Weekend Buzz: March 19, 2025
A new season begins tomorrow! If all goes according to plan, The Spring Equinox will occur at 5:01 a.m. tomorrow morning, Thurs., March 20. So, Happy Spring! To celebrate, here are some great activities for the coming weekend!
Celebrate Persian New Year (Nowruz)
On Sat, March 23, at 3:00 p.m., Oakton Library at 10304 Lynnhave Pl., Oakton, Virg., will be celebrating the Persian New Year, Nowruz! The New Year festivities will include crafts, music, and cultural displays. Attendees will participate in other traditional celebratory activities such as listening to the featured storyteller, Arsia. FarsiSpeakingKids will be providing the crafts and music to help ring in New Year. Recommended for Everyone!
For more info go here.
Learn How to Get Involved in the City of Falls Church's Local Government
Civics Bootcamp
Sunday, March 23, 2-4:00 p.m. Sponsored by Falls Church Forward.
Wondering how you can make a difference right now? Or, how to build and strengthen the community around you? Join our bootcamp to flex your civic muscles and learn how you can make a big impact in our Little City. Civics Bootcamp will provide information on how our local government operates and ways to actively participate in shaping the services and policies that affect our everyday life. Come sharpen your skills in navigating city information and make some new friends in the process. RSVP here.
Visual Arts
Be sure to visit Rare Bird Coffee Roasters in downtown Falls Church to see Pamela Huffman's solo exhibition: "In the Absence of Nurture… Nature,' now through June 15.
See our recent article about the show here:
Christopher Jones
Falls Church Arts
Light & Dark: Contrast
Photographers were invited to submit images that explore light and dark in contrast, whether in black and white or color photography.
Exhibition: March 1 – April 6. Juror: Aimee George. Vote for People’s Choice at the gallery until May 16.
Arlington Artists Alliance
2700 Clarendon Blvd. Suite R330, Arlington, Virg.
A Brighter Light: An Alliance Member Juried Show
Mar 20-May 4 | Alliance Gallery | Clarendon
Alliance Gallery is pleased to present A Brighter Light, an Arlington Artists Alliance member juried show exploring themes of hope, clarity, renewal, and optimism. The exhibition seeks to present light in a new way through artists’ use of color, shadow, and texture to convey emotions of optimism during times of uncertainty or darkness. How can light change our perspective? A Brighter Light aims to celebrate resilience and beauty in ordinary, everyday life. Join on Thursday, March 20 for an opening reception from 5 to 7pm.
For more info go here.
Tour of Women Artists at the National Gallery
To celebrate Women's History Month this March, the National Gallery of Art provides this tour to "explore 10 works by women artists on view in our galleries."
Local Theater
Creative Cauldron
127 East Broad St., Falls Church
Snow White/Blancanieve
March 21 - April 6
The Learning Theater takes an irreverent look at one of the most popular Grimm tales of all time. In this bilingual adaptation featuring the music of Conner and Smith, Snow White meets all of your favorite characters: the Magic Mirror, the Evil Queen, the little miners who come to her aid, and a few other zany members of the kingdom that will have you rolling in the aisles. Adults: $20. Students: $18.
For more info go here.
Providence Players of Fairfax
2 Across
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m. March 21 – April 5. Sunday Matinees: 2:00 p.m., March 23 & 30.
Two strangers, a man and a woman, board a San Francisco BART train at 4:30 a.m. They’re alone in the car, both are doing the New York Times crossword. She’s an organized, sensible psychologist. He’s a free-spirited, unemployed ad exec. She's a crossword pro. He always quits. When he tosses his puzzle away, she urges him not to give up, explaining, “Crosswords are a metaphor for life, those who finish, succeed, those who don’t, fail.” This starts an eighty-minute ride filled with hilarious, witty, and romantic banter. As the train ride ends, it’s obvious each has solved more than a crossword together.
By Jerry Mayer. Directed by Barbara Gertzog.
For more info go here.
Signature Theatre
4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington
In the Heights
February 11 - May 4.
The joyous Tony Award-winning triumph by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) and Quiara Alegría Hudes (Daphne’s Dive).
Lights up on Washington Heights, NYC where the streets are full of music, and everybody’s got a dream. With the neighborhood on the brink of gentrification, and a life-changing winning lottery ticket somewhere in their midst, the vibrant inhabitants share hope, loss and love as they plan their futures while cherishing their home.
Latin rhythms and hip-hop lyrics infuse “96,000,” “Paciencia y Fe,” “Carnaval del Barrio” and the title song as this breathtaking celebration of community and culture energetically bursts off the stage with Signature’s trademark immersive style.
“When this musical erupts in one of its expressions of collective joy, the energy it gives off could light up the George Washington Bridge for a year or two.” -- The New York Times
For more info go here.
Synetic Theater,
Thomas Jefferson Theatre
The Immigrant
March 14 - March 23
Synetic premieres The Immigrant, a new project from Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili based on the classic 1918 silent comedy. It's a simple, comedic story about the arrival of a new immigrant in turn-of-the-20th-century New York, with all the trials, adventure, mishaps, and high hopes of the American immigrant journey.
As a theater founded, led, and populated by immigrant artists, Synetic considers this the perfect time and opportunity to adapt, expand, and develop its own version of story, bringing its adept physical comedy, innovative style, and great heart to the legacy of this cinema classic. Directed by Paata Tsikurishvili.
Tickets: $35 - $65. Parental guidance advised for young children.
Also playing at Theater J (Washington, D.C.), April 11-27.
For more info go here.
1st Stage, Tysons
hang
March 13 - 30
One crime. One room. Three people. A woman’s unspeakable decision as the criminal’s fate hangs in the balance. Set in a haunting world where every word is a revelation and every silence speaks volumes, this electrifying production will take you on a journey through the complexities of justice and human nature. This 2015 hit from London’s Royal Court is provocative, touching, and darkly humorous.
Written by Debbie Tucker Green. Directed by Deidra LaWan Starnes. Sensitive Content.
For more info go here or call the Box Office at 703-854-1856.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre
It’s a Motherf**king Pleasure
March 20, Thurs., 8:00 p.m. (Masked Req'd Show). Disability Justice and the Arts Panel. Friday, March 21, 8:00 p.m. Saturday, March 22, 3:00 p.m. Sunday, March 30, 2:00 p.m.
This March we support “Disability rights… and wrongs”!
PR firm “Rize” faces accusations of ableism, unleashing a whirlwind of spin, changing narratives, and PC-culture. Enter Ross, a Blind influencer with his star on the rise, who is ready to profit off the guilt of non-disabled, anxious people. Will Rize and Ross come out on top, or will they get derailed by the shitstorm?
Multi-award winning and disability-led theatre company FlawBored delivers a meta-theatrical satire on the monetization of identity politics, the guilt of non-disabled people, and what it costs to do the right thing.
“Witty, hilarious and absurd” (Disability Arts Online) and a ‘fully’ accessible show (well.. we tried!)
Written and Performed by Flawbored. Presented in association with Studio Theatre & Arts Emerson.
All performances will be audio-described, relaxed and have captioning available. Run Time: 60 minutes.
For more info go here.
Folger Theatre
A Room in the Castle
March 4 – April 6.
How does a woman survive the court of Denmark? How does anyone? A Room in the Castle finds Ophelia, her handmaid, and Queen Gertrude on the other end of a wild prince’s antics and realizing just how dangerous life in this castle has become. A universal thriller that explores how we help one another through harrowing times, what mothering a potential madman means, and what responsibilities generations have to each other, A Room in the Castle rebrands the stories of the women of Shakespeare’s Hamlet into a hilarious and heart-rending drama with music and defiant hope for the future.
By Lauren M. Gunderson. Directed by Kaja Dunn. Co-produced with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Tickets: $20 - $84. Approximately 85 minutes with no intermission.
For more info go here.
Theater J
Your Name Means Dream
March 12 — April 6
Internationally acclaimed playwright José Rivera directs his profoundly intimate tragicomedy that asks what it means to be human as we embrace the technology of our future – and it embraces us.
Aislin needs constant support in her later years, and her care is placed in the hands of an AI robot-caregiver – designed to look and sound human – named Stacy. The unexpected relationship that blossoms between them sparks questions of what it means to have a soul, what defines humanity – and what happens when those definitions begin to shift.
Blending magical realism with science fiction, Rivera’s Your Name Means Dream marries the tension of a thriller with the emotional rewards of a quest. Aislin’s body may be aging, but her mind cannot help but actively seek connection and grow an appetite for true friendship. Stacy’s body was designed to fulfill the role of a caregiver but fails to qualify as being alive. The relationship these women find in each other is both surprising and moving, taking us on a journey that challenges us to know the Other as we attempt to discover more about ourselves.
Starring Naomi Jacobson and Sara Koviak.
For more info go here.
Keegan Theatre
#CHARLOTTESVILLE
World Premiere!
March 22 - April 13
An unflinching tour-de-force performance by Priyanka Shetty, #CHARLOTTESVILLE chronicles the tragic events of August 11th and 12th, 2017, when white supremacists gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia for the “Unite the Right” rally on the pretext of expressing outrage against the removal of the Confederate monument of Robert E. Lee, leading to a violent clash with counter-protesters. Shetty’s #CHARLOTTESVILLE unpacks the complex issues surrounding race and identity in modern-day America from her own perspective as an immigrant from India, while drawing parallels to the rise of nationalism and racial division in other parts of the world. Constructed verbatim from interviews with over 100 local residents, court transcripts from the civil trial, and news reports in the style of Anna Deavere Smith and the Tectonic Theater Project, #CHARLOTTESVILLE is an urgent and personal exploration of how a town and the nation grapple with white supremacy.
Directed by Yury Urnov. Playwright and Performer: Priyanka Shetty.
For more info go here.
Dance
Center for the Arts, George Mason University
Rhythm India
Saturday, March 22, 8:00 p.m.
Great Performances at Mason: Bollywood & Beyond
With colorful costumes, dynamic music, and soulful beats, Rhythm India evokes the glitz and glamor of a blockbuster Bollywood dance sequence and the graceful movements of classical Indian dance.
Rhythm India: Bollywood & Beyond is the creation of World Choreography Award Nominee and Telly Award-winning director and choreographer, Joya Kazi, and features the company dancers of Joya Kazi Unlimited as seen on screens from Bollywood to Hollywood. Kazi is a highly accomplished actress, dancer, and choreographer who has appeared in numerous Bollywood and Hollywood movies, as well as Mindy Kaling’s Netflix series Never Have I Ever and FOX’s New Girl. Celebrating the vibrancy and beauty of Indian culture, “Kazi’s artistic voice speaks to the rhythms of Indian dance.” (Next Pittsburgh).
Appropriate for all ages. Tickets: $55, $47, $33; half-price for youth through Grade 12. Run Time: approximately 80 minutes, plus intermission.
For more info go here.
Cherry Blossom Festival
Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM)
Cherry Blossom Celebration
Saturday, March 22, 2025, 11:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Celebrate the season of cherry blossoms with SAAM! Begin the day on the F Street Plaza (weather permitting) with a taiko drumming performance by drumming group Nen Daiko. The program continues inside in the Kogod Courtyard for Japanese pop, boogie, and more with Les The DJ. Enjoy other performances while children (ages 12 and younger) make cherry-blossom themed crafts. Seasonal treats will be available for purchase from the Courtyard Café. A spring-themed scavenger hunt through SAAM’s galleries extends the cherry blossom fun.
This program is part of the 2025 National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Schedule of Performances:
- 11:30 a.m. – Nen Daiko taiko drumming, F Street Plaza (weather permitting)
- 12:00 p.m. – Les The DJ, Kogod Courtyard
- 12:30 p.m. – Misako Ballet Company, Kogod Courtyard
- 1:00 p.m. – Les The DJ, Kogod Courtyard
- 2 p.m. – Misako Ballet Company, Kogod Courtyard
- 2:30 p.m. – Nen Daiko taiko drumming, Kogod Courtyard
For more info go here.
By Christopher Jones
Member discussion