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Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse’s schedule for the next five months includes a stand-up comedian who has sold out Madison Square Garden.

The movie theatre and comedy club on Columbia Pike has nationally-touring comic Chris Distefano scheduled for four mid-December shows, marking his return to a venue he played early in his career.


Around Town

A musical comedy duo featuring an Arlington native appeared on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” last week to talk about a viral music video.

Yorktown High School graduate Annie Nardolilli and Alexandria native Louisa Hall have been recording lighthearted hits under the name Griefcat since 2019. Appearing on television last Monday afternoon, they discussed their song “I Already Took Off My Bra,” which came out last year and has over 50 million views across platforms.


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Quite a few well-known comics are coming to the Arlington Drafthouse through mid-2026, including two former “Saturday Night Live” cast members and other TV stars.

Joining former SNL performers Kevin Nealon and Tim Meadows on the lineup are David Koechner (who played Todd Packer on “The Office”), “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” actress Caroline Rhea,”Last Comic Standing” winner Alonzo Bodden and other top talent.


Events

Clarendon’s newest comedy venue is in the basement of a Balkan restaurant.

Starting next Thursday, the speakeasy-style bar underneath Ambar, called BABA, will host free bi-weekly comedy shows.


Events

Comedians will again battle ChatGPT in an event at Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse on Columbia Pike tomorrow (Thursday).

Local comedian Rahmein Mostafavi will host the interactive comedy show “Comedian vs. Machine” at the theater at 2903 Columbia Pike. He will be flanked by two other comedians helping him “carry the funny” — Baltimore comic Josh Kuderna and D.C.-based comic Becca DiLuzio.


Around Town

Real comedians will go toe-to-toe with AI at Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse on Columbia Pike.

On Friday, the old-school theater will host an interactive comedy show called “Comedy GPT.” Audience members will be able to spar with comedians and see if AI is as funny as they are.


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Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse remains committed to its full slate of upcoming shows scheduled for the fall, owner Tim Clark says, but he’s it taking it week-by-week.

As Covid rates rise once again in the county and masks are back to being strongly recommended indoors no matter vaccination status, Clark acknowledges this is cause of concern for the decades-old Columbia Pike theater and venue. He says he’s already had one prominent comic push back performance dates.


News

After new movie releases came to a grinding halt due to the pandemic, the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse (2903 Columbia Pike) has pivoted to older movies, alternative events, and a greater reliance on live comedy.

“The movie industry is a big black hole right now,” owner Tim Clark said. “Studios are pushing release dates farther and farther out, and dedicating more resources to direct-to-streaming.”


Events

A month into Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse’s (2903 Columbia Pike) reopening “test drive,” the venue is moving forward with more programming, but also adapting for some of the bumps in the roads.

“We’re coming into the fourth weekend,” said owner Tim Clark. “We have kept capacity right around 25% and that seems to be working pretty well. I’m really happy with how we opened. Staff has been great in keeping things sanitized and clean, and making sure people have been adhering to policy.”


Events

Jay and Silent Bob — aka Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith — are coming to Arlington this fall to screen their new film, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.

The long-time comedic duo are set to screen the film (NSFW trailer here) at the Arlington Cinema Drafthouse (2903 Columbia Pike) on Sunday, Nov. 10, as part of a cross-country roadshow from Oct. 21-Dec. 12. Tickets ranged from $50 for general admission to $750 for a VIP meet-and-greet, but all are now sold out.


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