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Head to comedian Cameron Esposito’s show at the Kennedy Center this weekend and you just might end up getting some self-defense tips as well. In a clip from her upcoming special Marriage Material, she recommends sleeping with a pillow on one’s chest, thereby preventing a potential stabbing from an intruder. Protection from stranger danger aside, expect Esposito to be ready with material from her life as a newlywed (she married fellow comedian Rhea Butcher, who happens to be her opening act on this mini tour, late last year) as well as her takes on politics and current events. Read more >>> Cameron Esposito performs with Rhea Butcher at 6 p.m. at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, 2700 F St. NW. Free. (202)467-4600. kennedy-center.org. (Caroline Jones)
EAT THIS
3 Stars Brewing Company is releasing limited edition bottles of its annual specialty beer, Zombie Date Night, today. The imperial porter is brewed with raspberries and cocoa nibs from D.C.’s Undone Chocolate. The brewery will host a release party this evening beginning at 4 p.m. The 750 mL bottles will be available at the brewery and local retailers. 3 Stars Brewing Company, 6400 Chillum Place NW. (202) 670-0333. 3starsbrewing.com. (Jessica Sidman)
OH AND ALSO
Friday: Arena Stage begins performances of The City of Conversation, Anthony Giardina‘s play about a Georgetown hostess’ political machinations, on the Fichandler Stage. 8 p.m. at 1100 6th St. SW. $40–$70.
Friday: Local shoegaze band Big Hush plays an intimate show at Adams Morgan’s Songbyrd Music House with Florida-based rock band Soda. Find more details on Facebook. 8:30 p.m. at 2477 18th St. NW. $10–$12.
Friday: Draw on some fake sideburns, grab a glittery shirt, and get down to the 9:30 Club for a performance by Neil Diamond tribute act Super Diamond. 8 p.m. at 815 V St. NW. $25.
Saturday: Beginning in the 1960s, D.C. resident Chris Earnshaw took many Polaroid and Instamatic photos: of his town, of buildings facing wrecking balls and people on the streets, of blue collar workers, and of an Andy Warhol book signing. More recently, Joe Mills, staff photographer at Georgetown’s Dumbarton Oaks Museum, was wowed by the handfuls of rubber-band-bound old photos Earnshaw brought him. Mills has now digitized, enlarged, and framed 59 of these images; they are on display at the Carnegie Library along with some original Polaroids, bricks from demolished buildings, and newspaper clippings, all collected by Earnshaw. Read more >>> Chris Earnshaw speaks at noon at the Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Square, 801 K St. NW. Free; registration requested. (202) 249-3955. dchistory.org. (Steve Kiviat)
Saturday: Local author Amber Sparks reads from her second collection of short stories, The Unfinished World, at Politics & Prose. 1 p.m. at 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free.
Saturday: Smooth-voiced R&B singer Elle Varner headlines a show at the Howard Theatre in support of her latest album, Perfectly Imperfect. 7:30 p.m. at 620 T St. NW. $30–$65.
Sunday: Filled with star-crossed lovers and higgledy-piggledy pairings, scrambled intentions and jumbled jealousies, the Folger’s latest production invites audiences to see how “quick bright things come to confusion” on one summer evening. Four-time Helen Hayes Award winner Aaron Posner launches the theater’s year-long commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death with an innovative new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. His interpretation embraces the play’s comedy, allowing the actors to bring some silliness to their roles. Read more >>> The play runs Jan. 26 to March 6 at the Folger Elizabethan Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. $35–$75. (202) 544-7077. folger.edu. (Victoria Gaffney)
Sunday: Relive last weekend’s blizzard at the National Gallery of Art, where Morteza Farshbaf‘s film Avalanche, about a nurse hired to care for an ill woman during a snowstorm, screens as part of the Iranian Film Festival. 4 p.m. at 6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Free.
Sunday: Close out the weekend with a lively ska show from Reel Big Fish at the Fillmore. 8 p.m. at 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. $22.50.
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