As if our everyday life these days isn’t scary enough, this season offers up more frightful delights than any one person could probably stand for — from film series dedicated to Hitchcock and Stephen King to real-life horror stories shared at Story District, to Halloween-inspired parties such as HellBent at the 9:30 Club. Beyond the scares, there’s the return of Tig Notaro for the 10th Annual Bentzen Ball, with other stand-up comedy and discussion highlights including David Sedaris at the Kennedy Center, Jane Goodall at the Anthem, and Martha Stewart among the star-studded lineup at MetroCookingDC. Certainly, there are good tricks and treats to be had all around this season — even for the self-described weirdos among us.
Crank Karaoke — Chicken & Mumbo Sauce presents a live band, go-go karaoke, and jam session featuring Walk Like Walt, Crank Karaoke Band, DJ Money and special guests (9/13)
Small Town Murder — Comedians Joames Pietragallo and Jimmie Whisman offer a live perrformance of their hit podcast about murders in small towns, one per week (10/13)
HellBent — Lemz offers a special Halloween-themed edition of his popular LGBTQ dance party (10/26)
AFI Latin American Film Festival — One of North America’s largest and longest-running showcases of Latin American cinema, now in its 30th year and including films from Spain and Portugal to celebrate Ibero-American cultural connections during National Hispanic Heritage Month. The lineup includes the gripping Guatemalan drama José, winner of the Queer Lion at the 2018 Venice Film Festival (Now-10/2)
Noir City DC — The Film Noir Foundation presents film noir classics, including five canonical works celebrating their 75th anniversaries this year, paired with rarities or lower-budget features, with select screenings introduced by film historian Foster Hirsch and TCM host and foundation founder Eddie Muller (10/11-24)
14th Annual Spooky Movie International Horror Film Festival — One of the largest annual events for horror fans in the region, the best in horror from around the world, including Depraved, a modern take on Frankenstein, Japanese zombie movie sensation One Cut of the Dead, the documentary Memory: The Origins of Alien, and home-invasion thriller Villains starring Bill Skarsgård, Maika Monroe, Jeffrey Donovan, and Kyra Sedgwick (10/3-6)
Reel Rock 14 — A collection of 2019’s best climbing and adventure films, including four world premieres, taking viewers on a wild ride around the world, and featuring rock legends Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold going head to head with Yosemite climbers Jim Reynolds and Brad Gobright in a battle for El Capitan’s coveted Nose speed record, among others (11/12-14)
ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE
15200 Potomac Town Place, Ste. 100
Woodbridge, Va.
571-260-4413
20575 Easthampton Plaza
Ashburn, Va.
571-293-6808 www.drafthouse.com/northern-virginia
Different Seasons: The Many Sides of Stephen King — In addition to screenings of the new It: Chapter Two, the Alamo presents a series focused on other King cinematic adaptations, including Creepshow, the 1982 “living horror comic book” from director George Romero (9/17) and Maximum Overdrive (9/26, Loudoun; 9/30, Woodbridge)
Film Club: Putney Swope — This 1969 comedy from Robert Downey, Sr. is a satire of Hollywood’s portrayal of race and the corporate world’s corrupt powers that be (9/18, Loudoun)
Afternoon Tea: Downton Abbey — In addition to regular screenings of the new film, both Alamo locations offer an extra screening over tea and treats, both of which have already sold out (9/22)
Movie Party: Shaun of the Dead (9/24)
Anime-Zing: Millennium Actress — Satoshi Kon’s 2002 drama is “a perfect illustration of the power of anime” (9/25, Woodbridge; 9/30, Loudoun)
Movie Party: Pulp Fiction — A 25th anniversary screening for fans, with the Alamo furnishing fake “Red Apple cigarettes,” cap guns, and “a pretty fucking good $5 milkshake” (9/23, Loudoun; 9/26, Woodbridge)
Film Club: Quadrophenia — The epic teenage riot, inspired by The Who’s concept album, is screened for a 40th anniversary party where audience interaction is encouraged (9/25, Loudoun) Movie Party: Singin’ In The Rain (9/28)
Champagne Cinema, Movie Party: Steel Magnolias (9/29)
Movie Parties: The Lost Boys (10/1)
Roger Waters: Us + Them — A live recording from the acclaimed world tour featuring a state-of-the-art audiovisual production and breathtaking quad sound as you’d expect from the Pink Floyd co-founder and mastermind (10/2)
Live Q&A: The Ultimate Willy Wonka Party — Paris Themmen and Julie Dawn Cole, the actors who played Mike TeeVee and Veruca Salt, will be on hand for the Gene Wilder-starring classic plus a pre-screening “scrumdiddlyumptious karaoke contest”; guests are encouraged to dress up as “their favorite character, set-piece, or prop from the film” (10/3, Woodbridge; 10/4, Loudoun)
Metallica & San Francisco Symphony: S&M² — “A modern-day big screen concert” featuring the hitmaking metal band and the Michael Tilson Thomas-led orchestra, reunited for a recent 20th anniversary show (10/9)
Live Q&A: Wolfman’s Got Nards — André Gower screens his new documentary that pays tribute to the 1987 cult-popular film The Monster Squad (10/17, Loudoun)
THE ALDEN
McLean Community Center
1234 Ingleside Ave.
McLean, Va.
703-790-0123 www.aldentheatre.org
Midday Movies: Foreign-Language Films — Selected by staff and shown in the original language with English subtitles on select Wednesdays, once per month (9/25, 10/23, 11/27)
The Pop Ups: The Great Pretenders Club — A scavenger hunt transporting the whole family to a whimsical, educational world full of dancing robots, a fire-stomping rhino, live drawing, huge balloons, full-scale puppets, and a costume party (10/19)
Brush Up Your Shakespeare — Preparing audiences for upcoming American Shakespeare Center (ASC) on Tour productions (10/22)
ASC on Tour — Shakespeare’s Imogen (Cymbeline) (10/26), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (10/26), Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath (10/27)
Mario The Maker Magician — A New York-based touring children’s performer “as seen on Sesame Street” (11/2)
Lard Dog & the Band of Shy (11/16)
The Barter Players Encore Company: Frosty — “Can Frosty the Snowman help Billy find his real family in time for Christmas?” (12/14)
The Capitol Steps — Veteran troupe of political satirists (1/4)
Arts & The Brain Series — “Art, Aging & the Creative Brain” with Sarah Lenz Lock, JD (10/2); “Using Rhythm to Strengthen Your Brain & Build Connection” with Jessica Phillips-Silver, PhD (10/16); “Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory”: Film Screening & Panel Discussion (11/5); “The Future of Hospital Sound with Yoko K. Sen (11/19)
BSO Music Box — “Classical for kids” (10/12, 11/23)
Gustafer Yellowgold — a Kids Pajama Jam Party and a multimedia show filled with music, animation, and storytelling and performed by Morgan Taylor (10/20)
Emmy Blotnick — A former staff writer on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, touring in support of her debut album, Party Nights (11/22)
Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats — Kids Pajama Jam Party (12/1)
Uta No Prince-Sama-Maji Love Kingdom Movie — A filmed concert featuring Japanese pop idols (9/14)
Sci-Fest: Total Recall — Paul Verhoeven’s dystopian action caper starring Arnold Schwarzenegger screens as part of monthly sci-fi series (9/16)
Tokyo Ghoul S (9/16)
Great Art on Screen: Tintoretto: A Rebel in Venice — Helena Bonham Carter narrates a documentary about the Italian Renaissance artist born 500 years ago (9/17-18)
National Theatre Live: One Man, Two Guvnors (9/26, 10/2)
Snoopy Come Home — Screenings of a nearly 50-year-old film, the second animated feature based on the beloved Peanuts comic strip (9/29, 10/5)
Roger Waters: Us + Them (10/2, 10/7)
Hitchcocktober — Dial M For Murder 3D (10/2, Pop-Up @ Union Market, 550 Penn St. NE; 10/3, Mosaic), North By Northwest (10/9, Pop-Up, 10/10, Mosaic), The Birds (10/16, Pop-Up, 10/17, Mosaic), The Lady Vanishes (10/23, Pop-Up, 10/24, Mosaic), and Psycho (10/30, Pop-Up, 10/31, Mosaic)
Family Flashback: Hook — Steven Spielberg’s famous grown-up twist on the Peter Pan fable starring Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Julia Roberts, and Maggie Smith (10/5)
Metallica & San Francisco Symphony: S&M² (10/9, 10/14)
Great Art On Screen: Gauguin in Tahiti: Paradise Lost — A look at the bold, colorful life of the legendary French painter and the bold, colorful art that resulted from his sojourn to an exoticized South Pacific (10/15-16)
National Theater Live: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (10/17, 10/23)
Sci-Fest: Galaxy Quest — The 20-year-old parody of Star Trek and other hit sci-fi shows starring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, and Alan Rickman (10/21)
Bolshoi Ballet: Raymonda (10/27, 11/5)
Exhibition on Screen: Leonardo: The Works — – Every single painting attributed to da Vinci, never seen before on the big screen (10/29-30)
Frankie (11/1)
Family Flashback: The Dark Crystal (11/2)
Royal Opera House: Don Giovanni (11/6, 11/14)
National Theatre Live: Hansard (11/7, 11/13)
They Shall Not Grow Old (11/11, Pop-Up & Mosaic)
Great Art on Screen: The Prado Museum: A Collection of Wonders (11/12, 11/20)
Shakira in Concert: El Dorado World Tour (11/13)
Bolshoi Ballet: Le Corsaire (11/17, 11/26)
Sci-Fest: Gattaca (11/18)
Royal Opera House: Don Pasquale (11/19, 11/27)
National Theatre Live: Present Laughter (12/4-5)
Family Flashback: Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas (12/7)
Family Flashback & Pajama Party: The Polar Express (12/8)
Haymakers for Hope’s The Beltway Brawl — Knock Out Cancer with this charity boxing event featuring everyday men and women in the ring (9/19)
Dr. Jane Goodall: Reasons for Hope — The acclaimed primate research pioneer and UN Messenger of Peace drops by for talks highlighting “5 main reasons for hope towards the future, and how we must act now if we hope to leave the world a better place for the next generation” (9/22-23)
Rachel Bloom — What Am I Going to Do with My Life Now? Tour from the star of the quirky and hilarious hit TV musical comedy series Crazy Ex Girlfriend, performing songs from the show plus original standup material (10/10)
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Werq the World Tour 2019 — A Voss Events production featuring queens from the hit TV show (10/27)
THE ATHENAEUM
201 Prince St.
Alexandria, Va.
703-548-0035 www.nvfaa.org
13 of Nazareth: A Poet Explained — The Virginia spoken-word artist born Marquis Mix reads from his work and engages in a conversation with Q&A (9/13)
Cathy Barrow: When Pies Fly — Washington Post‘s “Bring It” food columnist talks about her latest cookbook focused on pastry dough — from galettes to knishes, kolaches to poppers — in conversation with Kitchen Details blogger Nancy Pollard (9/17)
Banned Books Read-Out — Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson and Library Director Rose Dawson will lead an evening of readings from banned or challenged books at an event co-presented by the Alexandria Library (9/25)
Black Women, Arts, and Activism Festival — The Atlas hosts a day-long event featuring an art exhibition, vendors, a spirited panel discussion about black power from the perspectives of several female artists, and culminating in Akua Allrich’s 11th annual tribute to Nina Simone and Miriam Makeba (10/6)
On Screen/In Person: Jonathan Skurnik’s Badger Creek + Thick Dark Fog — A family on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana and a Lakota man attempting to reclaim his lost heritage are the subject of two short documentaries, screened with pre- and post-show discussions with the filmmaker (10/15, Lab Theatre I)
Silent Film: The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog — A few days after Halloween comes a screening with live, original music from Andrew Earle Simpson of one of Alfred Hitchcock’s earliest films, a 1927 thriller inspired by real-life Jack the Ripper crimes (11/3, Sprenger Theatre)
On Screen/In Person: Pamela Sporn’s Detroit 48202: Conversations along a Postal Route — A documentary feature about Detroit, past and present, as seen through the eyes of veteran African-American mail carrier Wendell Watkins, with pre- and post-screening discussions with the filmmaker (11/19, Lab Theatre II)
Silent Film: Stella Dallas — Andrew Earle Simpson offers live accompaniment to Henry King’s 1925 drama, a powerful tale of a mother’s love and sacrifice, and an unsung female hero’s survival (12/1 Lab Theatre II)
Arts on the Horizon: Squeakers & Mr. Gumdrop — A children’s theater work from Natalie Cutcher and Amanda Forstrom about the unplanned collaboration between a man and a mouse for an annual holiday party (12/27-31, Lab Theatre I)
THE BENTZEN BALL COMEDY FESTIVAL
Lincoln Theatre
1215 U St. NW
202-888-0050 www.brightestyoungthings.com
Lesbian comedian Tig Notaro returns to curate the 10th annual “comedy and friendship” four-day event presented by Brightest Young Things with support by Events DC, and with José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen as this year’s nonprofit partner. Although more guests and more shows — including all of those on the final day, Sunday, Oct. 27 — are still “to be announced,” the main lineup is: Maria Bamford w/Jackie Kashian (10/24)
Los Espookys Live: Julio Torres & Ana Fabrega w/Lorelei Ramirez and Greta Titelman — “A Bentzen Ball Pre-Halloween Show” where costumes are encouraged (10/24)
Pete Holmes w/Jamie Lee (10/25)
The New Negroes — A Late Show at Lincoln featuring Baron Vaughan, Open Mike Eagle, Jaboukie Young-White, Dulce Sloan, Haywood Turnipseed Jr., and Violet Gray (10/25)
Roxane Gay — “A Smart, Funny and Real Afternoon” (10/26)
Tig Notaro: But Enough About You (10/26)
THE BIRCHMERE
3701 Mount Vernon Ave.
Alexandria , Va.
703-549-7500 www.birchmere.com
WMAL Free Speech Forum — Mark Levin, Chris Plante, Larry O’Connor, Mary Walter, and Vince Coglianese & Mary Walter, co-hosts of Mornings on the Mall, return for a forum, already sold out (9/28)
Raven’s Night 2019 — The annual all hallow’s “esoteric evening of belly dance & entertainment” (11/2)
Paula Poundstone — Comic returns for her annual end-of-year run of shows (11/15-17)
A John Waters Christmas: Filthier & Merrier 2019 Tour — The annual holiday show from Baltimore’s Pope of Trash, who says, “I’ll Stuff Your Turkey” (12/18)
Flow-Verse Open Mic — “Whatcha Got to Say?” (9/26 and the last Thursday of every month)
Germantown Oktoberfest Parade & BlackRock Open Haus (10/5)
BlackRock Improv Comedy Program: Open Workshop (10/5)
Tula’s Halloween Cabaret & Disco — “Come for the drag show, stay for the dance” at this spook-tacular drag evening (11/2)
Magnifying The Word: Spoken Word Workshop (11/8)
Ivy League of Comedy: Fabulously Funny Females — Featuring Linda Belt, Adrienne Iapalucci, and Ellen Karis (11/9)
A Nashville Christmas featuring the Country Jamboree (12/7)
Lúnasa Christmas Show — Irish Christmas (12/8)
CAPITAL HOME SHOW
Dulles Expo Center
Chantilly, Va. www.capitalhomeshow.com
Brett Tutor, the hunky new carpenter on TLC’s Trading Spaces headlines this year’s event, featuring more than 250 exhibitors, with additional discussions and seminars, home remodeling projects, and hands-on workshops. Falls Church decor shop Stylish Patina sponsors a free, hands-on Make-It, Take-It DIY Station (9/20-22)
The 61st Annual Washington International Horse Show — Mars Equestrian presents “America’s favorite horse show,” drawing more than 26,000 spectators to see top riders, Olympic veterans, and superstar horses in competitive events as well as thrilling shows, plus boutique shopping and educational events (10/23-28)
UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Harris — Heavyweight Bout (12/7)
The DC Moth StorySLAM: Neighborhoods — True Stories Told Live (9/16)
Wine Pairing X Album Listening: Malbec with Mike — Vine of the Rhyme and LLeft Entertainment present a Hip-Hop/R&B happy hour event and album listening party featuring Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall, with commentary on the 40-year-old album’s impact by music veterans Tracey Lee and Ojizz (9/18)
Straight Up with Stassi — “Everyone’s favorite authority on basic” and star of Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules (9/20)
The Great Love Debate (9/27)
Blind Tasting Workshop — Resident sommelier will lead tastings and analysis of four wines to help participants successfully asses what’s in a glass “just like the pros” (9/29)
Crush Your Craft w/The Amours & Kyle on the Mic — A D.C.-based singing sister duo is the focus of the September edition of Briclyn Entertainment’s monthly workshop where creative individuals in film, music, and marketing speak on their craft (9/29)
House of Deveraux Burlesque & Variete — Formerly a Burlesque Night Out, a night of jaw-dropping burlesque hosted by “The Golden Glamazon” Sydni Deveraux, plus Bebe Bardot, Venessa Chevelle, Eva Mystique, Soul Erotic, NYC’s Qualms Galore, and Philly’s Gold Fox (10/4)
Not for Lazy Moms Podcast Live w/Monique Samuels: The Honeymoon Phase Is Over” — A brunch and live podcast event featuring newlyweds from the Real Housewives of Potomac Candiace Dillard and Chris Bassett and Karen Huger and Ray Huger, plus Poet Taylor of WPGC as MC and DJ Trini (10/12)
Bad on Paper Podcast — Real-life besties Grace Atwood and Becca Freeman lead this monthly book club for 30-somethings (10/16)
American Airlines First Class International Pairing Series: Argentina — A four-course dinner with wine pairing featuring a world-class wine producer from South America (10/26)
Hip Hop Yoga Warriors & Mimosas (10/19)
American Airlines First Class International Pairing Series: Southern Italy (11/14)
The Heather McDonald Experience — “Stand Up Comedy & Juicy Scoop” from one of the stars of Chelsea Lately (2/7)
Rrang-Colors of an Untold Story — A Broadway-style Bollywood musical presented by UFI Events and Kishore & Asha Varieth (9/21)
The Adventure Zone Live: Become the Monster Tour 2019 — One of two events this month featuring West Virginia’s McElroy Family (9/25)
My Brother, My Brother And Me — The second McElroy Family event, this one an “advicecast” for the modern era featuring McElroy brothers Justin, Travis, and Griffin (9/26)
Cedric the Entertainer & Friends (10/12)
Museum Tuesday Talk: Kate Clarke Lemay: Curating Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence — A lecture about the challenges faced in organizing a major exhibition on the history of women’s suffrage from National Portrait Gallery historian and curator (10/15)
Moses Good, Pōʻai Lincoln : My Name is `Ōpūkaha`ia — A Hawaiian theater artist and a musician perform their play about the early 19th-century native who helped inspire contentinental interest in what became the 50th state (10/16)
Shin Lim — “Sleight-of-Hand Superstar” Magician as seen on The Ellen Show (10/19)
Darci Lynne & Friends — The 14-year-old ventriloquist and singer who won America’s Got Talent in 2017 performs a variety show including the eight characters she’s developed (10/20)
DC Comedy Jam (11/2)
Culture & Technology in American Quilts: A Symposium — The DAR Museum’s current exhibition about the history of American female quiltmakers is the context of a day-long event including a discussion with curator Alden O’Brien and sessions with scholars Lynne Bassett, Hallie Bond, Barbara Brackman, Deborah Kraak, Terry Terrell, and Janneken Smucker (11/15)
Trevor Wallace — As seen on MTV and Funny or Die (9/12-14, The Cellar)
Jay Jurden — One of TimeOut NY‘s Comics to Watch” in 2019 (9/13-14)
Profs and Pints: The Worst President Ever? — “No tuition or tests. Just lectures you’ll love.” (9/18)
Comedy Loft’s Best New Comics Contest: Who’s Up Next? — D.C.’s best young comics compete for bragging rights as best New Comic of 2019 (9/18, 10/9, 10/30)
Faizon Love — A Special Event with comedian known from Friday, Bebe’s Kids, and The Parent ‘Hood (9/20-21)
Mandee McKelvey — On The Verge Spotlight and one of Thrillist‘s “50 best undiscovered comedians” (9/20-21)
Comedy School with Robert Mac — “ABCs of Comedy: The Art, Business, and Craft of Stand-Up” (9/22)
Comedy Shuffle by Capital Laughs — “Open Mic with a twist,” with an “interrupter [for] when you just aren’t funny!” (9/16 and every Monday, The Cellar)
Stand Up Science — Comedian Shane Mauss and the Here We Are Podcast presents (9/25)
Grassroots Comedy DC — A Charity Show with comedians raising funds for the fight against Trump (9/26)
Jordan Temple (9/26)
Molly Austin — On The Verge Spotlight (9/27-28)
The DC Gurly Show — D.C.’s oldest queer burlesque troupe generally performs the first Thursday of the month (10/3)
Matthew Broussard (10/4)
Martin Amini (10/5)
Kasaun Wilson (10/6)
Mary Mack (10/7) Comedy Loft’s “Who’s Up Next?” (10/9)
The Sklar Brothers — As seen on ESPN Classic’s Cheap Seats and the View from the Cheap Seats podcast (10/10)
Let Her Smoke Comedy Tour — Franqi French, Meme Simpson, Calise Hawkins, Davina Joy, and Ashima Franklin (10/11-12)
Shawn Wayans — A Special Event with this Wayans brother making his Loft debut (10/11-12)
Neko White — Host of Vice News’ How To Be A Person (10/13)
Aida Rodriguez (10/17-19)
Jamie Loftus — On The Verge Spotlight (10/18-19, The Cellar)
Did You Miss Me? Live Taping (10/24)
Billy Sorrells (10/25-26)
Chanel Ali (10/25-26, The Cellar)
Jessimae Peluso (11/1-2)
Chris Cope (11/1-2, The Cellar)
Kill Tony Podcast — From the Deathsquad Podcast Network, billed as “the #1 Live Weekly Podcast in the World,” in which Tony Hinchcliffe assesses the material of willing comedians, new and veteran (11/7)
Tony Hinchcliffe — Performances of stand-up after the podcast taping (11/8-9)
Hunter Hill — Elder Millennial Tour (11/8)
Comedy School Graduation (11/9)
Jake “The Snake” Roberts — Dirty Details Tour with roadstories and pranks that happened at the height of Roberts’ career in the WWE (11/11)
Natalie Friedman (11/14)
J.F. Harris (11/14)
D.C. Benny w/J.F. Harris (11/15-16)
Dan Perlman (11/15-16, The Cellar)
Jordan Kleine — On The Verge Spotlight and one of Thrillist‘s “50 best undiscovered comedians” (11/15-16, The Cellar)
Todd Rexx — As seen on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam All-Stars (11/22-23)
Paul Mecurio (11/22-23)
Carl Anthony Payne II (11/29-30)
Gianmarco Soresi (11/29-30)
Shuler King (12/5-7)
DC Gurly Show (12/5)
Seann Walsh (12/6-7, The Cellar)
Brooks Wheelan w/Kim Congdon — As seen on Saturday Night Live, Comedy Central’s @Midnight, and Adam Devine’s House Party (12/13-14)
Zoltan Kaszas w/DJ Sandhu (12/19-21)
DJ Sandhu — A veteran of the World Series of Comedy and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (12/22)
Beginning Improv with Chris Ulrich (9/21, 10/19, 11/4)
ComedySportz Improv (9/21, 10/12)
Late Night Improv (9/21, 10/12)
Charlie Berens — Milwaukee’s best, known for his online hit “Manitowoc Minute” videos, makes his DC Improv headlining debut (9/25)
Somm Like It Hot w/Courtney Fearrington — A wine tasting event with live music from Deacon Izzy & the Congregation and great comedy from Chris Alan, Shalewa Sharpe, and Erin Foley (9/26)
Couples Therapy: A Comedy Show — Rahmein Mostafavi leads a discussion with comics, including Rob Maher and Paris Sashay, and willing audience members laughing about relationships and singledom (9/26)
Erin Foley — Actress and writer as well as creator of the “Sports Without Balls” podcast (9/27-28)
Sommore — The Queens of Comedy star and first female host of BET’s Comic View (9/27-29)
The Midnight Gardeners League — “a smorgasbord of stand-up, sketch, improv, and other weird fun” from a troupe of D.C. comedians (9/29)
Gus Johnson (10/1)
The Overachievers — One of the top comedy shows in the country, hosted by local favorite Martin Amini with music by DJ Bo, plus guests Reggie Conquest, Derek Gaines, and Gavin Matts (10/3)
Ahamed Weinberg — “The son of a Jewish father and a Catholic mother who converted to Islam — and raised him to be Muslim” (10/4-5)
Michael Rapaport w/Paris Sashay — Actor/director/”I Am Rapaport” podcaster makes his DC Improv debut (10/4-6)
Chingo Bling (10/9)
Dave Attell — Annual visit from the stand-up veteran (10/10-13)
Tony Rock — Chris’ brother (10/17-20)
Daniel Weingarten (10/18-19)
Rod Man (10/24-27)
Medium Cindy Kaza (10/31)
Halloween Whodunit — Die Laughing Productions returns with its spooky annual adventure, this time set during the production of Friday the 13th After Next; “Lights, camera, murder!” (10/31)
Nicole Byer — The hilarious, irrepressible host of Netflix’s left-field hit Nailed It! (11/1-3)
Bill Bellamy (11/7-10)
Nathan Macintosh (11/8-9)
John Heffron — Winner of the second season of NBC’s Last Comic Standing (11/14-17)
Pun DMV — A fun pun competition (11/20)
Nikki Glaser (11/22-23)
Jak Knight (11/22-23)
Donnell Rawlings (11/29-12/1)
Aries Spears — As seen on Shaq’s All-Star Comedy Jam and madTV (12/5-8)
Rafinha Bastos — One of the biggest comedians to come out of Brazil, standing tall at 6’7″ (12/6-7)
Hypnotist Flip Orley (12/12-15)
Merry Murder Mystery (12/19)
Sheryl Underwood (12/20-22)
Adam Ray (12/27-31)
Jessica Kirson (12/28-29)
Festival of Laughs — “The last night of Hanukkah is gonna be lit!” with Jessica Kirson plus special guests Adam Ray and Josh Adam Meyers (12/30)
Weirdos for Life — In recognition of September as Suicide Prevention Month, the monthly “freaks, geeks and exposed buttcheeks” variety show presents a fundraiser for Trans LifeLine co-produced with drag king Phoenix King offering performances in drag, burlesque, fire manipulation, dance, comedy, and live music (9/20)
Netflix & Kill — A Halloween-themed variety show co-produced by Drag King extraordinaire Pretty Rik E (10/18)
Sweet Jesus — “Annual blasphemous/atheism/anti-religious show” (11/15)
DOWNTOWN HOLIDAY MARKET
700-900 F St. NW www.downtownholidaymarket.com
Now in its 15th 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 (11/22-12/23)
Attack of the Comics Comedy Show — Billed as “D.C.’s longest-running stand-up open mic” show (9/13, and every Friday night)
Three Guys On: Saturday Night Comedy Showcase (9/14 and every Saturday)
Chocolate City Comedy Show feat. Gordon Baker Bone — Comedy-ish Productions (9/15)
Zack Fox Live — Atlanta-raised comedy firebrand offers a mix of visual art, comedy, and hip-hop (9/16)
Advice from A F*ck Boy feat. Clint Coley — The rare relationship-geared podcast offering “advice from the man’s perspective for men” (9/18)
The Whole Crew is Stupid Comedy Tour (9/19)
Kellen Erskine — From Amazon’s Inside Jokes as well as season seven of America’s Got Talent (9/20-21)
Torrei Hart — It’s Time To Tell My Side Tour (9/22)
Jokes That Give Back — Benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project (9/25)
Speechless: The Ultimate Improvisational Gauntlet (9/26)
Alex Edelman (9/27-28)
Birthday Roast of Doc Bob Sood M.D. (9/29)
9th Annual Comedy Supreme — An all-female night of standup developed and hosted by Adaylah Banks, with a headline performance by Paris Sashay plus Ty Davis and Algiers Diamond (10/13)
Marcella Arguello — From Women Crush Wednesdays and HBO’s 2 Dope Queens (10/18-19)
Sam Morril (11/8-9)
Joe List — From NBC’s Last Comic Standing (11/22-23)
Judith Carney: In The Shadow of Slavery: Africa’s Food Legacy in the Atlantic World — Scholar and author explores how enslaved Africans facilitated their survival and remade biomes by carrying the ingredients, traditions, and foodways of Africa to the Americas and Caribbean (9/18)
Free Folger Friday: Chimes at Midnight — Dr. Michael Anderegg offers a free lecture that takes a closer look at Orson Welles’ classic 1965 film, which utilizes text from five Shakespeare plays, primarily Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2 (9/20)
Josh Campbell with James Comey (9/16, Dorothy Betts Theatre)
Rick Riordan — The Tyrant’s Tomb author (9/23)
Patti Smith — A profound, beautifully realized memoir in which dreams and reality are vividly woven into a tapestry of one transformative year in Year of the Monkey (9/24)
David Cameron — Former Prime Minister of the U.K. discusses his new memoir For The Record (10/1, TBA)
Eric Holder with Ari Berman — Mother Jones presents the conversation “Protecting Our Vote” with the former U.S. Attorney General and the liberal magazine’s Berman, author of Give Us The Ballot (10/23)
Death Becomes Us True Crime Festival — BYT Presents a series of evenings including: Side Stories with Ben Kissel and Henry Zebrowski, creators of the Last Podcast on the Left (11/8); Capturing the DC Sniper (11/9); The Homocide Hunter Retirement Party (11/9); Jensen & Holes-The Murder Squad (11/9); Throwing Shade Live (11/9); BuzzFeed Unsolved (11/10); The Truth about True Crime with Amanda Knox (11/10)
1921 In The Castle Garden — A weekly bar event spotlighting D.C.’s brewing culture and history in the Dupont Circle museum’s botanical backyard (Thursdays 5 to 8pm)
Heurich Oktoberfest: Senate Beer Style — The Heurich House revives the tradition of a biergarten festival in the Castle Garden featuring pours of its relaunched Senate Beer as well as brews from Red Bear Brewing Co., ANXO Cidery, and Sankofa Beer Company, among others (9/21)
FILM: A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps — World premiere of documentary co-presented by the National Peace Corps Association (9/22)
Biswa Kalyan Rath (9/28)
The Improvised Shakespeare Company — Critically acclaimed Chicago-based ensemble creates a fully improvised masterpiece right before theatergoers’ eyes (10/1-6)
Ben Folds Book Talk — A conversation with Center President Deborah Ritter about the memoir A Dream about Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons followed by a performance (10/1)
Nemr — Lebanese-American stand-up comic credited with pioneering the stand-up scene throughout the Middle East (10/5)
Marc Maron (10/11)
David Sedaris (10/15)
The 22nd Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor: Dave Chappelle (10/27)
Nick Offerman — All Rise is “an evening of deliberative talking and light dance that will compel you to chuckle” (11/1)
No Such Thing as a Fish — British podcasters “for anyone with a thirst for knowledge, a taste for puns, and a need for some belly laughs” (11/10)
Janeane Garofalo (11/15)
The Second City’s Love, Factually — “Back by popular demand,” 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 (12/3-29)
Super Spectacular Comedy Show for Racial Equity in Education — A benefit for D.C.’s Black Swan Academy co-produced by Profiled, a NYC-based comedy show featuring comedians of color (9/13)
Lee Bycel — Refugees in America (9/16)
Peter Pomerantsev — This Is Not Propaganda (9/19)
Chacho Liquor Tasting — Try a new, fiery spirit distilled from pure South American cane sugar and infused with spicy jalapeno (9/23)
Annalee Newitz — Founding editor of io9 offers The Future of Another Timeline, a story of time travel, murder, and the lengths we’ll go to protect loved ones (9/25)
John Woodruff — The War at Home: Skirmish for the Upper West Side (9/26)
Happy Hour/Book Signing: Elizabeth Cline — The Conscious Closet (9/28, Tribute, 2412 18th St. NW Ste. R)
Ian Doescher & Jacopo Della — Quercia for MacTrump (10/1)
Marlin Fitzwater — Calm Before the Storm (10/3)
Cathy Barrow — Food writer expands our perception of pastries with When Pies Fly (10/7)
Anne Gardiner Perkins — Yale Needs Women: How the First Group of Girls Rewrote the Rulues of an Ivy League Giant, in conversation with Carolyn Grillo (10/10)
Alnoor Ebrahim — Measuring Social Change from a Tufts University management professor, in conversation with Scott Schenkelberg, the CEO of Miriam’s Kitchen (10/17)
Kim Wehle — How to Read the Constitution and Why (10/21)
Erica Wright — Famous in Cedarville, in conversation with Matthew Pennock (10/22)
Noura Erakat — Justice for Some, in conversation with Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (10/28)
John Carlin — Dawn of the Code War, about how America’s enemeies launched a cyber war against us — and how we’ve learned to fight back (11/4)
Dana R. Fisher — American Resistance: From the Women’s March to the Blue Wave (11/7)
David Priess — How to Get Rid of a President: History’s Guide to Removing Unpopular, Unable, or Unfit Chief Executives (11/13)
Charlton McIlwain — Black Software (11/14)
David L. Roll — George Marshall: Defender of the Republic (11/19)
Sergio Tronscoso — A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant’s Son, in conversation with Lisa Page (11/20)
Akilah Hughes — Obviously: Stories From My Timeline and the literary debut of Kentucky-born, New York-based comedian and activist (9/24)
Malka Older — State Tectonics (9/25)
Moonlit DC Workshop: Telling it Slant: Queer(ing) Form — Malik K. Thompson leads participants in an examination of works by both queer/trans and cisgender/heterosexual poets who take unconventional approaches (9/30)
An Evening of Mystery (Authors) with John Copenhaver, Ed Aymar & Angie Kim (10/3)
Ericka Reynolds — Enslaved: The Lady and Her Pentagon Series Book One (10/5)
Shelly Oria — Indelible in the Hippocampus: Writings from the Me Too Movement, a truly intersectional edited collection of essays, fiction, and poetry including the perspective of black, Latinx, Asian, queer, and trans writers, in conversation with contributors Amber Sparks, Stacia Brown, Sigal Samuel, Ailish Hopper, and Yael Shinar (10/18)
Books + Brunch with Jami Attenberg — All This Could Be Yours author in a discussion over brunch with food and drink from Petworth Citizen (10/20, The Reading Room)
Daniel Brook — The Accident of Color: A Story of Race in Reconstruction (10/22)
Martha Stewart and Wolfgang Punk are headliners at the James Beard Foundation Cooking Stage at the 14th annual regional culinary showcase that will also feature Lidia Bastianich, Myron Mixon, Justin Severino, Fernando Desa of Goya Foods, and Lauren Katz, a D.C. native and winner of ABC’s The Great Holiday Baking Show, as well as many of D.C’s best and newest chefs, including Amy Brandwein, Victor Albisu, Erik Bruner-Yang, Haidar Karoum, Daniela Moreira, Kwame Onwuachi, Kevin Tien, and Enrique Limardo. In addition to the James Beard Foundation Cooking Stage, the event features 200 specialty food vendors and includes a two-day Beer, Wine & Spirits section, a BBQ Bash on Saturday, and the 7th annual Grand Tasting Pavilion on Sunday (11/16-17)
ZooFiesta — Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month through talks, feedings and demonstrations, highlighting animals including Andean bears, sloths, golden lion tamarins, and Panamanian golden frogs (9/21)
Conservation Discovery Day — The only time each year the zoo’s unique breeding and research facility is open to the public (10/5, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal)
Boo at the Zoo — More than 40 treat stations, animal demonstrations, keeper chats, and decorated trails (10/18-20)
Animal Discovery Days — Special demonstrations, activities, and opportunities to learn about wildlife conservation and focused on a particular animal, with upcoming days: Sloth Day (10/20, Small Mammal House); Orangutan Caring Day (11/14, Primates); and International Cheetah Day (12/4, Cheetah Conservation Station)
Night of the Living Zoo — Friends of the National Zoo’s annual adults-only Halloween party (10/25)
ZooLights (11/29-1/1)
GRUMP Holiday Market @ ZooLights — The alternative art and crafts holiday show (12/6-8)
BrewLights — FONZ’s hoppiest holiday event, a ticketed microbrew and craft beer brouhaha (12/12)
Marty Makary — The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care-And How to Fix It (9/14)
Gary Marcus — Rebooting AI: Building Artificial Intelligence We Can Trust (9/14, Union Market, 1270 5th St. NE)
Amitai Etzioni — Reclaiming Patriotism (9/15)
Kate Black — Represent: The Woman’s Guide to Running for Office and Changing the World, in conversations with Emily Cain and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (9/18, Wharf, 70 District Square SW)
Naomi Klein — On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal (9/18, Sidwell Friends, 3825 Wisconsin Ave. NW)
Nicholas Lemann — Transaction Man: The Rise of the Deal and the Decline of the American Dream (9/19, Wharf)
Margaret Atwood — The Testaments, the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, discussed in a sold-out conversation with New York magazine’s Rebecca Traister (9/21, Lincoln Theatre)
Gina Rippon — Gender and Our Brains: How New Neuroscience Explodes the Myths of the Male and Female Minds (9/22)
Pamela Paul and Maria Russo — How to Raise a Reader (9/24)
Benjamin Moser — Sontag: Her Life and Work, in conversation with Elizabeth Bruenig (9/26)
Ta-Nehisi Coates — The Water Dancer (9/26-27, Lincoln Theatre)
Fatima Bhutto — New Kings of the World: Dispatches from Bollywood, Dizi, and K-Pop (9/29)
Lauren Duca — How to Start a Revolution: Young People and the Future of American Politics (10/1, Union Market)
Paul Henrickson — Plagued by Fire: The Dreams and Furies of Frank Lloyd Wright (10/1)
Brian Allen Carr — Opioid, Indiana (10/2, Union Market)
Marita Golden — Us Against Alzheimer’s: Stories of Family, Love, and Faith, in conversation with Sonsyrea Tate, Heather Davis, Cathy Alter, and Joe Oppenheimer (10/4)
Robert J. Shiller — Narrative Economics: How Stories Go Viral and Drive Major Economic Events (10/5)
Sarah Milov — The Cigarette: A Political History (10/5, Union Market)
Daniel Leader — Living Bread: Tradition and Innovation in Artisan Bread Making, in conversation with Mark Furstenberg (11/6)
Tom LoBianco — Piety and Power: Mike Pence and the Taking of the White House (10/9)
Keith Mestrich and Mark A. Pinsky — Organized Money: Progressives Can Leverage the Financial System to Work for Them, Not Against Them (10/12)
Andrew Marantz — Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation (10/13)
Amanda Vaill — Jerome Robbins, by Himself: Selections from His Letters, Journals, Drawings, Photographs, and an Unfinished Memoir (10/14, Wharf)
KK Ottesen — Activist: Portraits of Courage (10/14)
Adrienne Brodeur — Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me (10/16)
Paul Freedman — American Cuisine: And How It Got This Way (10/19)
Ted Gioia — Music: A Subversive History (10/22)
Whoopi Goldberg — The Unqualified Hostess: I Do It My Way So You Can Too! (10/25)
Susan Goldberg — Women: The National Geographic Image Collection (10/26)
Megan Phelps-Roper — Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church (10/26)
Gail Collins — No Stopping Us Now: A History of Older Women in America (10/28)
Maulik Pancholy — The Best At It (10/29)
Anne Nelson — Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right (10/30)
Lizabeth Cohen — Saving America’s Cities: Ed Logue and the Struggle to Renew Urban America in the Suburban Age, in conversation with E. J. Dionne (11/3)
Pamela Newkirk — Diversity, Inc.: The Failed Promise of a Billion-Dollar Business (11/4)
Jeanine Basinger — The Movie Musical! (11/13)
John Becker and Megan Scott — Joy of Cooking, 2019 Edition, in conversation with the Washington Post‘s Bonnie Benwick (11/15)
Mark Morris — Out Loud: A Memoir from the gay, groundbreaking modern dancer/choreographer (11/17)
Dana R. Fisher — American Resistance: From the Women’s March to the Blue Wave (11/23)
David J. Silverman — This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving (11/24)
Jonathan Van Ness — The Queer Eye star returns for a sold-out discussion of his new memoir Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love (9/26)
Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey — In She Said, two Pultizer Prize-winning #MeToo reporters share the untold story of their investigation and its consequences in a conversation with Bob Woodward (10/2)
Ann Patchett — The Dutch House pushes against conventional notions of family to explore the intertwined lives of two siblings (10/3)
Bari Weiss — How to Fight Anti-Semitism from provocative New York Times columnist, interviewed by Jeffrey Goldberg (10/6)
Salman Rushdie — Quichotte offers an entertaining portrait of an age in which fact is so often indiscernible from fiction, discussed in conversation with Dolen Perkins-Valdez (10/10)
Bill Bryson — The Body: A Guide for Occupants offers a head-to-toe, comprehensive tour of the human body, from the author of A Short History of Nearly Everything (10/15)
Adam Rippon — Gay figure skater discusses his new memoir Beautiful on the Outside in conversation with Liz Dolan (10/16)
Jonathan Safran Foer — We Are The Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast, discussed in conversation with Libby Casey (10/23)
Eve Rodsky — Fair Play, part how-to guide for couples, part modern relationship manifesto, offers a 21st century solution to the age-old problem of women shouldering the brunt of domestic responsibilities (10/28)
Happier Hour: An Evening with Gretchen and Elizabeth — Tips on how to be happier, healthier, and more creative from authors Gretchen Rubin and her sister Elizabeth Craft (11/3)
Harry Potter and the Sacred Text — A podcast that reads the best-selling book series of all time as if it were a sacred text (11/7)
Secrets of the Universe — Scientist Manuel Calderon de la Barca Sanchez leads an IMAX journey to the largest machine ever built and the greatest scientific instrument ever created, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) (Regular screenings, Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater, National Air and Space Museum)
The Stars Tonight — (Regular screenings, Albert Einstein Planetarium, Air and Space Museum)
Apollo 11: First Steps Edition — A thrilling IMAX experience showcasing the real-life moments of humankind’s first steps on the moon (Regular screenings, Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater)
Hitchcock Film Series — North By Northwest and Psycho (9/28, Warner Bros. Theater); Dial M For Murder 3D and The Birds (9/29, Warner Bros. Theater)
Halloween Film Festival — Hocus Pocus (10/19, Warner Bros. Theater)
Tope Folarin — A Particular Kind of Black Man: A Novel (9/18)
Tom LoBianco — Piety & Power: Mike Pence and the Taking of the White House (9/26)
Aarti Shahani — Here We Are: American Dreams, American Nightmares, from the NPR correspondent (10/2)
Timothy Denevi — Freak Kingdom: Hunter S. Thompson’s Manic Ten-Year Crusade against American Fascism (10/3)
Elizabeth Herman & Celeste Sloman — The Women of the 116th Congress: Portraits of Power (10/16)
Leah Greenberg & Ezra Levin — We Are Indivisible: A Blueprint for Democracy after Trump (11/4)
SONGBYRD MUSIC HOUSE
2477 18th St. NW.
202-7450-2917
www.songbyrddc.com
Songbyrd Music Trivia — Every 1st and 3rd Monday (9/16)
Classic Album Sundays D.C.: David Bowie — Heroes (9/22)
Punkhouse Comedy — Fourth Fridays of the Month (9/27)
Diary of an R&B Legend: Whitney Houston — The R & B Club both listens to, and discusses at-length, the impact and legacy of Houston’s iconic music (9/28)
Worst Decision Ever — The last in a six-show competitive storytelling series focused on true stories about epic fails, embarrassments, social faux pas, and situations you might rather forget (9/24, DC Improv)
Haunted — Stories about memories, beings, or things that stay with you (10/8, Black Cat)
Best of the Worst — A winners showcase of the six-show competitive series including Best Worst Date’s Colleen Connolly, Best Worst Job’s Jenn Kamara, Best Worst Trip’s Mike Baireuther, Best Worst Mistake’s Amber, and Best Worst Fight’s Shawna Renee (10/22, DC Improv)
Horror Show — True stories of real terror and situations gone wrong (11/1, Amp by Strathmore)
‘Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy — Stories about Misunderstandings (11/12, Black Cat)
Dick in a Box — Stories about Memorable Gifts (12/10, Black Cat)
Saturday Family Story Sessions — Adventures in Arden with Shakespeare for the Young (9/21, Mansion); Literacy Out Loud with Tahira (10/5, Mansion); Life is Improvised! w/Baltimore Improv Group (10/19, Mansion); The Miraculous Magical Balloon w/Synetic Theater (10/26, Mansion)
Artists in Fiction Book Club — Monthly discussion series, with the focus on: Kazuo Ishiguro’s An Artist of the Floating World (9/25, Mansion); Susan Vreeland’s Luncheon of the Boating Party (10/16, Mansion); and Allegra Goodman’s The Chalk Artist (11/20)
Whose Live Anyway? — An evening of improvised comedy as seen on TV with Ryan Stiles, Greg Proops, Jeff B. Davis, and Joel Murray (10/12, 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 (11/7-10, Mansion)
Pleiades Jewelry Show & Sale — A selection of unique, high-quality, hand-crafted jewelry and metalwork made by seven local artisans (11/23-24, Mansion)
Sinbad — Comedy veteran named one of Comedy Central’s “100 Greatest Standups of All Time” (12/13, Music Center)
TEAM RAYCEEN
HRC Equality Center
1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW
202-628-4160 www.AskRayceen.com
Rayceen’s Reading Room — A kickoff event for Banned Books Week with authors, poets, comedians, and more (9/24, Cleveland Park Library, 3310 Connecticut Ave. NW)
Rayceen’s Game Night: Celebrity Charades — Free monthly event also features live music by Deborah Bond, guest DJ MIM, announcer Anthony Oakes, plus special guests, vendors, exhibitors, free catered food sponsored by AHF Pharmacy, and cash bar sponsored by DCHomos (10/2)
Rayceen, Fix Me Up! Autumn Mixer — Pendarvis hosts this evening of ice-breaker games and more (10/17, XX+, 1926 9th St. NW 2nd Floor)
AfroQueer: Black LGBTQ Immigrants in America — Pendarvis hosts a free panel discussion exploring the intersections of culture, sexuality, and gender (10/24)
The Titill8tingly Sexy 8th Season Finale — Burlesque, demos, and other performances (11/6)
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