The Washington Women in Jazz Festival was born out of the necessity for more feminine representation in the genre. The festival鈥檚 founder, Amy K. Bormet, is a vocalist and pianist who noticed the lack of performance opportunities for women and nonbinary jazz artists.

鈥淚t鈥檚 something I took personally,鈥� she told 草莓传媒, which led her to create the WWJF. Now, 15 years later, the festival celebrates its anniversary in Dupont Circle.

The inaugural event in 2011 took place at the now-closed Twins Jazz Club on U Street. Since then, the festival has sung its tune at venues such as Blues Alley and Bohemian Caverns, as well as DIY spaces like Rhizome and Union Arts.

This year, the festival will take place at the Penn Arts Building, a historic mansion in Dupont Circle that normally serves as the headquarters of the National League of American Pen Women. This weekend, March 29 and March 30, starting Saturday at 11 a.m., the mansion will be filled with workshops, performances, and jam sessions.

Bormet praised the venue: 鈥淭hey have a wonderful salon with a grand piano, and it鈥檚 a really intimate space. It only seats about 100 people, so it’s a cool vibe to be in this mansion, hanging out all day, and seeing a lot of different types of people come in and out.鈥�

This is an interactive event.

Audiences will have the opportunity to observe and learn during workshops and lectures led by top musicians and university professors. Both days will end with jam sessions where the audience is invited to play along. Saturday night will feature a traditional jam led by Bormet herself, focusing on jazz standards.

On Sunday night, there will be a “Wandering Jam,” where musicians will be scattered throughout the mansion, and audiences will be encouraged to create music with them. The community orchestra, Regenerate!, will have an open rehearsal in which the audience plays a pivotal role in the performance.

鈥淚t鈥檚 led by a wonderful cellist, Wesley Hornpetrie. She incorporates lots of different types of music making, so even if you don鈥檛 read music or aren鈥檛 a professional musician, you can still participate in her Regenerate Orchestra,鈥� Bormet said.

For those who feel nervous about joining in, Bormet offered reassurance: 鈥淭he thing about improvising is that everybody is taking a risk 鈥� If you 鈥榤ess up,鈥� you didn鈥檛 really mess up; you just took a different direction than expected.鈥�

The festival will feature two artists-in-residence: Allison Crockett and Alex Hamburger.

A Manhattan School of Music alum, Crockett considers herself 鈥渁 musician who comes out of the jazz tradition, the Black music tradition, where jazz artists take established forms and reimagine them in new and different ways,鈥� according to her artist biography. Alex Hamburger, a Maryland native, honed her craft at the Washington Women in Jazz Festival.

One of the most important events during the festival is the Emerging Artist Showcase, where college-age women and nonbinary musicians from the DMV area and beyond have the chance to perform.

Amy Bormet reflected that, 10 years ago, Hamburger was one of those musicians: 鈥溾�o now to have her come back as an artist-in-residence is super cool. It鈥檚 sort of a full-circle moment for me to understand what the Washington Women in Jazz Festival has built and how it has supported young, emerging, and established musicians. It鈥檚 created a real network, a real scene, and an opportunity 鈥� a platform 鈥� for women to showcase their music.鈥�

The festival prides itself on being a hub for networking among women musicians, both in the D.C. area and globally.

Bormet told 草莓传媒 that because local artists have collaborated with those from the West Coast, Europe, and South America, it has 鈥渞eally strengthened our scene and also strengthened the understanding that women have always been playing this music since the beginning of jazz. It鈥檚 a really beautiful experience, and a lot of people have told me that they really appreciate being there 鈥� not only as musicians but also as audience members 鈥� seeing women musicians, especially women instrumentalists.鈥�

Bormet also said the festival is about pushing the genre forward. 鈥淥ur artist-in-residence, Allison Crockett, does a lot of pop tunes from the 鈥�80s and 鈥�90s that she鈥檚 reharmonized and changed the arrangements of, making them even more fascinating 鈥� [Alex Hamburger] puts her flute through guitar pedals and various electronic filters on a pedal board, creating amazing sound combinations. Everything is possible within this music.鈥�

The Washington Women in Jazz Festival begins Saturday, March 29 and goes through Sunday, March 30 at The Pen Arts Mansion, at 1300 17th St NW. For more information, and to purchase tickets, .

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“The Age of Innocence” is a 1920 novel by Edith Wharton that was adapted into a film in 1993, starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder. In 2024, the stage play, written by Karen Zacarias, had its world premiere in California.

Now, under the direction of artistic director Hana S. Sharif, you can watch it at the District’s Arena Stage.

The play follows Newland Archer (played by A.J. Shively), who is soon to be wed to May Welland (played by Delphi Borich). May鈥檚 cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska (played by Shereen Ahmed), has been living in Poland but returns to New York, causing a stir of gossip and rumors due to her plans to leave her abusive husband.

What’s worse, she doesn’t conform to the strict fashion rules of the upper class.

The countess’ disregard for societal norms about how a woman should behave fascinates Newland, causing him to reconsider his position in society and the rules he follows.

Actress Felicia Curry plays Granny Mignott, both Ellen and May鈥檚 grandmother and matriarch of the affluent family. She also serves as the play’s narrator.

“When we talk about the Gilded Age, we’re talking about a time when the most important thing was getting a woman married-off,” Curry said.

鈥淲e’re talking about where people stand in society. This show really is about how women are treated, how women who are different are treated, and how, when you are somebody who’s different, you can make a change and how that affects you 鈥� and how that affects society moving forward,” she said.

The play is set in the Gilded Age, a term that refers to something of low quality plated in gold. It symbolizes the small elite flaunting their wealth while the majority suffers, and the rich display animosity toward one another.

草莓传媒 asked Curry if there are any topics in the show that reflect modern life.

鈥淲hat we’re talking about is society embracing people who are different. And I think that’s something we鈥檙e all thinking about and dealing with right now. There are a couple of pointed lines in the play about politics and administration that I think people might take in a different way.鈥�

“The Age of Innocence” is not presented on a traditional proscenium stage in front of a curtain, but in a more immersive “theater in the round” setting.

The performance takes place at the Fichandler Stage at Arena Stage.

“It’s special here because you’ll get to see a 360-degree view of the whole thing,” Curry said. “We have opera boxes in our space, so you’re seeing people watching conversations from above,” she said.

“In this time period, there’s a lot of emphasis on what’s not being said. It’s helpful to be in the round because you can see people watching and you can see what’s not being said, as well as what’s being said,” she said.

Curry said that no two audience members will have the same experience.

“Come see the show a couple of times because you will see a different show. You’ll see a different perspective. Maybe you follow it from somebody else’s point of view, and I think that’s part of what Edith wanted us to do 鈥� to look at the world through somebody else’s point of view,” she said.

In addition to the unique stage design, the play’s aesthetic 鈥� featuring incredible gowns and wigs 鈥� offers stunning visuals.

“As heavy as the costumes look, they’re not that bad, and they really do tell us a lot about who each character is. Fabio in the costume department did an amazing job of making sure that the costumes were specific to each character,” she said.

The wigs worn by the performers also contribute to the storytelling.

“Tommy and everyone who worked there did an exceptional job of telling us so much about who people are and where they stand in society by the way they dress and look,” she said.

Curry said that even though the costumes and language feel like 1870s New York, fans of the novel and film will notice a more contemporary tone.

“I don鈥檛 know if they’ll expect this or not, but I think when you hear the words out loud, when you see it being played in front of you 鈥� there’s something very contemporary about it,” she said. “You’ll hear this language in a way that’s going to ring in your contemporary ear in a way that鈥檚 surprising.”

“The Age of Innocence” is playing at Arena Stage through March 31.

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Her friend Adam Schlesinger 鈥� most famous as the bassist for ’90s rock band Fountains of Wayne 鈥� cowrote the songs for the musical in 2020 before his untimely death due to COVID-19. Comedian and playwright Joshua Harmon cowrote the script with her.

In 2022, 鈥淭he Bedwetter 鈥� A New Musical鈥� had a short off-Broadway run. Now, it’s running at D.C.’s , with some noteworthy changes.

鈥淭wo thirds of the cast is different,” Goldstein said. “New choreography, new set, and an overall new structure 鈥� particularly the second half the show. We made some nips and tucks. I think it’s a stronger, better storytelling.”

鈥淲e turned it into a one-act show 鈥� which, I think, serves the journey of the play better,鈥� said actor Darren Goldstein, who has played Sarah鈥檚 father, Donald, since 2022. “The lack of intermission keeps people on the ride.”

As the lights dimmed at the final preview of the show at the Kreeger Theater at Arena Stage, Reggie White, senior director of artistic strategy, addressed the audience and set the tone for the rest of the night: 鈥淭he show runs 100 minutes without an intermission. So, if you have to pee, you鈥檙e fu**ed.鈥�

Flawed, realistic characters

The first few songs are heavy on exposition, which makes sense. This show isn鈥檛 about Olympic-level vocals or acrobatic choreography, despite having Grammy-award winning singer Shoshana Bean (Hairspray, 2002) and Broadway vet Ashley Blanchet in the cast. It鈥檚 about realistic and flawed characters based on real people.

The Silvermans are a family with great intentions, but debilitating flaws.

In the opening number, Sarah (Aria Kane) tells us who she is 鈥� a foulmouthed girl with a knack for fart noises and cracking the dirtiest jokes you can think of.

Within the first few songs, the audience learns about Sarah鈥檚 family.

Her parents, Beth Anne (Bean) and Donald, a.k.a. 鈥淐razy Donny,鈥� (Goldstein) are divorced. Beth Anne has PTSD that keeps her bedridden, and Donald is a jeans salesman who brings his work home and has lots of “suitors.”

Her grandmother, Nana (Susan Rome), babysits 鈥� but is a textbook alcoholic. And Laura (Avery Harris), Sarah’s big sister, knows Sarah more than most, despite not wanting to be seen at school with her weird little sister.

Walking a tightrope

While the family is the focus, the supporting cast helps make this play, including Mrs. Dembo (Alysha Umphress), Miss New Hampshire (Ashley Blanchet) and Dr. Grimm/Dr. Riley (Rick Crom).

鈥淐rom, he has a long history in standup comedy and has done some Broadway shows as well,” Goldstein told 草莓传媒. “He’s just phenomenal, everyone is just so strong. Ashley Blanchet, me, and Rick Crom are the three holdovers from the show at the Atlantic (Theater Company).”

The whole play walks a tightrope between the emotional and the hilarious. Crazy Donny gets whiplash 鈥� going from a song where he describes his romantic conquests to a tearjerker about missing youthful ignorance.

鈥淭hat’s the actor’s dream, right?” Goldstein said. “Getting two songs that are so completely different, not to mention one wildly, kind of silly and comedic, and then one wildly serious and like a ballad.”

Not entirely family-friendly

鈥淵ou might be apprehensive to expose [children] to some of the language and situations that are going on,” Goldstein said. “But you’re also getting back a real, authentic experience of what it’s like to grow up with some major insecurities and some major child hang-ups. So, it’s a trade off.”

Goldstein recounted how Silverman’s real-life father 鈥� the real Crazy Donny 鈥� got in touch with him after seeing the initial run of “The Bedwetter” before his death.

鈥淭here’s that scene where in the doctor’s office, right before they give her Xanax,” Goldstein said.
“He texted me 鈥� he said that was exactly how that scene went. ‘I was so confused on what to do, but this doctor is telling me I have to give her all these kind of depressive, deadening drugs, and I didn’t know what to do.’ So it was nice to get some affirmation from him that what we were doing was real,” Goldstein said.

One thing heard from the audience during curtain call was, 鈥淭hat was very Sarah Silverman.”

鈥淭here’s no deviating in this show from her sensibility and who she is,鈥� Goldstein said.

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Along Mount Vernon Avenue, between South and West Glebe roads, in the area known as “Arlandria” (a portmanteau of Arlington and Alexandria) lies the Chirilagua neighborhood 鈥� home to many immigrant businesses. Salvadoran immigrants who came to the neighborhood in the 1980s gave it the nickname “Chirilagua” after a city on the Pacific coast of El Salvador.

From the moment you cross the Four Mile Run stream, you can feel the energy change.

On Sundays, farmers markets and street vendors set up catering to families out running their weekend errands at their favorite “tienda Latina.” Children play while their parents shop, as music from boom boxes wafts on every block of the less than a milelong stretch. It’s also a time for friends to catch up and for preachers to deliver their inspiring messages.

Meanwhile, inside the stores, you can hear shopkeepers taking orders in a tone familiar and comforting to many.

And of course, the smells emanating from the bakeries and pupusa shops can’t be ignored.

A ‘United Nations’ in the heart of Arlandria

Do帽a Flor Linaref has run the restaurant El Pulgarcito for the last seven years and lived in the area for three decades. Linaref said the neighborhood has changed dramatically since she first arrived.

In the 1980s and 1990s, some Hispanic people feared working in the area due to the dangers of leaving late at night.

Now, she said most of her late-shift employees have no problem walking down the street at night. And other business owners in the area agree.

Linaref playfully calls the area “The United Nations” because of how diverse it is. While there is a Salvadoran majority, there’s not a country in Central and South America that isn’t represented.

El Pulgarcito founder Maria Ellena Merino Ruiz opened the colorfully decorated pupusa palace on Mount Vernon Avenue in the late 1990s. She was one of the nearly half-million Salvadorans who immigrated to the U.S. between 1980 and 1990.

Linaref calls Ruiz and her family “pioneers,” who worked hard and left a solid foundation for future immigrants to follow.

Follow the scent of semitas, corn gruel and pineapple pastries half a block away to Marcela’s Bakery, where owner Do帽a Marcela Cabrera said her girls feel more than comfortable walking around, day or night, in the neighborhood because of how tight-knit the community is.

“We have brothers and cousins that watch over us, it’s a community 鈥� it’s family,” Cabrera said.

Cabrera is from Bolivia and will soon be celebrating 20 years in business in Chirilagua, making tasty treats from all over the world.

People from every Central and South American country have something to bring to the table: Mexican bread puddings, Honduran baleadas,

She said the bakery, like the neighborhood, is a melting pot.

Just as Cabrera’s bakers bring their favorite dishes, she said Hispanic people in America “can contribute in the economy and in education 鈥� even when they are (treated like) the ugly ducks.”

“Don’t forget your culture! Don’t forget your roots,” Cabrera urged the first- and second-generation Americans in the neighborhood. “Even if you are here to better yourself, do so while honoring those who came before, and loving the roots that allowed your fruit to prosper.”

The fight to maintain ‘a glimmer of hope’

Behind the main strip of Mount Vernon Avenue is Saint Rita’s Catholic Church. Among the members of the congregation exiting the church after mass let out is Manrique Blanco, dressed in his Sunday best.

“I went from Chirilagua all the way to Chirilagua,” he told 草莓传媒, speaking with pride and sometimes fear as the memories came to him.

According to the Center of Justice and Accountability, the U.N. and Reuters, between 1980 and 1991.

“Children, 8-9 years old, were just scooped up from their classrooms 鈥� men with missing limbs were a usual sight, airplanes shooting down at towns. 鈥� It was horrible. 鈥� They’d take the children and send them to the front lines because they considered those innocent creatures dispensable,” he said.

Blanco was 16 when he made his way to Arlandria.

“I had no one, but it was a glimmer of hope. 鈥� Where if one had nothing to eat, someone might be kind enough to offer a plate,” Blanco said.

He said thanks to community advocates 鈥� such as the Tenant and Workers United grassroots organization 鈥� even the poorest among them were able to afford living in the area.

According to its website, was brought together to fight “scheduled mass evictions of thousands of low-income renters in the Arlandria neighborhood of Alexandria.”

This resulted in (ACHC) which allowed residents 鈥� with the help of the City of Alexandria, the U.S. Department of Housing, the Urban Development and the Federal Reserve 鈥� to buy several apartment buildings in the area.

The organization said the 15 buildings included are part of a “282-unit, limited equity housing cooperative, owned and democratically controlled by predominantly low-income residents.”

A block away from Saint Rita’s, across from the Birchmere parking lot, is a huge development.

But a few months ago, several Hispanic-owned businesses were on that lot, including the restaurant El Cuscatleco (which has since moved to a new location), a grocery store and a barbershop. They have been torn down to make way for the new developments.

When asked if they fear a similar fate 鈥� many residents told 草莓传媒 they fear nothing.

“We know that at any moment we could be told it’s over. But like others have already done, we’ll keep pushing forward,” Linaref said.

“Oh, it’ll happen, it’s just a matter of time. It has happened in other neighborhoods and the community will do what it does best 鈥� adapt and support other,”聽Blanco added.

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One man was found shot in the 1200 block of Palmer Rd in the area of Fort Washington at around 5:20 p.m. Thursday. When police arrived, they said a man was inside a nearby vehicle with serious gunshot wounds.

First responders took him to a local hospital, where he died.

Just 30 minutes later, police responded to a Temple Hills, Maryland, shooting around the parking lot of 51 Liquors 鈥� a store in the 3200 block of Naylor Road.

When officers arrived, they said they found a man lying on the road with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting.

The department said it is still investigating what led to both shootings.

A map of the shooting locations is included below.

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D.C. police said, just before 6:20 p.m., they and D.C. fire officials were called to the 3900 block of 4th Street for a report of a vehicle on fire.

Upon arrival, they found a man, woman and two young children inside the burning car.聽All four were taken to a local hospital where the man remains in critical condition.

Three others 鈥斅� a woman and two children, who police said appear to be younger than four 鈥� have been hospitalized with minor injuries.

A spokesperson for D.C. police told 草莓传媒 that an unidentified woman appears to have set the vehicle on fire. That suspect remains in custody and is awaiting charges in the fire.

Police did not have information on how the fire was started and could not say if there was a relationship between the woman who started the fire and the people inside the car.

Stick with 草莓传媒 for the latest updates.

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Police told 草莓传媒 the shooting happened Thursday at around 5:40 p.m. in the 6800 block of Riverdale Road.

Officers said they found the girl shot outside an apartment complex in a nearby parking lot. She was taken to a hospital in “critical but stable condition.”

Police found multiple rounds in the area. Officials said a car and a building were also struck by gunfire, but no one else was injured.

No arrests have been made in this incident.

Below is a map of where the shooting happened.

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D.C. police said it happened near the busy intersection of 14th and S Street at around 7:30 p.m.

Three teenagers tried to take another person’s scooter. When the man tried to intervene, one of the teens shot him before running away on foot, according to police.

Authorities said the man was conscious and breathing when he was taken to the hospital. His current condition isn’t known.

Police said they have not found the suspects.

Below is where police said the shooting happened.

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The shooting happened around the area of 22nd Street and Alabama Avenue after 9 p.m., police said.

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D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee said on Wednesday the two teens were on a motorbike before the shooting happened. Several unidentified people inside a vehicle saw the teens and stopped, stepping out onto the street and firing at the two teens.

Contee said the teens did not return gunfire. The shooting suspects reentered their vehicle and drove away.

On the day of the shooting, 7th District Commander LaShay Makal said officers responding to the shooting heard gunshots near Alabama Avenue.

They arrived and found 16-year-old Traev鈥檕n Green of Southeast D.C. unconscious and not breathing. Despite receiving treatment from DC Fire and EMS, Green died at the scene.

Officers found the second teenager, 15, also suffering from gunshot wounds. Makal said the teen was taken to the hospital in stable condition.

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing. Police offer a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone that provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible in the shooting.

Anyone with more information is asked to call 202-727-9099 or text 50411.

Below is where police said the shooting happened.

草莓传媒’s Megan Cloherty contributed to this report.

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After being taken into custody the was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for injuries that were believed to be self-inflicted, Fairfax County police said Thursday morning.

from Fairfax County police, officers were called to a house in the 9600 block of Hagel Circle near the Lorton Library for a report of a stabbing before 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

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When they arrived, officers found a woman who had been stabbed. She was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.

Officers asked people to avoid the area and asked residents to shelter in place as they attempted to communicate with the man suspected in the stabbing, who was believed to be inside alone. Special Operations Division officers and negotiators arrived at the scene.

However, once police entered and searched the home a few hours later, the man was not found.

Eventually, Virginia State Police arrested the man, and he was taken to a hospital with injuries that were believed to be self-inflicted, Fairfax County police . No other details were provided.

Police told 草莓传媒 the shelter-in-place ended shortly after 1:30 a.m. Thursday.

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D.C. police said it happened in the area of , near the Kennedy Recreation Center around 5:45 p.m. They told 草莓传媒’s news partner that all the victims are expected to be okay, but details of their injuries are unknown.

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Police said whoever fired at the three men fled quickly. D.C. Police are looking for a black sedan with a faded colored roof, and it was last seen heading southbound on 7th Street Northwest.

Anyone with information can call D.C. police.

Below is approximately where the shooting took place.

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According to Prince William County police, 19-year-old Shanti Negus Felton fled on foot after a traffic stop in the area of Belleplain Court and Allen Dent Road at around 7:45 p.m.

Police along with a K9 unit and helicopter assistance from the Fairfax County police assisted with the search but it was called off at 8:30 p.m.

Felton is described as a 5-foot-8 man, with long black hair, brown eyes and a mustache. He was wearing a black hoodie, jeans and a mask.

*Update – Wanted subject is Shanti Negus FELTON. He is wanted for several violent felonies. His picture from 2021 is attached.

鈥� Prince William County Police Department (@PWCPolice)

He is connected with a that took place on May 5 in Woodbridge. Police told 草莓传媒 that he is also wanted for “several violent felonies” including malicious wounding.

Anyone with information on Felton’s whereabouts is asked to call Prince William County police at 703-792-7200.

Below is a map of where the incident took place.

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It happened around 9 p.m. Monday on the 700 block of 18th Street near Maryland Avenue.

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A boy, 13, and a girl, 3, were shot and taken to the hospital. Police said the girl has a graze wound and both have injuries that are not life-threatening, D.C. police spokesman Capt. David Augustine said in a news briefing.

The shooting happened outside, and there is no known suspect at this time. Police are looking for a dark Nissan with tinted windows last seen northbound on the block.

Anyone with information should call D.C. police at 202-727-9099.

Below is the area where the shooting happened.

草莓传媒’s Abigail Constantino contributed to this report.聽

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As part of a program set to launch in 2024, a select group of ninth graders will be able to receive a free associate degree from Northern Virginia Community College that would transfer credits to George Mason University and Virginia Tech.

“We’re excited to be able to offer an associate’s degree that is free for our students and our families,” Superintendent Gregory Hutchings said at Tuesday night’s State of the Schools address. “Our students will simultaneously obtain their high school diploma in four years.”

A hundred students will be selected for the program, and the possible degrees under consideration include information technology, engineering, biology and education.

According to an ACPS tweet, the partnership is intended to increase enrollment of students of color in STEM programs and high-demand fields, while reducing the financial burden of college on families.

Area of Focus: Early College

We are excited to offer an associate鈥檚 degree that is FREE to our families while students simultaneously complete a high school diploma in four years.

鈥� Alexandria City Public Schools (@ACPSk12)

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