Events/Things To Do

KENNEDY CENTER OPEN HOUSE: CELEBRATING JFK AT 100
Saturday, May 27, 2017, 12 p.m.–10 p.m.

With world premiere commission and activities for all

Campus-wide–FREE

In celebration of John F. Kennedy’s 100th birthday, the Kennedy Center will host an Open House. This free event welcomes the public to explore and experience the performing arts through the halls, theaters, and plazas of the Kennedy Center through more than 30 free performances, activities and events for all ages and tastes. The arts program will feature artists from across the U.S., the Washington, D.C. region, and abroad.

Highlights include:

• Bandaloop, the pioneers of vertical dance, will present multiple performances suspended from the roof of the Kennedy Center throughout the day.
• Company E, a D.C-based contemporary dance company, will perform a Kennedy Center JFK Centennial-commissioned work and world premiere, (In) Security or Jack and Nikki Do the Cold War Tango, in the Grand Foyer using both Millennium Stages simultaneously to explore the John F Kennedy/ Nikita Khrushchev relationship.
• Flexn will present five different performances throughout the day in the Eisenhower Theater of flex dance which is an electrifying form of street dance evolved from Jamaican bruk-up and reggae. Each performance will be in a different format (solo, two-on-two battles, full company), and each focusing on one of the five JFK Centennial ideals as well as opening with a discussion of the works by Peter Sellars and Reggie Gray.
• Finding a Line: Skateboarding, Music, and Media will return with a skate park and music stage open and active throughout the day on the plaza.
• Citizen Artist Fellow Paige Hernandez and Baye Harrell will perform “All the Way Live!” in the Family Theater.
• The National Memorial Day Choral Festival in the Concert Hall will present patriotic repertoire which will include works that celebrate President Kennedy such as the “Star Spangled Banner,” “America the Beautiful,” “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “Inauguration,” and “To the Moon.”
• Local Washington Ballet will participate in Open House activities by presenting their independent commission Frontier.

All of the programming in the three largest theaters and the Grand Foyer will explore and celebrate the legacy of President Kennedy.

Never afraid to speak her mind, pop culture icon Whoopi Goldberg shares her musings on life and unique observations on current events, coupled with an unscripted audience Q&A, in the Music Center at Strathmore on Saturday, May 27, 2017 at 8 p.m. The woman who blessed the internet with the “you in danger, girl” meme is one of an elite group of artists who have won a Golden Globe plus an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT). She is also a prolific producer and well known for her humanitarian endeavors on behalf of children, the homeless, human rights, education, substance abuse, and the battle against AIDS. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (301) 581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, February 15, 2017 at 10 a.m.

Born and raised in New York City, Goldberg worked in theatre and improvisation in San Diego and the Bay Area, where she created the characters which became “The Spook Show” and evolved into her hit Broadway show, Grammy-winning album, and the HBO special that helped launch her career.

Goldberg made her motion picture debut in Steven Spielberg’s film version of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, for which she earned an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe award, while her performance in Ghost earned her Oscar and Golden Globe awards for Best Supporting Actress. Goldberg has starred in such films as Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Clara’s Heart, The Long Walk Home, Soapdish, Sister Act, Made in America, Boys on the Side, Ghosts of Mississippi, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Girl, Interrupted, and The Lion King, among others.  She appeared in the 2015 feature film adaption of Adriana Trigiani’s beloved novel, Big Stone Gap, opposite Ashley Judd, Patrick Wilson, and Jenna Elfman.

Goldberg’s many television credits range from series, mini-series, and talk shows to movies and specials. She currently moderates ABC’s The View, for which she has won a Daytime Emmy.

Goldberg has also produced numerous series, specials, and movies for television, as well as theatrical productions on Broadway and around the world, including the Tony Award-winning Thoroughly Modern Millie and the Tony-nominated Sister Act: The Musical. She produced and made her directorial debut with the Emmy-nominated documentary Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley, which premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival before its critically-acclaimed run on HBO. Goldberg and business partner Tom Leonardis produced the docu-series According to Alex for BET and Strut, an original series which follows transgender models breaking down barriers in the world of fashion, for Oxygen.

Whoopi’s Broadway credits include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Xanadu. She made her West End stage debut in a special limited run as Mother Superior in Sister Act: The Musical in 2011.

In 1992, Whoopi made her debut as an author with her first children’s book, Alice.  She also wrote Whoopi’s Big Book of Manners and the Sugar Plum Ballerinas book series for young readers. Her books for adults include Book, Is It Just Me?, and If Someone Says “You Complete Me”…Run!.

(WASHINGTON)—Washington National Opera (WNO) today announces an exciting

conclusion to its 2016–2017 season: the 2017 WNO Opera Gala, celebrating WNO

Board Chairman Jacqueline Badger Mars, who will step down as Chairman this

summer. The Gala, on Saturday, June 3, 2017, will include a concert in the Kennedy

Center Opera House featuring the WNO Orchestra and an array of musical stars who

will pay special tribute to Jacqueline Mars’s visionary leadership of WNO: legendary

soprano Renée Fleming, superstar mezzo-soprano and D.C. native Denyce Graves,

and Hamilton Tony Award® winner Leslie Odom Jr. The Gala is presented as part of

JFKC, the Kennedy Center’s season-long celebration of John F. Kennedy’s centennial,

and explores the themes of service and gratitude, which are often associated with

President Kennedy.

The Co-Chairmen of the WNO Opera Gala are WNO Life Chairman Mrs. Eugene B.

Casey and Mrs. John F. Mars. The Opera Gala pays tribute to Jacqueline Badger Mars

for her six seasons of leadership of the WNO Board of Trustees. Highlights of her

tenure include the founding of the American Opera Initiative, which for the last five

seasons has helped identify the brightest rising American composers and librettists and

has added their work to the repertory; the programming of an annual opera for families

at the holiday season, including Hansel and Gretel, The Little Prince, and the world

premiere commission of The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me; and the presentation of WNO’s

first-ever complete Ring cycles in 2016, a feat that put WNO into a very elite group of

American opera companies.

“I have been honored to work with Jacquie Mars since 2008, and her imaginative

leadership and guidance have brought WNO unparalleled growth and success while

also making the opera more accessible to a broader audience,” said WNO executive

director Michael L. Mael. “Our next Chairman will certainly have big shoes to fill, but I

am happy that Jacquie will continue to steer this company as a WNO trustee.”

Tickets for the Gala concert start at $49 and are on sale now to Kennedy Center

members. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 21, 2017 at 10 a.m.

For those who wish to purchase special Gala packages, the evening will begin with a

VIP cocktail reception on the Kennedy Center’s River Terrace at 5:30 p.m., followed by

the Gala concert at 6:30 p.m. After the performance, Gala package holders will depart

the Kennedy Center for elegant black-tie dinners hosted by many ambassadors at their

embassies or residences throughout the city, a longtime tradition of the Opera’s season-
ending social gathering.

The Opera Gala is WNO’s largest fundraiser and one of Washington’s most anticipated

events of the year. Proceeds from the Opera Gala will play a crucial role in advancing

the Opera’s award-wining artistic, educational, and outreach programs.

While the 2016–2017 season is coming to an end, the new season promises

excitement. WNO’s 2017–2018 season includes new productions of Verdi’s epic drama

Aida, the company premiere of Handel’s magical baroque opera Alcina, and Verdi’s

towering masterpiece Don Carlo, plus Rossini’s delightful comedy The Barber of Seville

and Bernstein’s biting satire Candide. The season also features a festival weekend of

four world premieres as part of the American Opera Initiative, the return of the holiday

family opera The Little Prince, two special Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist performances,

and more. Subscription packages are available now.

TICKET INFORMATION:

Tickets for the Gala concert start at $49 and are available online, in person at the

Kennedy Center Box Office, and by calling (202) 467-4600 or (800) 444-1324. For all

other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at

(202) 416-8540.

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.

The 6th Annual Vine on the Waterfront Food & Wine Festival is ready to take to the banks of Alexandria’s waterfront on Saturday, June 24th.  The festival will take place from 12:00PM to 6:00PM on Old Town’s waterfront at Oronoco Bay Park and will expand to include both restaurants within Alexandria and other eateries throughout the region.

The festival is a community-based event featuring tastes of local foods and wine, as well as artisans, a Children’s Corner, and live entertainment by the Alan Scott Band and Andy Hawk & The Train Wreck Endings. The event will transform Oronoco Bay Park into a lively festival easily accessible by car, Metrorail or Dash Bus.

Attendees will be able to sample food and wine from a variety of local restaurants and Virginia’s wineries.  Local restaurants will compete for the best appetizer, the best main course and the best dessert – judged by notable DC foodie judges such as Jen Richer from 94.7FM The Tommy Show, Molly Ahearn of The List Are You On It & Foodie & the Beast and others to be announced soon.

This year’s participating restaurants and wineries include (as of May 30^th, more to be announced on website):

Restaurants/Food Vendors:

(More to come)

This is a free event to attend; however tickets are needed to sample food and beverages.

Tickets are $15 (per area, wine area + food area) and can be purchased online at the festival website. After June 16^th, the price is $20 (each area) on site.
This year’s festival partners includes: City of Alexandria, Visit Alexandria, Post Properties, The Parker Apartments, Washington Parent Magazine, Northern Virginia Magazine, Wyndham Vacation Resorts, Inc. For a complete schedule of activities visit www.vineonthewaterfront.com.
EVENT DETAILS
What:  Vine on the Waterfront Food & Wine Festival
When: Saturday, June 24, 2017
Where: Oronoco Bay Park (100 Madison Street), Alexandria, VA 22314
Time: 12p.m. – 6p.m.
Website: www.vineonthewaterfront.com

Cost: This is a FREE event to attend; however tickets are needed to sample food and beverages.

Tickets are $15 (each area) until June 18 to be purchased online. After June 18^th, the price is $20 (each area) on site.

Transportation: Easily accessible via car, Metro rail and Dash Bus

There’s nothing better than a good old-fashioned beach party.  Cornhole games, sun and sand, clam bakes….

On June 25^th from 11:30 am-9 pm, Drift on 7^th brings the beach to its Shaw neighborhood.  All the atmosphere, all the fun and games…the only thing missing is the actual ocean.  Chef Ferhat Yalcin offers a menu including a clam bake platter for 2 ($50); prime beef cheese burger with fries ($12); Fish and Chips ($14); Fish Tots ($6); hand-cut fries ($3.50); crazy corn ($5); Fried Plantain ($3.50); and a variety of ice cream and sorbets.

Beachy libations will also be available.  Seaside classics such as Coronaritas ($8); Jello shots ($5); PBR cans ($5) and frozen drinks ($?) are served in true beach party fashion.

A DJ will spin tunes and on-site beach games will add some extra seaside fun to the day.

Drift on 7th is open Monday through Thursday from 4-11 pm; Friday until 1 am; Saturday from 11:30 am-1 am; Saturday and Sunday brunch from 11:30 am-4 pm.  Live Jazz on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-9 pm and at Sundaybrunch from noon-3 pm.  The restaurant is at 1819 7th Street NW right by the Shaw/Howard University Metro station.  For reservations and further information, call (202) 350-4350 or log into www.drifton7th.com/reserve

Christian Heurich’s granddaughter, Jan Evans, will host a special History & Hops at the Heurich

House Museum on July 20 th from 6:30-8:30pm. Mrs. Evans was very close to her grandparents,

Christian and Amelia Heurich, and lived with them for a time in their Dupont Circle mansion. She

will discuss her time in Washington, D.C. as well as her family’s history and legacy. Guests will

be able to speak directly with Mrs. Evans as well as enjoy beer, snacks, and tours of the historic

Heurich House Museum.

Born in Hawaii, Mrs. Evans has lived in Japan, Cuba, Florida, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. A

local business-woman, she is a current board member of the Association of Oldest Inhabitants

of Washington, D.C. and Director of the Friends of the National World War II Memorial. Mrs.

Evans was also instrumental in establishing her grandparents’ home as a museum. Together

with her cousin Gary Heurich, she created the Heurich House Foundation and helped the

organization purchase the Heurich mansion in 2003, from the Historical Society of Washington,

D.C. The Heurich House museum would not exist today, in its intact form, without her

intervention.

Guests at History & Hops will have the chance to meet and speak with Mrs. Evans as she

recounts her time spent in Washington, D.C. with her grandparents between 1930 and 1956.

The museum will also feature a variety of drinks to celebrate Mrs. Evans’ time spent traveling

the world.

Tickets for History & Hops hosted by Jan Evans are $30 per person and include tastings,

snacks, and tours of the Heurich House Museum. For more information and to purchase tickets,

please visit http://bit.ly/HHJuly2017. Guests must be 21 or older.

All proceeds benefit the preservation and growth of the Heurich House Museum.

A Housewives Bar Night (for the Bravo Superfan!)

Thu, July 27, 2017 6:00 PM – 830 PM

Town Danceboutique

2009 8th St NW

Washington, DC 20001

Like Andy’s Clubhouse but here in D.C. — what to expect:

Housewives Celebs

Open Bar with Specialty Drinks

Giving Back

Reenactments

Banaka, DC’s Fave Drag Queen

Bravo Trivia, Bingo & Prizes

If you spend Saturdays (any day really) binging on Real Housewives marathons, you use Real Housewives quotables IRL, and just know you and Andy Cohen would be BFF if you could just get 5 min with him, this event is for YOU.

Register here: https://rhnightdc.eventbrite.com