MONDAY, APRIL 17
KIDS Illustrator Elizabeth Zunon will be at Hooray For Books! in Alexandria presenting her newest picture book, One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of Gambia, written by Miranda Paul. This nonfiction book tells the story of the Gambian woman Isatou Ceesay, who found a way to recycle the plastic bags that littered her community. Free, 6:30 PM.
DANCE The Kennedy Center’s weeklong celebration of innovation and diversity in American ballet, Ballet Across America, returns with programs curated by legendary dancers Misty Copeland and Justin Peck. The seven performances feature different pieces, but the opening night lineup on Monday spotlights two world-premiere commissions and several special guests. Note: Copeland and Peck are not performing during these shows. $29 to $149, 7:30 PM.
TUESDAY, APRIL 18
THEATER The 2015 Tony winner for Best Musical, Fun Home, makes its Washington-area premiere at the National Theatre, running from April 18 to May 13. Based on cartoonist Alison Bechdel‘s memoir, it’s the first Broadway musical with a lesbian protagonist, featuring her recollections of several time periods of her life, including her childhood relationship with her father and embracing her sexuality in college. $48 to $98, 7:30 PM.
FILM Bistro Bohem’s “Film and Beer” series continues with the 1993 Czech musical comedy Big Beat (Šakalí léta). Set in 1959, it tells the story of a man known as “Baby” who brings rock ‘n’ roll to a small town. Free (with RSVP), 7 PM.
DISCUSSION April marks the conclusion of the fourth annual Nerds in NoMa discussion series with a conversation about green space in urban settings, titled “Greening the City.” The panel at the NoMa Business Improvement District will be moderated by Tommy Wells (Director of DC’s Department of Energy and Environment) and will include Casey Trees’s Maisie Hughes and Doug Siglin, executive director of the Anacostia Waterfront Trust. Free (with RSVP), 6 PM.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19
BOOKS Cultural activist Tasoula Hadjitofi orchestrated the “Munich Case,” one of the largest art trafficking sting operations in Europe since WWII. She will discuss her new memoir, The Icon Hunter: A Refugee’s Quest to Reclaim Her Nation’s Stolen Heritage, at Kramerbooks. Free (with RSVP), 6:30 PM.
DISCUSSION Preservation landscape architect Glenn Stach details Ellen Biddle Shipman’s pioneering approach to landscape architecture at the National Building Museum. This discussion, “Spotlight On Design: Into the Wild… The Art and Nature of Ellen Biddle Shipman,” will present Shipman’s approach to nature and the efforts to renew the Platt-Shipman landscape at DC’s Tregaron Estate. $20, 6:30 PM.
