THURSDAY, JANUARY 4
THEATRE The Women’s Voices Theater Festival officially kicks off on January 15, but a few participating productions are opening a week earlier. Mosaic Theater’s Queens Girl in Africa is a world premiere by Caleen Sinnette Jennings and a sequel to Jennings’ solo show from the 2015 Festival. This new play is a coming-of-age story of a woman finding her place in Civil War-torn Nigeria. The play runs at the Atlas Performing Arts Center through February 4. $20-$60 (January 4 is “Pay-What-You-Can”).
BENEFIT The seventh Capitals Casino Night will take place on Thursday at MGM National Harbor. The event features the entire team (as well as coaches, alumni, and owners) participating in casino games alongside fans. There is also a raffle and both silent and live auctions for autographed memorabilia and activities with Caps players. All proceeds will benefit the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation. $250, 6-10 PM.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 5
SPORTS Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins may not wear the burgundy and gold next season, but before he (potentially) leaves DC, he’ll sit down with WJFK midday hosts Grant Paulsen and Danny Rouhier at Jammin’ Java to recap the season, answer questions, and talk about his own personal inspiration and impact. Ticket sales will benefit the DC Dream Center, a local community organization. 11 AM, $40-$125.
ART Clara Cornelius’s first solo exhibition, Imaginary Funhouse, opens at Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center in Hyattsville on Friday. Cornelius creates fantastical digital collages on fabric, paper and buttons (bring quarters for the button machine). Other pieces take everyday images and remake the world into an endless, shifting pattern. Cornelius is currently Pyramid Atlantic’s Designer in Residence. Free. Opening: January 5, 6-8 PM. Through February 9 (10 AM-6 PM Tuesday-Saturday and 12-5 PM Sunday).
THEATRE To celebrate Elvis Presley’s January birthday, GALA Hispanic Theatre is hosting the 8th annual Elvis’ Birthday Fight Club. Hosted by “Elvis” and Kittie Glitter, the show features seven staged head-to-head fights with cartoon-like violence and slapstick comedy. The actual matchups are a closely-guarded secret until show time, but previous battles have included Queen (the band) versus The Queen (of England) and Vladimir Putin versus a unicorn. Through January 6. $25-$35.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 6
MUSEUMS The National Building Museum is celebrating DC in 1968, when the city was predominantly African-American in an era of grassroots organizing, protests, and activism. The Museum’s events will include a discussion by author George Derek Musgrove (co-author of Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation’s Capital), photographs from 1968, and a collection of organizing posters and maps presented by the Historical Society of Washington D.C. Free, 11 AM – 4 PM.
FOOD The Feast of the Epiphany, or Three Kings Day (El Día de los Reyes), is the 12th Day of Christmas and represents the day the Wise Men delivered gifts to Jesus. Jaleo Bethesda’s annual Three Kings Day festivities will include King’s Cake (Roscón de Reyes) and performances by the Three Kings with brunch reservations. Free to attend (brunch prices vary), 11 AM-2 PM.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 7
METRO The 10th annual No Pants Metro Ride takes place on Sunday afternoon. Participants are encouraged to gather at Hancock Park by the L’Enfant Plaza Metro stop (with pants on), then descend into the station, remove pants, and ride, concluding with a happy hour at Front Page at 5 PM. Remember that there will be media and photographers around (plus families and children riding the Metro), so don’t go too scanty with your skivvies. 3 PM, cost varies based on Metro route.
BOOKS If the start of a new year has you considering nutritional changes, learn more about Melissa Hartwig’s Whole30 program at Politics & Prose. The program focuses on consuming whole foods and eliminating trigger foods such as sugar, alcohol, soy, and dairy. Hartwick will be in conversation with New York Times columnist David Leonhardt to discuss her two new books: The Whole30 Fast & Easy Cookbook: 150 Simply Delicious Everyday Recipes for Your Whole30 and The Whole30 Day by Day: Your Daily Guide to Whole30 Success. Free to attend (access to the signing line available by purchasing either book at Politics & Prose), 5 PM.
