MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
THEATER Jackie Sibblies Drury’s play Fairview won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama; the play follows an African American family preparing for a grandmother’s birthday celebration—and they’re being watched. By breaking the fourth wall, Fairview goes beyond the story of a family drama, pushing the audience to reflect on the racism and privilege within. Fairview runs at Woolly Mammoth through October 6. $20-$81.
MUSIC The winner of the fifth installment of NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest is Alaskan native singer-songwriter Quinn Christopherson, whose winning song, “Erase Me,” follows his journey coming out as a transgender man. As part of the contest, Christopherson got to record a Tiny Desk Concert; see him perform live in a (slightly) larger room at Songbyrd on Monday night. $15, 7 PM.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
THEATER TheatreWashington’s Theatre Week is a bit of a misnomer—it’s more like three weeks of theater discounts. The event features $15 or $35 tickets to over 25 productions across the city to help celebrate DC’s theater scene; check out productions such as Synetic Theater’s The Tempest, Theater J’s Love Sick, and Studio Theatre’s Doubt: A Parable at discounted rates. In addition to the various participating shows, there are also a number of special events, such as the Tour d’ Theaters Bike Ride (9/15) and a Beltway Barks adoption event (9/14). Through September 29.
MUSEUMS Dumbarton Oaks’s new exhibit of medieval textiles, “Ornament: Fragments of Byzantine Fashion,” shows the garments (and parts of garments) that were unearthed in Egyptian graves. These fabrics give clues about the people wearing them as well as the aesthetics of the era in which they were worn. Through January 5.
MUSEUMS The first East Coast exhibit of Bob Ross’s work will be at the Franklin Park Arts Center in Purcellville, VA. The show, “Happy Accidents: An Exhibit of Original Bob Ross Paintings,” will display 24 of The Joy of Painting host’s works. Through October 15. Free (but timed tickets are required).
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
THEATER Pulitzer Prize finalist Heidi Schreck’s new play What the Constitution Means to Me was nominated for two Tony Awards and won an Obie Award for Best New American Play. The play follows Schreck as a teenager, exploring the Constitution in the context of four generations of women in her family. The play also features Schreck (as an adult) debating a teenager about whether the document should be kept or discarded. Through September 22 at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater. $49-$169.
BOOKS Actor/author Neil Patrick Harris will be at the Library of Congress to celebrate the release of his newest kids fiction book, The Magic Misfits: The Minor Third, the final book in his Magic Misfits trilogy. Come early for a display of the library’s Harry Houdini collection in the Whittall Pavilion, then hear Harris talk about his book for kids (age 8-12) about the adventures that await a group of friends. This is the first event in the Library of Congress’s new “National Book Festival Presents” series. Houdini collection: 6 PM. Neil Patrick Harris: 7 PM. Free to attend (books for signing are $16.99).
