Brain Food
1. David Gonzalez: Wounded Splendor: Inspired by the growing environmental crisis and a lifelong love of the outdoors, Gonzalez and his collaborators have created a choreographed suite of poetry, monologues and dance accompanied by an original musical score and set within a luscious video design.
Where: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Maryland University, University Boulevard and Stadium Drive, College Park
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Info: $9 to $37; 301-405-2787; claicesmithcenter.umd.edu
2. Factory Made: Factory 449’s First Annual Play Reading: This theater collective debuts its annual reading series, Factory Made. Three plays, three playwrights, three directors, three Mondays in May.
Where: Church Street Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW, and Human Rights Campaign, 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW
When: Church Street Theatre: 7:30 p.m. May 10, 17; Human Rights Campaign: 7:30 p.m. May 24.
Info: All tickets pay-what-you-can; tickets available at door before performance; factory449.com
3. Rob Sachs: The author, who has been a producer, reporter and director for the NPR shows “Morning Edition,” “All Things Considered” and “Day to Day” (as well as a successful NPR podcast series), discusses and signs his new book, “What Would Rob Do? An Irreverent Guide to Surviving Life’s Daily Indignities.”
Where: Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 4801 Bethesda Ave., Bethesda
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Info: 301-986-1761; store-locator.barnesandnoble.com
4. “Much Ado About Nothing”: Part of National Players’ 21st Annual Free Summer Shakespeare Festival, this delightful play involves adversaries Beatrice and Benedick as they wage their merry war of wits.
Where: Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney
When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Info: Free; call for reservations 301-924-3400; olney.org
5. Mother’s Day Concert: This event is a special token of appreciation to honor women and those with special women in their lives. There will be a live jazz performance by 76 Degrees West, a jazz/funk band that has been lighting up stages across the United States since 2001.
Where: Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW
When: 8 p.m. Sunday
Info: $35-$55; 202-547-1122; shakespearetheatre.org
Family
1. National Train Day: Attractions include interactive exhibits, kids’ entertainment, food demonstrations, model train displays, and tours of notable private railroad cars, Amtrak equipment, freight trains and commuter trains.
Where: Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Ave. NE
When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday
Info: Free; 202-906-3860; nationaltrainday.com
2. Spring Night Sky: When I Wish Upon a Star: Visit the only planetarium in the National Park system. View the season’s brightest stars, planets and constellations and learn their stories. Ages 5 and older.
Where: Nature Center, Rock Creek Park, 5200 Glover Road NW
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Info: Free; 202-895-6070; nps.gov/rocr (Look under “Ranger-led Programs”)
3. Virginia’s Birds of Prey: Families with children ages 5 and older, learn all about Virginia’s hawks, falcons and owls. Join members of the Raptor Conservancy of Virginia as they share their knowledge and let you have a chance to meet some live birds.
Where: Meet at Long Branch Nature Center, 625 S. Carlin Road, Arlington
When: 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday
Info: $5; info at 703-228-6535; registration required at 703-228-4747; program 653610-17
4. “The Composer is Dead”: Acclaimed composer Nathaniel Stookey brings his uproarious collaboration with best-selling children’s writer Lemony Snicket to the Kennedy Center.
Where: Concert Hall, Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW
When: 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday
Info: $18; 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org
5. Books Into Musicals: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is hosting two children’s book signings with authors who inspired performances taking place this weekend. At noon Saturday, author and illustrator Mo Willems signs copies of “Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale” in the Family Theater Lobby following the 11 a.m. performance of “Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical.” At 4 p.m. Sunday, composer Nathaniel Stookey will be in front of the Concert Hall to sign copies of the picture book “The Composer Is Dead” (with text by Lemony Snicket, music by Stookey and illustrations by Carson Ellis) after the 3 p.m. run of the NSO Family Concert “The Composer Is Dead.”
Where: Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW
When: noon Saturday; 4 p.m. Sunday
Info: Free; 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org
Galleries
1. Colorado Summer: Photographs by Andrew Zimmermann: Zimmermann’s large-format black-and-white photos of Colorado’s Front Range dramatically illustrate that nature is forever in flux.
Where: The Arts Club of Washington, James Monroe House, 2017 I St. NW
When: Through May 29
Info: Free
2. Georgia June Goldberg: Emergence: This installation of 44 white rhomboid boxes, draped in blue netting to resemble the fragments of a glacier visible above the ocean’s surface, is the largest piece in the Katzen Sculpture Garden. It’s intended as a reminder of global warming-induced glacial melting.
Where: The American University Museum, 4400 Massachusetts Ave.
When: Through July
Info: Free; 202-885-1300; american.edu/cas/katzen/museum
3. Don’t Be Scared, You’re Supposed to Be: These provocative and sometimes abrasive new paintings by Johnson and Whitfield comprise a dialogue between the two artists, who shared their works in progress with one another, each prodding the other to respond on canvas.
Where: Irvine Contemporary, 1412 14th St. NW
When: Through June 5
Info: Free; 202-332-8767; irvinecontemporary.com
4. Dan Treado: Requesting Quiet: Local abstractionist Treado’s paintings evince a mastery of color, texture and compositional harmony.
Where: Addison/Ripley Fine Art, 1670 Wisconsin Ave. NW
When: Through June 5
Info: Free; 202-338-5180; addisonripleyfineart.com/exh.html
5. Sustainability Lab: Brooklyn-based artist Jeff Hnilicka offers several emerging models of cultural production.
Where: Transformer, 1404 P St. NW
When: Through Saturday
Info: Free; 202-483-1102; transformergallery.org
Gatherings
1. “The Best of Friends”: Hugh Whitemore’s play is peopled by George Bernard Shaw, Sidney Cockerell (the influential curator of Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum) and Dame Laurentia McLachlan (a cloistered Benedictine nun whose work on restoring Gregorian chant to its intended purity was respected throughout the world). Come hear what they have to say to one another.
Where: Washington Stage Guild, Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Ave. NW
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; through May 29
Info: $50 Friday and Saturday; $40 all other performances; discounts available; 240-582-0050; [email protected]
2. Second Annual National Public Gardens Day: Along with other public gardens across the country, the USBG will host activities celebrating the gardens that are our shared treasures. Enjoy activities that showcase our public gardens’ vital role in promoting environmental stewardship and education, plant and water conservation, and education.
Where: Conservatory, United States Botanic Gardens, 100 Maryland Ave. SW
When: 10 to 5 p.m. Friday
Info: Free; no pre-registration required; usbg.gov
3. “The Ramayana”: Constellation Theatre Company presents the North American premiere of Peter Oswald’s play, in which Rama, a god come to Earth in human form, must save his soul mate, the Goddess Sita.
Where: Source Theatre, 1835 14th St. NW
When: 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday; through June 6
Info: $15 to $25; 800-494-8497; constellationtheatre.org
4. “Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris”: Author Graham Robb follows his bicycle tour “The Discovery of France” with this series of true but little-known incidents in the lives of some of the City of Light’s best-known figures. From Marie Antoinette’s getting lost on the Left Bank to the wanderings of Baudelaire, Baron Haussmann and Proust, to the era of de Gaulle, Robb presents fresh, vivid snippets of Parisian history.
Where: Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Info: Free; 202-364-1919; politics-prose.com
5. Voices from a Changing Middle East Festival: Six special events focusing on the “Voice of the Woman” feature readings that examine women’s experiences from Israel to Afghanistan to Lebanon to the United States. The readings continue through May. The first selections are excerpts from plays are by Savyon Liebrecht: “Apples from the Desert” and “The Banality of Love.” Hosted by the Embassy of Israel.
Where: Location disclosed at time tickets are purchased.
When: 7:30 p.m. May 10
Info: $15; tickets must be purchased by Friday; 202-777-3210; theaterj.org
Music
1. National Symphony Orchestra Pops: Marvin Hamlisch conducts Sondheim at 80, a showcase of the Tony Award-winning composer’s greatest hits, including music from “Sweeney Todd” and many others.
Where: Kennedy Center Concert Hall
When: 7 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; More With Marvin, free discussion with Hamlisch and special guests, follows the Thursday performance
Info: $20 to $80; 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org
2. Washington Concert Opera: Antony Walker conducts Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” starring celebrated artists mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux and tenor Kenneth Tarver in a semistaged production.
Where: George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium
When: 6 p.m. Sunday
Info: $30 to $90; 202-364-5826; [email protected].
3. Lynda Carter: The popular vocalist/actress/producer presents her Crazy Little Things program, a variety of songs from her two solo albums.
Where: Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Info: $35 to $75; 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org
4. Shawn Colvin: The singer-songwriter returns for an evening of music that confirms why the three-time Grammy Award winner has so many nominations, most recently for best contemporary folk recording, “Shawn Colvin Live.” The imaginative Rachael Sage opens.
Where: The Birchmere
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Info: $45; 703-549-7500; birchmere.com
5. Apex Winds: Five members of the U.S. Marine Band, the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, and the Richmond Symphony perform music from “La Cenerentola” by Giacomo Rossini.
Where: Georgetown University’s McNeir Hall
When: 1:15 p.m. Friday, part of the Friday Music Series
Info: Free; 202-687-2787
Outdoors
1. Cathedral Flower Mart: In its 71st year, the annual festival honors Ukraine through entertainment, sport, culture and food. There will be plant sales, floral and horticultural displays, boutique booths, music and entertainment, plus fun activities for children, including rides on the antique carousel. Proceeds benefit the cathedral’s gardens, grounds and woodlands. Free admission. Rain or shine.
Where: Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave., NW
When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday
Info: Free; 202-537-6200; nationalcathedral.org
2. Farmers market: The new Capitol Riverfront Farmers Market offers fresh produce and locally prepared foods on Thursdays. Pick up fresh fruits, veggies and more on your way home from work and pack up a picnic this summer to bring to the outdoor movies starting June 3. Entrance to the market is on M Street Southeast.
Where: Intersection of New Jersey Avenue and M Street SE
When: 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday; through October
Info: capitolriverfront.org
3. Shakespeare Folger Library Garden: Explore the garden inspired by herbal references in Shakespeare’s plays. The garden also incorporates plants popular in his time, including lavender, creeping thyme and English ivy; a knot garden; and Shakespearean statues by American sculptor Greg Wyatt. Folger docents offer insights into plantings, Elizabethan customs, and more.
Where: Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 E. Capitol St. SE
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday year-round; docent-led garden tours: 10 and 11 a.m. on the third Saturday of each month, April through October
Info: Free; 202-544-4600; folger.edu
Theater
1. “Rose”: Academy Award-winning actress Olympia Dukakis performs in a concert version of the West End and Broadway hit by Martin Sherman. The unforgettable portrait of a lively Jewish octogenarian, “Rose” takes the audience on a remarkable journey from the tiny shtetl in Ukraine where Rose lived as a young girl to war-torn Warsaw, Poland, the borscht belts of postwar Atlantic City, N.J., and modern-day Miami Beach. The result is the story of a feisty survivor and a reminder of the events that have shaped the last century.
Where: George Mason University, Concert Hall, Center for the Arts, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Info: $22 to $44; 888-945-2468; cfa.gmu.edu
2. “Mikveh”: The English-language world premiere of Israeli playwright Hadar Galron’s play takes the audience inside the insular world of a religious community to explore the ever-changing role of women in Israeli society. Set in contemporary Israel, the local ritual bath becomes an arena of clashing approaches to life when women of various social backgrounds and generational perspectives come together.
Where: Theater J, 1529 16th St. NW
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 8 p.m. Saturday; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday; through June 5
Info: $30 to $55; 800-494-8497; theaterj.org
3. “American Buffalo”: One of David Mamet’s greatest works, “American Buffalo” takes place in a Chicago South Side junk shop, where three small-time thieves conspire to steal a valuable coin collection.
Where: Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday; 7 p.m. Sunday
Info: $35 to $63; 202-332-3300; studiotheatre.org
4. “Heartstrings”: Teatro de la Luna presents “Rifar el Corazon” (“Heartstrings”) by Uruguayan playwright Dino Armas. Two sisters, separated for years, spend their last day together before one leaves to live with her son in New York. Through sharp, cutting dialogue and the daughter’s spoken inner monologues, the audience becomes one with this family.
Where: Gunston Arts Center, Theater Two, 2700 S. Lang St., Arlington
When: 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday; 3 p.m. Saturday; through May 29
Info: $20 to $30; 703-548-3092; teatrodelaluna.org
5. “The Last Five Years”: This musical by Jason Robert Brown is the story of a five-year- long relationship told in two time dimensions. The wife tells her story traveling backward in time (beginning her story at the end of the marriage) and her husband tells his story moving forward.
Where: 1st Stage, 1524 Spring Hill Road in McLean
When: 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday; through May 23
Info: $20 to $50; 301-395-4440; 1ststagespringhill.org
