The first thing you notice is a bearded man with “Hug Life” tattooed across his beer gut, standing on a homemade raft. This image, and numerous other examples of alternative living, are the focus of two summer exhibits at 516 ARTS: Across the Great Divide, a collection of photographs by Roberta Price, and Worlds Outside This One, featuring more than a dozen contributors. Across the Great Divide documents life in Southwestern communes―small, rural communities based around collective land ownership. Worlds Outside This One shows environmentally friendly and often portable methods of housing from around the world.

Confession: I’ve never read a David Sedaris book. But a lot of people love the guy, and so the good folks down at The Cell Theatre (700 First Street NW) are putting on The Santaland Diaries, based on the writings of Sedaris. The play documents the wacky, true adventures of Crumpet the Elf, the character Sedaris played while working at a Christmas display inside Macy’s, apparently a menial job he held before becoming a pre-eminent humor writer. Sometimes I’m glad I was just an alcoholic before becoming a professional writer. The production runs Dec. 2 through 19, Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday shows at 2 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $20, $15 for students and seniors. The 2 p.m. show on Dec. 5 is pay-what-you-wish.