Just in time for this fall’s political cycle, piano-playing political satirist Mark Russell returns to Ford’s Theatre (511 Tenth Street NW) for one night only, Monday, October 19, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. With material ripped from today’s headlines, Russell’s unique brand of comedy earned him the Mark Twain Award for political comedy and made him a popular favorite on PBS.
Tickets for An Evening with Mark Russell range $20 to $64, and are available to Ford’s Theatre Members and groups (15 or more) on August 3, at 10:00 a.m. Tickets go on sale to the general public on August 17, at 10:00 a.m. Tickets may be purchased in person at the Ford’s Theatre Box Office (511 Tenth Street NW, Washington, DC), through Ticketmaster at (800) 982-2787 or online at www.fords.org/event/evening-mark-russell(fees apply). Groups of 15 or more may reserve tickets online at www.fords.org/groups.
7 a.m., 8 a.m. Lattes with Lincoln
Get caffeinated with the 16th commander-in-chief and learn how legislation signed by Abraham
Lincoln during the Civil War is considered by many to be the birth of the National Park System!
Meet the park ranger at the kiosk at 10 Henry Bacon Drive (north of the memorial).
9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Living National Park Service Emblem
Be a part of the world’s largest National Park Service emblem created on the grounds of the
Washington Monument on our 100th birthday! More than 1,000 participants will be assembled
into a living Arrowhead using brown, green and white umbrellas; once the Arrowhead is formed,
an aerial photograph will be taken and shared with participants on the National Mall and
Memorial Parks website and social media pages. The first 1,000 participants to check-in will
receive a t-shirt commemorating their participation in this historic event, as well as get to keep
their umbrella. Assemble at 9 a.m. on the west side of the Washington Monument grounds.
5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Celebrate 100 Years with Music, Comedy and Beers
Join the National Park Service for a hip, high-energy evening program and beer garden featuring
live entertainment celebrating the centennial of the National Park Service. Comedian Ryan
Singer emcees a line-up that includes D.C. power pop band Jukebox the Ghost, Baltimore
alternative rock band The Last Year, and comedian Yoram Bauman. Enjoy refreshments in the
beer garden (21+ only). Gates open at 5 p.m., entertainment starts at 6 p.m.
Just in time for this fall’s political cycle, piano-playing political satirist Mark Russell returns to Ford’s Theatre (511 Tenth Street NW) for one night only, Monday, September 19, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. With impeccable timing, twinkling eyes and shock-of-recognition insights into American politics, Russell draws from material ripped from daily headlines. Russell’s unique brand of comedy earned him the Mark Twain Award for political comedy and made him a popular favorite on PBS.
Tickets for An Evening with Mark Russell: I’m So Mad I Could Sing! range $18 to $67, and are available atwww.fords.org. This performance is recommended for ages 16 and older.
MARK RUSSELL
Long before Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, Mark Russell dared to joke and sing about the often-absurd political process. Though he actually knew little about politics when he began performing, his ability to find humor in anything made him an immediate hit. After serving in the Marines, Russell began playing at a piano bar on Capitol Hill before he earned a 20-year stint at the Shoreham Hotel. Russell’s television credits include nearly 30 years on public television on the eponymous Mark Russell Comedy Specials. His composing credits include two children’s musicals for the Kennedy Center: Teddy Roosevelt and the Ghostly Mistletoe (premiered December 2009) and Teddy Roosevelt and the Treasure of Ursa Major (2006).
Reading three or four newspapers a day allows him to constantly update his material. The result is that no two shows are ever identical. “I thrive on newspapers,” he frequently states. “And it looks like I’ll be thriving longer than them.” Russell performs annually at colleges, conventions and theatres, including frequent visits to Ford’s Theatre. He and his wife live in Washington. Russell is the father of three and the grandfather of seven.
Ford’s Theatre Society
One of the most visited sites in the nation’s capital, Ford’s Theatre reopened its doors in 1968, more than a hundred years after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Operated through a partnership between Ford’s Theatre Society and the National Park Service, Ford’s Theatre is the premier destination in the nation’s capital to explore and celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s ideals and leadership principles: courage, integrity, tolerance, equality and creative expression.
The Ford’s Theatre Society was founded under the guidance of executive producer Frankie Hewitt, who, during her 35-year tenure, established Ford’s as a living, working theatre producing performances that highlighted the diversity of the American experience. Since the arrival of Paul R. Tetreault as Director, critics and the theatregoing public have recognized Ford’s for the superior quality of its artistic programming. With works from the nationally acclaimed “Big River” to the world premieres of “Meet John Doe,” “The Heavens Are Hung In Black,” “Liberty Smith,” “Necessary Sacrifices,” “The Widow Lincoln” and “The Guard,” Ford’s Theatre is making its mark on the American theatre landscape. In the last decade, the mission of Ford’s Theatre Society expanded to include education as a central pillar. This expansion led to the creation and construction of the Center for Education and Leadership, which opened in February 2012. Currently, under the leadership of Board of Trustees Chairman Eric A. Spiegel, the Society is building Ford’s Theatre into a national destination for exploring Lincoln’s ideas and leadership principles and finding new ways to bring Lincoln’s legacy to life for the 21st-century learner.
On Monday, February 27, the Edlavitch DCJCC will screen Get In The Way, The Journey of John Lewis, a biographical film about the revered civil rights leader and U.S. Congressman. The movie focuses on Lewis’ leadership in the peaceful protest movement that sought voting rights for African-Americans in the South.
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton will speak to the audience following the film about civil rights, human rights, and her experiences working with Lewis as the District’s representative for fourteen terms.
This screening is the second film in a three-part series called “Race, History and Community: A Series Focusing on Race and Justice in America.”
DATE: Monday, February 27, 2017
TIME: 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
LOCATION: Edlavitch DCJCC, 1529 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
WHAT: Film Screening: Get In The Way, The Journey of John Lewis
Presentation by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton
The Edlavitch DCJCC is presenting this film series in partnership with the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, the American Jewish Committee (AJC), the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Adas Israel Congregation Racial Justice Working Group, and Sixth & I.
Ticket Info: $13.50
Program and ticket details available here
Shakespeare Theatre Company will once again welcome Members of Congress and distinguished Washington influencers onto its stage to perform in Will on the Hill, a lively show infused with comedic references to contemporary politics. Now in its fifteenth year, the much-loved bipartisan event for theatre and political fans alike will return to STC on Monday, June 12 at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) at 7:30 p.m.
Written by Peter Byrne with assistance from D.C.’s West Wing Writers, the event will be directed by STC Associate Artistic Director Alan Paul and will star 47 Members of Congress and notable Washingtonians led by Maulik Pancholy, best known for playing Alec Baldwin’s intrepid assistant Jonathan on the classic NBC comedy 30 Rock.
“We are grateful that some of the nation’s well-known political faces are so willing to donate their time to help raise funds for our education and outreach programs. While these men and women tread the boards to showcase their acting skills and poke fun at the political landscape they are helping the theatre provide access to the arts for the entire D.C. community,” said STC Artistic Director Michael Kahn.
Proceeds from this event support STC’s many education, artistic and community engagement programs, including in-school workshops and educational resources that inspire new and diverse audiences and deepen the connection to classical theatre in learners of all ages.
About the Cast
The production will feature 30 Rock star Maulik Pancholy. The NBC show garnered 80 awards and 310 nominations. He is also widely recognized for playing Sanjay over six seasons of the Showtime hit series Weeds, created by Emmy Award-winner Jenji Kohan (Orange Is the New Black). He will soon appear on the upcoming CBS series Star Trek: Discovery, which will be the first Star Trek series to air since 2005. He played Katherina in STC’s The Taming of The Shrew in 2016. Rounding out the cast are British Ambassador to the U.S. His Excellency Kim Darroch and many Members of Congress including Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and Representatives Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Brendan Boyle (D-PA), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Daniel M. Donovan (R-NY), Jim Himes (D-CT), George Holding (R-NC), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Jared Polis (D-CO), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Darren Soto (D-FL), Thomas Suozzi (D-NY), Dina Titus (D-NV), Michael Turner(R-OH) and Peter Welch (D-VT). Other illustrious cast members include Wa’el Alzayat (Executive Director, EmergeUSA), Gregory Angelo (President, Log Cabin Republicans), Jess Bravin (Supreme Court correspondent, The Wall Street Journal), Linda Chavez (Chairman, Center for Equal Opportunity), Ron Christie (Political Strategist), Steve Clemons (Editor At Large, The Atlantic), Maggie Coons, Bob Cusack (Editor in Chief, The Hill), Jon Decker (White House Correspondent, Fox News), Johanna Derlega (Publisher, The Hill), Karen Dunn (Partner at Bois, Schiller, & Flexner LLP, consultant for House of Cards), Dr. Michael Eric Dyson(Georgetown University professor, host of The Raw Word, and author), Paula Fitzgerald (Executive Director, Ayuda), Taegan Goddard (Publisher, Political Wire), Richard Haass (President of the Council on Foreign Relations), Rick Klein (Political Director, ABC News), Maria Teresa Kumar (President, Voto Latino), Dana Milbank (Columnist, The Washington Post), Erica Moody (Deputy Editor, Washington Life), Grover Norquist (Americans for Tax Reform), Hilary Rosen (Partner and Managing Director, SKDKnickerbocker), Christina Sevilla (Deputy Assistant, USTR), Rina Shah (Political consultant at Run with Rina), Ari Shapiro (Host, NPR), Pamela Lynne Sorensen (Pamela’s Punch), Kelly Jane Torrance (Deputy Managing Editor, The Weekly Standard), Crystal Wright (Communications consultant at Baker Wright Group), and Tim Young (Political Comedian).
* Cast members subject to change.
What:
“Happy Birthday, Mr. President”: An Obama Birthday Celebration in commemoration of President Barack Obama’s Birthday, with an outdoor screening of “Believe: The Story of Barack Obama.” Seating will be provided and guests may also bring their own folding chairs and lawn chairs.
Hosts Include:
T Street Development, Shaw Main Streets, Howard Theatre, One Love Massive, Monument Realty, Holland and Knight, Grindstone Universal, Right Proper Brewing
Entertainment:
DJ Black President aka DJ Black Santa
Speakers:
Community Advocates, Government Officials, and More
*Check Shaw Main Streets Website and Social Media for businesses offering Obama related specials and promotions: www.shawmainstreets.org and Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: shawmainstreets
Where:
The Cornerstone Lot
625 T Street, NW
When:
Friday, August 4, 2017 (Rain Date: Saturday, August 5, 2017)
7:00-10:00 pm
***Free and open to the public***
