FRIDAY, NOV. 17 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Professor Emeritus Didier de Fontaine on “Cosmology.” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. 526-2925.  

“The State Vs. Reed” A documentary on a death row inmate’s case, followed by discussion at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship, 1924 Cedar at Bonita. Donations requested. 528-5403.  

“Mission Against Terror” A documentary about five Cuban men in prison in the U.S. at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., between Broadway and Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. www.HumanistHall.net 

Movies that Matter “The Secret” at 6:30 p.m. at Neumayer Residence, 565 Bellevue St. at Perkins, Oakland. 451-3009. http://joyfulharmony.org 

Share Berkeley History The Berkeley Historical Society is looking for photographs, stories and other memorabilia of Berkeley history. Drop by the North Berkeley Senior Center from 1 to 3 p.m. with your stories and photographs so that Berkeley Historical Society embers can archive them. 848-0181. 

Panel Discussion on Adoption with authors Micky Duxbury and Susan Ito at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

“Go to Your Library and Make Art” A craft program for children in grades 4-12 at 3 p.m. at the Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. http://ccclib.org  

SATURDAY, NOV. 18 

Finalists for the Position of Library Director will give presentations from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Story Room, 4th floor, Central Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. at Shattuck. 981-6195.  

Dig In To Fall Planting Season Volunteers need to help with the ongoing restoration of West Stede Marsh from 9 a.m. to noon at The Watershed Project, 1327 South 46th St., Richmond. To register call 665-3689. www.thewatershedproject.org 

Conference on Racism and Katrina from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Connie Barbour Room (not wheelchair accessible) at 1606 Bonita, enter through education building. 

Chiapas Caravan Sendoff A potluck dinner and update on Mexico and Oaxaca at 6:30 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar St. at Bonita. Donation $5-$20. 415-924-3227. 

Solo Sierrans Sunset Walk in Emeryville Meet at 3:30 p.m. behind Chevy’s Restaurant small parking lot for an hour’s walk through the Marina. Paved trail, wheelchair accessible. Rain cancels. 234-8949. 

Origami Ornaments at 10:30 a.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll learn about the water cycle, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Kid’s Garden Club for ages 7-12 to explore the world of gardening, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8, registration required. 636-1684. 

“No Safe Haven” with Leena Khandwala, Appellate Advocacy Fellow with the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies on the exploitation of women and girls, at 2 p.m. in the basement auditorium at Berkeley City College. 

Music Business Seminar from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Oakland. Cost is $30-$65. Sponsored by California Lawyers for the Arts. 415-775-7200, ext. 107. 

“Video Games Review” with Gen Katz of games4girls, and Lou Katz of Family Media Literacy, at 1:30 p.m. at the Oakland Public Library, Rockridge Branch, 5366 College Ave., Oakland. Sponsored by American Assn. of University Women. 

“Positively No Filipinos Allowed” Building communities and discourse, a panel discussion with Antonio Tiongson, Rick Bonus and Dylan Rodriguez at 2 p.m. at Heller Lounge, 2nd flr., Student Union building, UC Campus. 548-2350. 

Arts and Crafts Faire, with activities for children, from 9 to 5 p.m. at Cottage in the Woods Preschool, 3917 Lyman Rd., Oakland. 531-3121. 

California Writers Club meets to discuss Writers’ Dilemmas: Markets, Mania and Melancholy at 10 a.m. at Barnes & Noble, Jack London Square. 272-0120. 

Friends of the Albany Library Book Sale begins at 9 a.m. in the Edith Stone Room of the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. For more information or to volunteer to help call 526-3720, ext. 5. 

ProArts Benefit Auction “Box Art” at 6 p.m. at 550 Second St., Oakland. 763-9425. 

Kol Hadash Non-Theistic Thanksgiving Shabbat at 10 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. Please bring finger dessert to share, and non-perishable food for the needy. 428-1492. 

SUNDAY, NOV. 19 

Turkey Tales Meet Tilden’s tom turkey and learn all about him at 10 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Open Garden at the Little Farm Join the gardener for composting, planting, watering and harvesting at 2 p.m. at the Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Rain cancels. 525-2233. 

Clouds and You Join us on a short hike to learn about cloud names and cloud families. Meet at 3 p.m. at the Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Community Labyrinth Peace Walk at 3 p.m. at Willard Middle School, Telegraph Ave. between Derby & Stuart. Everyone welcome. Wheelchair accessible. Rain cancels. 526-7377.  

Candlelight Vigil for community members at the School of the Americas Watch protest of torture at 5 p.m. at on the steps of St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. 845-4740. 

“Learn How To Build A Living Roof Garden” Learn how to convert a flat roof into a planted garden with Steph Lind. This is a hands-on workshop, converting the Ecohouse tool shed roof into a living garden and add a duck pond and planted drainage swale. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Berkeley Eco-House, 1305 Hopkins St. Cost is $15 sliding scale, no one turned away. 548-2220 ext. 242.  

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour “UC in 1931: An Era of Change” led by Steve Finacom at 10 a.m. Cost is $8-$10. To register and learn meeting place call 848-0181.  

Mayan Weaving with Celia Santiz Ruiz Learn about her experience as a weaver and a member of the Jolom Mayaetik weavers’ fair trade cooperative at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Live Oak Park. 644-6893. 

Play Reading Group meets to read Tom Stoppard’s “Travesties” at 2 p.m. in the community room of 1471 Addison St., corner of Sacramento, rear of the 1473 building. Donation $5. 655-7962. 

Yiddish Films “Letter to Mother” at 3 p.m. at the JCC, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

Tibetan Buddhism with Lama Palzang and Pema Gellek on “Cultivating the Mind of Compassion” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812.  

MONDAY, NOV. 20 

Red Cross Blood Drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kaiser Permanente Dining Conference Room, 1950 Franklin St. To schedule an appointment, call Rachelle at 625-6188. 

CodePINK Monthly Eat and Greet at 6 p.m. at 1248 Solano Ave. Donation $20. 524-2776.  

First Person Superhero A memoir writing workshop at 7 p.m. at Epic Arts Studio, 1923 Ashby Ave. Registration required. 266-2069. 

TUESDAY, NOV. 21 

Tuesday is for the Birds An early morning walk for birders through Martin Luther King-Arrowhead Marsh. Bring water, sunscreen, binoculars and a snack. For meeting location or to borrow binoculars, call 525-2233.  

Tilden Explorers An after-school nature adventure program for 5-7 year olds, at 3:15 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Berkeley Garden Club with Ann Leyhe of Mrs. Dalloways Bookstore speaking on “Great Garden Books and Resources” at 2 p.m. at Epworth Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St. 845-4482. 

“Winessing Palestine” a report back by Katie Mirand and Jonas Moffat on their work with the Tel Rumeida Circus for Detained Palestinians at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowhip Hall, 1924 Cedar St. 415-503-7630. 

“Natural Solutions to Eliminate Pain” with Dr. Jay Sordean, LAc at 1:15 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5190. 

Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 6 p.m. in the East & West Pauley Ballrooms, MLK Student Union, UC Campus. To schedule an appointment go to www.BeADonor.com (code: UCB) 

Family Storytime at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. 215-7672, 524-9992. 

Discussion Salon on End of Life Compassion at 7 p.m. at JCC, 1414 Walnut.  

Handbuilding Ceramics Class from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. John’s Senior Center, 2727 College Ave. Free, except for materials and firing charges. For information call 525-5497. 

Albany Library Homework Center is open from 3 to 5 p.m., Tues. and Thurs. for students in third through fifth grades. Emphasis is placed on math and writing skills. No registration is required. 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720 ext 17. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your digital images, slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 22  

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes and a warm hat. Heavy rain cancels. 548-9840. 

Music in the Community Fundraiser from 6 to 10 p.m. at Kimball’s Carnival, 522 Second St., Oakland. Tickets are $5-$15. 444-6979. 

Myers-Briggs for Mothers A workshop to understand your child’s temperment, at 7 p.m. at Epic Arts Studio, 1923 Ashby Ave. Registration required. 266-2069. 

Fresh Produce Stand at San Pablo Park from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the Frances Albrier Community Center. Sponsored by the Ecology Center’s Farm Fresh Choice. 848-1704. www.ecologycenter.org 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www. 

geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, NOV. 23 

Annual Food Not Bombs Dinner from 2 to 5 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Free. Please bring a vegetarian dish and a thank you to share. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

ONGOING 

All Net Youth Basketball for ages 9-11 begins Nov. 21 at Berkeley Youth Alternatives, 1255 Allston Way. For information call 845-9066. 

UN Association’s UNICEF & Fair Trade Gift Center Closing Sale, Tues.-Sat. noon to 5 p.m. to Dec. 16, 1403 Addison St., 849-1752. 

Holiday Food Drive Sponsor a Food Drive at your business, school, place of worship or community center. Help the Food Bank reach its goal of collecting 700,000 pounds of nutritious, non-perishable food for families in need during the holiday season. 635-3663, ext. 318. www.accfb.org  

CITY MEETINGS 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon. Nov. 20, Nov. 27, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. 

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil/agenda-committee 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Mon. Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Pam Wyche, 644-6128 ext. 113.  

FRIDAY, NOV. 17 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “Hedda Gabler” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. through Nov. 18 at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. at Berryman. Tickets are $12. 525-1620. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Aurora Theatre “Ice Glen” Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St., through Dec. 10. Tickets are $38. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

Azeem’s “Rude Boy” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at The Marsh, 2120 Allston Way, through Nov. 25. Tickets are $15-$22. 415-826-5750. www.themarsh.org 

Berkeley Rep “Passing Strange” at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. through Dec. 3. Tickets are $45-$61. 645-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Central Works “Andromache” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. through Nov. 19. Tickets are $9-$25. 558-1382. 

Contra Costa Civic Theater, “And Then There Were None” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. Sun. at 2 p.m. at 951 Pomona Ave., at Moeser, El Cerrito, through Dec. 9. Tickets are $11-$18. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Impact Theater “Jukebox Stories” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave., through Dec. 10. Tickets are $10-$15. 464-4468. www.impacttheatre.com 

Masquers Playhouse “Company” by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2:30 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond, through Dec. 16. Tickets are $18. 232-4031. www.masquers.org  

TheatreFirst “Criminal Genius” Thurs.-Fri. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. at Old Oakland Theatre, 481 Ninth St., at Broadway, Oakland, through Nov. 19. Tickets are $19-$25. 436-5085. www.theatrefirst.com 

UC Dept. of Theater “Suburban Motel” six plays by George Walker at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus, through Nov. 19. Tickets are $8-$14. For schedule see http://theater.berkeley.edu 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Living Dreams in a Dying Village” A documentary exhibit about children affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in central China. Receptions at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. at Berkeley High School, Building C, 2nd Flr. 486-1221. 

FILM 

“Dog Day Afternoon” Shot-by shot analysis with screenwriter Frank Pierson at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Poeta del Guaran” at 6:30 p.m. and “La Sagrada Familia” at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $6-$8 for each film. 849-2568.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Panel Discussion on Adoption with authors Micky Duxbury, and Susan Ito at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

University Chorus performs “Elijah” by Mendelssohn at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $4-$12. 642-9988. http://music.berkeley.edu 

San Francisco City Chorus performs Mendelssohn’s St. Paul Oratorio at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $15-$20. 415-701-SONG. www.sfcitychorus.org 

The Jack Gates Trio, jazz, Brazilian and popular music at 7:30 p.m. at A Cheerfull Noyse, 1228 Solano Ave., Albany. Donations accepted. 524-0411. 

V Neck, Ross Hammond on guitar and Tom Monson on drums, at 8 p.m. at 1510 8th St., Oakland. Donation $5-$15. sfjazzmusic@yahoo.com 

Lua Hadar & Her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Reggae Angels at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

John Gorka, songcrafter, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Bill Bell Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

The Freys at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Everest, The Parties, Praba & the Substitutes at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Jason Webley, Jherek & Alex Sprouts, The Pastries, Shakey Bones at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

Ashkon, hip hop, urban at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5. 548-1159.  

Beatropolis at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Partyline, Dinky Bits at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100.  

Hubert Laws at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $14-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, NOV. 18 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Orange Sherbert at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Asheba, calypso music and stroytelling, at 11 a.m. at Studio Grow, 1235 10th St. at Gilman Cost is $6, children under 1 free. 526-9888.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“Harvest Works” Karl Reichley’s paintings and sculptures. Reception at 6 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Exhibit runs to Nov. 30. 848-1228. 

“Miniatures, Works of Limited Size” opens with a reception at 7 p.m. at Fourth Street Studios, 1717D Fourth St., and runs through Dec. 24. 527-0600. 

FILM 

“Cool Hand Luke” with screenwriter Frank Pierson in person at 6:30 p.m. and “Cat Ballou” at 9:15 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Lee Tanner on “Masters of Jazz Photography” at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Flauti Diversi “Classical Rhapsody” Quartets by CPE Bach and Mozart, at 8 p.m. at Music Sources, 1000 The Alameda, at Marin. Reservations recommended. Tickets are $15-$18. 527-9840. 

Chora Nova “Treasures of Michale Haydn” at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, Dana and Durant. Tickets are $15-$20. www.choranova.org 

Trinity Chamber Concerts Music of Aaron Blumenfeld with Pamela Hicks, soprano and John D. Frederick, baritone, at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $8-$12. 549-3864. www.trinitychamberconcerts.com 

Berkeley Broadway Singers “Music from the Movies” at 8 p.m. at St. Ambrose Church, 1145 Gilman St. 604-5732. www.berkeleybroadwaysingers.org 

San Francisco Taiko Dojo at 7 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$46. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

“The Music Party” Song, dance and poetry at 7 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. Cost is $15-$20. 525-0302. 

Works in the Works Dance performance by St. Mary’s College Dance Company, Davalos Dance Company at 7:30 p.m. at Eighth Street Studio, 2424 Eighth St. Tickets are $10 at the door. 527-5115. 

Kirtan: Jagadambe at 8 p.m. at Studio Rasa, 933 Parker St. Cost is $16-$18. 843-2787. 

Linda Tillery & The Cultural Heritage Choir at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Robin Gregory & Her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Haitian Vertieres Day Celebration with Kalbasskreyol and Rasine Bambou at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Kompa dance lesson at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $12-15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Crooked Roads and Zac Cahn at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

John Gorka, songcrafter, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Maya Kronfeld Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Kurt Ribak at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Mark Lemaire with Elaine Kreston at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7-$10. 558-0881. 

Matthew Hansen Band, The Trenchermen, The Inversions at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. All ages show. Cost is $5. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

The Living Remix at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

Sarah Manning Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Babyland, Replicator at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, NOV. 19 

EXHIBITIONS 

The Photography of Matt Heron Artist talk by the civil rights photojournalist on his work covering the struggle for voting rights in the South, at 2 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room, Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6100. 

Berkeley Arts Center Annual Members’ Showcase opens at 1275 Walnut St. in Live Oak Park, and runs through Dec. 21. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

“Wild About Birds” mixed media paintings Rita Sklar. Reception at 4 p.m. in the Foyer Gallery of the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany. Exhibition runs to Feb. 16. 524-9283. www.ritasklar.com 

Semina Culture: Wallace Berman and His Circle Guided tour at 2 p.m. in Gallery 2, Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

THEATER 

Wilde Irish Productions “Beckett Centennial Celebration” with staged readings of his work at 2 p.m. at Berkeley City Club Library, 2315 Durant Ave. Free, but reservations suggested. 644-9940. www.wildeirish.org 

FILM 

Yiddish Films “Letter to Mother” at 3 p.m. at the JCC, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

“King of Gypsies” with director Frank Pierson in person at 5:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Riches, Rivals and Radicals: 100 Years of Museums in America” A talk and film screening with Marjorie Schwarzer at 2 p.m. at the Magnes Museum, 2911 Russell St. Cost is $6-$8. 549-6950. 

Poetry Flash presents a reading for 26 Magazine with Kit Robinson, Sarah Rosenthal and Todd Melicker at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

St. Mark’s Choir Association, Music of Arvo Part: Berliner Messe, at 10 a.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. 845-0888. 

Prometheus Symphony Orchestra at 3 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 116 Montecito, Oakland. Admission free, donations requested. www.prometheussymphony.org  

Contra Costa Chorale and Octangle Wind Octet at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, One Lawson Rd., Kensington. Tickets are $12.50-$15. 527-2026. 

“The Bringer of Light” Early Scandinavian Yuletide Music and Nordic Folk Music at 7:30 p.m. at Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. Tickets at the door are $12-$15. 486-2803. 

“Jazz at the Chimes” with vocalist Kenny Washington at 2 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $10, children under 12 free. 228-3218.  

Paul Arnoldi, folk and western, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Feminina & Cerro Negro/Brasil at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

“Thangs Taken” Rethinking Thanksgiving, A People’s Holiday event with poetry, music, visual art and hip hop at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Works in the Works Dance performance by St. Mary’s College Dance Company, Davalos Dance Company at 7:30 p.m. at Eighth Street Studio, 2424 Eighth St. Tickets are $10 at the door. 527-5115. 

New Life Band, African drum beats, at 7:30 p.m. with community potluck at 5 p.m. at Lutheran Church of the Cross, 1744 University Ave. 848-1424. 

Gabriela Frank, music of the Americas, at 4:30 at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Flamenco Open Stage at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Montara Mountain Boys at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Demonstrations, The Slits, Tussle at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $15. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

MONDAY, NOV. 20 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Journeys East: Patterns of Collecting” Art and artifacts from North Africa, India and the former Ottoman Empire on display at the Judah L. Magnes Museum, 2911 Russell St., through May 7, 2007. 549-6950. www.magnes.org 

“Through the Eye of the Needle: Fabric Art of Esther Nisenthal Krinitz” opens at the Judah L. Magnes Museum, 2911 Russell St., through Feb. 11, 2007. 549-6950. www.magnes.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

PlayGround Six emerging playwrights debut new works at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Repertory Theater, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $18. 415-704-3177. www.PlayGround-sf.org 

Thomas Pynchon’s “Against the Day” Countdown to the release from 9:30 p.m. to midnight at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Poetry Express with Lucy Lang Day and Chas from Los Angeles at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Contemporary Chamber Players at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $4-$12. 642-9988. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley Broadway Singers “Music from the Movies” at 4 p.m. at St. Augustine’s Church, 400 Alcatraz Ave. 604-5732. www.berkeleybroadwaysingers.org 

Blue Monday Blues Jam at 7:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

Khalil Shaheed, all ages jam, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Ben Goldberg Group at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $6-$10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com  

TUESDAY, NOV. 21 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Basil De Pinto and Kevin Kelly will read selections from the works of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish and Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai at 7:30 p.m. at the Gibson Center, Corpus Christi Church, 322 St. James Dr. at Park Blvd., Piedmont. 530-4343. 

Freight and Salvage Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $4.50-$5.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Motordude Zydeco, Gerard Landry & the Lariats and Andrew Carriere & the Cajun All Stars in a benefit for RC Carrier at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10-$20 sliding scale. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Ellen Hoffman and Singers’ Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

PhilipsMarine Duo at 7:30 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Head Royce School Jazz Bands at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$20. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Jazzschool Tuesdays, a weekly showcase of up-and-coming ensembles from Berkeley Jazzschool at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 22 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Valerie Troutt & Ya Jazz Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $TBA. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Bio-Bluegrass with Three Mile Grade and Barefoot Nellies in a benefit for the Sierra Club at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15-$25. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Orquestra La Verdad at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Salsa lessons at 8 p.m. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Blue & Tan, with bassist Vicky Grossi at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Tracy Grammer, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jacqui Naylor at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$14. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, NOV. 23 

THANKSGIVING

PHOTOGRAPHING THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT 

Civil rights photojournalist Matt Heron will discuss his work covering the struggle for voting rights in the South at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Community Meeting Room of the Berkeley Public Library at 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6100. 

100 YEARS OF  

SAMUEL BECKETT  

Wilde Irish Productions will host the Beckett Centennial Celebration, an afternoon of staged readings from the writer’s works at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Berkeley City Club Library, 2315 Durant Ave. Admission is free, but reservations are strongly suggested. 644-9940. www.wildeirish.org. 

CLOSELY WATCHED FILMS AT PFA 

Screenwriter Frank Pierson will lead a shot-by-shot analysis and discussion of Dog Day Afternoon (Sidyney Lumiere, 1975) at 7 p.m. Friday at Pacific Film Archive. The discussion is part of PFA’s “Closely Watched Films” series in which Pierson will discuss several of his works, including Cool Hand Luke (Stuart Rosenberg, 1967) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Cat Ballou (Elliot Silverstein, 1965) at 9:15 p.m. Saturday, and The King of the Gypsies (1978), which Pierson directed himself, at 5:30 p.m. Sunday. 2575 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

NEEDLEPOINT ARTWORK AT MAGNES MUSEUM 

“Through the Eye of the Needle: Fabric Art of Esther Nisenthal Krinitz” opens Monday and runs through Feb. 11 at the Judah L. Magnes Museum at 2911 Russell St.549-6950. www.magnes.org.

The San Francisco Symphony is taking a lighter turn for the Thanksgiving holiday, presenting guest conductor David Robertson leading the orchestra in a performance of Charlie Chaplin’s score to his 1931 film City Lights.  

Robertson has a reputation for eclecticism, bringing a diverse range of interests to his position as conductor of the St. Louis Symphony. His talent and varied interests have been credited for the revitalization of the orchestra after a troubled few years that featured a brush with bankruptcy and dissolution, the untimely death of conductor Hans Von and a labor dispute that resulted in a work stoppage in 2005.  

Robertson, a relatively young conductor at the age 47, is proving to be something of a hot commodity, a much sought-after guest conductor who has brought his expansive repertoire—from the great international masters to the lowly slapstick comedians of early Hollywood—to a series of concerts around the country. 

Charlie Chaplin is not often thought of as a music man, but Robertson has long been a champion of the comedian’s musical talents, conducting the St. Louis Symphony in presentations of several of Chaplin’s scores, including The Idle Class, City Lights and The Kid. As in the case of the San Francisco concerts, the scores are usually performed as accompaniment to the films themselves. In St. Louis, they’ve even sold popcorn in the lobby.  

Chaplin’s City Lights is perhaps his best feature film, with one of the most moving and poignant closing shots ever filmed. But what gets lost in the haze of hagiography is that City Lights was a daring and controversial project. The movies had begun to talk, quickly banishing the silent filmmakers to the ash heap of cultural irrelevance. Many filmmakers made the shift to sound willingly, eager to explore the possibilities of what was essentially a new art form. Others, like Chaplin, went begrudgingly. 

But his was a unique case. As an independent producer, he had no studio bosses to force the change upon him. And as one of the most successful and beloved of screen icons, he had the clout and the means to stand his ground and produce whatever sort of picture he wanted. So he opted to remain silent.  

This was not simply a case of stubbornness however, nor of vanity, though Chaplin possessed no shortage of either. Rather, this was a case of retaining the integrity of the character he had nurtured for more than 15 years, the beloved Tramp who had made him famous the world over. For the Tramp was an inherently silent character, and one that had international appeal; to give him a voice—and, perhaps most damaging, a particular language—would limit his archetypal quality.  

“A good silent picture had universal appeal both to the intellectual and the rank and file,” Chaplin wrote in his autobiography. “Now it was all to be lost.” 

So Chaplin set out to prove that silence was an art form rather than an outdated commodity, and he succeeded beyond all expectations. But still there is more to the story, more to the range and depth of Chaplin’s accomplishment. The advent of sound meant that for the first time Chaplin could have absolute control over the scoring of his film. In the silent era, films were often sent to theaters along with complete scores, or at least cue sheets so that each theater’s house musicians could accompany the film with appropriate music. Chaplin had always been involved in compiling these cue sheets, but the nature of the operation limited his influence. The new technology allowed Chaplin to compose his own score and oversee its recording, thus filling the only remaining gap in his auteurist resume. 

The music, however, may not be quite what you’d expect from silent comedy. It has none of the clichéd bumps and whistles that pedestrian musicians so often use to accompany visual comedy. Again from Chaplin’s autobiography: 

I tried to compose elegant and romantic music to frame my comedies in contrast to the tramp character, for elegant music gave my comedies an emotional dimension. Musical arrangers rarely understood this. They wanted the music to be funny. But I would explain that I wanted no competition, I wanted the music to be a counterpoint of grace and charm, to express sentiment, without which, as Hazlitt says, a work of art is incomplete. 

Chaplin scored all of his future films as well, and even went back and composed and recorded scores for many of his earlier films. And, as per his estate, the films must be screened with those scores. Thus modern audiences who wish to see Chaplin on the big screen are often cheated of one of the essential pleasures of silent film: live musical accompaniment.  

David Robertson and the San Francisco Symphony however are correcting that flaw and providing just such an opportunity. 

CITY LIGHTS 

Guest conductor David Robertson will lead the San Francisco Symphony in a performance of Charlie Chaplin’s score for his 1931 classic City Lights at 8 p.m. Nov. 22, 24 and 25. The performance will accompany a screening of the film. The concert will be preceded by an onstage conversation between Robertson and San Francisco Silent Film Festival Artistic Director Stephen Salmons at 7 p.m. Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave., 

San Francisco. (415) 864-6000. 

www.sfsymphony.org.

In Ice Glen, Joan Ackerman’s play in its West Coast premiere at Aurora Theatre, the eccentric inhabitants of a country estate in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, circa 1919, are disturbed in the pursuit of their various autumnal tasks by the unannounced visit of a Boston editor, seeking to publish the poems of one of the denizens—who doesn’t want her poems published, or even memorized, by a stranger. 

Anyone familiar with today’s poetry scene might be jolted by this unlikely response, but the bucolic housemates take it in stride, more unsettled by the surprise visit and its immediate consequences. Meanwhile, the poet brusquely turns away from welcoming the visitor and returns to her seclusion in nature, where she’s already been mauled (or at least jostled) by a bear, whose unseen presence haunts the play, a spirit of place, or maybe a simile for another unseen presence: the ursine and profligate late master of the domain. 

The insistent editor stays over, at the pressing invitation of the late master’s young widow, visiting the sites—the Ice Glen of the title, for instance—he would like to help the poet immortalize, treating the poet herself as some kind of monument. But an impulsive response to his hostess’s welcoming confidences, followed by departure and silence, muddies the waters, implying a triangle to the others, overlaying another, older triangle. 

Ackermann has a talent for repetition that develops into inference, and an ability to offhandedly disclose the backstory in her glib dialogue. The fine cast, with Barbara Oliver’s direction, is more than a match for the virtues in the dialogue and whatever’s intriguing in the situation, with fine performances by Lauren Grace as the widow, girlish Dulce who endeavors to act the proper lady, and Julian Lopez-Morillas as taciturn manservant Grayson, whose repeated questionings of the editor as to why he wants to publish the poems gradually reveals less incredulity than intuition as to motive. 

These two are by far the most interesting characters. Jessica Powell has a field day with housekeeper Mrs. Roswell, that sanguine fount of gloom, soliloquizing (when she isn’t gossiping) over the sad onset of winter; Marvin C. Greene represents insoucient editor Peter Woodburn very well as he shifts his gears, rediscovering himself under the professional glaze. But these are types—rustic comedienne and repressed city slicker—as are the other two roles, even more so: Zehra Berkman as self-occulting nature poet Sarah Harding and Douglas B. Giorgis as inquisitive but “slow” orphan Denby both get the most out of parts that are limited in conception, stereotypes that are sometimes overly decorated with colorful language—their own, or the epithets of others. 

There’s local color tipped in—Greylock, the peak that figures in Melville’s Piazza Tales—and a fair amount of period name-dropping: Edith Wharton has sent Sara’s poems to Woodburn at the Atlantic Monthly, unbeknownst to the poet. And Woodburn tries to gain Sara’s confidence, or impress her, by offering to get Wallace Stevens or T. S. Eliot to read her poems—not too enticing an offer in 1919, when Stevens’ Harmonium hadn’t yet come out, and Eliot had only a very few poems out in little magazines. A fashionable editor might have mentioned Amy Lowell to a talented, eccentric young woman writer. 

Ice Glen brings up issues of art, communication, loss and sociality, as well as that old chestnut of city-versus-country. But it treats its novelistic themes in a precious and tidy way, despite a few leading ideas, much like Masterpiece Theatre or Hallmark Hall of Fame would, adapting books by second-rate imitators of Wharton or Henry James, sentimentalizing the great authors’ concerns with the dearth or control of communication in a provincial society. 

The fine efforts of director, cast and designers (John Iacovelli’s set and Anna Oliver’s costumes especially) help skirt kitsch, but the overriding sense is of a feel-good reversal of another trip by a Boston editor, years before, to visit a recluse, whose poems he felt were too unusual for print. That editor found Emily Dickinson unbearably intense as a person as well as poet. Such is the tragedy of art in America in its ongoing phases. In Ice Glen, the poetry is finally just another pretext for therapy, self-expression and, one way or another, recognition. 

ICE GLEN 

8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays and at 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 10. $38. Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org.

Steve Anderson’s new documentary Fuck takes a thorough look at the most multi-faceted of expletives—at its murky, myth-laden origins, its many conjugations, its cathartic, emotive power as well as its power to offend.  

While the film contains clips from controversial performances by comedians Lenny Bruce and George Carlin, as well as animations by Bill Plympton and excerpts from dozens of Hollywood films, it is essentially a talking-head documentary, a string of interviews examining the word from all sides. 

But what a collection of talking heads. From sociologists and linguists to comedians and porn stars, Fuck runs the gamut, for who can’t claim some level of expertise with the word and at least one of its myriad meanings? It’s one of the most democratic words in the English language. Television writer/producer Steven Bochco relates tales of clashes with censors over “NYPD Blue”; 1950s wholesome heartthrob Pat Boone shares his G-rated alternative expletive (“Boone!”), while Ice T consequently ridicules it; moralists like Judith “Miss Manners” Martin and radio talk show hosts Alan Keyes and Dennis Prager rail against the prevalence of the word in popular culture, while Bill Maher decries the hypocrisy of the Christian right as he and other comedians and performers defend their right to use it; and Hunter S. Thompson … well, I’m not sure what the hell Thompson was mumbling about between swigs of whiskey and the compulsive adjusting of his transparent blue “Las Vegas” visor, but I’m sure it was fascinating.  

The movie is fun but ultimately it has little insight. Indeed there is more to learn about profanity, self-expression, censorship and the First Amendment by spending more time with the performances the film excerpts, namely those of Lenny Bruce and George Carlin. Bruce of course is the iconic image most associated with topic, having been arrested onstage nine times for his use of profanity and convicted twice, events which hastened the downward spiral which resulted in his death by drug overdose. If you want a better, more moving and insightful glimpse into the topic, check out Bruce’s recordings, or perhaps Dustin Hoffman’s performance as Bruce in Lenny and you’ll get a more compelling portrait of the power of language.  

Or try one of Carlin’s performances, either on video or on one of his old records. Occupation: Foole, his 1973 album, is excerpted in the documentary and it’s a good place to start, for not only do you get Carlin’s riff on the seven infamous words, you also get his comedic take specifically on the word fuck—its drama, its passion and its hurtfulness.  

Fuck provides an interesting and entertaining overview of the word but ultimately the film is far less insightful than its director probably hoped it to be. 

FUCK 

Directed by Steve Anderson. 93 minutes.  

Not rated. Playing at Shattuck Cinemas. 

Image: An array of experts weigh in: Musician Evan Seinfeld and adult film star Tera Patrick, singer Pat Boone, rapper Chuck D, newsman Sam Donaldson, radio talk show host Dennis Prager, late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, comedian Bill Maher, comedian Drew Carey and talk show host and political candidate Alan Keyes.