Washington City Paper

Postcards From Home: Photographs From an Unpublished Book As I approach 40 years of photographing D.C., I’m returning to my archive that shows Washington beyond the monuments.

As he approaches 40 years with WCP, @darrow-m.bsky.social is digging into his archive. All of the photos predate his move to digital cameras and were shot, developed, and printed in the series of darkrooms he built over the years. Read about the project and catch up on the shots you missed:

Unholy Resurrections Are Better in Pairs: A Tale of Two Frankensteins This spooky season, it’s not just Guillermo del Toro who’s paying homage to the master. In D.C., Bob Bartlett and Rorschach Theatre Company are both producing Mary Shelley-themed productions.

Guillermo del Toro isn’t the only one paying homage to Frankenstein this spooky season. In D.C., Bob Bartlett and Rorschach Theatre Company are staging Mary Shelley-themed shows that go beyond 200-year-old tale.

Critic Chris Klimek takes a closer look:

This Fall, Local Theaters Stage Forgotten Histories for Americans of Color As the federal government attempts to whitewash U.S. history, four shows confront the country’s violent past and immigrant stories with humor and heart.

Four local productions confront America’s past oppressions, racial stereotypes, and immigrant stories with humor and heart.

“To choose to tell true history in this moment is an act of bravery, when it shouldn’t be,” says one director. Full story:

On Places: The Inhabitants of Sherwood Farmhouse Represent a Microcosm of D.C. History Brookland’s Sherwood Farmhouse, built in 1885, has stood vacant since 2015, hidden from public view. It survives thanks to practical necessity, happy accidents, intentional preservation, and…

There’s a 140-year-old farmhouse in Northeast D.C. known as the Sherwood Farmhouse. It’s been home to farmers, nuns, Jesuit radicals, and Howard theologians. Now vacant for a decade, its legacy is one of happy accidents, preservation efforts, and interracial activism. Tanya Paperny tells its story:

Ultrawealthy Homebuyers Are Driving Tree Loss in Ward 3 Since 2020, one-third of all mature, “special tree” removals happened in the ward with the densest tree canopy. Redevelopment of smaller homes into mansions comes at the expense of healthy trees.

Ward 3 is losing its mature, healthy trees to redevelopment. Since 2020, one-third of all “special tree” removals in D.C. happened in Ward 3 as small house are replaced by mansions. More from@holaculturadc.bsky.social:

The Great Privation Honors the Dead—and the Living Left Behind An ambitious play from Nia Akilah Robinson explores the echoes of ancestral trauma through a dual narrative with a touch of magical realism.

In The Great Privation, two mother-daughter duos—one in 1832, one today—share ancestral trauma buried beneath their feet.

Nia Akilah Robinson’s ambitious drama explores intergenerational trauma with chilling historical details, magical realism, and note-perfect performances.

Where the Rock & Roll Hotel Once Stood, Transmission Rises 618 Productions, the company behind the DIY nightclub 618, is opening a new venue in the space that formerly housed the H Street NE spot.

The team of local creatives behind DIY nightclub 618 are packing up and moving into the former Rock & Roll Hotel space on H Street NE.

Transmission, a queer-owned, inclusive, multipurpose venue, opens Oct. 3 with a two-day grand opening party featuring local DJs and bands. More info:

One Battle After Another Is a Thrilling Joint of Political Cinematic Energy Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest uses action, star power, and film history to make something that speaks to our current moment.

One Battle After Another is Paul Thomas Anderson’s most mainstream film to date with car chases, shoot-outs, and star power.

“The premise and actors are a Trojan horse, allowing Anderson to make an intense, undeniably prescient movie.” Alan Zilberman reviews:

Swing Beat: The Future Looks Bleak for Jazz at the Kennedy Center The performing arts institution has let its music programmers go, and currently its jazz season is composed of one WWII-era big band.

Since Trump took over the Kennedy Center, decades-long jazz programmers have been fired, performers heckled, and the only confirmed jazz booking is a WWII-era big band.

Columnist Michael J. West looks at the state of jazz at the KenCen:

Postcards From Home: Photographs From an Unpublished Book As I approach 40 years of photographing D.C., I’m returning to my archive that shows Washington beyond the monuments.

Another Thursday, another batch of photos from @darrow-m.bsky.social’s archive. Here’s the latest installment of Postcards From Home.

Damn Yankees at Arena Stage Tests a New Swing Can you teach an old musical new tricks? This handsome revisal, directed by Sergio Trujillo, adds new layers and raises plenty of questions.

Arena Stage’s Damn Yankees revisal, directed by Sergio Trujillo, adds new layers, a modern timeline, and standout performances to the 1955 musical. But can you teach an old musical new tricks? D.R. Lewis reviews:

‘He Love-Bombed Us’: Urban Village Tenants Say They Were Duped By Affordable Housing Developers Tenants believed they would own 20 percent of the apartment community. But the two developers are now accused of turning a community jewel into a neglected property where “mold allowed to grow like…

Tenants in Columbia Heights were promised 20% ownership of their apartment community by two affordable housing developers. Three years later, they’re facing mold, rodents, disrepair, and drastically reduced equity. “He love-bombed us,” one resident says. Full story:

Mapping out a Lover’s Virginia with Roba Djalleta of Berra From Florida to New Hampshire, the D.C. singer-songwriter’s latest EP is a travelogue of her early adulthood.

For D.C. singer-songwriter Roba Djalleta, Virginia really is for lovers.

Her new EP Lover’s Virginia documents the pivot between her teens and 20s—a time when she established herself in the local music scene and came out as transgender.

Contributor Taylor Ruckle on Djalleta’s journey:

GALA Hispanic Theatre’s Intimate Kiss of the Spider Woman Bravely Reflects and Revolts José Luis Arellano directs an inspired remount of GALA’s landmark 1994 Spanish-language production of Kiss of the Spider Woman.

Adapted from Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel, Kiss of the Spider Woman follows two cellmates in an Argentine prison who find love during a turbulent time.

GALA’s Spanish-language revival is “inspired theater that resonates anew,” writes critic Daniella Ignacio.

Spot LIT: Local Writers Chet’la Sebree and Susan Coll Discuss Their September Releases Their books couldn’t be more different but they're equally compelling; plus more new releases on our radar and upcoming lit events.

Columnist Hannah Grieco sits down with Chet’la Sebree and Susan Coll, two local writers whose latest releases “offer us the perfect snapshot of the beautiful complexity that the D.C. literary scene offers to readers.”

Plus more local reads for your TBR and upcoming lit events:

Commanders Promise to Preserve Some of RFK Stadium’s Heritage Trees The D.C. Council failed to enshrine those protections into law, but the Commanders have pledged to save the majority of the towering oak and elm trees on the 180-acre site.

After the Council declined activists' push to protect the heritage trees around the RFK stadium site, the Commanders pledged to save some of the towering oaks and elms.

Full story from @holaculturadc.bsky.social:

Merry Wives: From Windsor to 116th Street Shakespeare Theatre Company’s West African-inflected Merry Wives turns an ancient farce into a celebration of 21st century community.

Merry Wives relocates William Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor to present-day Harlem for an upbeat celebration of West African culture and community. Critic Chris Klimek calls STC’s production “a feast for the eyes.”

Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor Do Good Work, But They Can’t Save The History of Sound The historical romance is like a pale imitation of Brokeback Mountain, with folk-obsessed ethnomusicologists replacing cowboys.

The History of Sound follows the same trajectory as Brokeback Mountain, with Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor as folk-obsessed ethnomusicologists instead of cowboys. But critic Alan Zilberman found it “dramatically inert.” His review:

2025 Fall Arts Guide: Dance, Opera, and More Performances to Wow You This Season The world premiere of St. John the Baptist, Noël, Kwanzaa, and Flamenco: Fall is full of unmissable dance and performances.

We’re closing out the Fall Arts Guide with a roundup of unmissable dance, opera, and more performances coming to D.C. Add these to your fall calendar:

Postcards From Home: Photographs From an Unpublished Book As I approach 40 years of photographing D.C., I’m returning to my archive that shows Washington beyond the monuments.

The latest Postcards From Home, @darrow-m.bsky.social's unpublished book capturing two decades of D.C. life on film. The book never materialized, but Darrow’s revisiting the project with new eyes.

Theater Alliance’s fire work Laughs and Cries at Capitalism The tragicomedy fire work offers a red-hot reflection on the absurdity of needing to make a living or die trying.

Theater Alliance’s dark comedy is set in an unknown time and place where being a low-wage worker is even worse than it is here and now. “It’s a radical and red-hot reflection on the absurdity of needing to make a living or die trying,” writes critic Stephanie Rudig.

Art All Night: D.C. Remains Joyful and Resilient in the Face of Federal Overreach The annual event looked (and felt) a little different this year, but D.C.’s artists continue to show up—first and foremost, for each other.

From go-go in Anacostia to salsa in Mount Pleasant, Art All Night brought all eight wards together for a weekend of art, celebration, and resistance.

“You have to find joy in this moment,” says Free DC co-founder Kelsye Adams. And they did:

2025 Fall Arts Guide: These Concerts Won’t Disappoint Rico Nasty, Ginger Root, Indigo De Souza, Saul Williams, Tarwa N-Tiniri, and Flock of Dimes are just some of the acts playing D.C. this fall.

The D.C.-area concerts you won’t want to miss this fall: Rico Nasty, Ginger Root, the War and Treaty, Indigo De Souza, Purity Ring, Blood Lemon, and more.

Making a Zine: Keeping D.C. Music and Its Meaning in Print In the hardcore punk scene and beyond, local zine makers build community and support movements through self-publication.

Zines have always been central to D.C.’s punk and indie music scene, connecting fans and fueling movements. Now, they’re back.

Contributor Taylor Ruckle looks at the resurgence of zines—the “paper boom,” as one zine maker calls it.

Anita Bonds’ Eleventh-Hour Amendment Strips Tenant Rights From Thousands of Renters Without Warning or Much Debate Opponents worry Bonds has provided a loophole for landlords.

A last-minute amendment to the RENTAL Act from At-Large Councilmember Anita Bonds exempts small buildings from TOPA. Opponents worry it opens a loophole for landlords. Full story:

2025 Fall Arts Guide: The Season’s Best Visual Art Exhibits From Big Museums to Small Galleries From group shows on Arab Pop Art and women of the Dutch Golden Age to retrospectives for local talent, there’s plenty to see this fall.

Explore the evolution of Arab pop art, discover local creatives, and get to know Dutch women artists of the Golden Age. These are our fall museum picks:

How to Make an Art Scene: Alex Goldstein Is Getting the Fridge Up and Running The Fridge will soon be back in action after a two-year closure and lengthy legal battle, and it’s adding 3D printing, gardening, and more.

“ My existence in this space is my own form of resistance and is in a performance piece in itself,” says Alex Goldstein. After a two-year closure and lengthy (ongoing) legal battle, the Fridge—D.C.’s beloved street art gallery—is back.

Beyond the Spin: How Industry Advocacy Distorts Debate in the RENTAL Act Push An academic study challenges developers’ claims that TOPA hinders construction, revealing the divide between reliable findings and industry-driven advocacy.

The Council votes today on the RENTAL Act, a sweeping housing bill that would roll back parts of TOPA.

A new UMD study shows TOPA has helped preserve affordable housing for low-income Black tenants, contradicting a landlord lobby’s claims. Full story:

2025 Fall Arts Guide: Book Talks, Readings, and Celebrating Jane Austen at 250 This season’s lit events offer something for everyone, including Jane Goodall, Leigh Bardugo, and local poet Alexa Patrick.

D.C. book lovers, here is your fall roundup: Patricia Lockwood, Leigh Bardugo, Jane Goodall, A History of Punk Fanzines, Jane Austen’s birthday bash, and more.

2025 Fall Arts Guide: The Season’s Timely and Poignant Theater Productions Henrik Ibsen is having a moment, AI stays in the spotlight, and theater "that speaks to our desires for transformative communal mourning, connection, and healing.”

This fall, D.C. theaters are staging “art that speaks to our desires for transformative communal mourning, connection, and healing.” Here are our picks: