Two new works from IN Series, ballet and contemporary dance by local choreographers, Drag Race’s Jasmine Kennedie celebrates Trans Day of Visibility, and more wow-worthy performances. Find it all in our Spring Arts Guide.

Spring is the season for cinephiles in D.C. Our critics recommend Japanese classics, the DC Environmental Film Festival, Bleak Week, AFI’s New African Film Festival, and more.

Mayoral hopeful Vincent Orange Sr. appeared in court Thursday to represent his son on felony charges. Vincent Orange Jr. was arrested for counterfeit tags when officers found an illegal handgun and a “double ended black staff sword” in his Jeep. More here:

This season has local bands, up-and-comers, and a few big names—not to mention the return of Mosh Madness and a rave on Pennsylvania Avenue. Browse our music writers’ recs and snag your tickets.

Local music photographers squeeze into unusual venues, stumble into push pits, and climb on top of gear boxes to get the shot. For the Spring Arts Guide, contributor Taylor Ruckle turns the camera on the documentarians of the city’s underground and DIY culture.

Some D.C. developers are exploiting voucher programs to convert affordable rent-controlled properties into lucrative, voucher-only buildings. Contributor Suzie Amanuel spoke with tenants and pored over court filings and public records to bring you the story:

Local star Awa Sal Secka sings Black Broadway, Flying V blends storytelling with stage combat, and Eddie Izzard takes on all 23 roles in Hamlet. Here’s what our theater critics recommend for the Spring Arts Guide:

D.C. book lovers, add these readings, author talks, story sprints, and panel discussions to your calendars. Check out the events our arts writers recommend this spring:

In the face of lost stages, tightening budgets, and shrinking seasons, seven brand-new theater companies were born in D.C. last year. Meet the companies filling representational gaps, providing opportunities to early career artists, and proudly advocating for the future of the industry.

Whether you’re a lover of literary fiction, poetry, horror, or queer stories, there’s a D.C. book club waiting for you. For the Spring Arts Guide, lit columnist Hannah Grieco rounds up the most original book clubs, niche offerings, and reliable gatherings.

The OG Loose Lips, Ken Cummins, is back (for now) to help us cover this bonkers election season in D.C. First up is a look at the race for mayor—who’s in the running, what voters are saying, and where the money is.

Local photographer Alan Sislen, Pride and Belonging in African Art, and a celebration of the most influential women artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Here are the exhibitions our arts writers are excited about this spring.

Presenting City Paper’s 2026 Spring Arts Guide: Discover What’s All Around You. Shake off winter, leave your comfort zone, and enjoy the thrill of exploring something new in the local arts scene this season.

Inherit the Wind, a fictionalized retelling of the 1925 Scopes Monkey trial, is a quintessential courtroom drama. But Arena’s production “does not commit to being either timely or timeless,” writes critic Allison R. Shely. The review:

Councilmembers Robert White and Brooke Pinto have been going at each other for months—in the comments, during Council meetings, and during interviews. We tallied the swipes between them in the race for D.C.’s next congressional delegate. It’s getting chippy.

After the Post decimated its arts section, local advocacy org Theatre Washington released a statement focused on “the financial implications that a shrinking arts press will have on the theaters,” writes critic D.R. Lewis. Now he asks: What are D.C. theaters doing to foster the critical ecosystem?

In Nothing Up My Sleeve, Dendy tells his life story through illusions and sleights of hand, elevating it to something beyond rabbits in hats. It’s “pure escapism,” writes critic Stephanie Rudig. The review:

Screening at AFI Silver through March 12, Vertigo (1958) is “the purest, most entrancing expression of director Alfred Hitchcock’s obsessive and controlling worldview,” writes critic Chris Klimek.

Octet, the chamber musical at Studio Theatre through March 8, borrows from A Chorus Line’s format, giving each character a musical number that introduces them while exploring the ways technology has wormed its way into our lives. Stephanie Rudig reviews

Maddie Martinez’s debut novel The Maiden and Her Monster is a sapphic fantasy rooted in Jewish folklore and a refreshing addition to the queer and fantasy genres. Martinez spoke with Sarah Marloff ahead of next weekend's Awesome Con, where the AU grad is a guest author.

Asst. Chief Andre Wright, MPD’s second-in-command, and Inspector Natasha Wright, his wife, are on paid administrative leave, according to a department spokesperson. Managing Editor Mitch Ryals has the report.

It’s been 21 years since The Book Thief came out, but the story of a young girl’s experience living through Nazi Germany remains relevant: “We need novels now more than ever to understand what life is like for that person next door or down the street or a world away,” says Zusak.

Bryan Betancur was arrested Monday after videos of him touching women’s hair on the Metro went viral. He’s been charged with assault and battery and has been banned from the Metro system.

Inside Out: Dignity and the Art of Seeing gives an in-depth look at the lives of incarcerated men. The exhibit, closing tonight with a 6 p.m. reception, contains photographs, videos, and more from the Arts in Prison program done at the shuttered Lorton Reformatory.

Book writer Richard LaGravanese and choreographer Savion Glover (co-directing with Scandal’s Tony Goldwyn) are taking reinterpretation to the next level with Chez Joey, a new musical set to songs from across the Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart catalog. D.R. Lewis’ review:

Making its world premiere at Woolly Mammoth, The World to Come is an experimental work about friendship between elders and a vulnerable exploration of Jewish heritage. Critic Daniella Ignacio says it packs a punch, but hasn’t yet found its footing. More here:

The Strathmore Jazz Orchestra made its debut at the eponymous North Bethesda performing arts center on Feb. 13, where it accompanied jazz singing star Kurt Elling. Michael J. West breaks down the history of D.C. big bands, how SJO came to be, and what’s next:

The CIFF lineup has more crowd-pleasers than usual—sports dramas, coming-of-age romances, and a heist thriller. “No matter how entertaining … the way they preserve and explore Irish identity is fascinating,” writes Alan Zilberman. His preview:

The Answers Issue: Where we answer your questions about parks and parking, statues and sculptures, quirks and kinks, and trash cans and transportation. Your questions are our command, D.C. Enjoy:

Topshelf Records dropped D.C. punk band Ekko Astral after news broke of Jael Holzman’s peace order against former drummer, Miri Tyler. The abrupt cancellation comes amid a public reckoning with Holzman’s actions by other members of the D.C. music community. More here:

Scena Theatre founder Robert McNamara gives a “courageous, fully persuasive performance” in Krapp’s Last Tape. Samuel Beckett’s hour-long monologue “reckons with the insoluble questions of aging, decay, mortality, and humankind’s tragic gift.” Chris Klimek’s review:

My Body, My Festival is back with a one-night-only show at 9:30 Club on May 28 featuring Yaya Bey, Nourished By Time, Bartees Strange, and more. All proceeds go toward the DC Abortion Fund. Details here:

Spooky Action’s tiny black box theater turns into a full-blown rap concert as Tambo and Bones figure out how to escape the minstrel show they’re stuck in and become “real people.” Critic James Mae reviews Tambo & Bones, on stage through March 7:

At Ballou High School, star athlete Javon Poole was off the field for two years—ineligible because his attendance slipped. He was already carrying more grief than most teenagers ever imagine. But with the help of his coach, Poole found his way back. Full story:

“It’s a B movie stacked with A-list talent.” Critic Chris Klimek reviews A24’s How to Make a Killing, an old-timey thriller about how Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell) ended up on death row.

As a rental housing administrator, Terrance Laney is tasked with enforcing tenant rights. He also runs a private law firm that advertises compliance services for landlords. After we contacted DHCD about the potential conflict of interest, Laney was put on leave. Full story:

The D.C. AG is suing the real estate lender that helped fund slumlord Sam Razjooyan’s empire. Last year, we reported on a former Red Oak employee that blew the whistle on the firm’s reckless lending and named Razjooyan as a uniquely problematic applicant. Full story:

Little Miss Perfect follows a high school senior navigating college admissions, queerness, and her own conception of perfection. Joriah Kwamé's musical features a “witty score and up-to-the-minute zingers,” writes D.R. Lewis. But, at times, falls “victim to its own desire for virality.”

Ekko Astral’s Jael Holzman accused former bandmate Miri Tyler of threatening her in a poem shared to social media. Now Tyler, who denies threatening anyone, is under an uncontested peace order. It’s not the first time acrimony among Ekko Astral has become public. Taylor Ruckle has the story.

In every adaptation of Happy Days since 1961, the play’s not-quite-only character is buried in a mound of earth. “So it remains,” writes Chris Klimek. But the lead, one of WSG’s founders, carries the production on her back.

RIP Rev. Jesse Jackson , photographed for @wcp.bsky.social , 1990

Theater Alliance, operatic theater company IN Series, and 4EYE Film Center are forming the Arts Hub, a new creative alliance in Southwest D.C. Read about their vision for the 9,000-square-foot space and the D.C.-based creatives working to center social responsibility over profit:

Cardozo’s girls cross-country team is the smallest high school sports team in D.C.: Daryerly Yriarte, a junior, is the only runner. She’s managing school, a part-time job, English classes, and the internal struggle to just keep running. Full story:

“Wuthering Heights” and Pillion have more in common than you may think, writes critic Alan Zilberman. “Both feature a tall, chiseled, improbably handsome man indulging his idea of unconventional romance and eroticism.” But one “avoids cliches for something more psychologically astute.” The review:

D.C. AG Brian Schwalb hit Ali “Sam” Razjooyan with a RICO lawsuit, accusing him and his family of running an illegal real estate empire. Despite the suit, another notorious slumlord has reappeared as a representative at a building in Razjooyan’s enterprise. More here:

On Background, a new live comedy set from D.C. improv veteran Shawn Westfall and local author-journalist Dan Kois puts journalists’ stories center stage. More on the debut show featuring former Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema:

📍We’re back with another game of Where in D.C. is Darrow Montgomery? Reply with your guesses to win some City Paper merch.

@wcp.bsky.social investigative reporter Suzie Amanuel has been reporting on Razjooyan and his associates since 2024, including his doctoring of loan documents and tricking tenants out of their rights as he has built a portfolio of neglected slums: washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7541...

Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” is horny, pretty, and “has all the subtlety of a heart attack,” writes Sarah Marloff. “Play with period, absurdity, and fashion all you want," Marloff writes. “The problem with 'Wuthering Heights' is that it can’t decide what it’s trying to be.” Full review:

Samuel Beckett is having a moment in the District. Three local orgs are creating productions, homages, and responses to his work. What is it about the absurdist, darkly humorous playwright’s work that is speaking to D.C. creatives? Full story: