frigid Antartic to the bedoin canyonlands of the Middle East, and featuring Madaleine Sorkin, Alex Honnold, and Conrad Anker, among others (11/12-14)
Reese Witherspoon — Whiskey In A Teacup book tour (9/22)
Jo Koy — Comedian on his Break The Mold Tour (9/29)
DC Central Kitchen: Capital Food Fight — Tastings from over 80 restaurants plus a stage battle between four of D.C.’s top chefs at this 15th anniversary event hosted by José Andrés and Spike Mendelsohn (11/8)
Helen Hong — As seen on Standup in Stilettos as well as the Showtime documentary Why We Laugh: Funny Women, and host of eHow.com’s Geek Vs Geek (9/21-22)
Spoons, Toons and Booze — Watch favorite childhood cartoons while you eat from an all-you-can-eat sugary cereal bar and drink cereal-themed cocktails, an import from Brooklyn (9/22-23)
Film:The Clean Bin Project (9/26)
Fortune Feimster — The lesbian funny lady from Chelsea Lately returns (9/28-29) ^ Joel Kim Booster (10/12-13)
James Adomian (10/12-13)
Nosferatu: Film with Soundtrack by Austin’s Invincible Czars (10/17)
Far Out — A film by Teton Gravity Research as presented by REI (10/18, 10/20)
Found Footage Festival: After Dark (10/19-20)
Kate Willett (10/19-20)
What We Do In The Shadows (A Vampire Mockumentary for Halloween) — presented by Keepin It Weird Wednesdays (10/24) ^ Stuff They Don’t Want You To Know (10/25)
Silent Scream — Early masterpieces of horror and suspense with a live, improvised score (10/27)
Jay Mohr (11/1-2)
Eliza Skinner — As seen on FXX’s Totally Biased with W Kamau Bell and CBS’s Late Late Show with James Corden (11/3)
The Lucas Bros (11/9-10) ^ Locavore Film Series: Rock n Roll Revival Doc (11/14)
Natasha Leggero — A star of Comedy Central’s zany Another Period and veteran of Chelsea Lately (11/16-17)
Alonzo Bodden (11/23-24) ^ Comedy Film Bucket List: The Big Lebowski (11/28)
Bobby Lee — Especially known from Fox’s MADtv, and also Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (11/29-12/1)
Darrell Hammond — The best Bill Clinton impesonator from Saturday Night Live (12/7-8)
Aasif Mandvi — The Daily Show correspondent (12/14-15)
Silent Film: The Fall of the Usher — A Halloween-timed presentation of Jean Epstein’s creepy 1928 film combining two Poe tales, a silent film enchanced with live original music by Andrew Earle Simpson for added creepiness (10/28, Sprenger Theatre)
Rebecca Magnuson: She Sings — A one-night-only offering of an inspiring one-woman musical telling the story of triumph over injustice, from a Nashville-rooted singer-songwriter and concert pianist (11/16)^ Silent Film: Wings — Andrew Earle Simpson offers more live original music, this time for the first Best Picture Oscar winner, following the adventures of two American aviators in World War I-era France (12/12, Lab Theatre)
Lesbian comedian Tig Notaro curates this annual four-day event presented by Brightest Young Things and this year featuring nonprofit partners Human Rights Watch and Whitman-Walker Health, whose Walk & 5K To End HIV is set for the Saturday of festival weekend. Opening Night with Phoebe Robinson & Special Guest Notaro — 1 of the 2 Dope Queens from HBO and author of Everything Is Trash, But It’s Okay (10/25)
Smart Funny & Black featuring Amanda Seales, Jemele Hill, and Reese Waters (10/25-26)
#Adulting with Michelle Buteau & Jordan Carlos with special guests Notaro and Sheng Wang (10/26)
Off Book: The Improvised Musical Podcast — Featuring Jessica Mckenna, Zach Reino, and more TBA (10/26, Kennedy Center Millennium Stage)
Get Curious w/Jonathan Van Ness LIVE (10/27)
Cameron Esposito, Rhea Butcher & Friends featuring Naomi Ekgeperin — Hollywood’s lesbian comedy couple lead this show with more TBA (10/27) ^ Handmaid’s Tale: The Musical (10/27, Kennedy Center Terrace Theater)
Melinda Hill — More TBA (10/27, Kennedy Center Millennium Stage)
FestivalClosing Show with Notaro & Friends (10/28)
Heavy Hitters End of Summer Tapping — A selection of popular high-octane beers, from Dogfish’s 120 Minute to Sierra Nevada’s Narwhal to Founders’ KBA (9/22)
Jessimae Peluso w/Matt Ruby (9/22-23)
The Overachievers Comedy Show (9/27, 10/25)
Brooks Wheelan w/Kevin Tit (9/28-29)
Yannis Pappas featuring Chris Distefano — Co-produed by Kaleidoscope Comedy (9/28-29) ^ Joe Matarese w/Rahmein Mostafavi — As seen on America’s Got Talent and Comedy Central (10/5-6)
Paul Mecurio w/Kasha Patel and Jared Stern (10/5-6)
Billy Sorrells (10/12-13)
Paris Sashay — Live Taping in The Cellar (10/13)
DJ Douggpound and Brent Weinbach — As seen on Tim and Eric Awesome Show and Conan(10/14)
Marianne Sierk (10/18-19)
Chris Franjola (10/20-21)
Kellen Erskine (10/24-25)
Suck It! A Comedy Game Show — Blaire Postman and Leon Scott co-host an evening in which three comedians are quizzed on subjects they say they’re obsessed with; also featuring musical mash-up trio Strum & Siren (10/24)
Dina Hashem (10/26-27)
Bret Ernst (10/26-27)
Chris Cope w/Erik Escobar (11/2-3)
THE BIRCHMERE
3701 Mount Vernon Ave.
Alexandria , Va.
703-549-7500 birchmere.com
WMAL Free Speech Forum — w/Mark Levin, Chris Plante, Larry O’Connor, Mary Walter, and Vince Coglianese (9/22)
Raven’s Night — “Momento Mori” is the theme of the annual all hallow’s “esoteric evening of belly dance & entertainment” (11/3)
Church Night — Comedy act offering an eccentric, religious parody inspired by Dana Carvey’s “Church Lady” SNL sketch as well as A Prairie Home Companion (9/22)
Pinball Movie Night (9/25)
The Very Best of Hump! 2008-2017 — The showcase of odd homemade porn as curated by Dan Savage (10/4-5)
Story District: Howl — Stories about Primal Instincts (10/9)
Eighties Mayhem: ’80s Halloween Dance Party — FYM Productions presents this full club event with DJs Steve EP, Missguided, and Killa K (10/27)
Vern Yip, one of the best designers on TLC’s Trading Spaces and former judge and host of various HGTV shows, headlines this year’s event, also featuring the building of a 1,400 square foot-home on the show floor by Val Valdez of Design Home. Falls Church decor shop Stylish Patina sponsors a free, hands-on Make-It, Take-It DIY Station at the event, featuring more than 250 exhibitors, with additional discussions and seminars, home remodeling projects and hands-on workshops (9/21-23)
Games of Thrones Live Concert Experience featuring Ramin Djawadi (9/25)
Joel and Victoria Osteen: A Night of Hope (10/6) ^ WWE Smackdown 1000 (10/16)
Washington International Horse Show (10/23-28)
Cirque du Soleil: Crystal — The aerial arts company’s “coolest arena show yet,” a production that showcases synchronized, freestyle and extreme ice-skating alongside circus acts such as swinging trapeze, aerial straps and hand-to-hand, all over ice (12/5-9)
Russell Peters w/Jake Johannsen — Deported World Tour from Canadian comedian/actor of Indian descent, with an opening set from a man who is reportedly one of David Letterman’s favorite comics (9/22)
Trevor Noah — The popular Daily Show host spends two weekends in D.C. doing standup (10/19-20, 10/26-27)
Comedy at Lincoln’s Cottage with Porkchop Volcano — Lincoln-inspired improv at this special series at one of D.C.’s best historic homes (9/18)
Tony Rock — Chris’s brother (9/20-23)
Couples Therapy: A Comedy Show — Rahmein Mostafavi leads a discussion with comics, including Jason Weems and Denise Taylor, and willing audience members laughing about relationships and singledom (9/20)
DMV Comedy Showcase — Featuring Ross Benoit, Benjy Himmelfarb, Ty Davis, Katherine Jessup, and Lafayette Wright (9/21)
ComedySportz Improv (9/22)
Claudia Oshry (9/25-26)
Craig Robinson — As seen on The Office, Hot Tub Time Machine, and Ghosted (9/27-30)
Pun DMV: Remix — Dana Fleitman hosts this pun competition (9/27)
Seaton Smith (9/28-29)
Five Minutes to Funny: Stand-Up Class Graduation — Hosted by teacher Chris Coccia (10/3)
Nate Bargatze (10/4-7)
ABDCs — A night of stand-up with four American-born Desi comics: Alingon Mitra, Akaash Singh, Tushar Singh, and KC Arora (10/4)
Emmy Blotnik — A writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert makes her DC Improv debut (10/5-6)
Dave Attell (10/11-14)
Doug Benson (10/11, 10/14)
Level 2 Stand-Up: Class Graduation — Hosted by teacher Rahmain Mostafavi (10/11)
Daniel Weingarten (10/12-13)
Challenge Mania Live — Interactive variety show hosted by Derrick Kosinski and Scott Yager of the hit podcast of the same name and starring those from MTV’s reality competition series The Challenge (10/13)
uLead: Stand Up for Mental Health — A night of comedy in support of mental health awareness with D.C. comics including Dominic Rivera, Cerrome Russell, Lafayette Wright, Denise Taylor, Martin Amini, and Rob Maher (10/16)
Ms. Pat (10/19-20)
Shuler King (10/21)
Level 2 Improv: Class Graduation — Hosted by instructor Chris Ulrich (10/24)
Aries Spears — As seen on Shaq’s All-Star Comedy Jam and madTV (10/25-28)
Murder Mystery Comedy Show — The Halloween Whodunit returns with Rob Maher, Sean Gabbert, Tommy Sinbazo and maybe you (10/31)
Nikki Glaser (11/1-3)
And That’s Why We Drink Live — A live episode of the hit podcast in its DC Improv debut (11/5-6)
Medium Cindy Kaza (11/6)
Jason Mewes — “Jay Mewes & His A-Mewes-ing Stories” (11/7)
Bill Bellamy (11/8-11)
Deon Cole — The out-there Black-ish co-worker and Grown-ish teacher (11/15-18)
Donnell Rawlings (11/23-25)
wellRED Comedy — With stand-up from Trae Crowder, Corey Ryan Forrester, and Drew Morgan (11/29-12/2)
Roy Wood Jr. — The Daily Show correspondent (12/6-8)
DC Young Fly (12/9)
Hypnotist Flip Orley (12/13-16)
Dov Davidoff (12/28-31)
Luenell (1/4/19-1/6/19)
DC WEIRDO SHOW
Bier Baron Tavern
1523 22nd St. NW
202-293-1887 dcweirdoshow.com
Weirdos for Life — In recognition of September as Suicide Prevention Month, the monthly ” freaks, geeks and exposed buttcheeks” variety show presents personal stories shared via bellydance, drag king performance, spoken word, aerial acrobatics, fire manipulation, and performance art (9/21)
Sideshow Tarot — Free audience tarot readings by Blaq Milk factor into this show also featuring two-spirit artist Tsaitammi Love Duchicela giving a cross-cultural spoken word tarot history Inaya Renarde doing fire play, RI Dickulous focused on swordswallowing and rope shibari, Lilith Wisteria showcasing queer performance art, and Bebe Bardot with a Miss Cleo comedy routine (10/19)
Sweet Jesus — A 4th annual anti-religious atheism show featuring Dame Yankee, a burlesque nun addicted to sex toys, the alien priest divOid, and Majic Dyke and Phoenix King offering a “sinful body-rolling drag king sex ritual involving bacon,” plus as show host, the fire-eating sideshow drag king preacher Brother Bro (11/16)
Now in its 14th year, the market presents over 150 artisans offering a vast, eclectic and international assortment of gifts and souvenirs, collectibles and wearables — from prints and photographs, to pottery and glassware, to custom jewelry and accessories. Each day brings a rotating schedule of merchants, plus concerts by local musicians and options for food and drink (11/23-12/23)
Speechless: The Ultimate Improvisational Gauntlet (9/27)
Smiley Frown w/Ross Benoit (9/27)
Rae Sanni (9/28-29)
Jamie Lee (10/5-6)
Dan Soder — As seen on Netflix’s The Standups and Billions (10/11-13)
The Magic of DC (10/13-14)
Comedy Supreme’s 8th Anniversary Show with Nicky Sunshine (10/14)
Joe List (10/19-20)
Jimmy Pardo’s Never Not Funny Podcast (10/26)
Emma Willmann (11/9/10)
Nicole Byer — As seen on Netflix’s Nailed It and MTV’s Girl Code (11/23-24)
Sam Morril (11/30-12/1)
Josh Wolf (12/28-31)
EAGLEBANK ARENA
George Mason University
4500 Patriot Circle
Fairfax, Va.
703-993-3000 eaglebankarena.com
25th PBR: Unleash the Beast: U.S. Border Patrol Invitational — The world’s premier bull-riding organization presents the top 35 bull riders against the best bulls in the industry for over two hours of intense bull-riding action that is not a rodeo (9/22-23)
Mash 2018 — Bollywood promoter Vijay Taneja presents stars a showcase of stars including John Abraham, Alka Yagnik, Malaika Arora Khan, Kumar Sanu, Kubbra Sait, Bhoomi Trivedi, Sudesh, and Krushna (10/27)
Jeff Dunham — “Passively Aggressive” Comedian (11/7)
Ngozi Ukazu — Check, Please! draws on the massively popular online graphic novel and focuses on a hockey team among which same-sex romance blossoms (9/14)
Marlena Chertock, Jacquelyn Benfgort, and Tara Campbell — D.C.-based writers come together to read from their individual works for the panel discussion “(B)odyssey: Shapeshifters, Changelings, and Other Transformations” (9/19)
Maurice Jackson and Blair Ruble — DC Jazz: Stories of Jazz Music in Washington, DC (9/20)
Kelsi Bracmort — Simone Visits the Museum (9/22)
Emily Jungmin Yoon w/Sandra Beasley and Lindsay Bernal — A Cruelty Special to Our Species (9/22)
Heidi Helig w/Ellen Oh — For A Muse of Fire plus a special edition of Musical Theater Karaoke (9/24)
Laura Spinney — The Spanish Flu of 1981…and How It Changed the World (10/9)
Casey Gerald — There Will Be No Miracles Here (10/10)
Heidi Sopinka — The Dictionary of Animal Languages (10/11)
Adrian Todd Zuniga — Collision Theory (10/14)
Brian P. Flanagan w/Krista Tuomi — Stumbling in Holiness: Sin and Sanctity in the Church (10/16)
Will Haygood — Tigerland: A City Divided, a Nation Torn Apart, and a Magical Season of Healing (10/17)
Liza Mundy — Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II, part of the National Woman’s Party Centennial Book Talk series (10/24)
Leah Daughtry and Minyon Moore — For Colored Girls Who Consider Politics, part of the National Woman’s Party Centennial Book Talk series (11/1)
Elliot Ackerman w/Mary Kay Zuravleff — Waiting for Eden (11/6)
Reel Time at GALA: 7th Annual Film Festival — Five days of films from Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia, with a focus on contemporary films by emerging and young directors (11/28-12/2)
Fiesta de los Reyes Magos – GALA’s traditional bilingual Three Kings celebration features the Magi, members of the Nativity scene, live animals, performances from local Latin American musical groups, and a walk through the neighborhood (1/6)
José Andrés — We Fed An Island documents the work the star D.C. chef fed hundreds of thousands of starving, homeless people in Hurrican Maria-ravaged Puerto Rico; book signing co-presented by Politics and Prose and GW (9/14)
Africa Umoja Sprit of Unity — International Arts Foundation presents a show, performed by South Africans, telling the history of the country through music and dance (9/21-23)
Bob Woodward — Fear: Trump in the White House, in conversation with The New York Times‘s Michael Schmidt (9/27)
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live! 30th Anniversary Tour — Two separate, unique shows, both featuring original host and show creator Joel Hodgson as Joel Robinson riffing alongside new MST3K host Jonah Heston aka Jonah Ray as they screen two movies never-before-seen on MST3K: The Brain, a Canadian sci-fi suburban nightmare, as part of Show #1, and Deathstalker II, about a princess, a sorcerer, and sword epic complete with clones, Amazons, and mysticism, in Show #2 (10/12)
Pete Souza — Shade is the latest book from Barack Obama’s famous photographer featuring hundreds more groundbreaking photographs (10/24)
Maxim Galkin — Russian humorist and actor presents his new TV program on tour, with parodies, fun musical numbers and suprises, presented by ArbatArena (11/2)
Death Becomes Us, A True Crime Festival: Kenda Confidential (11/3); BuzzFeed Unsolved (11/3); Wine & Crime (11/3); How Did This Get Made? (11/3); Criminal (11/4); The Last Podcast on the Left (11/4)
Fabergé Rediscovered Lecture Series — Five discussions in conjunction with current temporary exhibition: “The Firm of Fabergé: Business, Clients, and Collectors,” by Hillwood’s chief curator Wilfried Zeisler (10/3); “Russia: Royalty and the Romanovs,” by Caroline de Guitaut, the decorative arts curator of the Royal Collection Trust (10/10); “Fabergé in the Age of Progress,” by Mikhail Ovchinnikov, the deputy director of the Fabergé Museum in St. Petersburg (10/16); “Fabergé in London,” by Kieran McCarthy, a Fabergé adviser to collectors and institutions and managing director of Wartski, London (10/23); “Jewels of the Romanovs: The Collections of Maria, Alexandra, Olga and Xenia,” by Stefano Papi of the Gemological Institute of America and former specialist in the jewelry departments of both Sotheby’s and Christie’s (10/30)
Gardener’s Focus: Fall Design — Head Gardener Jessica Bonilla leads a tour through the fall seasonal plantings (10/9-19)
— Gardener’s Focus: Specialty Mums — A behind-the-scenes tour of the greenhouse by Hillwood horticulturist Enrique Mendez (10/14-30)
Spooky Pooch Howl-o-ween Celebration — Strut your mutt in a canine costume competition and purchase a signature champagne cocktail at Yappy Hour (10/27)
Sylvain Cordier: Napoleon: Art and Life in the Imperial Court — The curator of early decorative arts at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts gives the 7th Annual Frederick J. Fisher Lecture (11/8)
Traditional Holiday Wreaths — Designers guide participants in using fresh materials to make wreaths out of evergreens (11/27-12/2)
Gardener’s Focus: Holiday Decor — Hillwood floral and event decor designer Ami Wilber highlights Christmas trees inspired by Fabergé Rediscovered (11/30-12/14) ^ Russian Winter Festival (12/8-9)
Gardener’s Focus: Bones of the Winter Garden (12/18)
Making DC History Awards — Four Washingtonians and D.C.-based organizations will be recognized for their contributions to the community at this event emceed by Leon Harris of NBC4 (9/20, Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW)
Annual D.C. History Conference — “Mobility, Migration, and Movement” is the title of this 45th gathering, a collaboration with George Washington University, the DC Public Library, and the DC Office of Public Records (11/1-4, UDC, 4200 Connecticut Ave. NW)
Tam O’Shaughnessy — Sally Ride: A Photobiography of America’s Pioneering Woman Astronaut reveals the life and mind of the late physicist who made history, written by her partner in business and in life, who will read and sign copies (10/8)
7th Annual Chefs for Equality — More than 120 area chefs and mixologists prepare food and mix libations as well as offer their wares through various auctions at this benefit, which also features the “5/10/15 Speed Diner” with five dishes created by 10 chefs and served in 15-minute time slots (10/9, Washington National Cathedral; chefsforequality.org)
RA Xtra: The Breeding (10/19)
RA Xtra: Buddies (12/6)
JAMMIN JAVA
227 Maple Ave. E.
Vienna, Va.
703-255-3747 jamminjava.com
Funny. Shlegel. Rouhier. Dukes — A one-night-only show of back-and-forth banter among three radio personalities: 106.7 The Fan WJFK’s Chad Dukes and Danny Rouhier, and 98 Rock Baltimore’s Justin Schlegel (9/15)
Crackers & Grape Juice with Prof. Ruben Rosario: Live Podcast — Jason Micheli and Teer Hardy talk about faith without using “stained-glass language” (9/16)
Colin Quinn — “One In Every Crowd” from stand-up veteran (10/6, Terrace Theater)
Film: Roxanne Roxanne — A Netflix chronicling the journey of Lolita “Roxanne Shanté” Gooden into Queens hip-hop legend, with post-screening Q&A and discussion with producer Mimi Valdés, Roxanne Shanté, and more (10/9, Terrace Theater)
Lily Tomlin — One of America’s foremost comediennes offers a rare night of stand-up (10/17, Concert Hall)
The 21st Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor: Julia Louis-Dreyfus (10/21, Concert Hall)
Maz Jobrani — Iranian-American comedian returns to the Kennedy Center after last year’s sold-out show was turned into his first original Netflix special (11/16, Concert Hall)
Vikki Tobak — Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop (11/16, Terrace Theater)
The Second City’s Love, Factually — A holiday satire from twisted minds getting to the truth of December life, love, and romance, and of course parodying more than just a popular holiday movie’s title (12/4-31, Theater Lab)
Puddles Pity Party — The “Sad Clown with the Golden Voice” (12/14, Eisenhower Theater)
Andrew Yarrow — Man Out: Men on the Sidelines of American Life by a senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute (9/17)
Carol Anderson — One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy by the chair of African-American Studies at Emory University (9/18)
Erin Gibson — Feminasty: The Complicated Woman’s Guide to Surviving the Patriarchy without Drinking Herself to Death (9/20)
Super Spectacular Comedy Show for Humanity! — Grassroots Comedy DC pressents this funny fundraiser headlined by Comedy Central’s Robert Mac (9/21)
Brian VanDeMark — Road to Disaster: A New History of America’s Descent into Vietnam by a professor at the US Naval Academy (9/25)
Lucie Greene in conversation with Macon Phillips — Renowned futurist and think tank leader offers an unparalleled look at Big Tech in Silicon States, up for discussion with CARE USA’s chief digital officer (9/26)
Jacqueline Chio-Lauri — The New Filipino Kitchen: Stories and Recipes from around the Globe (9/27)
Nathan Schneider — Everything for Everyone: The Radical Tradition that Is Shaping the Next Economy (10/4)
Maya Rao — The Great American Outpost: Dreamers, Mavericks, and the Making of an Oil Frontier by Washington correspondent for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (10/11)
Daniel Mason — The Winter Soldier by clinical assistant professor in the Stanford University Department of Psychiatry (10/24)
Josh Hunt — University of Nike: How Corporate Cash Bought American Higher Education (11/12) ^ Rep. Jackie Speier — Undaunted: Surviving Jonestown, Summoning Courage, and Fighting Back (11/13)
Chris McGreal — American Overdose: The Opioid Tragedy in Three Acts by reporter for the Guardian and former BBC journalist (11/16)
Roles You’d Never Play featuring Kari Ginsburg — Don Michael Mendoza and Anya Randall Nebel co-host this professional karaoke/cabaret/variety show with Music Director Paige Rammelkamp with additional guests and musicians to be announced per show (10/15)
Great Composers featuring Tom Flatt (11/12)
Duets with Don Mike 2018 (12/3)
I Hate the Holidays (12/10)
I Love the Holidays and 2018 Closing Party (12/17)
Welcome to Night Vale — “A Spy in the Desert” is the focus of this round of the live podcast (9/26)
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Werq The World (10/23)
Rupi Kaur — Indian poet, artist, and performer whose shows are “a musical poetic theatrical masterclass” (10/29-30)
Ladies Night at the Lincoln starring Angela Winbush w/Lori Williams, Shadz & MC Sylver (11/4)
Inside Netflix’s The Staircase & Making A Murderer — Featuring David Rudolf and Jerry Buting, moderated by NPR’s Carrie Johnson (11/5)
METROCOOKING DC
Washington Convention Center
801 Mt. Vernon Pl.
202-249-3000 MetroCookingDC.com
Emeril Lagasse is the headliner at the James Beard Foundation Cooking Stage at this 13th annual regional culinary showcase that will also feature Jacques Pepin, Lidia Bastianich, Carla Hall, Bethenny Frankel, and many of D.C’s best chefs, including Scott Drewno, Amy Brandwein, Erik Bruner-Yang, Vikram Sunderam, and Michael Schlow. In addition to the James Beard Foundation Cooking Stage, The event features 200 specialty food vendors, with a focused Made in DC pavilion, and also includes a two-day Beer, Wine & Spirits section, a BBQ Bash on Saturday and the 6th annual Grand Tasting Pavilion on Sunday, and, new this year, a Holiday Gingerbread House Competition featuring professional and amateur bakers (12/1-2)
Jess Hilarious — Standup comedian known for appearances on MTV and VH1 (10/29)
The Price Is Right Live (11/2-4)
Jim Jefferies (11/9) ^ The Comedy Get Down: Cedric the Entertainer, George Lopez, Eddie Griffin, D.L. Hughley — The stars of the BET comedy series (11/10-11)
NatGeo Nights: From The Canopy — National Geographic Explorers Kevin McLean, Meg Lowman, Peter Houlihan, and Nalini Nadkarni share photography and stories from their work in treetops around the globe (9/20)
After-Hours: BYT & NatGeo’s My Party Will Go On! — 8th Annual costume party with guest DJs, National Geographic Explorer talks, a photobooth and caricature artist (9/21)
Film: Free Solo — An advance screening and discussion of filmmaker E. Chai Vaserhalyi’s documentary focused on Alex Honnold’s historic 2017 climb of Yosemite’s 3,200-foot El Capital peak, also captured in photographs by Jimmy Chin (10/2)
From The Archive: Into the Deep — Exclusive photos from and discussion about the deep-sea expeditions of Robert Ballard, who discovered the Titanic (10/3)
Virtual Reality Exploration: Bears Ears National Monument — Nat Geo photographer Aaron Huey guides a virtual tour using cutting-edge technology to this landmark that is considered sacred to indigenous people (10/10)
Conversation: Environmental Justice: Running Dry — Journalist Naveena Sadasivam moderates a discussion with national resource experts on solutions to the world’s deepening water crisis (10/16)
NatGeo Nights: Into the Underworld — Explore the hidden world inside caves with archaeologist Guillermo de Anda and biologists Ingi Agnarsson and Daniela Cafaggi (10/18)
You’re The Expert Live — Chris Duffy hosts this academic twist on a classic radio game show, with speakers Jo Firestone and Josh Sharp (10/20)
Special Event: Robert Ballard: Tour of the Titanic — The scientist who discovered the infamous ship wreck for National Geographic Explorer offers a guided tour through the exhibit Titanic: The Untold Story (10/24)
Conversation: Exploring Ocean Worlds — Ballard and fellow scientists Kevin Hand, Chris German, and Julie Huber to discuss how new discoveries in our oceans may help unlock mysteries, including whether we are alone in the universe (10/25)
Virtual Relation Exploration: Antarctica (10/30)
Tasting: The Food Explorer: David Fairchild — National Geographic writer Daniel Stone hosts a unique multicourse meal featuring foods introduced to the U.S. palate over 100 years ago by Fairchild (11/13)
NatGeo Nights: All Over The Map (11/15)
Conversation: Through the Lens — Documentary photographer Daniella Zalcman discusses her series on Native Americans who are pushing back against racial stereotypes (11/27)
Uncovering Galilee: New Discoveries in the Holy Land — Archaeologist Jodi Magness shares what has been found during a recent dig of a monumental 5th century synagogue (11/29)
Conversation: Getting the Story — A discussion of the thrills and challenges in putting together the world’s best-known magazine as told by its Editor in Chief Susan Goldberg and other (12/4)
ZooFiesta — Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month through talks, feedings and demonstrations highlighting animals including Andean bears, sloths, golden lion tamarins, and Panamanian golden frogs (9/23) ^ Conservation Discovery Day — The only time each year the zoo’s unique breeding and research facility is open to the public (10/6, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal)
Boo at the Zoo — More than 40 treat stations, animal demonstrations, keeper chats and decorated trails (10/19-21)
Night of the Living Zoo — Friends of the National Zoo’s annual adults-only Halloween party (10/26)
ZooLights (11/23-1/1)
BrewLights — FONZ’s hoppiest holiday event, a ticketed microbrew and craft beer brouhaha (11/29)
POLITICS AND PROSE 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW.
202-364-1919 politics-prose.com
Stephen Joel Trachtenberg and E. Gordon Gee — Leading Colleges and Universities: Lessons from Higher Education Leaders (9/15)
Arnold A. Offner — Hubert Humphrey: The Conscience of the Country (9/15)
Nerds! Trivia Night (9/15)
Elizabeth Spires, Michael Collier — Authors of A Memory of the Future: Poems and My Bishop and Other Poems, respectively (9/16)
Bethany McLean — Saudi America: The Truth about Fracking and How It’s Changing the World (9/16)
Soraya Chemaly — Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger, in conversation with Jill Filipovic (9/16)
Eli Saslow — Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist (9/17)
Justin Driver — The Schoolhouse Gate: Public Education, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for the American Mind, in conversation with Robert Barnes (9/17, The Wharf, 70 District Square SW)
Francis Fukuyama — Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment (9/19)
Bill Press — Trump Must Go: The Top 100 Reasons to Dump Trump (and One to Keep Him) (9/19, The Wharf)
Katie Bianco — 100 Things to Do in Washington, D.C. Before You Die, 2nd Edition (9/20, The Wharf)
Sophie Blackall — Winnie’s Great War (9/21)
Jose Antonio Vargas — Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by gay journalist, in conversation with gay Washington Post editor/columnist Jonathan Capehart (9/21, The Wharf)
Shane Bauer — American Prison: A Reporter’s Undercover Journey (9/21)
Joe Hagan — Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine (9/21, Union Market)
Joy Thomas Moore — The Power of Presence: Be a Voice in Your Child’s Ear Even When You’re Not with Them (9/22)
Ralph Nader — To the Ramparts: How Bush and Obama Paved the Way for the Trump Presidency, and Why It Isn’t Too Late to Reverse Course (9/23)
Vickie Reh — The Wine Table: Recipes and Pairings from Winemakers’ Kitchens (9/23, Union Market)
Miriam Pawel — The Browns of California: The Family Dynasty That Transformed a State and Shaped a Nation (9/23)
Sarah Smarsh — Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth (9/24)
Jason Stanley — How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them (9/25)
Deborah Harkness — Time’s Convert (9/25, at the Wharf)
Eric Klinenberg — Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life (9/26, The Wharft)
Steven Pearlstein — Can American Capitalism Survive?: Why Greed Is Not Good, Opportunity Is Not Equal, and Fairness Won’t Make Us Poor by the Washington Post‘s sage economics columnist (9/26)
Gautam Raghavan — West Wingers: Stories from the Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators Inside the Obama White House (9/27, The Wharf)
Justin A. Frank, MD — Trump on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President (9/29) ^ Isabel Sawhill — The Forgotten Americans: An Economic Agenda for a Divided Nation (9/29)
Juan Williams — “What the Hell Do You Have to Lose?”: Trump’s War on Civil Rights (9/30)
Chelsea Clinton — Start Now! You Can Make A Difference, in conversation with Lissa Muscatine (10/1, Sidwell Friends Meeting House)
Garry Trudeau — #sad!: Doonesbury in the Time of Trump (10/1)
D. D. Guttenplan — The Next Republic: The Rise of a New Radical Majority (10/3, The Wharf)
P.W. Singer and Emerson T. Brooking — Likewar: The Weaponization of Social Media (10/4, The Wharf
Ben Bradlee, Jr. — The Forgotten: How the People of One Pennsylvania County Elected Donald Trump and Changed America (10/6)
Allan J. Lichtman — The Embattled Vote in America: From the Founding to the Present (10/7)
James Miller — Can Democracy Work?: A Short History of a Radical Idea, from Ancient Athens to Our World (10/7)
Jeanne Marie Laskas — To Obama: With Love, Joy, Anger, and Hope (10/8, The Wharf)
Jessica Hopper — Night Moves, in conversation with the Washington Post music journalist Chris Richards (10/8)
Gengoroh Tagame — My Brother’s Husband, Volume 2 (10/9, Union Market)
Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Val Emmich — Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel (10/9, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church)
Deborah Blum — The Poison Squad: One Chemist’s Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century (10/10) ^ Camille Paglia — Provocations: Collected Essays (10/11)
John B. Judis — The Nationalist Revival: Trade, Immigration, and the Revolt Against Globalization (10/13)
Ramachandra Guha — Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World (10/13)
John Kaag — Hiking with Nietzsche: On Becoming Who You Are (10/14)
Jane Sherron de Hart — Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life (10/19)
James Mustich — 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List, in conversation with the Washington Post‘s Michael Dirda (10/21)
Greg Sargent — An Uncivil War: Taking Back Our Democracy in an Age of Trumpian Disinformation and Thunderdome Politics (10/22)
Dorie Greenspan — Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook, in conversation with the Washington Post‘s Bonnie Benwick (10/24, Union Market)
Susan Orlean — The Library Book (10/25)
Lisa McCubbin — Betty Ford: First Lady, Women’s Advocate, Survivor, Trailblazer (10/28)
Alice Stephens — Famous Adopted People (10/28)
Marion Nestle — Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat (11/1)
Mary Jo Binker — If You Ask Me: Essential Advice from Eleanor Roosevelt (11/3)
Stanley McChrystal — Leaders: Myth and Reality (11/3) ^ Paul Freedman — Ten Restaurants That Changed America (11/4, Union Market)
Anita Lo — Solo: A Modern Cookbook for a Party of One (11/7, Union Market)
Blair Imani — Modern HERstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History (11/14, Union Market)
Jonathan Franzen — The End of the Earth: Essays (11/14)
Boyce Thompson — Anatomy of a Great Home: What America’s Most Celebrated Houses Tell Us about the Way We Want to Live (11/18)
Carla Hall — Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration (11/30, Union Market)
D.C.’s International LGBTQ Film Festival and Monthly Film Series. RA Xtra: Man Made — Filmmaker T Cooper profiles four contestants at Trans FitCon, the world’s only transgender bodybuilding competition (9/28, HRC Equality Center, 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW)
RA Xtra: The Breeding — An erotic thriller from Daniel Armando about a young artist whose taboo fetish leads to life-altering consequences (10/19, HRC)
25th Annual D.C.’s International LGBTQ Film Festival — An array of new short, feature-length, and documentary films screen along with panel discussions, filmmaker Q&As, and parties celebrating film and this festival’s silver anniversary (11/1-4, GALA’s Tivoli Theatre, 1333 14th St. NW)
RA Xtra: Buddies — A World AIDS Day screening of Arthur J. Bressan Jr.’s gay indie classic from 1985, a devastating two-hander about a gay yuppie who volunteers to help an AIDS patient abandoned by his friends and lovers (12/6, HRC)
Sally Field — the memoir In Pieces, in conversation with Ari Shapiro (9/20) ^ Rebecca Traister — Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger (10/3)
Gary Shteyngart — Lake Success (10/9)
Mike Brzezinski — Know Your Value: Women, Money, and Getting What You’re Worth (10/11)
Julián Castro — An Unlikely Journey: Waking Up from My American Dream, in conversation with Jonathan Allen (10/15)
Doris Kearns Goodwin — Leadership (10/18)
Yotam Ottolenghi — Ottolenghi Simple, in conversation with Sally Swift (10/21)
Betches: Aleen Kuperman, Samantha Fishbein, and Jordana Abraham — When’s Happy Hour? Work Hard So You Can Hardly Work (10/25)
Peter Segal — The Incomplete Book of Running (10/29)
Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company (11/3)
Liane Moriarty — Nine Perfect Strangers (11/7)
Zack Akers, Skip Bronkie, and Cote Smith — Limetown (11/14)
Food world celebrities expected at the fourth annual event are chef/TV personalities Bobby Flay, Aarόn Sánchez, and Maneet Chauhan, James Beard Award-winning chefs Sue Milliken, Susan Feniger, Traci Des Jardins, and Edouardo Jordan, and authors Sandra A. Gutierrez (The New Southern-Latino Table), Corby Kummer (The Pleasures of Slow Food), and Michael W. Twitty (The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African-American Culinary History in the Old South). This year’s theme is “Regions Reimagined,” with a focus on exploring the evolving concept of region and local connections. Black Tie Gala — Food, drinks, and presentation of the 4th Annual Julia Child Award to Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger of L.A.’s Border Grill (11/1)
Roundtables — A free day-long symposium about the migration of people and food throughout American history with leading researchers, experts, and thinkers (11/2)
Festival — A day of free activities around the museum, from book signings to film screenings to demos — though no tastings — led by chefs/restaurateurs Aarόn Sánchez, Maneet Chauhan, Edouardo Jordan, Janice Marshall, and Sean Sherman of Minneapolis (11/3)
Last Call — Toasting the history of American brewing (11/3)
National Coming Out Day Dance — A free dance party for those aged 13 to 24, with DJ Honey and performances by SMYAL youth, plus food and drink; co-presented by Capitol Pride Alliance, Whitman-Walker Health, SafeSpace NOVA, and the Gay GenOUT LGBTQ Youth Chorus (10/12, Eastern Market North Hall, 225 7th St. SE)
Annual Fall Brunch — SMYAL’s premiere event celebrates community leaders as well as the organization’s youth in an inspirational awards-focused program with an open-bar cocktail reception, a silent auction, and a three-course brunch (10/14, Marriott Marquis, 901 Massachusetts Ave. NW)
Gayle F. Ward — Shout, Sister, Shout! The Untold Story of Rock and Roll Trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe (9/16)
The Inner Loop: Aminatta Forna — Happiness, as part of a literary reading series program with nine locale writers (9/18)
Barbara Adams — Women, Minorities, and Other Extraordinary People: The New Path for Workforce Diversity, in conversation with Ambassador Ruth A. Davis (9/22)
Mick Cornett — The Next American City: The Big Promise of Our Midsize Metros (9/24)
Jennifer Baker, Jason Reynolds, and Hasanthika Sirisena — Everyday People: The Color of Life (9/26)
Maurice Jackson, Blair Ruble, and Bridget Arnwine — DC Jazz: Stories of Jazz Music in Washington, DC (9/29)
Storytime with Libby Babbot Klein — Baby Feminists (10/6)
Antonia Felix — Elizabeth Warren: Her Fight. Her Work. Her Life. (10/11)
Justice & Injustice: Mary Hartnett and Dan Norland — A wide-ranging conversation centered on the Supreme Court between a co-author of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s My Own Words and author of Witnesses of the Unseen: Seven Years in Guantanamo (10/12)
Erica Wright, Jennifer Chang, and Sara Lautman: In Conversation — The Blue Kingfisher novelist in a discussion with a poet and illustrator (10/14)
Jabari Asim — We Can’t Breathe: On Black Lives, White Lies, and the Art of Survival, in conversation with Wesley Lowery (10/17)
An Evening of Poetry with Lindsay Bernal, GennaRose Nethercott, and Will Schutt (10/21)
Joshua Rivkin — CHALK: The Art and Erasure of Cy Twombly (10/22)
Kevin Cornell — Lucy Fell Down the Mountain (11/4)
Mixtape Volume 4 — A remix of fan favorites (9/24, Union Stage)
Howl: Stories about Primal Instincts (10/9, Black Cat)
Cat-Headed Baby: Stories about Superstitions, Hoaxes, or Strange Beliefs (11/13, Black Cat)
Surprise! Stories about Things You Weren’t Expecting (12/11, Black Cat)
STRATHMORE
5301 Tuckerman Lane
North Bethesda, Md.
301-581-5100 strathmore.org
The Fun Show with Cat & Nat (9/21, Music Center)
Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood — “Scared Scriptless” (10/5, Music Center)
Eve Ensler & Anne Lamott — The Vagina Monologues author/performer is joined by essayist/author of Hallelujah Anyway, Rediscovering Mercy for a wide-ranging conversation on the provocative issues that they’ve each made their stock in trade, and more (10/21, Music Center)
Ina Garten — The culinary celebrity will discuss her newest cookbook Cook Like a Pro as well as other adventures and pursuits (11/1, Music Center)
Museum Shop Holiday Market — Eighteen of the area’s best museum gift shops come to Strathmore for this annual benefit, a treasure for holiday gift ideas (11/8-11, Mansion)
Rayceen, Fix Me Up! Single Women’s Mixer — Rayceen Pendarvis hosts this evening of ice-breaker games for the ladies, plus light refreshments and prizes, co-presented by Lezbesocial and City Promotions (9/20, Shaw Neighborhood Library, 1630 7th St. NW)
Rayceen’s Reading Room (9/24, Shaw Library)
The Ask Rayceen Show: Meet the Candidates — An LGBTQ-focused talk and variety show held on First Wednesdays (10/3, HRC Equality Center, 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW)
The Ask Rayceen Show: Sexy Seventh Season Finale — “A titillating evening of burlesque, demos, and other performances” to close out the year for this monthly event (11/7, HRC)
Creed Bratton from The Office — An Evening of Comedy and Music (9/17)
Jokes On Tap — Open Mic Comedy in the Tap Room (9/18)
A Halloween Spooktacular — Perfect Liars Club presents “a night of spine-tingling true tales from the best storytellers on the East Coast,” hosted by Cara Foran and Pierce McManus (10/30)
Pop-Up Magazine: A Night of Live Stories — Contributors include Ann Friedman, Emily Dreyfuss, Rowan Jacobsen, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and the Magik*Magik Orchestra (9/25) ^ AC2: An Intimate Evening with Anderson Cooper & Andy Cohen (9/29)
Lolita Snipes’ Head Over Heels — An inspirational comedy starring Angie Stone, Tamika Scott, Trina Braxton, Q Parker, William Jackson, Tony Tone, and Big Que (10/5-6)
Chris D’Elia (10/11)
Maria Bamford (10/120 ^ Whose Live Anyway? — With Jeff B. Davis, Joel Murray, Ryan Stiles, and Greg Proops (10/13)
Ebi (10/20)
Je’Caryous and Snoop: Redemption of a Dogg — A Stage Play starring Snoop Dogg & Tamar Braxton (11/9-11)
Sebastian Stan portrays just one man in Aaron Schimberg’s brilliantly twisted A Different Man, but he’s essentially two different characters, before and after a medical miracle.
Before, he is Edward, a struggling but determined actor in New York City, whom we meet clearly overacting a scene in some low-budget project. Edward also lives with neurofibromatosis, a condition that produces tumors and growths all over his face.
Edward is deeply insecure about his appearance and keeps to himself in a darkened, pretty spacious apartment. The leak in his ceiling, which he allows to fester and swell into a disgusting ooze, serves as Schimberg’s blunt visual motif of the malaise eating away at Edward. Umberto Smerilli’s baleful score sets his dread to music.
All of our hero's spouses don't appear onstage in Gustavo Ott's The 22+ Weddings of Hugo, currently at GALA Hispanic Theatre in José Zayas' suspenseful D.C. premiere production. Rather, the comedy, first produced last year at Teatro Dallas, zeroes in on two women and one man whose lives were changed by marrying Hugo Wagner.
Through them, we come to see him, and ponder the question they'll eventually ask: Why, Hugo? What would motivate the mild-mannered postal worker to get hitched to at least 18 different men and women?
Ott, opening his first full season as GALA's Artistic Director, based Hugo on the true story of a man not named Hugo, who married over 20 times "for an extraordinary and beautiful reason." The play's Hugo, portrayed with brio by Carlos Castillo, apparently has many reasons, not all of which he's eager to reveal, though one motivation is fairly obvious.
This section is always a grabbag of events and activities, a multi-genre arts smorgasbord we lovingly compile every season to cover those performances that aren't quite one thing or another, and don't quite fit within the confines of our other sections. It's a mix of stand-up comedy, drag shows, dance parties, exhibits, readings, book and poetry readings, and a sampling of the many restaurants in Bethesda. And it adds up to a lot of additional offerings apart from our other categories of film, stage, dance, classical music and pop.
This fall, you could dust off your cowboy boots and dance with the DC Rawhides as they host their debut evening at Glen Echo Park. Or take in a reading of a queer author at D.C.'s newest bookstore, the LGBTQ-owned Little District Books. Or set your sights on a queer extravaganza put together to honor Hispanic Heritage Month at DC9. Or maybe you'd like to take in a rare in-person evening with Bob The Drag Queen at the Lincoln Theatre -- or opt for the Jinx and DeLa holiday brew at the Lincoln.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
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