This weekend, May 10 - 12, the Washington, DC area is bursting with a variety of spring-time activities for the whole family. Whether you're looking for a trip down memory lane, great live music, a celebration of history, or a cultural journey, there's something for everyone on the calendar. Read on for WETA Around Town's event highlights for this weekend in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Innocent & The E Street Shuffleat The Hamilton Live. This tribute concert celebrates the to two of the most loved albums in rock and roll history: Van Morrisons’ 1970 ‘Moondance’ and Bruce Springsteen's 1973 'The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle’. The Hamilton is the newest member of the Clyde's Restaurant Group following tradition with top of the line food and live music. So if you're looking for an all-in-one musical adventure, this is the ticket! Featuring performances by: Justin Jones, Brian Simms, Luke Brindley, Owen Danoff, Billy Coulter, Daryl Jr. Cline, Tommy Lepson, Jon Carroll, Tony Denikos, Kirk Philips, Margot MacDonald & more.
In a city like Washington, DC where transportation is essential, do you ever stop to
think what life would be like without cars, buses or trains? This Saturday you will have the opportunity to show your appreciation by celebratingNational Train Day 2013 because this year’s theme is “trains matter”. Each spring, this nation-wide festivity brings communities together to honor the history of trains and how they have helped transform America. Enjoy a variety of free activities such as educational stations, arts and crafts, Amtrak K-9 unit demonstrations, train car walkthroughs and more. So if you’re in the mood for some rich history, “choo choo” choose to partake in National Train Day.
Saturday, 11am – 4pm
Cost: Free. Amtrak rides $5 per person; children 12 and under ride free.
Union Station 40 Massachusetts Avenue NE Washington, DC
All through the month of May, the Library of Congress Packard Campus will commemorate Memorial
Day with free film screenings and a live concert! On Friday, The Quebe Sisters Band from Texas will perform western swing, vintage country, bluegrass, jazz and swing standards, and Texas-style fiddling in the campus theater. On Saturday, LoC will screen “Memphis Bell”, a true story of the 25th and last mission of the American B-17 bomber, starring Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, and Tate Donovan. Come out and celebrate history and culture with these free events this weekend!
The Quebe Sisters Band
Friday at 7:30pm
Cost: Free
“Memphis Bell”
Saturday at 7:30pm
Cost: Free
Library of Congress Packard Campus 19053 Mount Pony Road Culpeper, VA 22701
Spice up your weekend with an eclectic array of dance performances! This Saturday and Sunday, join El Teatro de Danza Contemporanea/DC Contemporary Dance Theatre as they present “Sin Decir Palabres”/”Unspoken Words,” DC’s 3rd Latin American Concert Dance Festival at the Gonda Theatre at Georgetown University’s Davis Performing Arts Center. This annual festival has a variety of dance styles, including classical, indigenous, and contemporary, and includes works from some of DC’s most outstanding dance talent, internationally recognized Latino choreographers, and world renowned performing artists! On Saturday only, American icon choreographer, Kevin Iega Jeff, will kick of the premiere of his work, Juntos, as a special guest speaker. You won’t want to miss these fantastic performances!
This weekend, get in touch with different cultures visually, musically, and locally. Travel to Maryland's Eastern shore for a home and garden tour, visit over 40 embassies for free, and enjoy Grammy award winning indigenous Mexican music by Lila Downs.
If April showers bring May flowers, then it’s time to enjoy the beautiful outdoors with a daytrip! Established in 1666, the Lower Eastern Shore area has played a key role in Maryland history, and is currently home to properties from the 18th and 19th centuries. The Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage is hosting a tour of eight historic and modern homes in Somerset and Worcester Counties on Saturday from 10am to 5pm. Highlights of the day include visits to “Beverly” in Pocomoke City and Watkins Point Farm outside of Crisfield. All proceeds from the tour will go back into the communities through The Lower Eastern Shore Heritage Council.
Saturday, 10am to 5pm
Cost: $30 in advance and $35 on the day of the tour.
Lunch ($15) will be offered at the Teackle Mansion in Princess Anne with advance reservations.
Located at historical sites of Somerset and Worcester Counties.
Have you ever wanted to travel the world but you just don’t have the time or the money? Well we have the solution to that problem! In honor of international culture in Washington DC, Passport DC will host the Around the World Embassy Tour. This onetime event allows visitors the chance to see over 40 embassies representing six continents throughout the world. Patrons will also have the opportunity to see nine new embassies this year such as Barbados, Chile, Malaysia, Nicaragua and several others. Participants will be treated to a variety of cultural and festive activities such as food tasting, dancing, musical performances and artwork while exploring these remarkable buildings. So come on out for an experience that will truly broaden your cultural horizon.
What better way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo than with fantastic music? This Sunday, the Hylton Performing Arts Center welcomes Lila Downs to the stage for a performance of indigenous Mexican music and her original compositions that infuse soul, jazz, blues, and African sounds. Considered a “dazzling” and “stunning” artist, Downs has combined her passion for music and ancient culture to create powerful, edgy music with international flair as she explores topics of immigration, transformation, and social and political justice. Downs has won numerous awards, such as the 2013 Grammy award for “Best Regional Mexican Album,” and has performed at major festivals and venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall! A free pre-performance discussion for ticket holders will be held 45 minutes prior to the performance. Be sure to grab your tickets for this sensational performance!
Looking for something to do this weekend in DC, Maryland, and Virginia? Check out our selection of free dancing lessons, silent film fun, and more in your own backyard!
Dancing in Bethesda
Put on those dancing shoes because this weekend is Dance Bethesda! The two-day event starts Friday night with free dance lessons and parties, hosted by studios in downtown Bethesda. Try your foot at rumba, social dancing, ballroom, hip-hop, tap, folklore, salsa, swing, tango, and jazz or watch demonstrations throughout the night. Then on Saturday, a group of seven dance companies will perform at Round House Theatre for the 9th annual Dance Bethesda Concert. (They’ve been being selected from a group of 50 local contestants.) With a variety of dance genres, like contemporary from the Christopher K. Morgan & Artists, Central Asian from the Silk Road Dance Company and ballet from The Washington School of Ballet, this event will provide a well-rounded selection of the most talented dancers in the Washington, D.C. area.
Open Studio Night- Friday, 8-10:30pm
Cost: Free
Studios hosting open houses include: Dance Bethesda Dance Studio, Dansez! Dansez!, Du-Shor Dance Studio, Joy of Motion Dance Center (6:30-9:45pm), and The Mindfulness Center.
Bethesda Dance Concert
Saturday, 8pm
Cost: $20 for adults, $10 for children 12 and under
This Saturday, indulge your senses with lavish costumes and drama with the Freer Gallery’s presentation of “Intolerance: Silent Film with Live Musical Accompaniment.” Intolerance, one of the masterpieces of the Silent Era, looks at Man’s persistent “intolerance” throughout the ages and connects stories from four very different time periods: the American “modern” melodrama of 1914, the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 1572, the fall of Babylon at the hands of the Persians in 539 BCE, and the death of Jesus Christ. This film program is presented in conjunction with the Sackler Gallery’s exhibition of the Cyrus Cylinder, which will be featured in an upcoming segment of WETA Around Town!
Saturday, 3pm
Cost: Free
Freer Gallery 1200 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20013
A Family Adventure in Time Travel
If you could go back in time, what period would you travel to? Would you go back in time to the Medieval Age or to the days at Woodstock? What about the Civil War Era? Well, if you said the Civil War, you are in luck. As a tie-in with “The Civil War and American Art” exhibition, the Smithsonian American Art Museum will be hosting Civil War Family Day. Kids and families will have the opportunity to learn about the men, women and children of the mid-1800s by participating in an afternoon full of Civil War related activities, such as craft making, photography, music, scavenger hunts and more. So join them this Saturday for a fun-filled day in the past at the Kogod Courtyard.
Psst! After the Civil War Family Day festivities have wrapped up, take the kids to the accompanying exhibition, “The Civil War and American Art.” Here’s what our critics have to say about it.
Australian director Cate Shortland’s second feature is a WWII thriller that tracks the 900 km journey of five siblings (including Saskia Rosendahl, Kai Malina, Nele Trebs, and Ursina Lardi) as they make their way to their grandmother’s house near Hamburg, Germany after Allied Forces arrest their Nazi parents.
This post-WWII drama by British director Peter Webber (GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING and HANNIBAL RISING) traces an American general’s (Tommy Lee Jones) investigation of Japanese Emperor Hirohito’s (Takatarô Kataoka) role in the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Take a look at what WETA television has to offer this January! Read show descriptions, watch video previews, and let us know in the comments what you’re most excited to see! Our channel guide is below so you can find and watch WETA TV26 & WETA HD in your DC, MD, or VA home!
Subscribe to our blog and return next week to find out when you can catch up on season 2 of Downton Abbey before the season 3 premiere on WETA January 6!
Great Performances From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2013
Tuesday January 1 at 8:00pm & Wednesday at 3:00pm
Continue the tradition of ringing in the New Year with host Julie Andrews and the Vienna Philharmonic at the opulent Musikverein. Experience guest conductor Franz Welser-Most and the Strauss family waltzes accompanied by the beautiful dancing of the Vienna City Ballet.
Life on Fire
Wednesdays at 10:00pm beginning January 2
Get a close up look at volcanoes, a never seen before look at their effect on the environment around them. Each episode of Life on Fire paints survival stories around different volcanoes. Each time a volcano erupts, animals have a choice: face the consequences or flee. Fragile and engaging, these creatures teach us lessons in survival in a world as fascinating as it is dangerous.
Midsomer Murders III & IV
Thursday evenings beginning January 3 | Repeats Friday afternoons
The rural countryside of a fictional county in England provides the backdrop for this crime series based on the novels of Caroline Graham. A lush visual style, quirky characters and ubiquitous red herrings recall classic public television British mysteries of the past. At the center of the Midsomer Murders investigations is Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby. Episodes begin at either 9:00pm or 10:00pm depending on the length of the previous show. Click here to check when Midsomer Murders is on WETA TV26 & HD!
Life of Mammals
Two episodes back-to-back Mondays at 9:00pm beginning January 7 | Repeat Tuesdays at 4:00pm
David Attenborough introduces us to the most diverse group of animals ever to live on Earth, from the smallest to the largest. This is the story of 4,000 species which have outlived the dinosaurs and conquered the farthest places on earth, dry or wet, hot or cold.
Pioneers of Television
Tuesdays at 8:00pm beginning January 8 | Repeat Wednesdays at 4:00pm & Sundays at 4:00pm
This series transports viewers behind the scenes for a revealing look at the inception of specific aspects of television history: Late Night shows, Funny Ladies, Prime Time Soaps, Superheroes.
American Experience: The Abolitionists
Tuesdays at 9:00pm beginning January 8 | Repeat Wednesdays at 3:00pm
Bringing to life the intertwined stories of Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Angelina Grimké, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and John Brown, The Abolitionists takes place during some of the most violent and contentious decades in American history, amid white-hot religious passions that set souls on fire, and bitter debates over the meaning of the Constitution and the nature of race. The show reveals how the movement shaped history by exposing the fatal flaw of a republic founded on liberty for some and bondage for others, setting the nation on a collision course. In the face of personal risks -- beatings, imprisonment, even death -- abolitionists held fast to their cause, laying the civil rights groundwork for the future and raising weighty constitutional and moral questions that are with us still.
Midsomer Murders V
Sundays at 7:30pm - 9:00pm beginning January 13
In this crime drama, Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby of the Causton C.I.D. is a terse, down-to-earth detective who faces many ingenious and remarkable murders. These are not repeats of the Thursday night episodes. This is season 5!
Call the Midwife
Sundays at 10:00pm & 11:00pm beginning January 13
This moving, intimate, funny, and true-to-life series, based on the best-selling memoirs of the late Jennifer Worth, tells colorful stories of midwifery and families in London’s East End in the 1950s. Jenny Lee, a young woman raised in the wealthy English countryside, has chosen to become a nurse and now, as a newly qualified midwife, has gone to work in the poorest area of the city. Attached to an order of nursing nuns at Nonnatus House, Jenny is part of a team of women who minister to expectant mothers, many of whom give birth at home in appalling conditions. The drama follows Jenny as she meets her patients and learns to love the people who live in the East End.
Shakespeare Uncovered
Fridays at 10:00pm & 11:00pm beginning January 25 | Repeat Sundays at 2:00pm & 3:00pm
Six episodes combine history, biography, iconic performances, new analysis and the personal passion of its celebrated hosts — Ethan Hawke, Jeremy Irons, Derek Jacobi, Trevor Nunn, Joely Richardson and David Tennant — to tell the story behind the stories of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. Each episode combines interviews with actors, directors and scholars, along with visits to key locations, clips from some of the most celebrated film and television adaptations, and illustrative excerpts from the plays specially staged for the series at Shakespeare's Globe in London.
With such a plethora of holiday events in our region, it’s quite a task to choose the best ones for your already hectic schedule! Luckily, this is the season of giving and we’re feeling particularly generous. Take a peek under your cyber Christmas tree. Our gift to you? A carefully curated directory of our favorite things to do this December in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Now hurry off and have fun — this special time comes but once a year.
Happy holidays from WETA Around Town!
SPARKLES FROM THE STAGE
Theatre’s always magical, but something about the holidays makes the stage shine a little brighter after Thanksgiving. We covered many here in our recent Holiday Theatre Roundup:
Here are a few more performances you shouldn’t tuck away in your stocking; see one now!
Holiday Guys featuring Marc Kudisch and Jeffry Denman
Grace and elegance—don’t we all wish we had more of that, especially as the year comes to a hectic close? Maybe a dancer’s poise will rub off on us. There’s only one way to find out and that means going to a holiday dance performance!
Kwanzaa Celebration with Dance Place
December 14 & 15, 8pm; Cost: $22 general admission
The Nutcracker by Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore School of the Arts, Maryland Institute College of Art & Modell Lyric
December 21 & 22, 2 & 7:30pm; Cost: Starting at $28
Modell Lyric – Baltimore, MD
MUSICAL MERRIMENT
With carols and orchestral celebrations, ‘tis the season of music! We’ve narrowed down the list of holiday concerts galore. And, yes, there’s something about the holidays that makes us feel lyrical.
December 15 & 16, 4pm; Cost: $25 for adults, $10 for children
National City Christian Church – Washington, DC
STIRRING SIGHTS
Glitter, lights, and numerous other decorations put the winter holidays in the running for the most beautiful time of year. Honor the spirit of the season (and the visual arts) by strolling out to one of these shows:
Holiday Films at AFI Silver: It’s a Wonderful Life, The Muppet Christmas Carol, A Christmas Story, The Nutcracker, Miracle on 34th Street,Holiday Affair, etc.
Starting December 7; $11.50 for general admission, $7 per child
Looking for something to do this weekend in DC, Maryland, and Virginia? Check out our selection of musical, moving, and monumental events right in your own backyard!
A Funny Twist on a Literary Classic
What do you get when you add rock & roll to the Victorian era? Dizzy Miss Lizzie's Roadside Revue’s The Brontes at the fallFringe Festival. Full of music, dance and amusing chaos, this is one portrayal of the 19th-century writers you’ve likely never seen before. This also marks the last weekend of fallFringe, a showcase of the best talent from recent Capital Fringe Festivals. So go give your favorite local performances a final round of applause!
For proof that the Internet has not killed books, head to the Pyramid Atlantic Book Arts Fair. The largest book arts event on the East Coast, Pyramid Atlantic showcases handmade books, limited edition prints and artisan papers. Demonstrations by artists and lectures from scholars, collectors, and publishers complement the beautiful display of original works.
Just because Hispanic Heritage Month is over doesn’t mean you have to end your love affair with Hispanic culture. Next: Spain, co-presented by Company E and the Shakespeare Theatre Company, honors the contemporary dance coming out of, you guessed it, Spain. The program features four segments, including the world premieres of Y - A Spanish Suite and Few. If you’re unsure about Spain’s contribution to the arts besides Pablo Picasso, here’s your chance to find out.
Friday, 8pm; Saturday, 2 pm & 8pm
Lansburgh Theatre 450 7th Street NW Washington, DC
The Baltimore Museum of Art unveils the first of many renovations to its illustrious galleries when the Contemporary Wing re-opens this Sunday! The newly transformed space shows off hidden treasures that didn’t fit in the old space, as well as new pieces commissioned for the museum. Can’t wait until Sunday? Come out Saturday for BMA Late Night, this free for all shindig celebrates the renovation with local bands, dancing and a cash bar!
BMA Late Night: Saturday, 9 pm–Midnight The Big Day: Sunday, 11 am–5 pm
The Baltimore Museum of Art 10 Art Museum Drive Baltimore, MD 21218 443-573-1700
Flowers of the Steppe: Festival of Kazakh Cinema showcases Kazakhstan’s most emblematic and enticing films, (with the support of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Freer Gallery of Art, Goethe Institut, Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Ballets Russes Cultural Partnership). DC screenings include two contemporary films, followed by discussion panels with celebrated filmmakers and dignitaries from both the United States and Kazakhstan.
Kelin Saturday, 7pm
Discussion following the screening with Steven-Charles Jaffe, Honorary Consul of Kazakhstan in Los Angeles, and Ermek Shinarbaev, noted Kazakh film director.
Goethe Institut, Washington DC 812 Seventh Street NW Washington, DC 20001-3718
Admission $7/$4
Letters to An Angel / Pisma k Angelu
Sunday, 2pm
Q&A with director, Ermek Shinarbaev, and sound engineer, Gulsara Mukataeva, immediately following the screening. Light reception, includes traditional Kazakh cuisine.
Freer Gallery of Art Independence Avenue at 12th Street SW Washington, DC
Anna Karenina is acclaimed director Joe Wright's new vision of the epic story of love, adapted from Leo Tolstoy's great novel by Academy Award winner Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love). Unfolding in its original late-19th-century Russian high-society setting, the drama marks the third collaboration of the director with Academy Award-nominated actress Keira Knightley, following their award-winning hits Pride & Prejudice and Atonement. Also starring Jude Law, Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald and Olivia Williams.
The Silver Linings Playbook (R)
Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) has lost everything -- his house, his job, and his wife. He now finds himself living back with his mother (Jacki Weaver) and father (Robert DeNiro) after spending eight months in a state institution on a plea bargain. Pat is determined to rebuild his life, remain positive and reunite with his wife, despite the challenging circumstances of their separation. All Pat’s parents want is for him to get back on his feet - and to share their family’s obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles football team. When Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a mysterious girl with problems of her own, things get complicated. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but only if he'll do something very important for her in return. As their deal plays out, an unexpected bond begins to form between them, and silver linings appear in both of their lives.
Chasing Ice (NR)
In the spring of 2005, acclaimed environmental photographer James Balog headed to the Arctic on a tricky assignment for National Geographic: to capture images to help tell the story of the Earth’s changing climate. Even with a scientific upbringing, Balog had been a skeptic about climate change. But that first trip north opened his eyes to the biggest story in human history and sparked a challenge within him that would put his career and his very well-being at risk. Chasing Ice depicts a photographer trying to deliver evidence and hope to our carbon-powered planet. Exclusively at E Street Cinema through November 22.
A Royal Affair (R)
ROYAL AFFAIR is an 18th century historical drama four years in the making, starring Mads Mikkelsen and Alicia Vikander. Directed by Nikolaj Arcel, screenwriter of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, the film is an epic romance about the love triangle between a German doctor, the queen of Denmark, and her deranged king. (Fully subtitled)
Starlet (NR)
Starlet explores the unlikely friendship between 21-year-old Jane (Dree Hemingway, great granddaughter of Ernest and daughter of Mariel), an aspiring actress, and 85-year-old widow Sadie (Besedka Johnson), two women whose worlds collide in California's San Fernando Valley. Director Sean Baker continues in the naturalistic style of his previous films (Prince of Broadway, Take Out), capturing the rhythms of everyday life with an authenticity rarely seen in cinema. Opens exclusively at E Street Cinemas
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (PG-13)
In the highly anticipated next chapter of the blockbuster The Twilight Saga, the newfound married bliss of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) is cut short when a series of betrayals and misfortunes threatens to destroy their world. Breaking Dawn continues the epic tale of supernatural fantasy and passionate love that has made The Twilight Saga a worldwide phenomenon.
think what life would be like without cars, buses or trains? This Saturday you will have the opportunity to show your appreciation by celebrating 
Day
present 
history, and is currently home to properties from the 18th and 19th centuries. The Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage is hosting a tour of eight historic and modern homes in Somerset and Worcester Counties on Saturday from 10am to 5pm. Highlights of the day include visits to “Beverly” in Pocomoke City and Watkins Point Farm outside of Crisfield. All proceeds from the tour will go back into the communities through The Lower Eastern Shore Heritage Council. 
DC, Passport DC will host the Around the World Embassy Tour. This onetime event allows visitors the chance to see over 40 embassies representing six continents throughout the world. Patrons will also have the opportunity to see nine new embassies this year such as Barbados, Chile, Malaysia, Nicaragua and several others. Participants will be treated to a variety of cultural and festive activities such as food tasting, dancing, musical performances and artwork while exploring these remarkable buildings. So come on out for an experience that will truly broaden your cultural horizon. 
African sounds. Considered a “dazzling” and “stunning” artist, Downs has combined her passion for music and ancient culture to create powerful, edgy music with international flair as she explores topics of immigration, transformation, and social and political justice. Downs has won numerous awards, such as the 2013 Grammy award for “Best Regional Mexican Album,” and has performed at major festivals and venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall! A free pre-performance discussion for ticket holders will be held 45 minutes prior to the performance. Be sure to grab your tickets for this sensational performance! 
starts Friday night with free dance lessons and parties, hosted by studios in downtown Bethesda. Try your foot at rumba, social dancing, ballroom, hip-hop, tap, folklore, salsa, swing, tango, and jazz or watch demonstrations throughout the night. Then on Saturday, a group of seven dance companies will perform at Round House Theatre for the 9th annual Dance Bethesda Concert. (They’ve been being selected from a group of 50 local contestants.) With a variety of dance genres, like contemporary from the Christopher K. Morgan & Artists, Central Asian from the Silk Road Dance Company and ballet from The Washington School of Ballet, this event will provide a well-rounded selection of the most talented dancers in the Washington, D.C. area. 
you said the Civil War, you are in luck. As a tie-in with “The Civil War and American Art” exhibition, the Smithsonian American Art Museum will be hosting Civil War Family Day. Kids and families will have the opportunity to learn about the men, women and children of the mid-1800s by participating in an afternoon full of Civil War related activities, such as craft making, photography, music, scavenger hunts and more. So join them this Saturday for a fun-filled day in the past at the Kogod Courtyard.
scholars, collectors, and publishers complement the beautiful display of original works.
here’s your chance to find out.
shindig celebrates the renovation with local bands, dancing and a cash bar!
