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Even though the holidays are looming, this week’s arts openings have managed to stay pretty nonseasonal. But this weekend is also heavy on short performances and shows—-I can only assume because of the looming apocalypse. So get out there and enjoy a choreographed pillow fight and a scandalous French play while you still can.
D.C. choreographer and George Washington University professor Maida Withers‘ new show features four dances and lots of pillows. “Collision Course—-a.k.a. Pillow Talk” is a dance/theater work that tells stories of love for the digital age, with an electronic-music soundtrack. The show runs tonight and tomorrow only, and takes place on a white-on-white stage. According to a press release, pillows will be “embraced, shared, relayed, and taped to the body like appendages becoming an ever-present friend and companion, a shield for protection, a burden, an instrument for violence, a suffocating handicap, a comfort needed for a soft landing.” Runs to Dec. 8 at the Marvin Theatre at George Washington University, 800 21st St. NW. $22 general admission, $17 for seniors and artists, $12 students.
Keeping with the theme of love—-but giving it a Desperate Housewives twist—-Shakespeare Theatre Company continues with its much-anticipated run of Les Liaisons Dangereuses direct from Paris’ Théâtre de l’Atelier. Directed by John Malkovich, the play is based on the 18th-century novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, but also features modern twists on sex, revenge, and the “decadence of the French aristocracy.” Warning: nudity and “adult situations.” Runs to Dec. 9 at the Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th St. NW. $80-$100.
Just in case you forgot: The world ends in two weeks. Just for the occasion, Rorschach Theatre has hatched “Klecksography,” a one-night, three-show engagement—-written in just a week—-that imagines what might happen if the world ends in the middle of a holiday party. Cocktail attire is encouraged but not required, since clothing falls further down the list of priorities when the world is coming to an end. Runs Dec. 8 only. Shows at 6 p.m., 8 p.m., and 10 p.m. at Mead Theater Lab at Flashpoint, 916 G Street. $16.50.
Finally, Washington Improv Theater is bringing back “Seasonal Disorder,” a month of improv from the troupe’s core ensemble and other D.C. improv troupes. Artistic Director Mark Chalfant leads the mishmash of shows, and welcomes suggestions from the audience. Runs to Dec. 29 at Source, 1835 14th Street NW. $10 online, $15 in person.