Apr
25
Sat
Strathmore 10th Anniversary Spring Gala @ Music Center at Strathmore
Apr 25 @ 5:30 PM – 10:30 PM

In this 10th anniversary week of opening its hallmark Music Center, Strathmore announces that iconic actressJulie Andrews will celebrate A Dazzling Decade by speaking at the art center’s 10th Anniversary Spring Gala on Saturday, April 25, 2015.With a career that has spanned decades, traversed a myriad of artistic disciplines, imbued fans with fond memories, and inspired millions, there’s no one better to headline this celebration of the past decade, while looking ambitiously toward the future.  Gala guests will begin the evening at 5:30 p.m. with cocktails, followed by a sumptuous dinner, program with Julie Andrews, and an after party with Big Ray and the Kool Kats.

An Evening with Julie Andrews will include a Q&A with the audience and discussion moderated by Washington Post Theater Critic Peter Marks. She will share clips, stories, and conversation about her illustrious, history-making career. Music will be performed by the Strathmore Children’s Chorus. Andrews will not be singing.

The 10th Anniversary Spring Gala symbolizes a major milestone in Strathmore’s history, and will be the stage for announcements of future initiatives for the organization, which has become a touchstone for life and culture in Montgomery County and the greater Washington metropolitan region.  Since it opened in 2005, over 1.8 Million people have attended a performance in the Music Center at Strathmore. Many more have come through for education programs, special events, free community concerts, and festivals. There have been nearly 2,000 performances in the Music Center since its opening, including those by founding partner the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and resident partner organizations The National Philharmonic and Washington Performing Arts.

Strathmore is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. An agency of the Department of Business & Economic Development, MSAC provides financial support and technical assistance to non-profit organizations, units of government, colleges and universities for arts activities.
Strathmore is also supported in part by the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County.

Strathmore Presents
10th Anniversary Spring Gala
An Evening with Julie Andrews
Conversation, Stories & Clips
with Peter Marks, moderator
& music by Strathmore Children’s Chorus
Saturday, April 25, 2015

5:30 p.m.         Cocktail Reception
7 p.m.              Dinner
9 p.m.              An Evening with Julie Andrews and music from the Strathmore Children’s Chorus
10:30 p.m.       After Party with Big Ray and the Kool Kats

Tickets (for concert only) $65 – $175 (limited single tickets available for purchase)

Dinner ticket packages include:
$600 Individual Supporter: One ticket to Gala dinner in Music Center, Performance with Julie Andrews, admission to after party with Big Ray and the Kool Kats.
$1,500 Gala Patron: One ticket to Gala dinner, preferred seating for An Evening with Julie Andrews, admission to after party with Big Ray and the Kool Kats, listing on evening’s video recognition, valet parking pass.
$10,000 Sponsor: Table for eight at Gala dinner, preferred seating for An Evening with Julie Andrews, valet parking passes for all eight guests, listing in evening’s video recognition, acknowledgment on Strathmore’s donor wall, newsletter and annual report.

Ticket packages can be purchased by contacting The Sorelle Group at (202) 248-1930 or Strathmore@sorellegroup.com.

Music Center at Strathmore
5301 Tuckerman Lane
North Bethesda, MD 20852

For additional information or to purchase tickets, visit www.strathmore.org or call (301) 581-5100

May
9
Sat
Campagna Center’s Platinum Gala @ The Westin Alexandria
May 9 @ 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

The Campagna Center is pleased to announce 2015 will mark 70 years of commitment and service to the Alexandria community. Toasting to this milestone, The Campagna Center, in collaboration with Platinum Presenting Sponsor Passport Auto Group and other area business sponsors, will host The Platinum Gala on Saturday, May 9th, 2015 in the evening at The Westin Alexandria.  The gala will honor the legacy of service that The Campagna Center volunteers and staff have brought to the children and families of Alexandria over the past seven decades.  The evening will include a cocktail reception, dinner and dancing with live entertainment provided by Prime Time Band.

About The Campagna Center

“The history of The Campagna Center is inextricably linked to the history of Alexandria itself,” says Dr. Tammy Mann, President & CEO. “As I have had the pleasure of meeting many people who knew and worked with one of our most beloved Executive Directors, Ms. Elizabeth Ann Campagna, I have come to understand her as a leader who embodied a deep commitment to confronting social justice issues with courage and compassion.  She understood that a community rich in resources had a responsibility to use those resources to help improve the lives of others, especially children.  As the merits of Head Start were being debated nationwide, Elizabeth Ann and the late Vola Lawson worked together to secure funding needed to run Alexandria’s first Head Start program.”

“One of the organization’s original goals—to provide leadership in the creative resolution of critical social problems—remains a guiding beacon for the work we perform so passionately today.  Serving nearly 2,000 people from cradle to career in 52 classrooms throughout Alexandria, The Campagna Center provides high quality early learning experiences through preschool programs, and enrichment learning and guidance through high school.  Through eight levels of English Language Learning classes, immigrant and refugee adults learn to survive and thrive.  It is vitally important to reflect on the progress made in this fine city and to use it as our springboard into the future.”

Event Details:
Saturday, May 9th, 2015 in the evening
The Westin Alexandria

Alexandria, VA

 

Tickets:

General Admission Tickets are $200 each.

Host Committee Tickets are $500 each or $1000 per couple.

Tickets will be available for purchase at  http://www.campagnacenter.org/platinumgala.

 

May
11
Mon
STC Annual Dinner & Mock Trial @ Sidney Harman Hall
May 11 @ 5:30 PM – 10:30 PM

The Shakespeare Theatre Company, recipient of the 2012 Regional Theatre Tony Award®, presents its Annual Dinner and Mock Trial at Sidney Harman Hall(610 F Street NW) on Monday, May 11, 2015. This marks the 20th year that Shakespeare Theatre Company has put on the Mock Trial. The evening begins with dinner at 5:30 p.m. in the Forum,  followed by the Trial at 7:30 p.m. in the theatre. A special session of the Supreme Court of La Mancha will review the decisions of the Family Court to declare Don Quixote mentally incompetent and his subsequent placement under the guardianship of his niece, Antonia.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will preside and will be accompanied by Justice Stephen Breyer, as well as Chief Judge Merrick Garland and Judge Patricia Millett, both of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Tom Goldstein of Goldstein & Russell P.C. andCarter Phillips of Sidley Austin LLP will argue the case. The Trial will be moderated byAbbe D. Lowell of Chadbourne & Parke LLP, chair of the STC Bard Association and STC Board of Trustees member.

Michael Kahn, Artistic Director of Shakespeare Theatre Company says of Mock Trial, “As I’ve often said, Shakespeare doesn’t tell us what to think, he tells us what to think about. This is what Mock Trial does so stunningly, it uses these classic stories as lenses to look at seemingly old issues and bring them to our modern, and legal, world.”

Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Mock Trial is sponsored by the Bard Association, STC’s affinity group for Washington’s legal community.

Since 1994, the Shakespeare Theatre Company has hosted a Mock Trial based on a play from STC’s mainstage season. The fictional court case poses a legal question, or questions, and the audience must act as the jury to decide the fate of the characters. The Trial aims to examine the links between classic works and contemporary legal theory in a way that is both thought-provoking and entertaining. Past Mock Trials have explored whether Malvolio (Twelfth Night) was entitled to damages for wrongful imprisonment; Iago (Othello) was guilty of the murders of Desdemona and Othello; Hamlet (Hamlet) was insane when he murdered Polonius; and if Sir John Falstaff (Henry IV) should have been compensated for his services to Prince Hal and reinstated as a member of the royal court. Last year’s Mock Trial concentrated on the characters in William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure and argued whether the Duke of Vienna should be held responsible for abuses of power perpetuated by his appointed representative, and debated issues of illegal secret surveillance, false imprisonment, negligent appointment of an unfit deputy, and disrespect of commitment to religious vows.

This season’s Mock Trial focuses on the characters in Dale Wasserman’s Man of La Mancha and asks the question: Did the Family Court commit reversible errors of law and fact in determining that Don Quixote was mentally incompetent, and should the Family Court have appointed Sancho Panza, Don Quixote’s loyal friend, as his guardian, rather than his niece Antonia? 

SCENARIO

As word spread of Alonso Quixana’s (self-named and known to the world as Don Quixote) exhibited signs of mental illness or incompetence, his niece Antonia petitioned the Family Court to appoint her to be his guardian to protect his financial interests and to make medical decisions for him. In support of her petition, Antonia described Don Quixote’s hallucinations, his instigation of ill-conceived and ill-fated battles, his unwitting contribution to the brutal treatment of Aldonza, and his persistent inability to separate reality from illusion. Antonia stated that Don Quixote was unable to manage his assets, pay his medical expenses, or make financial decisions in his own best interests, and that he had been the victim of financial exploitation without even realizing others were taking advantage of him. Antonia’s fiancé, Dr. Carrasco, provided a petition of incompetency claiming to be Don Quixote’s treating physician and asserting that Don Quixote’s mental disability was permanent and that he had no ability to understand the nature of the proceedings or reasons for appointment of a guardian.

The Family Court heard extensive testimony about Don Quixote’s ill-fated escapades during his career as a knight errant, about his discussion of his “dreams,” his tendency to burst into song, and his claims of being a knight. His friends testified about Don Quixote’s idealism, courtesy, generosity, gallantry, and nobility. Sancho Panza said Don Quixote knew he was not really a knight, but simply liked to conceive of a nobler world inspired by courtesy and bravery. Don Quixote’s attorney argued that he did not need a guardian, but that if the Court disagreed, it should appoint Sancho Panza, not Antonia.

The Family Court appointed Antonia as Don Quixote’s guardian. On petition for review by the Supreme Court of La Mancha, Don Quixote has asked the Court to decide two questions:

1.  Did the Family Court commit reversible errors of law and fact in determining that Don Quixote was mentally incompetent within the meaning of the laws governing appointment of guardians of property and persons?

2.  Assuming Don Quixote was not fully competent to manage his affairs or make decisions about his medical treatment, should the Family Court have rejected Antonia’s petition as motivated by fraud and self-interest, and instead have appointed Sancho Panza, Don Quixote’s loyal friend, as his guardian?

TICKET INFORMATION

Interested in Premium Seating and Dining with the Participants before the Trial?Tickets to the Dinner and Trial ($350) are available now. To purchase tickets please call 202.547.3230 ext. 2330 or contact MockTrial@ShakespeareTheatre.org.

Trial-only Ticket Prices
A Price: $75
B Price: $50 (limited availability)
Student: $20 (valid student ID required when picking up tickets)

Tickets on sale for STC donors and season subscribers on March 18 at noon.

Tickets for the general public on sale March 23 at noon.

For more information please contact MockTrial@ShakespeareTheatre.org or call 202-547-3230 x2312.

May
16
Sat
Fashion for Fighters Gala @ Army Navy Club
May 16 @ 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

The Navy Safe Harbor Foundation (NSHF) presents the first annual Fashion for Fighters Gala Saturday, May 16 at The Army Navy Club. The event, held from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.  is being held to raise critically needed funds for wounded, ill and injured U.S. Navy, Coast Guardsmen and their families. NSHF is dedicated to supporting the recovery of these service men and women by assisting them with resources not currently provided by government or through their general community.

The chicest black tie (dress uniform optional) event of the season, Fashion for Fighters is a night for comradery, support and giving back. Guests will enjoy fashion shows by four local women’s and menswear designers, all American-made and run brands, including: Christopher Schafer, Kim Elleen and Sophie Blake Jewelry.

VIP tickets are available, which include an exclusive pre-event fashion presentation starting at 6:00 p.m., open bar, passed hors d’oeuvres, and treated to a swag bag full of products from gala sponsors. General admission ticket holders are welcome to partake in passed hors d’oeuvres and cash bar beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Inspired by the growing needs of the military community, Navy Safe Harbor Foundation (NSHF) was created to efficiently identify and meet the needs of wounded, ill and injured Sailors, Coast Guardsmen, Marines and their families. NSHF fills in the gaps of current non-medical provisions through collaboration with federal and civic resources. Through its efforts, every service member is given an opportunity for full recovery by providing financial assistance, respite care, special equipment, transportation, recreational opportunities, and other services.

The Navy Safe Harbor Foundation (NSHF) is an IRS recognized 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit organization and  is not affiliated with the United States Navy, Coast Guard or Department of Defense.

 

WHEN:         Saturday, May 16, 2015 | 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

 

WHERE:       The Army and Navy Club | 901 17th St NW | Washington, DC 20006

 

RSVP:            Tickets must be purchased in advance – media passes are available.  Click here to register.

 

Navy Safe Harbor Foundation is fortunate to have the support of families, friends, military members, and community. The organization asks that we as Americans, all do our part to help the seriously wounded, ill, and injured Sailors, Coast Guardsmen, and their families by volunteering, participating in a fundraising event, or making a donation . . . your support is greatly appreciated!

 

Jun
15
Mon
Will on the Hill @ Shakespeare Theatre
Jun 15 @ 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM

On Monday, June 15, 2015, Will on the Hill, a favorite bipartisan event of theatre and political fans alike, returns to the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Now in its thirteenth year, this year’s event features a performance of Midsummer Madness,an original play by Peter Byrne, and directed by STC Associate Artistic Director Alan Paul.The cast will include special guest performer, STC Affiliated Artist Edward Gero andSamira Wiley, known for her role in Orange is the New Black.

The annual Will on the Hill event welcomes Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle and distinguished Washington insiders onto the Shakespeare Theatre Company stage to perform a political satire infused with Shakespearean language and references. The event pays tribute to the unique dynamic of our city and provides a wonderful way to engage new audiences. Proceeds from this event support STC’s many education, artistic, and community engagement programs including in-school workshops and online learning resources that inspire new and diverse audiences and deepen the connection to classical theatre in learners of all ages. Will on the Hill will take place in Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW), and begins with a VIP cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by the performance at 7:30 p.m., and a buffet dinner immediately after the performance.

This year’s cast for Will on the Hill will include guest actors Samira Wiley and Edward Gero. Wiley is a TV and film star and a graduate of the Julliard School, best known for her starring role as inmate Poussey Washington on the hit Netflix series Orange is the New Black. Gero has been a prominent figure in the Washington theatre community and STC Affiliated Artist has appeared in more than 70 roles on the STC stage, most recently as King Henry IV in Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2. He recently created the role of Justice Antonin Scalia in the world premiere of John Strand’s The Originalist.

In addition to Midsummer Madness, the evening includes a performance from students inText Alive!, a free arts integration program offered by STC to D.C. area schools, which teaches Shakespeare’s plays through performance and adaptation. This year, students from Virginia’s West Springfield High School present their disco-style take on the wrestling scene from As You Like It, which was performed earlier this spring for the Duchess of Cornwall during her visit to the Shakespeare Theatre Company.

About Midsummer Madness: Summer in Washington finds two lobbyists, one male, one female, vying for a job at the prestigious lobbying firm Stratford, Avon and Bard. Each thinks the other has the advantage due to their gender, so their interviewer puts them to the task of solving some of their clients’—and Washington’s—biggest conflicts. Things do not go as planned, however, as Shakespeare’s heroes and heroines emerge to join the fray. The battle of the sexes is far from over…

Many members of Congress will join Edward Gero and Samira Wiley on the STC stage, including Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Representatives Joyce Beatty (D-OH),Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Susan Davis(D-CA), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Donna Edwards (D-MD), Janice Hahn (D-CA), Jim Himes(D-CT), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Jim Moran (D-VA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Jared Polis (D-CO), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Dina Titus (D-NV), Mike Turner (R-OH), and Ryan Zinke (R-MT).

Other illustrious cast members include The Honourable Ian Liddell-Grainger (MP for Bridgwater and West Somerset), Christina Sevilla (DA U.S. Trade Representative, Executive Office of the President); and members of the media, including Jonathan Allen(Vox), Ron Christie (CEO Christie Strategies), Steve Clemons (Washington Editor-at-Large, The Atlantic, National Journal, Quartz), Bob Cusack (Editor in Chief, The Hill), Rich Edson (Fox News), Amy Holmes (The Blaze TV), Rick Klein (ABC News’ Political Director), Latoya Peterson (Fusion), Thomas Rogan (Tom Rogan Thinks), Robert Siegel(NPR’s All Things Considered), Pamela Lynne Sorensen (Pamela’s Punch), and Kelly Jane Torrance (The Weekly Standard).

The Honorary Co-Chairs for the event are Speaker John A. Boehner (R-OH), The Honorable James E. Clyburn (D-SC), House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) andU.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).

* Cast members subject to change.

A select number of performance-only tickets to this popular event are available online atwww.shakespearetheatre.org/WillontheHill for $50. VIP tickets are available for purchase, and include a pre-performance cocktail reception and a buffet dinner with the opportunity to meet and dine with members of the cast and event sponsors. VIP tickets can be purchased for $250 by emailing WillontheHill@ShakespeareTheatre.org.

 

Jul
1
Wed
‘Killing Monica’ Book Event with Candace Bushnell @ W Hotel POV
Jul 1 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

W Washington DC, the city’s destination for glamour and the closest hotel to the White House, announces the exclusive Washington launch party for Candace Bushnell in honor of her newest novel, Killing Monica. The evening cocktail event and book signing will stage on the hotel’s POV rooftop on Wednesday, July 1 from 7-9pm. The event, a W DC Happening, is free and open to the public with RSVP. While sipping signature cocktails and taking in the stunning views of Washington landmarks on the newly-renovated rooftop, guests can visit a Bliss Spa Beauty Bar featuring mini manicures and treatments, enjoy a Kendra Scott jewelry preview, and get glammed at a Bluemercury Lipstick Bar.

 

The RSVP to attend the event is http://killingmonica.eventbrite.com. Books will be available onsite for book signing on site for $27.

Jul
13
Mon
Dinner & Discussion w/ ‘In the French Kitchen’ Author Susan Herrmann Loomis @ Bastille
Jul 13 @ 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM

WHAT:                 A special dinner with wine and a discussion of her new book, In a French Kitchen with author Susan Herrmann Loomis, hosted by Chefs Christophe & Michelle Poteaux.  The book is a collection of tales from the kitchens of home cooks throughout France capturing the delightful celebration of French life and the cooks who turn even the simplest meals into an occasion. On the eve of Bastille Day, the Chefs Poteaux will serve:

Amuse et Kir

Melon et jambon sale – Virginia made prosciutto, compressed cantaloupe, micro basil, Banyuls vinegar reduction

Poulet roti au romarin et aux citrons confits – Roasted Amish chicken infused with preserved lemon and rosemary, fingerling potatoes, haricots verts, cipoline, piquillo peppers

Salade verte, chèvre chaud – Fresh goat cheese tartine with organic green salad, Dijon and shallot vinaigrette

Tarte aux citrons, fruits rouges, crème Chantilly – Lemon tart, fresh local berries, Chantilly cream

 

WHEN:                 Monday, July 13

                                6:30pm Reception, Meet & Greet

                                7pm Dinner

 

WHERE:               Bastille
606 N Fayette St
Alexandria, VA 22314

 

RSVP:                    Tickets are $69.00 per person, inclusive of dinner and wine, exclusive of tax or gratuity.  Books will be available for purchase for $26.95.  Please call (703) 519-3776 or email reservations@bastillerestaurant.com to reserve seats for this special event.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan Herrmann Loomis is a France-based, award-winning journalist, author and cooking school proprietor with nine books to her credit, and a professionally trained chef. Among her books are On Rue Tatin, a narrative about her life in France, with recipes which won the IACP best literary food book for 2002, Loomis contributes to many publications including Cooking Light,Metropolitan Home, France Today, and Gastronomica. She has lived in France for nearly twenty years, operates On Rue Tatin, a cultural and culinary cooking program, from her 15th century home in Louviers, France, where she lives with her two children.

Sep
17
Thu
Mindy Kaling Signs ‘Why not Me?’ @ 6th & I Synogogue
Sep 17 @ 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM

From the author of the beloved New York Times bestselling book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? and the creator and star of The Mindy Project comes a collection of essays that are as hilarious and insightful as they are deeply personal.

In Why Not Me?, Kaling shares her ongoing journey to find contentment and excitement in her adult life, whether it’s falling in love at work, seeking new friendships in lonely places, attempting to be the first person in history to lose weight without any behavior modification whatsoever, or most important, believing that you have a place in Hollywood when you’re constantly reminded that no one looks like you.

Mindy turns the anxieties, the glamour, and the celebrations of her second coming-of-age into a laugh-out-loud funny collection of essays that anyone who’s ever been at a turning point in their life or career can relate to.

 

WHO:                   Mindy Kaling                    

WHAT:                 Book signing                                                     

WHEN:                 7:30 PM, Thursday, September 17th                                        

WHERE:               Sixth & I                                              

                                600 I St. NW, Washington, DC

Ticketed event                                

Sep
24
Thu
Honoring the Promise Gala @ Kennedy Center
Sep 24 @ 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM

Celebrating and recognizing the community of survivors and supporters, the Susan G. Komen Foundation brings in multiplatinum singer/songwriter Matt Goss.  Proceeds fund breast cancer research around the globe.

Sep
25
Fri
Liberty and Libations for All @ MLK Library
Sep 25 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Liberty and Libations for All
Exercise your first amendment freedom by partying with the DC Public Library.
On Friday, September 25, the Great Hall of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library will transform into a bar, lounge, concert venue, market and gallery to celebrate the freedom to read, create and express with UNCENSORED: Opening Night.
The evening will include live music from local bands such as Delafield String Band and Baby Bry Bry & The Apologists, exclusive banned-book-inspired cocktails created and served by mixologists from bars such as Mockingbird Hill, Zaytinya, 2 Birds 1 Stone and Jack Rose, and an art exhibition showcasing works by D.C.-based artists.
Although UNCENSORED was designed to celebrate creative freedom, it also serves as a celebration of our city’s creative culture. Individual tickets cost $50/person, or you can become a host and bring three friends for $250. Purchase your tickets HERE.
Find out if you’re ready for Banned Books Week by taking Buzzfeed’s How Scandalous is Your Reading History quiz.