Theater and Dance

THEATER

American College Theater Festival

• National competition highlighting six of the best plays from students all over the country. April 13-17. Times vary for each performance. Kennedy Center Theater Lab and Terrace Theater, F Street and New Hampshire Avenue NW. $5-$15. 202/467-4600.

Children of Eden

• A musical look into family relationships beginning with Adam and Eve. 7:30 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and Friday, 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Through June 6. Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th St., NW. $29-$45. 202/347-4833.

Cocktail

• Bartender Roy’s business is failing until he mixes a drink for his wife and adds a special secret ingredient. 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Through May 15. Cherry Red Productions at the Source Theatre, 1835 14th St. NW. $15. 202/298-9077.

The Comedy of Errors

• Two sets of identical twins separated at birth create a case of mistaken identities and a circus of confusion in this Shakespeare classic. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. April 14-May 2. Folger Theatre, 201 E. Capitol St. SE. $25-$48. 202/554-7077.

D.C.’s Neutrino Video Project

• The Washington Improv Theater creates a 30-minute film on the streets of Adams Morgan right before the eyes of the audience. 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $10. District of Columbia Arts Center, 2438 18th St. NW.

Elegies: A Song Cycle

• The new musical by Tony Award-winner William Finn that lacks a traditional storyline, but is blended together by songs focusing on the underlying idea of loss. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Through May 9. Signature Theatre, 3806 S. Four Mile Run Drive, Arlington. $28-$42. 703/218-6500.

Fathers and Sons

• Brian Friel’s adaptation of Ivan Turgenev’s novel recreates provincial Russia in the 19th century through the eyes of two families. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday. Through April 25. Stanislavsky Theater Studio, 1742 Church St. NW. $31-$36. 800/494-8497.

Fences

• The Pulitzer Prize-winning work by August Wilson that portrays the frustration of Troy Maxson, a Negro League baseball player who had to work as a garbage man before the color barrier was broken. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday. Through May 2. Round House Theatre, East-West Highway and Waverly Street, Bethesda. $10-$39. 240/644-1100.

A Flag is Born

• A political play that provides a flamboyant argument for a Jewish homeland. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. Through April 24. American Century Theater at Theater II, Gunston Arts Center, 2700 S. Lang St., Arlington. $18-$26. 703/553-8782.

Henry IV, Part II

• The second part of the William Shakespeare classic sees Hotspur, the earl of Northumberland, joining forces with the archbishop of York to advance against the king’s army while Prince Hal tries to distance himself from his old friend Falstaff. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Through May 2. The Shakespeare Theatre, 450 Seventh St. NW. $16-$66. 202/547-1122.

Homebody/Kabul

• In Tony Kushner’s look at East-West politics, a British housewife sets off for the adventure of a lifetime in Afghanistan only to disappear and leave her daughter and husband searching the country for her. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Through April 11. Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and Theatre J at the D.C. Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. $30-$39. 800/494-8497.

Los Big Names

• Writer/comedian Marga Gomez stars in this world premiere solo comedy drama about an actress set to film her underwater death scene. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Through April 18. The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company at Kennedy Center AFI Theater, F Street and New Hampshire Avenue NW. $24-$39. 202/467-4600.

Monty Python’s Life of Brian

• An American staging of the classic Monty Python screenplay about the boy born in the manger next to Jesus Christ. 10 p.m. Friday, Saturday. April 2-24. The Landless Theatre Company at the District of Columbia Arts Center, 2438 18th St. NW. $15. 202/462-7833.

Not as Cute as Picture

• A nine-to-five copywriter decides to go for his dream of movie stardom and his life spins out of control on a journey of self discovery. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Through April 24. Trumpet Vine Theatre Company, 3700 S Four Mile Run Drive, Arlington. $16-$20. 703/912-1649.

Oh, Coward!

• The off-Broadway hit musical that spans the realm of Noel Coward’s comedy. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. April 14-May 16. Olney Theatre Center for the Arts, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney. $15-$36. 301/924-3400.

Rosemary and I

• An author must conjure up the ghosts of her past in order to move on with her life. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Through May 9. Metrostage, 1201 North Royal St., Alexandria. $32-$38. 703/548-9044.

Senor Discretion Himself

• Pancito, the town drunk in a small Mexican village, becomes the town’s unwilling prophet in this world premiere musical. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. April 9-May 23. Arena Stage, Fichandler Theater, 1101 Sixth St. SW. $42-$60. 202/488-3300.

Shear Madness

• The long-running whodunit comedy continues indefinitely. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 9 p.m. Friday, 6 and 9 p.m. Saturday, 3:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Kennedy Center Theater Lab, F Street and New Hampshire Avenue NW. $34. 202/467-4600.

Slow Dance on the Killing Ground

• An old store becomes the meeting point for three people with three different lives and opinions. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. Through April 18. Everyman Theatre, 1727 N. Charles St., Baltimore. $18-$30. 410/752-2208.

Sweeney Todd

• Stephen Sondheim’s “musical thriller” about a wrongly convicted London barber who, after years of exile in Australia, is back and hungry for vengeance. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Through April 11. Center Stage, 700 N. Calvert St., Baltimore. $10-$60. 410/332-0033.

Unspoken Prayers

• A father and mother must come to terms with their conflicting views of capital punishment after their youngest daughter is murdered. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday. Through April 11. Horizons Theatre at The Hand Chapel, George Washington University, Mt. Vernon Campus, 2100 Foxhall Road NW. $10-$25. 703/578-1100.

Why Did I Get Married?

• Life lessons from the soul of a married woman. 8 p.m. Friday, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Through April 18. Warner Theatre, 13th and E streets NW. $32.50-$44.50. 202/783-4000.

Yellowman

• Two-star crossed lovers try to stay together across a racial divide. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Through April 18. Arena Stage, Kreeger Theater, 1101 Sixth St. SW. $40-$53. 202/488-3300.

STAGE

Ballston Common Mall

Old Vic Arena, 4238 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. 703/294-LAFF

• Comedy Sportz D.C., teams of comedians battle each other in a competitive improv comedy sketch. 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 7:30 and 10 p.m. Saturday. $8-$12.

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202/432-SEAT.

• The Capitol Steps, musical and political satire troupe. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $31.50.

The Stage Door Restaurant and Bar

1324 King St., Alexandria. 703/798-1064.

• Under the Beltway improvisational comedy. 8:30-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $7.

DINNER THEATER

Cats

• Broadway’s longest-running musical, based on “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” by T.S. Eliot. 8:15 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sunday; 7:15 p.m. Sunday. Buffet served two hours before curtain. Through Aug. 8. Toby’s Dinner Theatre, 5900 Symphony Woods Road, Columbia, Md. $22.50-$43. 410/730-8311.

Crazy For You

• The George and Ira Gershwin musical comedy, set in the 1930s. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m. Sunday. Through June 27. West End Dinner Theatre, 4615 Duke St., Alexandria. $24-$39. 703/370-2500.

42nd Street

• The story of Peggy Sawyer, a young chorus girl and her journey of making it big on Broadway. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1 p.m. weekday matinees, 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Through April 24. Chesapeake Music Hall, The Dinner Theater of Annapolis, 339 Busch’s Frontage Road #101, Annapolis. $25-$35. 800/406-0306.

Murder Upon Request

• The interactive comedy-mystery group performs different plays at two locations: “A Deadly Private Party” at Alfio’s La Trattoria, 4515 Willard Ave., Chevy Chase, and “Just Killing Time” at the Arlington Hilton, 950 N. Stafford St., Arlington. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday. $55. Both run indefinitely. 703/379-8108

One Life to Lose

• Blair Mansion Mysteries. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; some Thursday and Sunday shows. Continues indefinitely. Blair Mansion Inn Restaurant, 7711 Eastern Ave., Silver Spring. $39.95. 301/588-6646.

LOCAL THEATER

Beyond Glory

• Actor Stephen Lang enters into the personas of seven American soldiers and sailors, who have received the nation’s highest military award, the Medal of Honor. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Through May 2. $30-$35. The Women in Military Service for America Memorial Theatre, Memorial Drive, Arlington. 202/772-1165.

DANCE

Dance Place

3225 8th St. NE. 202/269-1600.

• Elevator Repair Service. 8 p.m. April 9-10. $20-$25.

Kennedy Center

Eisenhower Theater, F Street and New Hampshire Avenue NW. 202/467-4600.

• Lyon Opera Ballet. 8 p.m. April 8-10. $12-$36.

• Bharat Sambhavam’ Indian Classical Dance Ballet. 8 p.m. April 17. $40-$75.

SOCIAL DANCING

Adelphi Mill Recreation Center

8402 Riggs Road, Adelphi. 301/699-1477.

• Square Roots square-dance teaching club presents a series of dance lessons. 8 p.m. Monday. $32.

Avalon Studio

15 Mellor Ave., Catonsville, Md. 410/869-9771.

• Swing dancing second and fourth Saturdays. Beginners’ workshop 8-9 p.m., dancing 9 p.m.-midnight. $10.

• Swing dancing 8:30-10:30 p.m. Thursday. $5.

Dance Factory

954 N. Monroe St., Arlington. 703/528-9770.

• Beginning to advanced ballroom, Latin and swing classes. 7-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday. Four weeks. $49.

• Ballroom, Latin, swing combo dances. 7-10:30 p.m. Friday. $9-$10; admission includes lesson.

• Country-and-western dance every second Saturday. 8:30 p.m. lesson, 9 p.m.-midnight dance. $8-$9.

• Contemporary ballroom dances and practice parties 9 p.m.-midnight Saturday. $9-$10.

• Social ballroom dancing. One-hour lesson, 6:30 p.m. $2. 7:30-10:30 p.m. dance. Sunday. $9.

Dance Studio Lioudmila

18 Roth St., Alexandria. 703/751-8868.

• Tea dance. 2-4:30 p.m. Friday. $7.

• Dance party. 7-11:30 p.m. Saturday. $10.

Friday Night Swing Dance Club

Several locations. Free refreshments. No smoking, no alcohol, no partners necessary. Dance workshops at 8 p.m. 410/583-7337. $12 admission; $10 for members.

Glen Echo Park

Bumper Car Pavilion, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo. 301/492-6282.

• Folk dance. 7:30-8:30 p.m. beginners’ lesson, 8:30-11:30 p.m. Friday. $7. 202/546-2228.

• Swing dance. 8-9 p.m. beginners’ workshop, 9 p.m.-midnight dance. Saturday. $12. 301/299-8729.

• La Salle Dance Orchestra plays waltz, tango, fox trot and Latin. 3-3:30 p.m. beginners’ lesson, 3:30-6 p.m. Sunday. $7. 703/978-0375.

• Folk dance. 7:30-10:30 p.m. Sunday. $9. 202/546-2228.

Hollywood Ballroom

2126 Industrial Parkway, Silver Spring. 301/622-5494.

• Singles dance party. 8 p.m. lesson, 9 p.m. dance. Friday. $10-$15.

• Social ballroom dancing. 8 p.m. Wednesday, 9 p.m. Saturday. $10-$15.

• Contemporary ballroom dancing. 7 p.m. lesson, 8 p.m. dance. Sunday. $10-$15.

Irish ceili and set dancing

• Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann: Ceili. 8 p.m. second Saturday (September-June). John C. Wood Center, 3730 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax. Bogwanderers Ceili Band. $6-$12. 703/521-4340.

• Greater Washington Ceili Club: Ceili. 5-9 p.m. last Sunday of month (September-June). Cherry Hill Park Conference Center, 9800 Cherry Hill Road (north of I-495), College Park. $12 adults, $8 seniors and students, $5 ages 11-15, $30 family maximum. Band members vary. 301/294-3568.

Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia

8900 Little River Turnpike, Fairfax. 703/982-0937.

• Israeli dancing with Ethan Halpern. 8-10 p.m. Tuesday. $4-$6.

National Institutes of Health

Fitness Center, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda. 301/942-2831.

• Scottish country dances. Instruction for beginners and social dancing at 8 p.m. every Monday. $3.

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202/432-SEAT.

• Doc Scantlin and his Imperial Palms Orchestra present “Swizzle,” a 1930s Big Band supper club. 7 p.m. April 15, 29. May 13, 27. $18-$65.

The Shark Club

4915 Elmo St., Bethesda. 301/718-4030.

• Swing dance with Tommy Barrick and Friends. Swing lesson during band break. 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. every Tuesday. $7 singles, $10 couples.