MONDAY, JUNE 20
MUSIC: In honor of World Refugee Day, singer Gaby Moreno comes to the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage for a performance highlighting the plight of Central American refugees. While Moreno’s made a name for herself on the international scene with her standout blend of blues, jazz, R&B and soul, she is at heart a native of Guatemala, making the evening’s subject especially personal. Free, 6:30 PM.
FILM: Next up in the Hirshhorn’s film series Bodies Without Organs: The Evolution of Computer Animated Acting is Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, the 2001 film based on the beloved video game franchise. The series is meant to complement the museum’s current group exhibit, Suspended Animation, with all the films “using computer-generated imagery (CGI) in order to enhance, transform or even clone actors, thus introducing artificial characters that reach far beyond the physical concept of real bodies.” While the movie was a bomb, it’s definitely a fascinating artifact in the history of computer-generated animation. Free, 7 PM.
TUESDAY, JUNE 21
BOOKS: Fat activist, Titanic eviscerator, and all-around hero Lindy West debuts her essay collection, Shrill, at Kramerbooks. The book features West’s thoughts on feminism, pop culture, and body image, and what it’s like to be a fat, funny woman who’s not afraid to speak her mind. Free, 6:30 PM.
MUSIC: Anacostia Arts Center’s weekly concert series celebrates local performers of all types, from magicians to poets to dancers and everything in between. This week Aztec Sun brings the soulful, groovy sounds. You can catch performances until July 26. Free, 7 PM.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22
FILM: AFI Docs is an institution, screening movings that go on to sweep the film world. The 2016 lineup, which runs June 22-26, includes a new movie from Werner Herzog (Lo and Behold), another about sitcom pioneer Norman Lear, and Alex Gibney’s Zero Days, about a computer virus built to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program that went haywire. The films—94 in total—screen at the AFI Silver Theater, E Street Cinema, and the Newseum. Check out Washingtonian‘s guide to our favorite picks here. $10-$12; Various times.
THEATER: Chalk’s run at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop goes from June 22 until July 9. This is a modern take on the age-old fable of The Chalk Circle, in which a judge etches a circle on the ground with chalk in order to determine a child’s true mother. $15, 7:30 PM.
MUSIC: Nashville trio Natural Child transform DC9 into a 70s-era smoke-filled garage, employing Jagger-esque vocals and heavy, southern rock guitar riffs in a way that makes the sound not cliche in the slightest. $12, 8:30 PM.
