EVENT CATEGORIES
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ART
Oct. 4 to 21
Minhwa: The Beauty of Korean Folk Paintings
This exhibition of works by 19 living artists follows in the footsteps of an iconic art tradition, in partnership with the Korean Minhwa Center at Keimyung University. It introduces minhwa, Korea’s traditional folk paintings that depicted people’s tangible hopes and dreams through unconventional yet artistic expressions. Popularized during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897), minhwa are known for their bright colors, humorous depictions, and various virtues embedded symbolically within the imagery.
Korean Cultural Center
Oct. 10 to Jan. 12
Intersections: Los Carpinteros – Cuba Va!
Los Carpinteros (Marco Castillo and Dagoberto Rodríguez) is an internationally acclaimed Cuban artist collective best known for merging architecture, sculpture, design, and drawing. From the outset in the early 1990s, Los Carpinteros’s work has reflected on social transformations in post-revolutionary, socialist Cuba, offering critical commentary of dominant ideologies and power structures with humor and artistry.
The Phillips Collection
Through Oct. 12
Reconciling City and Nature
Architect Mario Schjetnan and his Mexico-based team Grupo de Diseño Urbano present the possibility to conceive — through science, art and design — a different form of constructing our human habitat, establishing new paradigms for the present and future of our cities. For over 42 years, he has constructed or transformed sites based on the concept of “design with nature.” Through extensive large-format photographs, models, sketches and original drawings, this exhibit showcases iconic projects executed in Mexico and the U.S., such as Xochimilco Ecological Park, the rehabilitation of Chapultepec Park and the public garden “Small Tribute to Immigrant Workers” in California.
Mexican Cultural Institute
Oct. 13 to Feb. 17, 2020
Alonso Berruguete: First Sculptor of Renaissance Spain
This is the first major exhibition held outside Spain to celebrate the expressive art of the most important sculptor active on the Iberian Peninsula during the first half of the 16th century, Alonso Berruguete, featuring an impressive range of more than 40 works from across his career, including examples of his earliest paintings from his time in Italy, where he trained.
National Gallery of Art
Through Oct. 18
Lullaby by Georgia Saxelby
“Lullaby” explores the relationship between architecture, gender and ritual within the monumental landscape of Washington, D.C. This solo exhibition presents Australian-born, U.S.-based artist Georgia Saxelby’s recent video installation that documents a series of performances staged at five of the monuments on Washington’s National Mall. Collaborating with performers Viva Soudan and Bailey Nolan, the artist developed a series of imagined ritual gestures that repurpose the heroic forms and masculine iconography ubiquitous in the nation’s capital. In doing so, Saxelby questions the symbolic spaces in which we perform our identities and value systems today.
Gallery @ Embassy of Australia
Through Oct. 20
Grace Hartigan and Helene Herzbrun: Reframing Abstract Expressionism
This exhibition features painting by Grace Hartigan (1922-2008) and Helene Herzbrun (1922-1984), painters of the second Abstract Expressionist generation who lived and worked as influential artists and teachers in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., region for many decades.
American University Museum
Through Oct. 20
Striking Iron: The Art of African Blacksmiths
More than 225 works of art — including blades and currencies in myriad shapes and sizes, wood sculptures studded with iron, musical instruments and elaborate body adornments — reveal the histories of invention and technical sophistication that led African blacksmiths to transform one of Earth’s most fundamental natural resources into objects of life-changing utility, empowerment, prestige, artistry and spiritual potency.
National Museum of African Art
Oct. 24 to Sept. 7, 2020
Pat Steir: Color Wheel
The Hirshhorn will host the largest painting installation to date by the acclaimed abstract painter Pat Steir. The exhibition is an expansive new suite of paintings by the artist, spanning the entire perimeter of the Museum’s second-floor inner-circle galleries, extending nearly 400 linear feet.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Oct. 26 to Jan. 26
Bonnard to Vuillard: The Intimate Poetry of Everyday Life
This exhibition presents over 60 exquisite, rarely seen works by a leading group of European Post-Impressionist artists who ushered in a new form of artistic expression in the 1890s. Assuming the name “Nabis” (from the Hebrew navi, meaning “prophet”), its members shared a belief in art’s intimate connection to everyday life.
The Phillips Collection
Through Oct. 27
Revolutionary Reflections: French Memories of the War for America
This exhibition explores how the French king’s officers understood the American Revolution and their role in the achievement of American independence, and how they remembered the war in the years that followed—years of revolutionary upheaval in France that included the execution of the king and many of their brothers-in-arms.
American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati
Through Oct. 30
100 Years of Cartoons in El Universal
The exhibit showcases a sampling of the thousands of cartoons published over the last 100 years in the widely known Mexican newspaper, El Universal, which has published work from almost all Mexican cartoonists of the 20th century. The cartoons read as a history of Mexico shaped by art, humor and a critical eye.
Mexican Cultural Institute
Through Nov. 17
Portraits of the World: Korea
Pioneering feminist artist Yun Suknam (born 1939) uses portraiture to gain insights into the lives of women, past and present. A wood assemblage portrait of her mother is the centerpiece of this exhibition, which includes portraits of American artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Louise Nevelson, Marisol, Kiki Smith and Nancy Spero.
National Portrait Gallery
Through Dec. 14
Moves Like Water: New Curators Open the Corcoran Legacy Collection
This exhibition contains select paintings and photographs from the collection of 9,000 artworks the AU Museum received as a gift from the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Following the closure of the Corcoran, more than 19,456 works from the collection were distrubted to museums and institutions in Washington, D.C. This is the first in-depth exhibition at AU Museum of work from the collection and is inspired by Walter Hopps, briefly the director of the Corcoran and an American curator of contemporary art.
American University Museum
Through Dec. 15
Fast Fashion/Slow Art
“Fast Fashion/Slow Art” scrutinizes today’s garment industry. A diverse group of emerging and established contemporary artists and filmmakers including Julia Brown, Cat Mazza, Hito Steyerl and Rosemarie Trockel explore issues of waste, consumerism and the human cost of mass production through 11 films and video installations.
GW Art Galleries
Through Dec. 15
Swedish Dads by Johan Bävman
The photo exhibition portraits 45 fathers who belong to the relatively small percentage of fathers in Sweden who choose to stay at home with their children for at least six months. Swedish photographer Johan Bävman examines why these fathers have chosen to stay at home with their children and how their relationship with their partners and their children has changed as a result. The exhibition aims to show the effects of gender equality on parenting, both for an individual and for society.
House of Sweden
Through 2019
Urban Challenges
According to the U.N., 2.5 billion people are expected to live in cities by 2050. This will force cities to find new ways to handle the increased demands on natural resources, housing and infrastructure. This exhibition presents some of the social, economic and technological solutions proposed by Sweden to absorb the impact of our rapidly growing urban environment while leaving the environmental legacy next generations deserve. Come and find out more about Guerilla Crafts, Democratic Architecture and the mixed reality Block Builder application in large-scale environments. Part of the Swedish Embassy’s 2019 thematic programming “Smart Societies – Creative & Inclusive”; for information, visit www.swedenabroad.se/en/embassies/usa-washington/current/calendar/.
House of Sweden
Through Jan. 5, 2020
By the Light of the Silvery Moon: A Century of Lunar Photographs
The year 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969. Photography played a significant role both in preparing for the mission and in shaping the cultural consciousness of the event. An exhibition of some 50 works will include a selection of photographs from the unmanned Ranger, Surveyor, and Lunar Orbiter missions that led up to Apollo 11.
National Gallery of Art
Through Jan. 5
Ginny Ruffner: Reforestation of the Imagination
Imagine an apocalyptic landscape. It appears barren, devastated and hopeless. It is not. At the Renwick Gallery, internationally renowned artist Ginny Ruffner creates a seemingly bleak environment that suddenly evolves into a thriving floral oasis by combining traditional sculpture with augmented reality (AR) technology.
Renwick Gallery
Through Jan. 5
A Monument to Shakespeare
The Folger Shakespeare Library is throwing back the curtains on its origins and exciting future in an exhibition where visitors are invited to play, lounge, be curious and see more of the Folger Shakespeare Library than ever before. Among the treats: rummage through Henry Folger’s desk and read the correspondences that brought the Folger to the nation’s capital; explore large scale reproductions of Cret’s detailed architectural drawings, newly digitized for this exhibition; and visit the first complete edition of Shakespeare’s plays published in 1623.
Folger Shakespeare Library
Through Jan. 12
Mid-Century Master: The Photography of Alfred Eisenstaedt
When he photographed her for the November 5, 1965 issue of Life magazine, Alfred Eisenstaedt cemented Marjorie Merriweather Post’s place among the most notable people of the 20th century. Featuring nearly fifty Eisenstaedt photographs and ephemera from his career in photojournalism, focusing on his timeless images of life in the mid-20th-century and the era’s most celebrated figures, this special exhibition will explore the relationship between Post and Eisenstaedt and the broader body of Eisenstaedt’s work documenting life in the mid-twentieth century.
Hillwood Museum, Estate & Gardens
Through Jan. 20
Live Dangerously
“Live Dangerously” reveals the bold and dynamic ways in which female bodies inhabit and activate the natural world. Twelve groundbreaking photographers use humor, drama, ambiguity and innovative storytelling to illuminate the landscape as means of self-empowerment and personal expression. A major section of the exhibition showcases the performative and fantastical works of Janaina Tschäpe. For the first time, NMWA will exhibit all 100 large-scale photographs in the series “100 Little Deaths” (1996-2002), in which the artist stages her own body within sites from her travels around the world.
National Museum of Women in the Arts
Through Jan. 26
None Swifter Than These: 100 Years of Diplomatic Couriers
Learn more about the U.S. Diplomatic Courier Service, which in wartime and peacetime carries the sensitive materials, equipment and information that make diplomacy possible. Today, the State Department’s 100 badged diplomatic couriers travel the globe safeguarding our nation’s most sensitive information and materials. They constantly trouble-shoot and innovate to ensure secure logistic supply chains while supervising the delivery of classified equipment and documents, as well as secure construction materials to nearly every nation where U.S. diplomats work.
The National Postal Museum
Through Jan. 26
The Touch of Color: Pastels at the National Gallery of Art
Featuring approximately 70 exquisite examples drawn entirely from the permanent collection, “The Touch of Color: Pastels at the National Gallery of Art” traces the history of pastel from the Renaissance to the 21st century and examines the many techniques that artists have developed to work with this colorful and versatile medium.
National Gallery of Art
Through March 8
Visual Memory: Home + Place
This mid-career survey of multimedia artists Scherezade García and iliana emilia García explores how each artist reflects upon constructed notions of human geography and history in a creative multidisciplinary approach. Generating a provocative and incisive rethinking about the possibilities of visual memory, they engage with timeless universal concerns about global migration, settlement and the spaces we occupy.
Art Museum of the Americas
Through Spring 2020
Animals, Collected
The National Building Museum is home to 320,000 objects related to the built environment. Many of these artifacts in the permanent collection have never been displayed. “Animals, Collected” is a chance to explore some of the museum’s most unusual treasures — through the lens of the animal kingdom.
National Building Museum
Through July 5, 2020
I Am… Contemporary Women Artists of Africa
Taking its name from a 1970’s feminist anthem, “I Am… Contemporary Women Artists of Africa” draws upon a selection of artworks by women artists from the National Museum of African Art’s permanent collection to reveal a more contemporary feminism that recognizes the contributions of women to the most pressing issues of their times. With experimental and sophisticated use of diverse media, the 27 featured artists offer insightful and visually stunning approaches to matters of community, faith, the environment, politics, colonial encounters, racism, identity and more.
National Museum of African Art
Through Sept. 13, 2020
Lee Ufan: Open Dimension
“Lee Ufan: Open Dimension” is an ambitious site-specific commission by the celebrated Korean artist Lee Ufan. The expansive installation, featuring 10 new sculptures from the artist’s signature and continuing Relatum series, marks Lee Ufan’s largest single outdoor sculpture project in the US, the first exhibition of his work in the nation’s capital, and the first time in the Hirshhorn’s 45-year history that its 4.3-acre outdoor plaza has been devoted, almost in its entirety, to the work of a single artist.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
DANCE
Oct. 3 to 5
Merce Cunningham at 100
To open its contemporary dance season, the Kennedy Center joins the global centennial celebration of one of the most important figures in modern dance, Merce Cunningham, with two masterworks, “Beach Birds” and “BIPED.” Tickets are $25 to $79.
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater
Oct. 8, 15, 22 and 29
Fall Tango Lessons at the Embassy of Argentina
The Embassy of Argentina invites you to immerse yourself in the world of tango dance with four lessons for beginners with Argentine instructor Luis Angel. When registering, you are signing in for all four tango classes. Space is limited. To register, visit https://falltangoclasses.eventbrite.com.
Embassy of Argentina
Oct. 8 to 13
Mariinsky Ballet: Paquita
Most famous for its Act III “Grand Pas” wedding scene, Paquita is a glittering showcase of classical technique, dazzling tutus, and non-stop virtuosic turns. This 19th-century treasure is rarely performed in its entirety and, after treating our audiences to the Grand Pas in 2016, the company now brings the U.S. premiere of its lavish new full production. Tickets are $39 to $150.
Kennedy Center Opera House
Oct. 23 to 27
NEXTsteps
Championing the relevance and advancement of dance in the 21st century, The Washington Ballet continues its commitment to the creative process with its season opener, “NEXTsteps,” a program debuting new, never-before-seen ballets by emerging and acclaimed choreographers Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, John Heginbotham, and Jessica Lang. Tickets start at $25.
Sidney Harman Hall
DISCUSSIONS
Thu., Oct. 3, 6 p.m.
The Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968: The Russian Perspective
Josef Pazderka presents his book, an edited collection that is the first attempt to take a more coherent look at the Russian perception of the Prague Spring and the Warsaw Pact occupation of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. Admission is free but RSVP is required: https://sovietinvasion1968.eventbrite.com.
Delegation of the European Union
Thu., Oct. 3, 6:45 p.m.
Donald Trump: The Great Disruptor and the 2020 Election
The third anniversary of Donald Trump’s upset victory in the 2016 election is upon us, and the first presidential caucuses and primaries of the 2020 campaign are just around the corner. It’s a perfect time to join Ken Walsh, White House correspondent and political analyst for U.S. News & World Report, as he takes the measure of the Trump presidency and assesses where he has succeeded, where he has failed, and what his prospects are for winning a second term next year. Tickets are $45. For information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
S. Dillon Ripley Center
Sat., Oct. 5, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Workshop: Exploring Issues of Oppression through Music, Art and Literature
Creator and director of The Jüdische Kulturbund Project Gail Prensky and associate producer Mark Haney will lead the workshop stressing the use of art as a tool for dealing with oppression. This day marks the anniversary of the birth of former Czech President Václav Havel, who through his leadership, helped to peacefully overthrow the communist regime. Admission is free but RSVP is required: https://exploringoppression.eventbrite.com.
Embassy of the Czech Republic
Oct. 16 to Nov. 20
Sogetsu Ikebana: Modern Japanese Flower Arranging
The elegance and aesthetic harmony of ikebana—Japanese flower arranging—have inspired poets and artists for more than 500 years. Today, ikebana is evolving into a three-dimensional art form that adorns the interiors of Western homes and public spaces. In this six-session evening course for beginning and continuing students, participants learn some of the basic styles and variations of ikebana as taught by Japan’s Sogetsu School of Ikebana. Tickets are $250. For information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
S. Dillon Ripley Center
Sat., Oct. 19, 9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
The French Revolution and the Birth of Modernity
The French Revolution was one of the most significant upheavals in world history. Starting in the summer of 1789, revolutionary fervor spread across France, then Europe and beyond, questioning existing institutions and traditions and championing new ideas about government, liberty, and citizenship. Historian Alexander Mikaberidze examines this pivotal moment that continues to serve as an inspiration of the finest principles of modern democracy, as well as a warning of what can happen when idealism goes wrong. Tickets are $140. . For information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
S. Dillon Ripley Center
Tue., Oct. 22, 6:45 p.m.
La Cocina: The Power of Food
Can a food truck be a symbol of social justice? What happens when natural entrepreneurs are provided the right resources and hands-on technical assistance? The answers can be found in the successes of La Cocina, a nonprofit small-business incubator in the Mission District of San Francisco that is turning home cooks into business women. Chef Heena Patel and La Cocina’s executive director Caleb Zigas join Joe Yonan, Washington Post food and dining editor, to discuss their experiences with the incubator program, the important opportunities it provides to participants and La Cocina’s new cookbook. Tickets are $45. For information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
S. Dillon Ripley Center
MUSIC
Oct. 3 to 5
National Symphony Orchestra: Carmina Burana
The towering first movement of “Carmina Burana” rolls in like thunder, announcing a celebration of spring, the humor of life in the tavern, and the joys and sorrows of love. Although the words were written by medieval monks, Orff’s outrageous cantata is an unstoppable force brimming with decadent debauchery. Tickets are $15 to $99.
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Tue., Oct. 8, 7 p.m.
Garage & Tony Ducháček
The legendary Czech rock band Garage & Tony Ducháček reunites for a special performance. Savor a cold brew while enjoying the riffs of this dissident rock band, browse an impromptu “garage” sale and witness a band that defied a regime – embodying the statement “anyone can play whatever they want.” Jam with the band as they gear up to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, paying tribute to FREEDOM – Na zdraví (cheers)! Admission is free but RSVP is required: https://garagetonyduchacek.eventbrite.com.
Embassy of the Czech Republic
Thu., Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m.
25th Anniversary of the Independence of South Africa
For several generations, stories from Africa have traditionally been passed down by word of mouth. Often, after a hard day’s work, the adults would gather the children together by moonlight, around a village fire and tell stories. This was traditionally called “tales by moonlight” Usually, the stories are meant to prepare young people for life, and so each taught a lesson or moral. Come and hear a night where South Africa celebrates its 25th year of independence since apartheid with “tales of moonlight” in a concert setting with music written by world renowned South African composers, performed by top America’s musicians. Tickets are $125, including pre-concert reception. For information, visit www.embassyseries.org.
Embassy of South Africa
Sat., Oct. 12, 8 p.m.
Flamenco Legends
Created by 10-time Latin Grammy winner Javier Limón, The Paco de Lucía Project reassembles the original band that toured with the legendary flamenco guitarist for the last 10 years of his career. Tickets start at $52.
Wolf Trap
Sun., Oct. 13, 8 p.m.
Washington Performing Arts: Pink Martini with Special Guest Meow Meow
How do you say “Wow!” in 25 languages? The members of the globe-trotting “little orchestra” Pink Martini surely know, based on their multilingual songbook infused with Argentinean tango, Brazilian samba, Japanese pop, good old American swing and more. Featuring a dozen musicians with songs in 25 languages, Pink Martini performs its multilingual repertoire on concert stages and with symphony orchestras all across the globe. Tickets are $35 to $85.
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Wed., Oct. 16, 8 p.m.
Washington Performing Arts: Melbourne Symphony
From its first performance in 1906 the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has offered the very best in orchestral music and collaborates with guest artists and arts organizations from across the world. Tickets are $40 to $100.
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Sat., Oct. 19, 2 p.m.
Lakota Music Project with the South Dakota Symphony Chamber Ensemble
The Lakota Music Project is the flagship community engagement program of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra (SDSO). In performing Native and non-Native music, the project seeks to create an environment of openness that treats both cultures with dignity and respect.
National Museum of the American Indian
Fri., Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m.
Formosa Quartet Special Concert – Taiwan
Winners of both the First Prize and Amadeus Prize at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition, the Formosa Quartet is “one of the very best quartets of their generation” (David Soyer, Guarneri Quartet). Please call (202) 625-2361 or visit www.embassyseries.org for ticket information.
The Twin Oaks Estate
THEATER
Oct. 1 to 6
The Improvised Shakespeare Company
In an evening of off-the-cuff comedy, this critically acclaimed Chicago-based ensemble creates a fully improvised Shakespearean masterpiece right before your eyes, based on a single audience member’s suggestion for the title of a show that’s never been written before… until now. Tickets are $39 to $49.
Kennedy Center Family Theater
Through Oct. 6
Cats
Audiences and critics alike are rediscovering this beloved musical with breathtaking music, including one of the most treasured songs in musical theater, “Memory.” Tickets are $49 to $149.
Kennedy Center Opera House
Through Oct. 6
Doubt: A Parable
The Bronx, 1964: Suspicions surface at a parochial school about a charismatic young priest’s interest in a Catholic school’s first and only black student. Absent hard proof, Sister Aloysius, the school’s starched and self-assured principal, tries to protect the innocent — but is she doing God’s work or is her certitude actually pride?
Tickets are $60 to $90
Studio Theatre
Through Oct. 6
Fairview
Beverly insists the celebration for grandma’s birthday be perfect. But her husband is useless, her sister is into the wine and her daughter’s secrets are threatening to derail the day. Meanwhile a group of spectators has put them all under surveillance. Soon the voyeurs launch an invasion on the festivities, forcing the family to battle for their very identities in this original work about race that both challenges and entertains us. Tickets start at $34.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Oct. 11 to Nov. 10
The Right to Be Forgotten
The Internet never forgets. A young man’s mistake at 17 haunts him online a decade later. Desperate for a normal life, he goes to extraordinary lengths to erase his indiscretion. But freedom of information is big business, and the tech companies aren’t going down without a fight. Tickets are $40 to $95.
Arena Stage
Through Oct. 13
Henry IV
The young Prince Hal spends his days carousing in seedy taverns with criminals and lowly commoners, much to the dismay of his father. Winding from the Boar’s Head Tavern to the shadows of Gad’s Hill, Hal’s path to the throne may be unusual, but it eventually leads him to the one place where questions of honor and reputation come to a head: the battlefield. Tickets are $42 to $85.
Folger Theatre
Through Oct. 13
Life Is a Dream (La Vida es Sueño)
Set in Poland in the 17th century when its influence and power in Europe had waned, “Life Is a Dream!” explores tyranny, fate and free will. Weaving together the stories of Segismundo, who was imprisoned at birth by his father King Basilio to prevent the fulfillment of a prophecy, and Rosaura, who acts to restore her honor and control her destiny, this famous Spanish Golden Age drama addresses the universal question “Who is the master of one’s fate?” Tickets are $45 to $48.
GALA Hispanic Theatre
Oct. 15 to Nov. 17
Everybody
Everybody — a role assigned each night from a small cast of actors by lottery live on stage — is a happy person, a free person, a person who believes nothing but the best lies ahead. Then Death comes calling and Everybody must go on the journey of a lifetime. Please call for ticket information.
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Oct. 16 to 20
From Gumbo to Mumbo
A dreadlock-rocking Southeast D.C. video game geek meets up with a New Orleanian science teacher who uses comedy to contemplate his place in Trump’s America. Together, they conjure a dynamic cauldron of hip hop, poetry and theater to colorfully redefine masculinity, question social and political issues, and celebrate love and the search for home. For ticket information, visit www.keegantheatre.com.
Downtown Cultural Arts Center in Baltimore, Md.
Through Oct. 20
Jitney
August Wilson’s “Jitney” opens Arena Stage’s season-long festival celebrating the Pulitzer Prize-winning giant with Ruben Santiago-Hudson directing his 2017 Broadway production. The dramatic story of a Pittsburgh jitney station, a symbol of stability, struggles against an oppressive lack of opportunity and unnerving neighborhood gentrification that threatens the way they live and work. The drivers resist powerful forces while coming to grips with their pasts to fulfill their own hopes and dreams for the future. Tickets are $41 to $95.
Arena Stage
Through Oct. 20
The Tempest
When the magical and powerful Prospero creates a sea storm, he gets more than he bargained for as romantic drama, deception and quests for vengeance emerge from the depths. Synetic’s legendary, cinematic adaptation of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” returns, with the famed water-filled stage and visual poetry that made the original production an unforgettable sensation when it premiered in 2013. Tickets start at $20.
Synetic Theater
Oct. 20 to 27
Stormy Weather
The InSeries reimagines Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” a work plagued with the prejudices and injustices of his time, which have stretched into our own. Here, however, Sycorax reclaims her agency and takes charge of the narrative of her life and her people, while the play’s other enslaved African characters, Ariel and Caliban, are played by a female-impersonating chanteuse Nigel Rowe and D.C. native Jabari Exum. Tickets are $46.
Atlas Performing Arts Center
Oct. 26 to Nov. 16
Washington National Opera: Otello
Verdi’s epic retelling of Shakespeare’s tragedy traces the collapse of a great hero. As Iago manipulates Otello, the general will confront his deadliest enemy: his jealous heart.
Tickets are $45 to $299.
Kennedy Center Opera House
Through Oct. 27
Fences
Set in segregated Pittsburgh in the 1950s, Fences depicts the life of Troy Maxson, a former Negro League baseball star now scraping by as a sanitation worker. A towering figure facing thwarted aspirations, Troy attempts to assert control in his life through his relationships with his wife and son. But even as he takes responsibility for their safety and well-being, he betrays them each in ways that will forever alter their lives. Tickets are $15 to $70.
Ford’s Theatre
Mon., Oct. 28, 7 p.m.
The Border (La Frontera) &
The Lost Children (Los Ninos Perdidos)
“The Border” (2004) is a haunting two-character play that puts the spotlight on the intergenerational conflicts between two exiles: the ghost of a Spanish Republican grandfather exiled in Mexico and his rebellious grandson itching to cross the southern border into the U.S. without documentation. Meanwhile, “The Lost Children” takes place in an abandoned and dilapidated Catholic orphanage in Spain. Through a poignant combination of realism, fantasy, black humor and a heavy dose of the macabre, this four-character tragicomedy weaves in and out of a painful present and an even darker past. Admission is free but RSVP is required and can be made at www.spainculture.us/city/washington-dc/spotlight-on-contemporary-spanish-theater-women-dramatists/.
Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain
Wed., Oct. 30, 6 p.m.
Daddy Is Hero
The renowned puppet theatre company LokVar will perform “Daddy Is Hero,” a humorous, immersive story about a family: love between parents and a brother and sister who stick together even though they fight. Love helps them to overcome dragons, illnesses and more.
Kennedy Center Millennium Stage
Through Nov. 3
Escaped Alone
In a serene British garden three old friends are joined by a neighbor to engage in amiable chitchat — with a side of apocalyptic horror. The women’s talk of grandchildren and TV shows breezily intersperses with tales of terror in a quietly teetering world where all is not what it seems. Please call for ticket information.
Signature Theatre
