Things to Do

Culture Vulture

A compilation of interesting—and, most important, free—lectures, cultural events, and more throughout the week.

Tuesday, September 1
Yet another free movie festival comes to an end. Catch Chicago, the Oscar-winning musical starring Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Renée Zellweger, tonight at the last Bethesda Row Movies Under the Stars installment; 8:45. Oh summer, how we’ll miss you.

Wednesday, September 2
Stressballs should head to Foundry United Methodist Church (16th and P sts., NW) for a free introduction to meditation. This weekly series of guided seated and walking meditations is followed by a Vipassana-related question-and-answer session. 7 to 8:30; no registration required. E-mail meditationdc@gmail.com for more information.

Thursday, September 3

Tony Award nominee Emily Skinner, star of Signature Theatre’s Dirty Blonde, joins fans during Signature’s monthly Brown Bag Thursday event to answer questions and discuss her portrayal of Mae West in the musical. 1 to 2 PM in the theater’s Mead Lobby.

This Is Where I Leave You, the delightfully awkward novel about middle-aged family dysfunction, is on pretty much everyone’s must-read list this fall. Hear author Jonathan Tropper discuss the book tonight at Politics and Prose. 7 PM.

Friday, September 4
Graffiti-inspired artist Andis Applewhite is at Washington Printmaker’s Gallery (1732 Connecticut Ave., NW) tonight for the opening reception of her new exhibit, Mentor + Mentee. Talk technique with the serigrapher, then check out the art—gallery-member pieces displayed with those of their teachers. 5 to 8 PM.

Saturday, September 5
Relive the Saturday-morning cartoon rituals of your childhood with Latin American animated shorts (in Spanish and Portuguese with English subtitles) in the National Museum of the American Indian’s Mitsitam Café, part of DC’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Educational activities and museum tours will follow. 11 AM.

Sunday, September 6
More than 40 Washington-based theater companies present free readings and open rehearsals of upcoming plays and musicals in the Kennedy Center’s Page-to-Stage Festival. On our list: Eat Me or What Will You, a consumer conspiracy comedy; excerpts from the winners of Baltimore’s playwrights festival; and It Closed on Opening Night, which revives the 1977 Broadway tale of a musical set to fail from the start. Saturday through Monday; no tickets required. Click here for complete schedule.

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Sarah is the Editor-in-Chief of Washingtonian Bride & Groom, and writes about weddings, fashion, and shopping. Her work has also appeared in Refinery29, Bethesda Magazine, and Washington City Paper, among others. She is a Georgetown University graduate, lives in Columbia Heights, and you can find her on Instagram at @washbridegroom and @sarahzlot.