The victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12, 2016 will be honored with a candlelight vigil at Dupont Circle tonight. (Photo by Christy Frink)
Honor the Pulse nightclub shooting victims and catch a punk show at at the library in this week’s roundup of the area’s most intriguing events.
MONDAY, JUNE 12
PAY TRIBUTE: The Pulse nightclub shooting was a year ago today, but the tragedy still resonates. Pride Fund to End Gun Violence, Mayor Muriel Bowser, and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington will join together for a vigil honoring the victims and demanding justice from elected officials. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own candles. (Dupont Circle; 7 to 8 p.m.; FREE)
SOLD SOUL: Anime fans are a devoted, fiercely intelligent bunch. They’ll likely be out in full force for two screenings this week of Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic, based on a popular TV series and a popular manga in which a young boy sells his soul to a demon in exchange for the power to enact revenge on the criminals who killed his parents. (It’s always the dead parents, isn’t it?) Monday night’s screening will have subtitles; Wednesday’s will be dubbed with English dialogue. (Landmark E Street Cinema; 7 p.m.; $15 without Fringe button, $12 with button)
FOOD PORN: If the plentiful loving shots of pasta in Master of None weren’t sufficient, Chef Rossi’s new cookbook The Raging Skillet will serve as a suitable companion. The book follows Rossi as she cooks in some of New York’s most prestigious kitchens; one only hopes she’ll do a little demonstration at her discussion event. (Kramerbooks; 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.; FREE)
CHECK FEAR AT THE DOOR: Clown Cabaret from Capital Fringe offers performances from a smorgasbord of clown variations for ” an evening of artsy-fartsy, pie-in-the-face fun,” if the event description is to be believed. This show is either for you or it’s most definitely not. Know yourself. (Logan Fringe Arts Space; 8 to 10 p.m.; FREE)
More: Pat Metheny at Kennedy Center; ShowTunes & Cocktails at Beacon Bar & Grill; Visual Studio Live!; Sheryll Cashin at Politics and Prose; Poverty Inc. Screening; Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes at Hill Center; 2017 Dramathon; Anan Ameri at the Jerusalem Fund and Palestine Center
TUESDAY, JUNE 13
What might a post-apocalyptic world look like? Find out in a Little Academy class on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy of Little Academy)
END TIMES: What happens when the world doesn’t end? You’re probably not the only one fixated on questions like that these days. (See the most recent season of HBO’s The Leftovers for additional evidence.) Now there’s a Little Academy class, open to all, devoted to that very subject, exploring such phenomena as doomsday communes through the lens of apocalyptic communities. A tad morbid, perhaps — but there’s no harm in being prepared. (Bourbon; 7 to 9 p.m.; $20)
FEELING LUCKY: Uh-oh. It’s Tuesday the 13th. And this year, the Washington Nationals are hosting their…thirteenth annual Night Out event to welcome the LGBTQ community. Tickets to the team’s game against the Atlanta Braves include a donation to Team DC’s Scholarship Fund. Meanwhile, superstitious types are on notice. At the very least, hope for no bench-clearing brawls. (Nationals Park; 5 to 11 p.m.; $28)
COME CLOSER: Get in (or perhaps out of) the mood with a night of stories about seduction, persuasion and temptation from Story District. As always, new storytellers are welcome. Raise those eyebrows, people — this audience isn’t going to seduce itself. (Town Danceboutique; 8 p.m.; $15)
HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF…SOMETIMES: Rosa DeLauro, a House of Representatives member from Connecticut who’s served since 1991, will be discussing her new book The Least Among Us, which tells stories of people whose lives have been changed by progressive social policies. But any opportunity to meet a member of Congress in person is to gain some insight into what it’s like to be in the government in 2017, and in DeLauro’s case, how that compares to life in the government two decades ago. In times like these, historical context is key. (Politics and Prose; 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.; FREE)
More: Steven Levingston at Politics and Prose; HappyHourLabDC with Derek Hyra; Summer Twilight Concert Series at Brookside Gardens; Groove Theory at Cafe Asia; Countering Putin’s Russia with Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wa.); Improv Workshop; Jaws at Walter Pierce
Park
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10
Banda Magda will perform an eclectic show at Bossa Bistro + Lounge on Thursday. (Photo courtesy of Banda Magda)
ENJOY IT WHILE IT LASTS: Congress is a garbage fire…but free ice cream! (Upper Senate Park; 4 to 6 p.m.; FREE)
THE RETURN OF PUNK: When the Martin Luther King Jr. Library closed its doors in March for a three-year renovation, the Punk Archive Library Rooftop concert series ground to a halt. But now it’s back in a new location — the recently renovated Woodridge Library in Northeast — with a massive lineup: weed tree, and Elliott Levin Quartet featuring David Hotep of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Luke Stewart and Nate Scheible. The series will continue at Woodridge until Aug. 9, according to DC Music Download. Punk is back, baby. (Woodridge Neighborhood Library; 6:30 to 8 p.m.; FREE)
PARK PLACE: Even the most eagle-eyed Yellowstone visitors have never seen Yellowstone like this. An intrepid camera crew chronicled changing seasons and evolving predatory patterns for the PBS and BBC co-production Great Yellowstone Thaws. It’s PBS and BBC, so it couldn’t classier. A discussion featuring a grizzly bear expert (imagine being paid to be a grizzly bear expert) and a PBS executive will follow a screening. (National Museum of Natural History, 7:15 to 8:30 p.m.; FREE)
WIDE LANDSCAPE: Magda Giannikou’s eclectic resume includes composing several songs for the FX series Louie, and leading the band Banda Magda, which is quite versatile. According to a description of their upcoming concert, Banda Magda “moves from samba to French chanson, from Greek folk tunes to Colombian cumbia and Afro-Peruvian lando,” and it “combines South American rhythms with jazz improvisation, cinematic arranging, sophisticated audience participation, mid-century classics and world “chansons” sung in 6 languages.” (Bossa Bistro + Lounge; 9 p.m.; $10)
GO MAD: The Madagascar embassy is amusingly self-aware. It begins the description of its cultural night by acknowledging that most Americans associate the island nation with Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith…and some penguins? No, Madagascar and Madagascar are not exactly twins, but the former has quite a bit to offer, as an evening of food, drink and performances will show. (Embassy of Madagascar; 7 to 9:30 p.m.; $54)
More: Romeo + Juliet at Canal Park DC; Nausicaa Valley of the Wind Screening; 13th Screening at AFL-CIO; Naomi Klein at Sidwell Friends; Peter Brannen at Politics and Prose; The Life of Brian Screening; Storytime: Venus of the Rags; Exiles Founder Departure Party; Hay Fever at Dumbarton House
THURSDAY, JUNE 15
No Part of Nothin’ will perform at the National Arboretum on Thursday. (Photo courtesy of Friends of the National Arboretum)
REVEL AMONG THE PLANTS: Some bands have elaborate backstories. No Part of Nothin’ is not one of those bands. Its members met recently at a bluegrass showcase and quickly hit it off. Now they’re performing regularly at venues across D.C., including Thursday at the National Arboretum. The ragtag bunch will blend bluegrass, country and swing music, and maybe even develop a backstory in the process. (National Arboretum; 7 to 8:30 p.m.; FREE)
PUTT UP OR SHUT UP: H Street Country Club is hosting a special happy hour night with $3 Modelo, $3 Corona, and $5 Margaritas. Best of all, putt-putt is only $9 a round. Who can resist the charms of a nice (or ultra-competitive) round of mini-golf? Fun for the whole family…or you and your drunk friends. (H Street Country Club; 5 to 8 p.m.; FREE)
STEP INTO ANOTHER WORLD: If seeing Chef Rossi doesn’t stem the tide of Master of None nostalgia, a night of quintessentially Italian “Cantautori” music performed and dissected by Georgetown professor Francesco Ciabattoni should do the trick. (Hillyer Art Space; 6:30 p.m.; FREE)
GET ON YOUR FEET: Even the best dancers can only be improved by taking lessons. DanceAfrique with instructor Amaka Igbonezim goes one step further, offering a detailed crash course in African dance styles and techniques coupled with some hands-on (feet-on?) lessons. Participants will come away smarter and sharper. (National Museum of African Art; 12 to 3 p.m.; FREE)
FUNNYMAN: Michael Che hasn’t achieved quite the same ubiquity and acclaim as previous Saturday Night Live Weekend Update hosts like Seth Meyers, Amy Poehler, and Tina Fey. But he’s only been in the job three years; give him time. During a break from the weekly sketch show, Che will perform a stand-up set. No official word on whether he’ll work in any white-boy jabs at co-host Colin Jost — but bet on it. (Howard Theatre; 8 p.m.; $99-$343)
THIRD VERSE, SAME AS THE FIRST: James Joyce’s Ulysses isn’t getting any younger. Nor are its contents changing. But that won’t stop Upshur Street Books from hosting its third annual reading of the book, with appearances from NPR personalities, local actors, and other men and women about town. In addition to the Thursday night reading, another one will run from noon to midnight Friday at Petworth Citizen, followed by a third round from midnight to noon Saturday. Check the schedule for details. (Third Floor; 5 p.m. to 12 a.m.; FREE)
More: Havana Nights at Graham Georgetown; Nat Geo Nights: Into the Okavango; Adventure Run at Road Runner Sports; Congressional Nationals Game; DC Improv Happy Hour Trivia
