Above & Beyond: Fall Arts Preview 2014

Many heavyweights from across the arts and leisure spectrum visit the Washington region every fall, and this season is no different. Rosie O’Donnell at the Bentzen Ball Comedy Festival, a discussion with Bill T. Jones at the Kennedy Center, and the various drag queens and Halloween-themed events around town are all on tap to keep you from any feeling of boredom. And then there’s Isabella Rossellini, who will reenact animal sex from the stage at Lisner Auditorium. Yes, really. After all, as they say, even educated fleas do it.

THE ALDEN

McLean Community Center
1234 Ingleside Ave.
McLean, Va.
703-790-0123
aldentheatre.org

• The Amazing Max and the Box of Interesting Things — Magician Max Darwin offers what’s billed as “the wackiest, most interactive, highest energy magic show for families in town today” (11/2)
• Pat Hazell: A Kodachrome Christmas — A “one-woman, cable-access holiday special” starring this Seinfeld writer in a mix of stand-up and theater (12/19-21)
• The Capitol Steps — Political satire from the best in the business (1/3/15)

ARLINGTON CINEMA N’ DRAFTHOUSE

2903 Columbia Pike
Arlington
703-486-2345
arlingtondrafthouse.com

• Cool Cow Comedy Showcase — A 60-minute comedy show every Thursday night
• ThreeGuysOn presents The Final Draft — Hosts of popular podcast present a comedy show every Friday night
• Deon Cole — A comedian originally from the south side of Chicago and known from stand-up on the old Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien (9/12-13)
• Porkchop Volcano — Live short-form improv comedy troupe (9/13, 9/27)
• Reel Rock Film Tour 9 — This film festival presents the best climbing and adventure films of the year (9/18)
• Josh Blue — Winner of NBC’s Last Comic Standing who likes to say he’s “the comedian who puts the cerebral in Cerebral Palsy” (9/19-20)
• Open Mic Stand-Up Comedy (9/20)
• Pete Davidson — A young new comedian known from MTV (9/26-27)
• Found Footage Festival — Curators Joe Pickett of The Onion and Nick Prueher of The Colbert Report take audiences on a guided tour of the latest videos they found at garage stores, thrift stores, warehouses and dumpsters (10/3)

ARTISPHERE

1101 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, Va.
703-875-1100
artisphere.com

• Not So Silent Cinema: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari — Just in time for Halloween the quintet performs a new score to this hallmark of the German-Expressionist style, blending Klezmer influences, demented circus music, avant-garde soundscapes and pulsating minimalist textures (10/25)

  

• Cre.Art Project: Visuality — This Spanish collective of artists working in all genres offers a multimedia concert exploring the visual aspects of music, with mapped video projections transforming the stage into a canvas set to compositions by, among others, Andre Previn, Bela Bartok and Jacob Ter Veldhuis (11/6-7)

THE ATHENAEUM

201 Prince St.
Alexandria, Va.
703-548-0035
nvfaa.org

• Lecture: Sweat of the Sun, Tears of Moon — Historian A.M. Hammersen discusses about how and why everyone from the Greeks to the Etruscans to the Celts adorned themselves with precious metals (9/15)
• Burned and Buried: The Sordid History of Books (9/22)
• Banned Book Week Read-Out — Various Alexandria poets, politicians and students will read excerpts from classic books that have been nonetheless targeted and banned by overzealous leaders around the country (9/25)

ATLAS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

1333 H St. NE
202-399-7993
atlasarts.org

• Miguel Zenon w/David Dempewolf: Identities are Changeable, Tales of the Diaspora — A multiple Grammy nominee and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow, alto-saxophonist Zenon returns to the Atlas in a performance accompanied by three other musicians in a collaboration with video artist Dempewolf exploring the experience of Puerto Ricans who have moved to the mainland (11/5)
• Fuse Ensemble: Sketch: An Exploration of Identity, Image and the Art of Becoming — A D.C.-based contemporary classical music and media ensemble premieres new works by composers Rahilia Hasanova and Gina Biver and includes a performance by guest percussionist Scott Deal (11/7)
• Deep Stack No-Limit Texas Hold’Em Tournament — The Atlas transforms into a one-day poker room where registered — paid — participants can test their luck and skills in a Vegas-style game with winnings as high as $10,000 (11/9)
• Goldie Deane: Feminine Folklore — The Atlas offers an extended version of a hit at its Intersections festival by this spoken-word artist, who probes culture, identity and “30-something coming-of-age” in tandem with a diverse ensemble including Jessica Solomon, Anu Yadav, Fatima Quander and Rachel Haynes (11/21-22)

BALTIMORE SPEAKERS SERIES

Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
1212 Cathedral St.
Baltimore, MD
410-783-8000
baltimorespeakersseries.org

• Alan Alda — Well-known actor from TV’s M*A*S*H and The West Wing to blockbuster films including The Aviator (9/30)
• Julia Gillard — Australian Prime Minister from the first four years of this decade (10/28)
• Ken Burns — The acclaimed public television documentarian (11/11)

THE BENTZEN BALL COMEDY FESTIVAL

brightestyoungthings.com/bentzen-ball

• Rosie O’Donnell, appearing Oct. 4 at Lisner Auditorium, is the most obvious case in point about how event promoter BrightestYoungThings has outdone itself in exponentially expanding this comedy festival that Tig Notaro curated last year. This year’s festival runs for four days and includes at least nine shows at venues across town. A few of the other events and comedy heavyweights on tap include, Notaro, Jeff Garlin of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Kyle Kinane from Drunk History (10/1, Lincoln Theatre); Eugene Mirman of Flight of the Conchords and Kate Berlant of IFC Comedy Drop (10/2, 9:30 Club); John Hodgman of NPR and The Daily Show and Kate Flannery of The Office (10/3, Lincoln)

THE BIRCHMERE

3701 Mount Vernon Ave.
Alexandria, Va.
703-549-7500
birchmere.com

• Bellydance Evolution — Offering of a version of Alice in Wonderland (9/21)
• Raven’s Night 2014 — “Sci-Fi Phantasm” (10/18)
• Suzanne Westenhoefer — The lesbian comedian returns with more stand-up (11/8)
• Paula Poundstone — A double dose of the great, self-proclaimed asexual comic (11/21-22)
• A John Waters Christmas (12/22)

BLACK CAT

1811 14th St. NW
202-667-4490
blackcatdc.com

• Ten Forward Happy Hour — One episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation and drink specials every Friday, for free
• Story League Masters Championship — David Crabb hosts “The Search for the Funniest Story in the East!” (9/13)
• Cyclon Happy Hour — One episode of Battlestar Galactica and drink specials every Saturday
• Burlesque is the New Black — Gi2 Productions + Deanna Danger Productions offers an Orange Is The New Black tribute show, aiming to bring the show and characters “to life in a way that you’ve only dreamed about!” (9/19)
• Rob Cantrell (9/26)
• Brian Posehn — Stand-up comic was one-half of a gay couple on Comedy Central’s The Sarah Silverman Program, and is one-half of a straight couple in real-life (11/20)
• Wyatt Cenac — Comedian known from The Daily Show offers a night of stand-up titled, “Live in Brooklyn In __(Insert City Name Here)__ (11/23)

BUSBOYS AND POETS

2021 14th St. NW
202-387-POET
busboysandpoets.com

• 11th Hour Poetry Slam – Opportunity for poetry lovers to enjoy the competitive art of late-night performance poetry (9/12)
• Linda Hogan — Poet presented by Split This Rock and Fall for the Book Festival at George Mason University (9/14, 5th and K Busboys)
• Tuesday Night Open Mic Poetry – Wide-ranging topics and speakers for two hours every Tuesday
• Story League Story Contest: Testy, Testy! (9/17)
• Sunday Kind of Love Open Mic Poetry — Every week featuring emerging and established poets in an open-mike segment
• SPARKLE Queer Open Mic — Queer-friendly, queer-focused reading series, hosted by Regie Cabico and Danielle Evennou (10/5)
• Nine on the Ninth Open Mic Poetry — The 9th of every month, at 9 p.m.
• Cornel West — Famous academic signs and discusses his new book Black Prophetic Fire (10/16, 5th and K)
• Alexander Moore — The Food Fighters: DC Central Kitchen’s First Twenty-Five Years on the Front Lines of Hunger and Poverty (10/22, 5th and K)

CLARICE SMITH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

University of Maryland
College Park, Md.
301-405-ARTS
claricesmithcenter.umd.edu

• NextNow Fest — First-ever festival kicks off the season with mostly free performances in every genre, including audience-integrated theater from dog & pony dc and the Neo-Futurists, a dance club DJ party by UMD’s Terrapin Beats Society and an “arts tailgate” at the Terps football game (9/11-14)
• NextLook: Pointless Theatre Company — An early look at three original puppet spectacles blending theater, dance, music and the visual arts (10/11)
• Creative Dialogues: The Narrative Elements of War: An Embedded Conversation — Experts in the healing powers of the arts discuss the subjects of war, trauma and memory as a prelude to the performance of Basetrack (10/30)
• Basetrack — A multimedia performance piece with a live musical score examining the cost of war (11/1)

DANCE PLACE

3225 8th St. NE
202-269-1600
danceplace.org

• Joe Conzo — The author of Mambo Diablo: My Journey with Tito Puente shares recollections as well as rare unreleased and live recordings of Puente, Machito and Tito Rodriguez, followed by a dance party with Orquestra La Leyenda (9/20)
• Silvana Straw — D.C.’s original Poetry Slam Champion offers a Halloween-inspired show, “The Ghost of DC Past,” with other invited specters offering spoken-word performances (10/25-26)

DAVIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Georgetown University
3700 O St. NW
202-687-ARTS
performingarts.georgetown.edu

• The Georgetown Improv Association — A monthly night of improv inspired by audience suggestions and showcasing the performers’ (hopefully) quick wit (10/18)
• The 14th Future of Music Summit — The only national conference that focuses on the connections between musicians and fans, policymakers and academics, legal experts and technologists, media professionals and entrepreneurs (10/27-28)

DC IMPROV

1140 Connecticut Ave. NW
202-296-7008
dcimprov.com

• Tony Rock — Another year, another DC Improv stop for Chris’s brother (9/18-21)
• Bobby Lee — The former MADtv regular (9/26-28)
• Last Comic Standing Season 9 Audition Showcase — A total of 30 D.C.-area comics have been invited to audition for the next season of the show at the DC Improv (9/27)
• Jerrod Carmichael (10/3-5)
• Tammy Pescatelli (9/9-12)
• John Caparulo (10/16-19)
• Dave Attell (10/24-26)
• Jermaine Fowler (10/30-11/2)
• Tommy Davidson (11/6-9)
• Flip Orley — America’s premier comic hypnotist (11/13-16)
• Bob Marley — Not that Bob Marley, but the still-living comedian (11/20-23)
• Donnell Rawlings (11/28-30)
• Gary Owen (12/4-7)
• Ron Funches (12/11-14)
• Paul Mecurio (12/18-21)
• Andy Hendrickson (12/26-28)
• Seaton Smith — New Year’s Eve Celebration (12/31)
• Sheryl Underwood — The newest member of CBS’s The Talk (1/2-1/3/15)

FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY

201 East Capitol St. SE
202-544-7077
folger.edu

• 125th Anniversary of Poet Lore — A celebration with four of the many acclaimed poets whose work has been featured in the nation’s oldest poetry magazine (9/15)
• The Institute of Heraldry: Guardians of our National Symbolic Heritage — A lecture by Charles V. Mugno of the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry (9/19)
• Here and Now: Stephen Dunn — Pulitzer Prize-winning poet (9/29)
• Peter O’Donoghue — A lecture by the York Herald of Arms in Ordinary at the College of Arms in London (10/1)
• PEN/Faulkner Gala — The 26th annual gala features 10 authors reading short works written for the occasion on the theme of “Danger” (10/6)
• Stephan Wolfert: Cry “Havoc!” — A special one-night-only production inspired by Wolfert’s experiences as a soldier, writer and performer and using Shakespeare’s words to introduce us to the Bard’s soldiers (11/4)
• Brews and Banter — Julius Caesar (11/6)
• Paul Dickson — Authorisms: Words Wrought by Writers (11/7)
• Bill Sherman and Rene Zandbergen — The Voynich Manuscript (11/11)
• The Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize — Geoffrey Brock and Heather McHugh (11/17)
• PEN/Malamud Celebration (12/5)

THE HOWARD THEATRE

620 T St. NW
202-588-5595
thehowardtheatre.com

• Harlem Gospel Choir — Sunday Gospel Brunch, “All You Can Eat,” each and every Sunday
• Point Break Live — Think you can out-act Keanu Reeves’ iconic portrayal of Special Agent Johnny Uta in the ’90s action classic? Bring your bros to cheer you on, here’s your chance! (10/4)

HILL CENTER

Old Navy Hospital
921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE.
202-549-4172
HillCenterDC.org

• Mary Szybist — One of the country’s most important poets in conversation with Ron Charles of the Washington Post Book World (9/17)
• Jennifer Duffy and David Wasserman — Editors from The Cook Political Report discuss the fall elections with fellow journalist Bill Press (9/18)
• Timothy Denevi and Judith Warner — A PEN/Faulkner Literary Reading Series discussion about ethics and science of medicating children (9/19)
• Kathleen Fulton — Writer and education consultant specializing in teaching quality and technology stops by for a discussion moderated by Michael Feuer of George Washington University (9/20)

HILLWOOD MUSEUM & GARDENS

4155 Linnean Ave. NW
202-686-8500
hillwoodmuseum.org

• Gay Day – Activities at the 13th annual Gay Day at Hillwood include tours of the newly opened Staff Dining Room at Hillwood and Marjorie Merriweather Post’s bedroom suite, Floral Design Demonstratoins by Jason Gedeik, head of Hillwood’s greenhouse and design operations, exclusive peeks into rooms not usually open to the public, plus performances by DC Lambda Squares, the Rock Creek Singers of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and the a cappella group Not What You Think (9/14)
• Divas Outdoors: Classic Films Under the Stars featuring Some Like It Hot — Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon heat up Hillwood’s Lunar Lawn (9/18)
• Hands-on Orchid Workshops — “How to Get Your Orchid to Rebloom” and “To Repot or Not?” (9/20, 9/27)
• A Very Chic World: Maison Jansen, Monarchical Finery and the Modern Century — A lavishly illustrated lecture on the legendary Paris design firm by James Archer Abbott (9/30)

• Serene Sundays — On select Sundays Hillwood opens its gates to allow a relaxing perch to enjoy the change from summer to fall (9/28, 10/12, 10/26)
• Gardener’s Focus: Specialty Mums at Hillwood — Featuring Hillwood’s head grower Drew Asbury (10/12, 10/14, 10/16, 10/21, 10/23, 10/26)
• Fall Floral Workshop (9/25)
• Spooky Pooch Howl-o-ween Celebration – This one’s gone to the dogs (10/25)
• Hands-on Workshop — Layered bulbs for next spring (11/8)
• Wondrous Secrets Behind Roentgen Furniture Revealed — Dr. Wolfram Koeppe shares new insights about Hillwood’s rolltop desk and other pieces in the Roentgen collection (11/18)
• Fabulous Wreath Workshop (12/5-6)
• Russian Winter Festival (12/13-14)
• Gardener’s Focus — Bones of the Winter Garden, featuring Hillwood horticulturist Bill Johnson (12/19, 12/20, 12/23, 12/26, 12/27)

HYMAN S. & FREDA BERNSTEIN JEWISH LITERARY FESTIVAL

Washington DCJCC
1529 16th St. NW
202-777-3251
litfest.squarespace.com

Selected Highlights:

• Local Author Fair — A focus on 15 D.C.-area writers (10/19)
• Opening Night: Geraldine Brooks — Pulitzer Prize-winning author of People of the Book: A Novel introduces and leads a discussion of The Sarajevo Haggadah: Music of the Book, an ambitious multimedia concert featuring music by Bosnian-born composer and accordionist Merima Kljuco and video by Bart Woodstrup (10/20)
• Art Spiegelman’s Wordless! — Probing the art of comics and featuring a hybrid of slides, talk and musical performance, with original music by Phillip Johnston (10/21, Lisner Auditorium)
• Zachary Lazar — I Pity The Poor Immigrant: A Novel (10/21)
• Hilma & Meg Wolitzer — Like Mother, Like Daughter, in a discussion moderated by Deborah Tannen (10/22)
• Nick Kotz — A literary lunch with this Pulitzer Prize winner and author of The Harness Maker’s Dream: Nathan Kallison and the Rise of South Texas (10/24)
• Dr. Ruth Westheimer & Jerome E. Singerman — Myths of Love: Echoes of Ancient Mythology in the Modern Romantic Imagination (10/25)
• The Great Children’s Read (10/26)
• Matthew Klickstein — Slimed!: An Oral History of Nickelodeon’s Golden Age (10/27)
• Martin Goldsmith — Alex’s Wake: A Voyage of Betrayal and a Journey of Remembrance (10/28)
• Closing Night: Gary Shteyngart — National Jewish Book Award winner, author of Little Failure: A Memoir, in conversation with Alan Cheuse (10/29)

KENNEDY CENTER

202-467-4600
kennedy-center.org

• Aparna Nancherla w/Chelsea Shorte — A night of free comedy as part of the Millennium Stage series by a Upright Citizen’s Brigade veteran and correspondent of FX’s Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, plus an opening set from one of D.C.’s funniest (9/22)
• Gabriel “Asheru” Benn and Guerilla Arts Ink — A group of top-notch teaching artists who work to inspire area youth in all genres and media through this hip-hop artist’s organization offer a free Millennium Stage performance (9/27)
• Youth Speaks “Raise Up” — Winners of this nationwide competition perform a free Millennium Stage program of hip-hop and spoken word (9/28)

  

• Bill T. Jones — Renowned gay director and choreographer reflects on his art and life in conversation with musician and composer Ted Coffey (10/18)
• The Illusionists — “The world’s best-selling magic show, direct from Broadway!” (1/6-1/11/15)

KRAMERBOOKS

1517 Connecticut Ave. NW
202-387-1400
kramers.com

• Stuart Rojstaczer — The Mathematician’s Shiva is about a son coming to terms with his mother’s outsized influence on his life (9/14)
• Vanessa Blakeslee — Train Shots is a collection of darkly humorous stories about everyday men and women (9/16)
• Mark Ewert — The Generosity Path is an easy-to-read guide to charitable giving and transitioning from a donor to a philanthropist (9/17)
• Ruben Castaneda — S Street Rising: Crack, Murder and Redemption in D.C. documents the life of this former Washington Post reporter, working — and getting high — during the height of D.C.’s crack epidemic (9/21)
• Ann Hagedorn — Invisible Soldiers documents the privatization of America’s national security and reasons for concern (9/22)
• Peter Mehlman — It Won’t Always Be This Great is the debut novel from this former Seinfeld writer (9/23)
• Earl Swift and Bill Morris — Authors of novels Auto Biography and Motor City Burning (9/29)
• Ted Rall — After We Kill You, We Will Welcome You Back as Honored Guests: Unembedded in Afghanistan is an unflinching account in words and pictures of America’s longest war by an outspoken graphic journalist (9/30)

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

10 First St. SE
202-707-8000
loc.gov/concerts

• Hisham D. Aidi — Columbia University professor discuss hes new book Rebel Music: Race, Empire and the New Muslim Youth Culture, exploring how hip-hop, jazz and reggae play crucial roles in the global Muslim youth culture (9/25, West Dining Room, Madison Building)
• Warren Hoffman — Producer, theater critic and playwright offers a lecture based on his book The Great White Way: Race and the Broadway Musical (10/10, Whittall Pavilion, Jefferson Building)
• Stew — Playwright/songwriter/poet and lyricist discusses his career, including the rock musical Passing Strange, in conversation with Studio Theatre’s Literary Director Adrien-Alice Hansel (10/23, Montpelier Room, Madison Building)

LINCOLN THEATRE

1215 U St. NW
202-328-6000
thelincolndc.com

• Tim & Eric and Dr. Steve Brule — The comedy duo of Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim performs with its Adult Swim collaborator John C. Reilly aka Dr. Brule (10/8-9)

LISNER AUDITORIUM AT GWU

730 21st St. NW
202-994-6800
lisner.org

• Chris D’Elia — Comedian and actor offers stand-up under the heading, “Under No Influence” (9/20)

  

• Isabella Rossellini: Green Porno, Live on Stage — Perhaps one of the most unusual offerings of the season is this famed Italian actress’s work in bringing to life her short Sundance Channel films exploring sex and sexuality in animals, which includes her donning costumes to reenact such rituals that go well beyond the simple need for reproduction (11/18)
• So You Think You Can Dance Live Tour (11/9)

LYRIC OPERA HOUSE

140 West Mount Royal Ave.
Baltimore, Md.
410-547-SEAT
lyricoperahouse.com

• NBC’s Last Comic Standing Live Tour (9/24)
• Amy Schumer (10/3)
• Kathleen Madigan (10/10)
• Chris Tucker (11/1)

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE!

Grosvenor Auditorium
NGS Headquarters
1600 M St. NW
202-857-7700
nglive.org

• Pete McBride: Chasing Rivers, From the Colorado to the Ganges — Journey down two of the world’s great rivers with this photographer and filmmaker (10/8)
• Greg Long — Champion surfer, “Big Wave Rider” (10/9)
• Jodi Picoult: Leaving Time — One of America’s most popular and prolific contemporary writers discusses her latest novel (10/15)
• Spinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous — Paleontologists Paul Sereno and Nizar Ibrahim discuss the prehistoric monster bigger than T. Rex (10/16)
• Bird Walk Adventure: Eastern Shore Sea & Sky — A unique trip, co-presented by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, to discover the sea life and waterfowl of the region (10/18)
• Wild Food Walk — Naturalist Bob Pickett leads a tour, co-sponsored by Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, exploring botany, lore and culinary uses of local edible plants (10/19)
• Barton Seaver, Ann Cashion, Rock Harper and Mike Curtin — Four of D.C.’s Top Chefs offer an insider’s look at the local restaurant scene (10/21)
• People of the Horse — Photographer Erika Larsen and horseman Leo Teton of the Shoshone-Bannock nation offer a look at the bond existing between the horse and Native-American culture (10/22)
• Alone Across The Outback: The Making of Tracks — Photographer Rick Smolan offers the true story behind the movie (10/24)
• Harvest Festival — D.C.’s official Food Day celebration and part of exhibition at National Geographic Museum (10/25)
• Exploring Mars: The Next Generation — NASA engineer Kobie Boykins reports on the latest discoveries on the Red Planet (10/28)
• Zombie Parasites! — Writer Carl Zimmer and photographer Anand Varma offer an evening of weird-but-true science (10/29)
• The Geography of Food (10/30)
• Asher Jay: The Art of the Matter — Socially active boundary-pushing artist and fashion designer (11/4)
• From Farm to Table: A Photographer’s Journey — Jim Richardson honors those who harvest our food (11/5)
• A Night in Telluride — Capturing the best films on adventure, extreme sports and mountain culture from this year’s Mountainfilm in Telluride festival (11/7-8)
• Jose Andres: Eat, The Story of Food — Highlights from National Geographic Television’s new series (11/17)

  

• Delectable Pairings: Beer, Wine and Stinky Cheese — Cheesemonger Steven Jenkins, sommelier Joshua Wesson and brewmaster Garret Oliver (11/18)
• Food Through Photography (11/19)
• This Is Your Brain on Nature — National Geographic Explorers Tierney Thys, Nalini Nadkami and Tan Le (11/20)
• Alan Rabinowitz — Journey of the Jaguar (11/24)
• People of Everest: The Changing Sherpa Culture (12/1)
• The Art of Photographing Food (12/2)
• Risk Takers: Pushing the Limits (12/3)
• A Farm-to-Table Meal in Hubbard Hall — National Geographic head chef Matthew Crudder leads a five-course meal focused on local, sustainable ingredients (12/4)
• Sufferfest: 700 Miles of Pain and Glory — Alex Honnold and Cedar Wright lead a 700-mile adventure out west (12/10)
• Ocean Wild — National Geographic underwater photographer Brian Skerry (12/11)

POLITICS AND PROSE

5015 Connecticut Ave. NW.
202-364-1919
politics-prose.com

• Jules Feiffer — Kill My Mother: A Graphic Novel (9/12)
• Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark — Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs and Washington Handshakes: Decoding the Jargon, Slang and Bluster of American Political Speech (9/13)
• Chris Lehmann, Thomas Frank and Jim Newell — No Future for You: Salvos from ‘The Baffler’ (9/13)
• Diana Ackerman — The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us (9/14)
• Todd Brewster — Lincoln’s Gamble: The Tumultuous Six Months that Gave America the Emancipation Proclamation and Changed the Course of the Civil War (9/15)
• Eleanor Davis — How to Be Happy (9/15, Takoma Park Library)
• Donald Antrim — The Emerald Light in the Air: Stories (9/16)
• Mark Greenwood and Frane Lessac — The Mayflower (9/17)
• Michael Pitre — Fives and Twenty-Fives (9/17)
• Malcolm Brooks — Painted Horses (9/18)
• Marla Frazee — The Farmer and the Clown (9/19)
• Sarah Waters — The Paying Guests (9/19)
• Naomi Klein — This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate (9/19, Sidwell Friends Meeting House)
• Justin Martin — Rebel Souls: Walt Whitman and America’s First Bohemians (9/20)
• Meryl Comer — Slow Dancing with a Stranger: Lost and Found in the Age of Alzheimer’s (9/20)
• Lucinda Franks — Timeless: Love, Morgenthau and Me (9/20)
• Mark Whitaker — Cosby: His Life and Times (9/20)
• Richard Whittle — Predator: The Secret Origins of the Drone Revolution (9/21)
• Charles Kings — Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul (9/21)
• Caleb Scharf — The Copernicus Complex: Our Cosmic Significance in a Universe of Planets and Probabilities (9/22)
• Tavis Smiley — Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Final Year (9/26)
• Steve Almond, Gregg Easterbrook — Against Football: One Fan’s Reluctant Manifesto and The King of Sports: Football’s Impact on America (9/27)
• Ramita Naval — City of Lies: Love, Sex, Death and the Search for Truth in Tehran (9/27)
• Jeff VanderMeer — Acceptance (9/27)
• Paul M. Barrett — Law of the Jungle: The $19 Billion Legal Battle over oil in the Rain Forest and the Lawyer Who’d Stop at Nothing to Win (9/28)
• Lawrence Wright — Thirteen Days in September: Carter, Begin and Sadat at Camp David (9/28)
• Samuel Fromartz — In Search of the Perfect Loaf: A Home Baker’s Odyssey with Mark Furstenburg (9/29)
• Scott Campbell — Hug Machine (9/30)
• Jonathan Darman — Landslide: LBJ and Ronald Reagan at the Dawn of a New America (9/30)
• Atul Gawande — Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End (10/8, Sidwell Friends Meeting House)
• Shannon Hale — The Princess in Black (10/14)
• Deborah Wiles — Revolution 10/21)
• Chris Van Allsburg — The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie (11/10)

RAM’S HEAD ON STAGE

33 West St.
Annapolis
410-268-4545
ramsheadonstage.com

• Tom Papa — Comedian and host of Jerry Seinfeld’s NBC show The Marriage Ref (11/7)
• Paula Poundstone (12/12)

SIXTH & I HISTORIC SYNAGOGUE

600 I St. NW
202-408-3100
sixthandi.org

• Ronna & Beverly — A live-taping of comedy podcast from comedians Jamie Denbo and Jessica Chaffin focused on their alter egos, 50-something Jewish mothers (9/16)
• David Mitchell — The Bone Clocks (9/17)
• Joyce Carol Oates — Author of story collection Lovely, Dark, Deep in conversation with her former student Louis Bayard (9/18)
• Back to School Comedy featuring Louis Katz (9/21)
• Christian Rudder — OkCupid co-founder and author of Datacylsm: Who We Are (When We Think No One’s Looking), in conversation with Megan Garber (9/22)
• Peter Thiel — PayPal co-founder and author of Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future (9/23)

  

• Nicholas Kristof — New York Times columnist and author of A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity (9/29)
• Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg — A conversation with NPR’s Elise Hu about How Google Works from these authors, the company’s executive chairman and adviser to CEO (9/30)
• Walter Mischel — The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control author in conversation with David Brooks (10/1)
• The New Republic: 100 Years of Liberalism (10/7)
• Norman Lear — Creator of TV’s All in the Family and advocacy group People for the American Way and now author of Even This I Get (10/13)
• Leon Panetta — Worthy Fights: A Memoir of Leadership in War and Peace (10/14)
• Rebecca Frankel — Author of War Dogs: Tales of Canine Heroism, History and Love, in conversation with James Fallows (10/23)
• Mario Batali — James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur and author of America Farm to Table: Simple, Delicious Recipes Celebrating Local Farmers, in conversation with Jim Webster (10/26)
• Robert B. Baer — The Perfect Kill: 21 Lows for Assassins (10/27)
• Cathy Barrow — Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry: Recipes and Techniques for Year-Round Preserving, in conversation with Bonnie Benwick (11/3)
• Marcus Samuelsson — Marcus Off Duty: The Recipes I Cook at Home, in conversation with Joe Yonan (11/13)
• Gary Gulman — Comedian who’s opened for Louis C.K. (11/15)
• Glenn Kurtz — Three Minutes in Poland (12/11)

SPEAKEASYDC

240-888-9751
speakeasydc.com

• Atonement: Stories about Confession, Redemption and Making Amends — In line with the Jewish High Holy Days, this leading storytelling organization presents true stories about transgressions, moral dilemmas and life lessons (9/15, DCJCC’s Goldman Theater)
• Solo Storytelling Series: Keith Mellnick and Inga Brege — Freelance photographer and Kazakhstan adventurer reads “I’m Not Crazy” and woman who grew up in a family of entertainers reads “Off Script” (9/27, 10/4, 10/11-12, Woolly Mammoth Theatre)
• Do-Gooders Gone Bad — Stories about trying to do the right thing, but getting it wrong (10/14, Town Danceboutique)
• Swan Song — Stories about farewells and final acts (11/4, Town)
• SpeakeasyShorts (11/14, 11/22, U.S. Navy Memorial’s Burke Theater)
• Childhood Beliefs — Stories about magical thinking, family myths and things we once thought were true (12/9, Town)

STRATHMORE

5301 Tuckerman Lane
North Bethesda
301-581-5100
strathmore.org

• Wanda Sykes — The great lesbian comic returns to open the new season at Strathmore (9/20)
• Bill Cosby — More great comedy at Strathmore, this time from the standup and sitcom legend (10/2)
• David Sedaris — Still more great comedy at Strathmore, this time from the great gay sardonic writer (10/17)
• Voca People — A quirky off-Broadway show melding new vaudeville, circus and a smidgen of musical theater (11/15)
• Bella Gaia/Beautiful Earth — An immersive, live multimedia performance combining high-fidelity images of Earth with stirring live performances of music and dance from around the world composed by Kenji Williams, all in partnership with NASA (11/28)
• Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert — Featuring the Philly Pops as the Strauss Symphony of America and featuring dancers from Kiev-Aniko Ballet of Ukraine and International Champion Ballroom Dancers (1/4/15)

TOWN DANCEBOUTIQUE

2009 8th St. NW
202-234-TOWN
towndc.com

• Bianca’s Comedy Cabaret — The latest and maybe greatest RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Bianca del Rio returns to D.C. after a weekend of ribald Capital Pride performances to launch a new monthly variety show she’ll host at Town (9/17)
• Town&Country — The DC Rawhides presents a twice-monthly Saturday night hoedown of gay country-western dancing and socializing (9/20)
• Courtney Act — RuPaul’s Drag Race runner-up performs as part of the Saturday night drag show (9/27)

VERIZON CENTER

601 F St. NW
202-628-3200
verizoncenter.com

• Oprah Winfrey — “The Life You Want Weekend,” as long as the life you want involves first paying to hear the richest motivational speaker in the world (9/19-21)
• Aziz Ansari — Remember when this comic acted as a wannabe superstar genius on Parks & Recreation, or even when he could only fill Constitution Hall? Who’s laughing now? (9/27)

WARNER THEATRE

513 13th St. NW
202-397-SEAT
warnertheatre.com

• Bill Maher — A double-dose of comedy: A live-taping of his weekly HBO show and a stand-up special (9/12)
• Anjelah Johnson — Bon Qui Qui from MADtv (9/27)
• Derrell Lawrence — “Do You Trust Your Best Friend?” (10/3-5)
• Mike Epps — Day-Day Jones from Friday, or Black Doug from The Hangover, offers a night of stand-up (10/11)
• Masters of Illusion Live! (10/16)
• Girls Night Out (10/17)
• Joe Rogan (10/18)
• Mike Birbiglia — “Thank God for Jokes” (11/7)
• Alton Brown — Host of the Food Network’s Good Eats (11/9)
• Ghost Brothers of Darkland County (11/15)
• MythBusters (11/23)

For more Fall Arts Preview, including Music, Film, Museums, Stage and TV, please click here.

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