Jan
8
Thu
Ford Evening Book Talk at Mount Vernon @ Mount Vernon
Jan 8 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Ford Evening Book Talk
January 8, 7 p.m.

Mount Vernon welcomes author Turk McCleskey to the Rubenstein Leadership Hall at the Fred W. Smith National Library to discuss his book, “The Road to Black Ned’s Forge: A Story of Race, Sex, and Trade on the Colonial American Frontier,” on January 8. This event is free, however registration is required. Please visit mountvernon.org for more details.

Jan
23
Fri
Art Soiree’s 5th Annual Political Cartoon Exhibit featuring Tom Toles of The Washington Post @ Ritz Carlton Georgetown
Jan 23 @ 8:00 PM – 11:30 PM

Against the backdrop of a region steeped in politics, with a touch of art, style and humor, Art Soiree presents 5th Annual Political Cartoon Exhibit featuring Tom Toles of The Washington Post. This will be a solo exhibition for Tom Toles presenting a retrospective of his work as Washington Post’s editorial cartoonist over the past twelve years.  The one night only exhibit will take place Friday, January 23 at 8pmat the Ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown 3100 South Street NW, Washington DC.  Guests will get to mingle with the exhibiting cartoonist and enjoy live musical performance by his local journo-band Suspicious Package. The pop-up exhibition is ticketed at $20 with a percentage of net proceeds benefiting Charlie Hebdo.

Tickets are limited and available online only at https://politicalcartoonexhibit.eventbrite.com

Artist will be available on site for interview. High Resolution images available upon request.

ABOUT TOM TOLES: Tom Toles is the Pulitzer prizewinning Editorial Cartoonist for the Washington Post and is widely syndicated nationally. He has covered government, politics and society in six cartoons per week for the Post since 2002. Previously he has been Editorial Cartoonist for US News and World Report, The New Republic, The New York Daily News, The Buffalo News and the Buffalo Courier-Express. He has also drawn a comic strip, Curious Avenue and a comic panel, Randolph Itch, 2am. In his spare time he sings and plays drums in two Washington DC based bands, Suspicious Package and Lethal Bark. He has written a musical comedy, Catapult Love featuring the original music of Lethal Bark. He also enjoys dancing all night long. http://www.washingtonpost.com/people/tom-toles

 

Feb
9
Mon
Simon Doonan @ 6th & I @ 6th & I Synagogue
Feb 9 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Simon Doonan
Monday, February 9 at 7:00 pm
In The Asylum: True Tales of Madness From a Life in Fashion—an unabashedly hilarious collection of autobiographical essays now out in paperback—Simon Doonan, creative ambassador for Barneys New York, gives us the inside scoop on the kooky, cut-throat—but always fabulous—fashion world.

Mar
11
Wed
J. Paul’s Icons of Georgetown Awards Dinner @ J. Paul's
Mar 11 @ 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

The First J. Paul’s Icons of Georgetown Awards Dinner

What: J.Paul’s 2015 Icons of Georgetown Awards dinner will be hosted by Thomas L. Gregg, the newly appointed chief executive officer of Capital Restaurant Concepts to honor two individuals who have contributed greatly to Georgetown.​

When: The dinner will be held on Wednesday, March 11, 2015, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM

Where: J. Paul’s, located at 3218 M Street NW, Washington, DC  20007, http://jpaulsdc.com/

Why: J. Paul’s has been serving Georgetown for over 30 years as an iconic dining saloon, and Capital Restaurant Concepts recognizes the importance of  honoring members of the community who have taken great strides to support and improve Georgetown, Washington DC’s oldest neighborhood. The first 2015 Icons of Georgetown award will recognize two remarkable people, The Honorable Jack Evans and Mr. Paul J. Cohn, for their contributions to Georgetown over the last 20 years of service. Proceeds raised from the evening’s ticket sales will benefit Georgetown Heritage, a new nonprofit dedicated to promoting and presenting the history of Georgetown, http://georgetownheritagesociety.org/ . The funds from the March 11 award dinner are earmarked to help rebuild the Georgetown canal boat that services the C&O Canal National Historic Park.

How: Tickets for a buffet dinner including drinks are priced at $60 per person (all inclusive) and reservations must be made byMarch 6, 2015. Online ticketing http://shop.capitalrestaurants.com/j-pauls/ or by phone at 202.339.6806

About the two iconic award-winners for 2015:

Paul Cohn, started J. Paul’s Dining Saloon at M Street in 1983, and was a co-founder of Capital Restaurant Concepts which was established in 1984 that grew to include J. Paul’s, Paolo’s, Neyla, Old Glory and Georgia Brown’s as well as the since-closed River Club and Club Zei. Cohn, originally from Baltimore, started out as a manager for singers Peaches and Herb in the 1970s. With his restaurants in Georgetown and downtown D.C., he became influential in local politics as well as instrumental in establishing the Georgetown Business Improvement District and other business and non-profit initiatives.

Jack Evans, Councilmember for Ward 2, was first elected to the Council of the District of Columbia in a 1991 special election and re-elected in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. As the Ward 2 Councilmember, Jack represented 11 distinct neighborhoods including Georgetown. At the Council, Jack serves as Chair of the Council’s Committee on Finance and Revenue, which oversees the District’s finances and tax policy. He also serves on two standing Council committees – Economic Development and Public Safety and the Judiciary.

A native of Pennsylvania, he received an economics degree with honors (cum laude) from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1975, and a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh, School of Law in 1978. Jack began practicing law at the Securities and Exchange Commission in the Division of Enforcement and currently serves as Of Counsel at Patton Boggs law firm. On September 18, 2010, Jack married Michele Price. They live in Georgetown with their six children (Katherine, John, & Christine – age 15; Sam – age 20; Maddy – age 18; and Jack – age 15) and their golden retriever Kelly.

Mar
30
Mon
Author Reading w/ George Pelecanos @ Petworth Library
Mar 30 @ 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
The DC Public Library, in partnership with
the Friends of the Petworth Library,
invite you to:
Pelecanos in Petworth:
Exploring D.C. Noir with Author George Pelecanos
Author Reading (free to the public)
Monday, March 30, 6:30 PM
Petworth Library, 4200 Kansas Avenue NW
Happy Hour with George Pelecanos ($35/person)
Monday, March 30, 8 PM
Petworth Citizen, 829 Upshur Street NW
Join D.C.-based novelist and critically acclaimed television producer, George Pelecanos, as he reads excerpts from The Martini Shot, his new novella and collection of short stories. His books will be available for purchase at the event via Upshur Street Books. After the free author reading at the Petworth Library, join us in the Reading Room at Petworth Citizen for a drink with George. Proceeds will benefit the DC Public Library Foundation and 10% of the bar tab will go to the Friends of the Petworth Library.
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.

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