Based on transcripts of the House Un-American Activities Committee, Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been? is a chronologically ordered reenactment of 17 witness testimonies.

Despite compelling moments and a talented cast, “the formula grows stale,” writes critic Allison R. Shely. buff.ly/1UGznwL

Janeese Lewis George called her victory a new day in D.C., “one where we don’t make excuses and we don’t retreat.”

With last night’s landslide win, she becomes the first democratic socialist to lead D.C. and the city’s third woman mayor.

We’ve got your D.C. election recap: washingtoncitypaper.com/article/794401…

All the World’s a Stage follows a closeted math teacher in rural Pennsylvania who mentors a student for a theater competition.

Adam Gwon’s score fllirts with political commentary, but keeps “the story’s foes … offstage to avoid real confrontation,” writes critic D.R. Lewis. buff.ly/ItByhbL

“Creating an anthology feels like a small miracle, or even a big one, in today’s publishing world,” writes columnist Hannah Grieco.

Lucky for us, local indie publishers are putting out collections that focus on everything from queer futures to the fight against hunger. buff.ly/Vi46sRa

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden reopens its outdoor gallery on Saturday after a yearslong $68 million renovation.

The revitalized garden features commissioned works, recent acquisitions, pieces from the initial 1974 installation, new tiers and built-in benches, and more. washingtoncitypaper.com/article/794241…

At a packed tenant town hall on Wednesday, presumptive next mayor Janeese Lewis George spent three hours listening to residents from every ward share their struggles with the District’s housing.

Contributor Suzie Amanuel was in the crowd. Read her full dispatch here. washingtoncitypaper.com/article/794219…

This week in D.C.: Local filmmaker Alyscia Cunningham hosts a special screening of her new folk horror film Douen, Flipper play the Fridge, and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History traces the history of Afro Cuban music in the U.S. buff.ly/1OnJqQt

Sandra Hüller plays the daughter of the great German writer Thomas Mann in Fatherland.

Polish filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski “explore[s] a favorite topic of his—the moral and diplomatic minefields people must navigate in postwar Europe,” writes critic Alan Zilberman. buff.ly/sponZ50

D.C. will honor the Jewels, an R&B group formed at Roosevelt high school in 1958, with a commemorative street sign in front of their alma matter on 13th Street NW.

Steve Kiviat looks at the group’s history and Thursday’s event, where Janeese Lewis George will unveil the sign reading "The Jewels Way." washingtoncitypaper.com/article/794070…

An estimated 60,000 people gathered at the northwest corner of the Washington Monument on Saturday for Turnstile's free benefit show.

The concert raised more than $240K for humanitarian aid in Gaza, Lebanon, and Sudan. City Paper contributor Erica Bruce was there to capture the scene: washingtoncitypaper.com/article/793973…

“That Wicker is almost as sexy as it is funny is a surprising and delightful plus,” writes critic Chris Klimek.

Klimek reviews the grown-up fairy tale about a middle-aged sexual awakening set in the Middle Ages. buff.ly/KDkn1xL

Menopunks founder Alicia J. Rose is “making a movement to start a hormonal revolution.”

As Rose arrives in D.C. for a show with punk bands Heavens to Betsy and Calamity Jane at the Black Cat on Oct. 30, she talks Menopunks’ podcast, documentary, and Hormonal Bill of Rights.
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On Background features Kara Swisher, Inner Spaces bring Iraqi Italian music to Hill Center, and a pair of photography exhibitions at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Hirshhorn.

Check out our picks for this week in D.C.: buff.ly/9jeij1d

Detroit’s alternative rock band Sponge woke up Wednesday to find their trailer broken into outside the Holiday Inn in College Park. Six of the band’s instruments were stolen.

Christina Smart has the story: washingtoncitypaper.com/article/793618…

Since its founding in 1988, the Miss Adams Morgan pageant has been an underground affair. But this Halloween, the 38th iteration of the annual drag pageant is coming out at the Washington Hilton.

City Paper contributor D.R. Lewis digs into the history of the event: buff.ly/Ro0dCjU

“Staggering and provocative, Fjord is the kind of movie where viewers cannot think about it without first considering their personal baggage,” writes critic Alan Zilberman.

Read Zilberman’s review of Cristian Mungiu's Palme d’Or-winning courtroom drama, Fjord: buff.ly/PDnbaTM

D.C.’s only dancewear store opened last month inside the Dance Institute of Washington’s Columbia Heights studio.

Owner Kiara Ebron is on a mission to make shopping for dance classes easier for dancers of all races, sizes, and socioeconomic backgrounds. buff.ly/askHIhQ

DHCD failed to spend about $1M allocated for its first-time homebuyer assistance program. The agency told applicants earlier this year that the program ran out of money. Fully story:
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The D.C. Court of Appeals tossed out an armed carjacking conviction due to an MPD detective's "highly suggestive" tactics prompting a witness to identify the suspect.

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