THURSDAY, JANUARY 12
THEATER Playwright Lisa Loomer’s Roe opens at Arena Stage, running through February 19. The play tells the story of the young lawyer and pregnant woman at the heart of Roe v. Wade, as well as their divergent journeys after the 1973 case. The issue is obviously polarizing—but rather than preaching for one side or the other, Loomer’s work touches on the choices and passion on both sides of the issue. $80, 8 PM.
MUSIC Opera/pop singer Chris Mann finished fourth on the second season of The Voice, and spent the past two years performing as the Phantom in the touring Phantom of the Opera. In addition, last year he released an album of original songs called Constellation. He performs at AMP on Thursday. $35, 8 PM.
THEATER Scena Theatre’s production of Someone is Going to Come runs through February 5 at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Written by Norwegian playwright Jon Fosse, the play follows a quirky couple that moves into a remote home to be alone, before delveing into their paranoia and anxiety that “someone is going to come.” $30, 8 PM.
KIDS This weekend is the world premiere of Bud, Not Buddy, based on a children’s novel written by Christopher Paul Curtis about a boy who goes looking for his father, guided by a band flyer. Jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard has composed the music and plays with the ensemble in these six performances at the Kennedy Center, through Sunday afternoon. Recommended for ages nine and up. $20 to $50, 7:30 PM
FRIDAY, JANUARY 13
FESTIVAL The seventh annual DC Tattoo Expo runs Friday through Sunday at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington. The show features over 400 different tattoo artists with a variety of styles and specialties, many of whom accept walk-in appointments. Special events include Friday night’s “Exposed Live Tattoo-Off” featuring veterans from Spike’s Ink Master (Sarah Miller, James Vaughn, Duffy, and Cleen Rock One), Saturday’s Miss DC and Junior DC Pin Up Contest, and daily awards for Tattoo of the Day. $25, noon.
MUSEUMS The exhibit “Louder Than Words” opens on Friday at the Newseum and runs through July 31. In conjunction with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the exhibit explores the intersection of music, politics, and media, showcasing artifacts such as Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock Stratocaster guitar, Bill Clinton’s saxophone, and Public Enemy’s handwritten lyrics for “Fight the Power.” $24.95, 9 AM.
MUSIC IOTA Club & Cafe often hosts shows that pay tribute to the albums released in a certain year. Friday night highlights two solid recordings from 1973: Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions (performed by Covered With Jam) and Eric Clapton’s Rainbow Concert (performed by Revelator Hill featuring Jonathan Sloan). $12, 8:30 PM.
BEER Glen’s Garden Market in Dupont is pairing with Union Craft Brewing for a “vertical beer tasting,” which features the same beer from different years, allowing you to taste how it has aged over time. They’re tapping the past three years’ worth of their winter oatmeal stout, Snow Pants Stout. Free, 6 PM.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 14
MUSEUMS Orchids: A Moment is the 22nd iteration of the annual orchid exhibition, showcasing hundreds of the flowers against the backdrop of the Hirshhorn. The flowers are selected from the collections of the Smithsonian Gardens and the United States Botanic Garden, and are set in an installation that features time-lapse videos of orchids blooming. The flowers are on view through May 14. Free, 10 AM.
MUSIC Local jazz blog CapitalBop is hosting the third annual Jazz and Freedom Festival at Tropicalia on Saturday afternoon. The festival will benefit WPFW 89.3 FM, DC’s “jazz and justice” radio station. The festival kicks off with a panel discussion on displacement and justice at 3:30 PM and includes performances by musicians Janel Leppin, Akua Allrich, and Shannon Gunn’s Jazz and Freedom Quartet, among others. $20, 3 PM.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 15
DISCUSSION Collective Action for Safe Spaces, or CASS, is a DC organization whose mission is to empower people in the DC area to build a community free from public sexual harassment and assault. CASS’s Jessica Raven is leading a 2-hour workshop on bystander intervention at Lighthouse Yoga Center. The training will teach strategies for how to recognize subtle signs of aggression and use creative, non-confrontational approaches to prevent it from escalating to assault. $30 with pre-registration or $35 at the door, 3 PM.
COMEDY To celebrate 50 years of stand-up history, SiriusXM is hosting “Improv Live” at DC Improv. Sunday’s show will be recorded for broadcast and will feature comics Tim Miller, Kandace Saunders, Jason Weems, Rahmein Mostafavi, Rob Maher, Kasaun Wilson, Chris Coccia, Bengt Washburn, Lafayette Wright, Mike Finazzo, and Denise Taylor. $12 plus two-item minimum, 7:30 PM.
MONDAY, JANUARY 16
MUSIC There are a flurry of benefit shows leading up to the Inauguration, and Positive Force DC is hosting a benefit for We Are Family DC, which provides outreach and advocacy for inner-city senior citizens. The concert at St Stephen’s features DC greats Ted Leo and the Max Levine Ensemble alongside Trophy Wife and Laughing Man. $5 to $10, 5 PM.
BOOKS University of Pennsylvania professor Lisa Servon investigates banking and credit system in this country in her latest book, The Unbanking of America: How the New Middle Class Survives. Servon describes how less affluent Americans turn to untested agencies, such as check-cashing businesses and payday lenders that are filling a growing need as the traditional system continues to serve only the wealthiest in this country. Servon will read from her book at Politics and Prose on Monday night. Free, 7 PM.