Events

The Sound of DC: A Visual History is a four-part exhibition series focused on the rich history of the music scene in the DMV area.

The newest chapter of this series focuses on Go-Go, a style of funk that originated in D.C. in the 1970s; leading into a look at how fashion factored into these unique DC music scenes; and concluding with photography from behind-the-scenes at prominent local music venues. Each section will collaborate with local stakeholders and exhibit artifacts such as posters, flyers, zines, photographs, and audio recordings.

Cabaret Noir is a series of dark, comic vignettes featuring Femmes Fatales and fedoras, trench coats and torch songs, intrigue, suspense, and shadows. Happenstance Theater’s ensemble mesmerizes in a virtuosic display of physical comedy, object manipulation, and period style, with music played on multiple instruments, and characters costumed in vintage attire. Happenstance Theater, winner of five Helen Hayes Awards, has been called “DC’s leading peddler of whimsy” by the Washington Post.

Event runs February 1 through 28 (timing is flexible)

Looking to get back at your “ex?” Let Clearwater Nature Center’s “Ex-Terminators” do that for you! For a fee, you can name a frozen cockroach or a vegetable after your “ex” and watch one of our animals eat it. Neo, our American Crow, loves veggies and her eating style is “determined.” Chiba, our Common Snapping Turtle, devours frozen roaches with no hesitation. In-person and virtual options are available. This event runs for the full month of February.

For centuries, Black people have experienced the struggles of work, employment, and labor legalities in their lives. From enslaved Africans working for free and using music to endure to discrimination on the stages of today’s major opera houses, we see unjust labor practices that are discriminatory toward Black people. Based on the 2025 Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) annual theme, the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts’ (CAAPA) experts explore Black Music and Labor.