NOON at the NATIONAL - The National Theatre of Washington DC

The National Theatre is a 501.c.3.not-for-profit organization

175th Anniversary Campaign
NOON at the National
FREE - Thursday - May 20 - at NOON

For latest information
on events at the National

The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004

ONE LUCKY ATTENDEE WILL WIN A FREE AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE BOOK.
ANOTHER WILL WIN TWO TICKETS TO FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, OR SOME OTHER FUTURE MAINSTAGE SHOW OF THEIR CHOICE AT THE NATIONAL THEATRE.

Admission is FREE. Seating is limited. Tickets are required, and are distributed one half-hour prior to the program, on a first-come-first-served policy. One ticket only to each person in line. Information available at 202-783-3372.

MEET THE AUTHORS: JUDITH MARTIN AND JACOBINA MARTIN
MISS MANNERS' GUIDE TO A SURPRISINGLY DIGNIFIED WEDDING

Does today’s time-consuming, money-draining American wedding deliver the memorable happiness—not to mention the perfection—it promises? Miss Manners and her newlywed daughter dare to point out that what passes now for a “traditional” and “personal” wedding makes fraudulent claims to correctness that produce anxiety, strife, and debt for bridal couples, their families, and their guests. Its notion of etiquette is ludicrous, with its tricks for “the proper way” to dun money from guests. Its sense of ritual is hopelessly outdated, excluding single mothers from giving away the daughters they reared alone and opposite-gender friends from being bridesmaids or groomsmen. And its basic attitude of “it’s their day and they can do whatever they want” is mean-spirited and infantile, killing what should be the generous, happy, and inclusive spirit of the occasion.

Weddings do not have to be that way. The authentic Manners team has culled the frustrations and complaints of thousands of Gentle Readers to explain how to resist pernicious lures and fantasies in order to have a wedding that is genuinely joyful and dignified.Miss Manners, aka Judith Martin, and her newlywed daughter and co-author, Jacobina Martin, tell brides and their cortège what advice to ignore, what “traditions” to skip, and how to achieve the rare, tasteful wedding. They have addressed marital matters from same-sex marriages and melded families to reply cards and bachelorette parties. “What is the proper way to request cash in lieu of gifts?” Sit on the floor with a hat turned upside down beside you. “What about a cash bar at the reception?” Better to serve punch than charge guests for drinks.

“How do we prevent close friends from bringing their pet monkey?” The line for excluding children should do the trick: ‘We are so sorry not to include your darling monkey, but we feel we just can’t make an exception because other people might want to bring theirs, who might not behave as well. In these lean times, when the average American wedding costs $30,000, just under the average yearly income,

Miss Manners rails against the idea that etiquette requires extravagance. Judith and Jacobina Martin navigate the world of wedding planners, couples’ Web sites, and pre-printed thank-you notes with respectful hilarity, helping their “gentle readers” so that they won’t be fooled by ostentation masquerading as proper etiquette.

THE AUTHORS

Judith Martin, aka Miss Manners, has been married to Robert Martin for fifty years.

Jacobina Martin, their perfect daughter, teaches improvisational comedy at Chicago’s Second City and just married Ronald Kroll.

Both had impeccable weddings.

THE SERIES
This salon-style series explores our heritage, culture and current events with an author reading and discussing a new book in the intimate and elegant Helen Hayes Gallery of the historic National Theatre. The comfortable setting provides an ideal forum for the public to engage in lively conversation with an author -- and perhaps acquire a book personally inscribed by its author -- all at midday, on a weekday, at a convenient downtown location.

The program is supported by contributions from members of The National Theatre Circle.
175th Anniversary Campaign: Click here for information.