Above & Beyond: Fall Arts Preview 2024

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.

And speaking of the holidays, The Birchmere is your ticket for both a frightfully delightful queer Halloween burlesque show and a merrily twisted Xmas with a holiday romp led by Baltimore’s infamous “Pope of Trash.”

This fall’s comedy lineup is diverse and includes Matt Rogers, Sarah Silverman, Leslie Jones, and David Sedaris, not to mention the re-emergence of Kathy Griffin.

In terms of drag, you can find queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race all over, including two Sashas — Velour at Strathmore and Colby at the Warner as part of the 10th Anniversary Drag Queen Christmas.

And don’t miss local queen Pussy Noir and crew for the very last BENT at the 9:30 Club on Halloween weekend.

Adding to the mix are a smattering of guided tours throughout town, including several focused on the gardens at the lush Hillwood Estate in Upper Northwest. Another set, perfectly timed for Halloween, highlight the ghosts that haunt Congressional Cemetery — or at least, the famous souls buried there.

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815 V St. NW
202-265-0930
www.930.com

• sapphic factory — “Queer joy” party (10/25)
• BENT — “See you in HellBENT!” is the name of the next round of the quarterly LGBTQ party presented by the 9:30 Club, but this pre-Halloween event is also identified as “the final BENT,” making it an extra-special celebratory look back with spirited performances by Pussy Noir, queens from the haus of bambi, and Ana Latour, spooky visuals by PROJECTILEOBJECTS, all soundtracked to eerily heightened effect with music from DJs Samson, The Barber Streisand, and Lemz (10/26)
• Gimme Gimme Disco — A Dance Party Inspired by ABBA (11/2)
• The Taylor Party — Taylor Swift Night offers dancing for Swifties and only Swifites, no haters (11/8)
• Hot In Herre — 2000s Dance Party (11/9)
• the charli parti — An event exclusively dedicated to digging into the deep well of BRAT-y music created by charli xcx, presented by U Street Music Hall as a special to-do to give thanks for over a certain holiday weekend (11/30)
• Matt Rogers — The gay comedic actor (Fire Island), voice artist (Q-Force), and award-winning podcaster (Las Culturistas with Bowen Yang) and the self-anointed “Prince of Christmas” (12/6)

901 Wharf St. SW.
202-888-0020
www.theanthemdc.com

• Because They’re Funny Comedy Festival — Deon Cole (Blackish) hosts the “2024 Breakout Comedian of the Year Competition,” the signature event of this year’s second annual D.C.-centered comedy festival. The six contestants competing for the titular trophy are Sammy Anzer, Alex Babbitt, Flo Hernandez, Lamar Jones, Mel Mitchell, and Khrissy Y.S.F. (9/28)
• Leslie Jones Live — A secondary event of this year’s Comedy Festival is a special night of standup from the Saturday Night Live alum who has a special knack for making people laugh even without saying or doing much with just a look, move, or stance in her indelible exaggerated manner (9/29)
• NSO at the Anthem: Ugly Sweater Holiday Concert — Not your average night out at the symphony, or for that matter, at the Anthem, this special annual holiday show includes a contest for, what else, ugliest sweater (12/4)

1238 Maryland Ave. SW
www.dc.artechouse.com

• Twilight Zone: Hidden Wonders of the Ocean — The latest technology-driven interactive art exhibition from ARTECHOUSE Studio was developed in collaboration with the nearly century-old research organization Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. A world-premiere exhibition officially described as an “artistic expression of scientific discovery,” Twilight Zone explores the enchanting world of bioluminescence and follows the nightly migration of ocean “twilight zone” creatures for a glimpse into their connections to the planet’s health and climate. With innovative design and original compositions by Mehmet Ünal (Tilde Sound Art), the groundbreaking new production offers a 24-minute cinematic journey presented as an immersive experience using 270-degree video projections spanning from floor to wall, which is further complemented by a series of six interactive installations as well as six augmented-reality activations (9/14-11/3)

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

• Afrocidade: From Pelourinho to Petworth — A 10-piece ensemble of musicians, vocalists, dancers, and narrators explore the shared culture and history between Washington, D.C. and Brazil’s Salvador Bahia in a narrated musical performance developed by Jean-Francis Varre in partnership with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the African Diaspora-focused organization Black Atlantic (9/28)
• Happy Theater: Alphabetissimo — Billed as an “Interactive Shadow Show and Workshop” that is “best for ages three-to-seven” (12/7)

Joseph Meyerhoff Hall
1212 Cathedral St.
Baltimore, Md.
410-783-8000
www.baltimorespeakers.org

Presented by Stevenson University at the Baltimore Symphony’s Meyerhoff Hall in downtown Baltimore, this annual series of seven lectures is available by subscription only. No single tickets per lecture are offered, nor are any available by livestream

• Liz Cheney — Two years ago she was the highest-ranking Republican woman in the history of the House of Representatives, but she ultimately lost her seat in Congress after standing up vociferously against Donald Trump, something she continues to do, including most recently by endorsing his opponent for president Kamala Harris, a Democrat at that (10/10)
• Nina Totenberg — National Public Radio’s award-winning legal affairs correspondent for over 40 years is a font of information and insight into all things the Supreme Court, and her memoir Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships paid tribute to her nearly 50-year friendship with the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg (10/24)
• Annette Gordon-Reed — A professor of history and of law at Harvard, Gordon-Reed played an integral role in making Juneteenth a national holiday in 2021, and she’s been renowned for decades for her groundbreaking research into the life of Thomas Jefferson. She became the first Black person to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for History for her book The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family (11/14)
• Oren Etzioni — The first person to “major” in Computer Science at Harvard, Etzioni has since become an artificial intelligence pioneer who has devoted his work over the past decade on developing “AI for the Common Good” (1/30/25)
• Adm. James Stavridis — The 16th NATO Supreme Allied Commander who rose to the rank of 4-star Admiral after 37 years in the US Navy, Stavridis has established himself as a best-selling author, writing 12 books on leadership, character, risk, the oceans, maritime affairs, and Latin America (2/20/25)
• Chris Wallace — The award-winning television anchor and political commentator whose broadcast career spans five decades, currently a CNN host, (3/18/25)
• Andrew Lloyd Webber — The EGOT-winning composer behind Cats, Phantom, and Evita (4/10/25)

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

• Raven’s Night — The popular annual Halloween-themed performance extravaganza returns for its 13th year at the Birchmere. Produced by queer married couple Bella Donna and Ken Vegas, Raven’s Night is promoted as both “the most theatrical and entertaining fusion dance show of the season” as well as “the most captivating theatrical Halloween belly dance show in the world.” The 2024 production features a patented cast of diverse, multi-genre, multi-gender performers all working to put on an LGBTQ-friendly show organized around this year’s theme of “Alchemy” (10/5)
• Larry Wilmore — A night of standup on the “Comedy, Magic, and ‘Merica” Tour from the former Comedy Central show host (10/14)
• Paula Poundstone — Veteran comic and podcaster, also known as the unfailingly funniest guest panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me news quiz show, returns for her annual pre-holiday run of shows (11/22-23)
• A John Waters Christmas 2024 — A year after earning a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the gay, legendary filmmaker also known as Baltimore’s Pope of Trash returns to the Birchmere for his annual show of humorous holiday hijinks (12/18)

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

• Gaza Thrift: A Night Market — A pop-up evening market and bazaar with local vendors plus live DJ sets, and where 100 percent of ticket sales will be donated for use as direct aid to displaced Gazawis, and where 50 to 100 percent of proceeds from vendors will be donated to help families in Gaza. DJs Tromac, Koh, and UNT.IL will perform live throughout the market, which will feature vendors selling clothing, including homemade crochet and knit items, steel and silver jewelry, clay and other art works as well as prints and zines, and Mexican food from the Bethesda restaurant Gringos & Mariachis. Tattoo artists will also be on hand (9/28)
• ‘80s and ’90s Dance Party for Harris and Walz — DJs Lil’e (Black Cat’s Right Round) and Mills (Ottobar’s Flashback Fridays in Baltimore) will oversee this “throwback dance party” doubling as a fundraiser for the Harris-Walz campaign, plus news and information for local voters (10/4)
• City Cast DC: Live Podcast — WAMU’s Tom Sherwood will join City Cast DC’s Bridget Todd and Michael Schaffer for a free live taping of the podcast, exceptionally informative about all things DMV, with this episode focused on “the juiciest local election topics of the year” (10/9)
• Eighties Mayhem — FYM Productions presents the 12th Annual ’80s Halloween Dance Party w/DJs Steve EP and Missguided (10/26)
• Fearless Dancers — Two of the Black Cat’s most popular dance parties, Right Round, the ’80s alternative and new wave-focused event, and Mousetrap, the party celebrating indie guitar pop from the ’80s to the present, are collaborating on this evening as a tribute to Sam Buda, a longtime regular who died unexpectedly earlier this summer. A portion of proceeds will benefit Girls Rock! DC and Adrenal Insufficiency United (11/16)

1940 9th St. NW
202-483-5000
www.dc9.club

• Survivor Watch Party — Watch episodes from the 47th season of the reality show live surrounded by fellow fans and neighbors (9/18, 9/25)
• Late Night Khaos Karaoke — “Embracing chaos and karaoke every Wednesday on our first floor” (9/18)
• Oops…I Did It Again! — Part of a “2000s+DANCE+PARTY” series, this tribute to mainstream pop from the early aughts features hits from two decades ago and spun by presenting DJ Phoenix (9/20)
• Nerd Nite — “D.C.’s original science + nerd + drinking event” also known as “D.C.’s favorite irreverent lecture series since 2009” (9/21)
• Peach Pit — DJ Matt Bailer’s ’90s Dance Party” continues well into its second decade as a popular monthly dance-a-thon and meeting ground especially for Millennials gay, straight, and in-between (9/21)
• Astronomy On Tap — A night of “beer, trivia, and space talks” (9/23)
• Funk The Facts — Another recurring trivia night at DC9, this one presented by Hunter & Gabby (9/24)
• Dance Club — DJ Technics featuring Joyce Lim back-to-back with Tommy C (9/27)
• Fabulosé Drag Show + Dance Party — A special show “celebrating Latiné Heritage Month” hosted by EVRY Pleasure and featuring shows by drag kings and queens including Flirty Rico, Gin Toxxic, Indiana Bones, Labianna, Luna Rei, and Rhiannon LLC, plus music by DJ Raffé (9/28)
• Vroom Vroom…A DC Dyke Night Tea Party — A “Rooftop Tea Dance–by Dykes, for Dykes,” every first Sunday of the month (10/6)

201 E. Capitol St. SE
202-544-4600
www.folger.edu

• Shakespeare Exhibition Hall — Below the Grand Hall connecting the celebrated Folger Theatre and the historic Reading Room is where you’ll find the Folger institution’s permanent and temporary exhibitions, spread out across a large subterranean area that opened this summer after extensive and intricate excavation work that began over four years ago just before the pandemic hit. The new space offers the Folger a permanent area to display treasures from its vast collection for the first time, most notably its 82 copies of the book that helped solidify Shakespeare’s preeminent status as a playwright, Shakespeare’s First Folio. Printed seven years after the Bard’s death, the First Folio includes 36 of his plays. Also on display is a working replica of the printing press that published the First Folios (Permanent)
• Out of the Vault — An ever-changing exhibition focused on key items from the Folger collection, rotated in and out to limit light exposure, all intended to provide an intriguing window on the institution’s “remarkable collection, multifaceted work, and passionate community.” (Permanent)
• Imprints In Time — A display of rare books and manuscripts from the vast, remarkably well-preserved collection of Stuart and Mimi Rose, artifacts from the underworld of Ancient Egypt to those from the surface of the Moon (Now-1/5/25)
• Into The Vault: Books of the 1620s — A display of books from the Folger collection that were published in Europe during the decade when the First Folio emerged. This special exhibition is intended to give guests the sense of being transported to early 17th-century London to visit shops and stalls of booksellers. The display includes books in all kinds of sizes and a range of subject matter, from histories, sermons, religious debate, and legal cases (now-10/13)
• Gallery Talk: How to Curate an Exhibition — Greg Prickman, the Folger’s interim director and also its Director of Collections will discuss how he created and made decisions about Imprints in Time (9/26)
• Creative Conversations: Romeo and Juliet — Members of the creative team behind the new Folger Theatre production discuss their work in conversation with the theater’s Artistic Director Karen Ann Daniels (10/4)
• Claudia Rankine & Yesenia Montilla — The 56th season of the O.B. Hardison Poetry Series kicks off with these two poets reading from their works and engaging in a moderated conversation (10/15)
• Lifelong Learners: Shakespeare 101: A Reintroduction — The first offering in a new adult educational series exploring topics related to the Folger’s collections gets right to the heart of things, as a two-day program centered on Shakeapeare, his works, and the Folger’s new exhibition halls (10/16, 10/23)
• Blas Falconer, Valerie Martinez, and Dan Vera — Three Latinx poets read from their works organized as a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Letras Latinas, the literary initiative at the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame (11/12)
• Emily Dickinson Birthday Tribute Reading with Kimiko Hahn — The Poetry Foundation’s Ruth Lilly Lifetime Achievement Award winner will read and participate in a moderated conversation at this annual tribute to Dickinson in partnership with the Emily Dickinson Museum (12/10)

7300 MacArthur Blvd.
Glen Echo, Md.
301-634-2222
www.glenechopark.org

• Echo Arts Festival — A celebration of the visual and performing arts, this third annual fall event serves as a showcase for the many resident artists and arts organizations at the historic park, an architecturally interesting arts retreat and artist preserve nestled along the Potomac River several miles northwest of D.C. Produced by Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, the nonprofit entity that oversees events and activities in this National Park Service-operated facility, the festival also serves as the last day of the year that the park’s century-old antique Dentzel carousel operates. In addition to open studios with resident visual arts organizations at the park’s galleries, the festival also ushers in a variety of activities, including performances by global jazz-fusion group Project Locrea; Andean music group Mystic Warriors; the Washington Conservatory of Music affiliated outfits Capital Horns; Washington Revels Heritage Voices; and the Culkin School of Irish Dance. There will be workshops, ranging from improvisational dance with Annetta Dexter Sawyer & Friends, to country line dancing with DC Rawhides, to samba line dancing with Ballroom Time, plus hands-on demos from video maker and live-media performance artist Sue-C, and representatives from the Community Quilt arts project. Food and drink is available for purchase from the park’s Praline Café and also from a Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Truck parked on-site for the day (9/29)
• Cajun Dance with the Pine Leaf Boys — After a half-hour crash-course in Cajun dance led by Sharon Schiliro and Michael Hart and open to all ticketholders, attendees will continue dancing for the next three hours all while this international Cajun band plays, riffing through their four-time Grammy-nominated repertoire, an inimitable and exuberant blend of Louisiana music styles, including Cajun, Creole, Zydeco, swamp-pop, country, and soul (9/20, Bumper Car Pavilion)
• Comedy Night with Catfish Productions — A night of stand-up with comis from D.C. and New York (9/27, Ballroom Back Room)
• WOVEN: Threads of Identity in Abstract Expressionism — A showcase of contemporary works by Black women artists, all members of The Black Art Today Foundation, that celebrates their artistic mastery and unique artistic perspectives — offering them kind of praise and recognition that, ultimately, they’ve been largely denied as a result of, to quote the official description, “the historical exclusion of these artists from the canon of Abstract Expressionism” (Now-9/29, Popcorn Gallery)
• Jeff Kirk — “Still Kicking After All These Years 1974-2024” is a solo pottery show featuring works by the founder and artistic director of Glen Echo Pottery, reflecting his love of nature, form, texture, and shape as well as geological structures and surfaces (Now-9/29, Stone Tower Gallery)
• Lisa Zadravec — A showcase of award-winning artwork, created primarily using colored pencil, by this faculty member at the park’s Yellow Barn Studio, whose youthful drawings convey poignant human expression and tell relatable human stories, often autobiographical, always with a sense of hopefulness (Now-9/29, Park View Gallery)
• Glen Echo Pottery Gallery — Finished work made at the Pottery by 28 instructors and advance students are on display in a wooden yurt across from the park’s famed Dentzel carousel, and can be viewed, with opportunities to purchase, during open hours most Saturday and Sunday afternoons, (Now-12/15, Pottery Gallery)
• Jan Rowland & Danielle Bensky — An exhibition of works from these two artists organized around the titular theme “Drifting with Nature” (10/5-11/3, Popcorn)
• DC Rawhides Dance — The Rawhides present their debut dance at the park, an event billed as “an inclusive, diverse, affirming, fun, high-energy LGBTQ+ dance where all are welcome” (10/19, Bumper Car Pavilion)
• Glen Echo Pottery Winter Market (12/7, Bumper Car Pavilion)
• Transcendental Light Orchestra — A concert with a diverse group of musicians, known for their multi-layered sound drawing from eclectic influences, but this concert focuses on James Bazen’s instrumental arrangements and orchestrations of Christmas songs and dances (12/14, Ballroom Back Room)

4155 Linnean Ave. NW
202-686-5807
www.HillwoodMuseum.org

• Fragile Beauty: Art of the Ocean — The latest special exhibition at the grand D.C. estate, preserved as a museum by its late founder Marjorie Merriweather Post, is a celebration of the ocean and a showcase of the museum’s wide variety of marine-related art as well as a survey of sea-inspired creatures, shapes, and forms both in usable objects and in art. A selection of contemporary pieces will also be interspersed with Hillwood’s historic pieces demonstrating that the sea remains a source of inspiration while also emphasizing the need for sustainability for its survival (Now-1/5/25)
• Portrait of Lloyd Patterson — The artist Lloyd Walton Patterson traveled to Soviet Russia in 1932 along with an illustrious group of other Black Americans, including Langston Hughes and Louise Thompson, yet only Patterson remained behind after the reason for their trip — the making of a Soviet-German film intended to highlight pervasive racism in the United States — was canceled. Exhibition explores that chapter in history, including the remarkable life Patterson made for himself in his new country (Now-12/31)
• Museum Shop Pop-Up: jianhui — An exclusive pop-up featuring the sale of handmade, eco-friendly wearable pieces by jewelry designer jianhui (9/27-29)
• Guided Forest Bathing Walks — Inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or to absorb the forest atmosphere, a health- and wellness-promoting immersive stroll through the gardens is led by a Certified Forest Therapy Guide and requires a minimum of five participants and no more than fifteen (9/28, 10/11, 10/25, 10/26, 11/2, 11/8, 11/16, 11/22)
• Family Picnic with Rainbow Families — Connect with other LGBTQ families at this annual family celebration set on the lush, landscaped grounds of the estate established by Marjorie Merriweather Post. Pack a blanket for seating, bug spray, and a picnic from home — just no outside alcohol — or purchase food and drinks, including beer and wine, from the venue’s Merriweather To Go program, and expect games of hula hoop, ring toss, and jump rope, plus practice putting on the putting green (9/29, Lunar Lawn)
• Museum Shop Pop-Up: The Elegant Muse — Jewelry designer Suzanne Paynter of The Elegant Muse will be on hand to discuss and sell her one-of-a-kind heirloom works, created with antique and vintage treasures (10/5-6)
• Gardener’s Focus Tour: Plants of the Fall — Take in the rich, autumnal hues of yellow, red, and orange as the the foliage and flowers transition for the season, on a 45-minute walk with Hillwood’s director of horticulture Jessica Bonilla, who will highlight favorite fall features and share practical gardening lessons (10/8, 10/11, 10/15, 10/18)
• Fall Garden Party — Hillwood members who have contributed $150 or more are invited to this autumnal celebration of the gardens (10/10)
• Lecture: A Conversation with Artist Morel Doucet and Gallerist Myrtis Bedolla — An engaging and insightful conversation with artist Doucet featured in the Fragile Beauty exhibition and with Bedolla, a curator, art consultant, and founder of Galerie Myrtis who specializes in works created by contemporary African-American artists, moderated by Wilfried Zeisler, Hillwood’s deputy director and chief curator (10/16)
• Spooky Pooch Howl-o-ween Celebration — Inspired by Marjorie Post’s affection for dogs, as evidenced by the memorial dog cemetery honoring the many canines she lived with at the property, Hillwood invites guests to dress up their furry four-legged friends and bring them to Hillwood for some festive playtime with other pups, not to mention participate in a Costume Competition with awards for Most Glamorous, Best Owner & Dog Combination Costume, Funniest, and overall Top Dog, among others, which come with prizes such as guest passes for another visit and a family membership to Hillwood (10/19, Lunar Lawn)
• Gardener’s Focus Tour: Specialty Mums — Jarett Currin, a greenhouse grower at Hillwood, will share insights into the 55-year tradition of propagating over 50 different types of chrysanthemums for the weekly arrangements of fresh cut flowers displayed throughout Hillwood, a tradition started by Marjorie Post due to her fondness for mums (10/23, 10/25, 10/30, 11/1)
• Museum Shop Pop-Up: Alice Woods of ABW Designs — A selection of jewelry, scarves, and hats will be for sale from AMW Designs, a refined costume jewelry company known for its updated classic design approach (10/25-26)
• Artist Talk w/Courtney Mattison — Mattison, a contemporary ceramic artist featured in Fragile Beauty will discuss her artistic process and vision, presented in partnership with the James Renwick Alliance for Craft, and followed by a tour of Fragile Beauty led by Hillwood’s Dr. Zeisler (10/26)
• Curator Lecture: Treasures of the Sea — An exploration into Fragile Beauty with Hillwood’s Dr. Zeisler (11/7)
• Lecture: Francesca Cartier Brickell: The Cartiers and Pearls — A Fragile Beauty lecture exploring Cartier’s natural pearl history by Brickell, an Oxford University graduate and a direct descendant of the Cartier family, who will share tales of her ancestors’ exploits as well as her own adventures and insights from her book The Cartiers: The Untold Story of the Family behind the Jewelry Empire (11/15)
• Virtual Holiday Décor Tour — A virtual tour of Hillwood’s elaborate holiday trees and other décor led by designer Ami Wilber (12/3)
• Traditional Holiday Wreath Workshop — An in-person event during which Hillwood’s Ami Wilber will guide participants in creating a traditional, one-of-a-kind holiday decoration of hearty evergreens (12/5-8)
• Gardener’s Focus Tour: Bones of the Winter Garden — Bonilla, Hillwood’s director of horticulture, will lead an exploration of the estate’s peaceful winter gardens (12/10, 12/13, 12/17, 12/20)

1801 E St. SE
202-543-0539
www.congressionalcemetery.org

• Circle of Life Fall Celebration — Celebrate Autumn’s Equinox with a musical procession led by Batala, Washington’s all-female Afro-Brazilian percussion band, that meanders from the cemetery’s front gate to the property’s living tree-henge (9/22) Sunday Stroll: Guided Introductory Tour — Every Sunday afternoon, a docent leads a tour of D.C.’s most famous cemetery, a 35-acre nonprofit preserve near the banks of the Anacostia River where more than 67,000 people have been interred since its founding in 1807 to the present day
• Only at Congressional: Guided Introductory Tour — American history in microcosm, the stories of those buried at this National Historic Landmark offer a one-of-a-kind portal into the past, as can be gleaned from this guided tour, offered every other week or so (9/28, 10/12, 10/26, 11/2, 11/30)
• Author Talk: M.L. Rio: Graveyard Shift — D.C.-based writer of dark academia and gothic novels and Shakespeare scholar will discuss her newest work with NPR’s Tayla Burney (9/28)
• Jewish Americans: Guided Docent Tour — Docent Charles Walton will lead this tour focused on the dozens of Jewish American gravesites and monuments at the cemetery (10/6)
• Dead Man’s Run 2024 — This annual fundraiser is touted as “the region’s most death-defying and thematic 5k race,” further promising “a ghostly evening run full of spooky music and other fun,” including prizes for top finishers and for best costumes (10/12)
• Founding The Federal City: Capital Connections Tour — Learn about the lives of people from the early days of the nation’s capital over 400 years ago, a mix of congressmen, merchants, military officers, diplomats, architects, and enslaved individuals (10/13)
• Soul Strolls 2024: Scandal and Slander — Uncover tales of scandal from the notorious souls permanently interred at the cemetery dubbed “D.C.’s Greatest Undertaking,” with actors bringing the past to life during hour-long tours of the grounds guided by lantern-bearing costumed interpreters. Live music, thematic cocktails, and the spooky ambiance of the setting adds to the whole experience, and those springing for VIP get a smaller tour group, a champagne toast with the “Madam on the Mall” aka Mary Ann Hall, a photo-op at the Public Vault, plus a free drink ticket and swag bag (10/18-19, 10/25-26)
• Pride LGBTQ+ Tour — One of the only known cemeteries in the world with a dedicated LGBTQ section, and docent Jeffrey Rollins will shed light on both the gay who’s who buried here, including many of the founders of the gay rights movement, as well as D.C.’s role in the history of the movement (10/19)
• Murder and Mayhem: Tragic Deaths Tour — A specialty tour of the grounds focused on those residents whose lives met tragic ends, everything from murders and executions, to accidents and suicides (10/27)
• Mostly Mothers: The Eternal Maternal Guided Tour — Walk among two centuries of women for whom motherhood was central to their very being, even if only metaphorically so, such as with Barbara Gittings, the “Mother of Gay Rights,” and Flora Darling, a founder of the Daughters of the American Revolution (11/3)

1212 Cathedral St.
Baltimore, Md.
410-783-8000
www.bsomusic.org

• CANCELLED Podcast: Cross Country — The popular CANCELLED Podcast, co-hosted by besties Tana Mongeau and Brooke Schofield, will be staged in a tour of “unfiltered, uncut, interactive live shows” promising to “spill all the tea that you see on their podcast each week [only] with no cuts, no bleeping out names [with the hosts] saying all the things they can’t say online” (9/25)

202-467-4600
www.kennedy-center.org

• Dvořák Dreams: An Installation by Refik Anadol — Turkish-American artist, acclaimed for his fusion of art, music, history, and artificial intelligence, presents the U.S. premiere of his immersive data sculpture transforming the legacy of Czech composer Antonin Dvořák into a multi-sensory experience (Now-9/24, The REACH
• Kanan Gill — Nominated for “Most Outstanding Show’ at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, What is This?, the latest show from the Indian comedian — and a follow-up to Gill’s Is This It?, released earlier this year on YouTube) — “examines the many ways of being, the very idea of being, and the ultimately unsatisfactory nature of experience” new show from this comedian What Is This? World Tour (10/4, Terrace Theater)
• Extraordinary Cinema: Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes — A free screening of this documentary telling the story of a musician whose far-reaching ambitions were inspired and challenged by the inequities of society (10/13, Justice Forum, The REACH)
• David Sedaris — One of America’s preeminent humor writers, the gay Sedaris returns to the Kennedy Center to give a reading trying out new and unpublished work (10/15, Concert Hall)
• Extraordinary Cinema: The Birds — A free screening of AAlfred Hitchock’s classic 1963 thriller about a series of sudden and unexplained violent bird attacks on unsuspecting people (10/20, Justice Forum, The REACH)
• Sloane Crosley in Conversation w/Rachel Syme — Crosley, the prolific comedic essayist of best-sellers Grief is for People and I Was Told There’d Be Cake, discusses her newest book and explores how humor can help us through difficult times in a discussion moderated by New Yorker writer Syme (10/24, Terrace Theater)
• Extraordinary Cinema: The Blair Witch Project (10/27, Justice Forum, The REACH)
• Zarna Garg — Fresh from headlining RIOT! Funny Women Stand Up earlier this year at the Kennedy Center, Garg returns to share more of her unique blend of humor, wit, and fearless social commentary, summed up by the New York Times critic Jason Zinoman as “[representing] something fresh: the revenge of the Indian mom” (11/1, Terrace Theater)
• Sarah Silverman — The two-time Emmy Award-winning comedian, actor, podcaster, and all-around entertainer, whose special Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love is now streaming on Max, comes to town with a new stand-up show she’s calling “Postmortem” (11/22, Concert Hall)
• Michael Kosta — The comedian best known as a correspondent on The Daily Show, including terrific bouts of shtick from this year’s Democratic National Convention (11/23, Terrace Theater)
• John Oliver — The host and producer of HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver delivers a new stand-up set during a run of shows closing out 2024 at the Kennedy Center, and also ringing in 2025 with the run’s last performance (12/27-31, Concert Hall)

1215 U St. NW
202-888-0050
www.thelincolndc.com

• CBC Black History Film Festival — A joint screening of two short social justice-themed films, A Time to Yell, a profile of former Charlottesville city council member Dr. Wes Bellamy and the modern-day American conflict over Confederate statues, and How to Sue the Klan, an inspiring look at the five Black women from Chattanooga who successfully took on the Ku Klux Klan in an influential 1982 civil case (9/14)
• Story Pirates — The Amazing Adventure Tour from award-winning family media company best known for the family-oriented podcast of the same name (9/26)
• Yuval Noah Harari — Discussion around new book Nexus, in conversation with Nicholas Thompson (9/16)
• Kumail Nanjiani — “Doing This Again” (9/20)
• Tinder Live with Lane Moore — The 10th Anniversary of this critically acclaimed comedy show in which Moore projects Tinder profiles live on screen as the audience votes whether she swipes right or left, “to cathartic, hilarious, and surprisingly kind results” (9/21)
• Laura Ramoso — German-Italian comedian known for her viral impressions on social media with characters including “German Mom,” “Italian Dad,” and “Girl who just got back from…” (9/22) Kenny G — “An Evening in Conversation with” the bestselling instrumentalist of all time, who shares fascinating and funny tales from his life and career in new memoir Life in the Key of G (9/25)
• Bob The Drag Queen — “This Is Wild” World Tour (10/11)
• Therapuss with Jake Shane Live — A TikTok star hits the road to tour his recently launched podcast (10/15)
• Joe Pera — A night of stand-up from comic/writer behind several Adult Swim shows as well as the new Max streaming series Joe Pera Talks With You (10/26)
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show: The 49th Anniversary Spectacular Tour — Patricia Quinn (Magenta and also “The Lips”), appears at this special Halloween screening of the original, unedited version of the cult classic, presented with a live shadow cast. Audience participation is encouraged, and those who opt to dress up can participate in a costume contest (10/31)
• ALOK — “Hairy Situation: A New Comedy Show” features the nonbinary Indian comedian relating a number of the “hairy situations” they’ve found themselves in, from being mistaken for a famous Brazilian DJ, to botching TikTok makeup tutorials (11/2) Who? Weekly: Live (11/14)
• The Rest Is History — Another podcast-generated live show, this one organized around the titular popular history podcast featuring its co-hosts, the British historians Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland (11/16)
• Max Fosh — A popular British YouTuber and comedian known for “finding life’s loopholes and exploiting them” (11/17)
• The Moth: DC GrandSlam Championship (11/18)
• Craig Ferguson — Scottish comedian best known as host of a former CBS Late Late Show comes to town for a stop on his “Pants On Fire” Tour (11/21)
• Dinosaur Improv: Live — An ensemble of stars from improv comedy, including Paul Scheer, Rob Huebel, and Jason Mantzoukas, offer what is billed as promising “an explosion of unscripted hilarity and genius” (11/22)
• The Jinx & DeLa Holiday Show — The celebrated comedy duo featuring two RuPaul’s Drag Race alums return with more seasonal-themed stories and shenanigans (11/30)
• Heather McDonald — “The Juicy Scoop Experience” from the funny lady who got her start nearly two decades ago working with and for Chelsea Handler on E!’s former hit show Chelsea Lately, these days known for her gossipy comedy podcast Juicy Scoop (2/15/25)

737 8th St. SE
202-629-2975
www.littledistrictbooks.com

• Clement Goldberg — A conversation and Q&A with author of New Mistakes (9/26)
• Steven Petrow — The former Washington Post columnist will be in conversation with a Q&A about his new book The Joy You Make (9/27)
• Timothy Janovsky — A book launch for Janovsky’s The Merriest Misters in conversation with Susie Dumond (10/1)
• Jean-Baptiste Phou — Eric Nguyen will lead a conversation and Q&A with Phou, author of Coming Out of My Skin (10/2)
• James Sears — Queering Rehoboth Beach: Beyond the Boardwalk author in conversation with Deacon Maccubbin, former owner of Lambda Rising, D.C.’s storied LGBTQ bookstore of yore (10/18)
• Gerardo Sámano Córdova — Monstrilio author (10/23)
• Queer Horror Discussion with Ciera Burch and Natalie Jacobsen — The authors of Something Kindred and Ghost Train, respectively, engage in a horror-ific conversation on All Hallows Eve Eve (10/30)

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

• Judge John Hodgman Podcast — Bailiff Jesse Thorn assists the deadpan comedian, originally known from appearances on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, to oversee more fake court proceedings like those from their Webby Award-winning podcast (9/14)
• Foreign Policy: “Ones and Tooze” Podcast — A live taping of the hit weekly economics podcast with hosts Adam Tooze and Cameron Abadi (9/17)
• Connie Chung — A discussion focused on Connie: A Memoir, a frank, behind-the-scenes look into the life and career of this trailblazing journalist and D.C. native, who will be in conversation with her husband Maury Povich, the former daytime TV talk show host (9/18)
• The Economist on Elections in 2024 — A discussion with editors and correspondents from The Economist about the significance of this year’s spate of elections, being held in more than 70 countries representing half the world’s population (9/25)
• Antisemitism, Democracy, and the Struggle for an Inclusive America — Yolanda Savage-Narva of the Union for Reform Judaism moderates a conversation with U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Jewish Council for Public Affairs CEO AMy Spitalnick, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights CEO Maya Wiley (9/26)
• Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook — The James Beard Award-winning co-owners of acclaimed Zahav Restaurant in Philadelphia apply their ideas to the home kitchen in Zahav Home, which presents 125 recipes for achievable and healthy home-cooked meals. In conversation with CNN’s Jake Tapper (9/30)
• Lee Yaron — 10/7: 100 Human Stories is billed as “the definitive account of the day Hamas launched an unprecedented terrorist assault on Israel.” Jodi Rudoren will moderate a discussion with Yaron, the book’s author, scheduled to take place on the tragedy’s second anniversary (10/7)
• NYT Cooking: Easy Weeknight Dinners Cookbook — Emily Weinstein, Editor in Chief of Cooking and Food for the New York Times, curated a “greatest hits” selection of published recipes, 100 in all, with assistance from a Times staff writer (10/14)
• Chuck Palahniuk — Shock Induction is a dark, satirical parable from the bestselling author of Fight Club that at its core, explores a string of mysterious high school disappearances (10/15)
• Seth Godin — The influential business thinker and blogger offers a guide to thinking strategically and creating meaningful change in This is Strategy: Make Better Plans, and he’ll discuss the new book with Washington Post columnist Bina Venkataraman (10/28)
• Heather Cox Richardson — The Boston College professor of history and author of Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America pays heed to the book’s paperback release by engaging in a discussion about the book with writer, communications consultant, and trans activist Charlotte Clymer (10/31)

620 T St. NW
202-630-9828
www.storydistrict.org

• Top Shelf: Best of the Year — The 15th anniversary of this program features eight storytellers, each of whom shared a personal story at previous Story District shows this year and were picked to perform again (11/2, Capital Turnaround)

The Mansion
10701 Rockville Pike
North Bethesda, Md.
301-581-5100
www.strathmore.org

• Exhibition: Monuments: Forces of Nature — Four years ago Strathmore first commissioned Through his “Monuments” series, Australian artist Craig Walsh works to highlight everyday heroes as “forces of nature” by literally rendering them as such, projecting enormous portraits of them onto treetops at night for maximum, stunning effect. After commissioning Walsh to honor six influential area artists four years ago, in the wake of controversy over the more traditional, permanent kind of monuments such as confederate statues, Strathmore has enlisted him once again, this time to create ephemeral monuments to a new crop of six individuals, specifically those working in areas of climate and environmental stewardship. The honorees include eco-feminist Brenda Lee Richardson of the Anacostia Parks & Community Collaborative, Kahlil Kettering of The Nature Conservancy, Ramon Palencia-Calvo of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, and Joe Toolan, the chair of Annapolis Pride and an LGBTQIA+ commissioner for the state of Maryland who works on urban sustainability projects for GreenLatinos (Nightly to 10/6)
• Exhibition: Art Flow(s): Perspectives from the African Diaspora — Art, artifacts, and ephemera of the African diaspora gets the spotlight in a special installation featuring selections drawn from the individual collections of Yonette Thomas, Margo Thomas, and Deborah Smith, unrelated art collectors with strong professional and personal ties who call themselves “the three sisters” (Now-11/7)
• Discussion: The Three Sisters Reflect — In “Art At Home and Life Around The World,” the trio will highlight the importance that art plays in their lives and careers and also share their thoughts on making art collecting more accessible and achievable for all (10/16)
• Exhibition: In The Company of Trees — A tribute to the complexity and vitality of trees, this special exhibition features artistry in textiles, paint, collage, and metal, and was broadly inspired by the Monuments outdoor installation (Now-11/7)
• Taylor Sizemore: Frame of Reference — Artist’s oil paintings feature realistic renderings of personal objects, from cookbook pages to Chinese porcelain designs, that are layered in arbitrary order to produce a multiple exposure effect for a subtle sense of distorted time and place; the resulting autobiographical works evoke themes of desire, fear, discomfort, and expectation (Now-11/7)
• Discussion: Art Heals and Forgives — Dr. Wizdom Powell leads a discussion exploring the psychology of art as a healing force bolstered by special guest performers exemplifying the therapeutic power of artistic mediums such as visual art, music, and dance; the lineup also includes therapist and prevention scientist Dr. Shatiea Blount and dancers from Raediant Movement (10/8)
• Museum Shop Holiday Market — The 15th annual market offers an early, one-stop shop for holiday gifts from some of the area’s best museum gift shops (11/14-16)
• Sasha Velour’s The Big Reveal Live Show! — The RuPaul’s Drag Race alum takes the stage for an evening of humor and hijinks (1/25/25, Music Center)
• Strathmore’s 33rd Annual Juried Exhibition (1/31/25-3/1/25)

Woodmont Triangle
Bethesda, Md.
301-215-6660
www.bethesda.org

The first Saturday in October sees the return of this annual outdoor food and music festival to Bethesda’s Woodmont Triangle and vicinity, with over 40 participating restaurants and four stages set-up for live music and entertainment, plus a dedicated children’s area with arts and crafts activities. Organized by the Bethesda Urban Partnership, the event, now in its 32nd year, welcomes newcomers ala, Cubano’s, Pho Viet USA, Q by Peter Chang, and Rooted3. Among those returning to serve attendees with their signature offerings are Benihana, Dog Haus Biergarten, Fresh Baguette, Georgetown Cupcake, Medium Rare, Seventh State, and José Andrés’s Spanish Diner. A selection of beer and wine from participating restaurants will also be available for purchase. Free to attend, but tickets are required for all food and drink served, available for purchase on-site at a cost of $10 for five tickets, with each serving costing between one and four tickets (10/5)

513 13th St. NW
202-397-SEAT
www.warnertheatredc.com

• Ghost Files Live! (9/25)
• Whitney Cummings — A D.C. native, this comedian, also known as a writer behind sitcoms including NBC’s Whitney, which she also starred in, and CBS’s 2 Broke Girls, as well as a podcaster (Good for You), returns with a new stand-up show, “Big Baby,” which will certainly explore her new-found role as a mother of 10-month-old (10/11)
• Dane Cook (10/17)
• Jenny Slate (10/30)
• David Cross — “The Edd of the Beginning of the End Tour,” with support from Sean Patton (11/1)
• Michael Blaustein (11/2)
• Jess Hilarious (11/15)
• Martin Amini — “The Love World Tour” (11/16)
• A Drag Queen Christmas — The 10th anniversary of this holiday show presented by Murray & Peter features contestants from RuPaul’s Drag Race including the show’s host, Nina West (from Season 11 and All Stars Season 9), as well as Season 15 winner Sasha Colby, Season 16 runner-up Sapphira Cristal plus fellow contestants Plane Jane and Plasma, Season 14 runner-up Lady Camden, Season 12 runner-up Crystal Methyd, Season 11 runner-up Brooke Lynn Hytes, also a judge on the spinoff series Canada’s Drag Race, and All Stars Season 9 winner Angeria Paris VanMichaels and runner-up Roxxxy Andrews (11/17)
• Stephanie Miller — “Sexy Liberal Save The World Comedy Tour,” which finds Miller joined by fellow comedians John Fugelsang, Hal Sparks, and Frangela (1/18/25)
• Kathy Griffin — The comedian and preeminent provocateur of our time makes her stand-up return at long last with “My Life on the PTSD List,” a show that, given its title, certainly explores what transpired for Griffin in the years after a tasteless Trump stunt led to her being canceled in the most dramatic and serious of fashion (2/1/25)

1645 Trap Road
Vienna, Va.
703-255-1868
www.wolftrap.org

• The 2024 Wolf Trap Ball — Close out the summer concert season with dinner and dancing right from the acclaimed amphitheater’s stage at this annual Black Tie Formal event, this year evoking “the glamourous disco era of luxurious nightclubs and opulent fashion” and carrying the Donna Summer-inspired theme “Dim All The Lights” (9/21, Filene Center Stage)
• 2024 Bourbon & Bubbles — Mixologists will pour distinctive spirits, sparkling wines, and hand-crafted cocktails at this annual fundraiser for the Wolf Trap Foundation’s arts and education programs also featuring Southern-inspired dishes, live music and “festive surprises” (11/16, The Barns)
• Second City — Improv’s most iconic and influential purveyor travels from Chicago for this year’s extra-special annual stop at the Barns, a “65th Anniversary Show” revisiting classic comedy sketches, songs, and characters created by Second City alumni such as Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Catherine O’Hara, and Stephen Colbert (2/19-25-2/22/25, The Barns)

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