Journalist Nicholas Schmidle will discuss the Taliban in Pakistan on Saturday at the Newseum. Photo courtesy of Rikki Schmidle.

DCist’s guide to lectures and discussions in the D.C. area

Monday:
>> Hear first-hand from the Shakespeare Theatre Company what it takes to pull off an amazing performance tonight at 7 p.m. at the Lansburgh Theatre (Archives/Navy Memorial metro). In Masters of the Theater and the Power of Performance: Behind the Scenes at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, artistic director Michael Kahn talks with the cast of the company’s upcoming King Lear. $80.

Tuesday:
>> The Anacostia Community Museum hosts another East of the River Community Forum tonight, titled Valuing and Promoting Cultural Assets. Panelists will discuss the role of culture and the visual and performing arts in the community, including “ways in which the greater community can harness the power of culture for community enrichment and development.” 7 p.m.

>> Also at 7 p.m., political satirist P.J. O’Rourke will make an appearance at Politics and Prose with his new book of essays about America’s car culture, Driving Like Crazy.

>> Head to the National Building Museum from 6:30 to 8 p.m. to learn how D.C. will be affected by the economic stimulus package at D.C. Builds: D.C., Stimulated. Virginia Congressman Gerald Connolly will join At-large D.C. Council member Kwame Brown, Steve Sandherr of The Associated General Contractors of America and WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi to discuss. Free; pre-registration required; walk-ins based on availability.

Thursday:
>> At 6:45 p.m., primatologist Richard Wrangham presents his intriguing evolutionary theory which “singles out cooked food as the main ingredient in the making of the human species and society,” and claims “that the energy saved by eating cooked food instead of raw caused the digestive tract to shrink and the human brain to grow, and may have led to the development of families.” $25 at the S. Dillon Ripley Center.