Smithsonian Associates Presents May Program Highlights

The May issue of the Smithsonian Associates’ program guide features a variety of educational and cultural programs, including seminars, lectures, studio arts classes, performances for adults and children and local and regional study tours. Highlights this month include:

O Brothers: How Mark and Jay Duplass Conquered Hollywood

Thursday, May 10; 6:45 p.m.

Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center

Mark and Jay Duplass are writers, directors, producers and actors who have turned collaboration into a family affair. They made their moviemaking debut with a breakthrough short they produced on a $3 budget. Their next feature film provoked a distribution-rights bidding war at the Sundance Festival. They will describe their remarkable journey from the suburbs of New Orleans to success in Hollywood.

The Truth About Exercise: Separating Myths from Realities

Thursday, May 10; 6:45 p.m.

Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

John Whyte, a board-certified internist and author of several books on health, offers the latest information and recommendations people need to know about what exercises they should—and should not—be doing. Using a combination of physiology and engineering (and some humor along the way), he shares the seven exercises people need to do to live longer, and the seven they need to stop before they cause harm.

What Is It About This Is Us?

Wednesday, May 30; 6:45 p.m.

Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center

This Is Us is a TV show about a complex, relatable family that has been more than holding its own in an entertainment landscape overflowing with content choices. Stef Woods, a lecturer at American University’s American Studies Program, will explore how a show devoid of flashy characters and outlandish storylines—and that makes viewers cry sometimes—has become something of a cultural phenomenon.

Designing the World of Hamilton

Thursday, May 31; 6:45 p.m.

Smithsonian’s National Zoo Theater

David Korins’ name may not be on the marquee, but his role in Hamilton is a major—and highly visible—one.

Korins, the production designer for the show that has become a cultural phenomenon, discusses the meticulous research, collaboration and sheer hard work that went into creating and building every detail of the setting against which the musical plays out in a conversation with Peter Marks, chief theater critic for the Washington Post.

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SI-295-2018