TUESDAY, OCT. 2 

Tuesdays for the Birds Tranquil bird walks in local parklands, led by Bethany Facendini, from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Today we will visit Tilden. Call for meeting place and if you need to borrow binoculars. 525-2233. 

“What Islam, Whose Islam? The Struggle for Women’s Rights within a Religious Framework & the Experience of Sisters in Islam” with Zainah Anwar, Executive Director, Sisters in Islam, Malaysia, at 4 p.m. in the Home Room, International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave. Co-sponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and the Center for South Asian Studies. 

“Reese Erlich Day” Benefit Dinner at 7:30 p.m. at Saigon Restaurant, 326 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza. Cost is $50 per person or $80 per couple and includes one copy of the book “The Iran Agenda” and a CD of the new “Making Contact” radio documentary. RSVP to 251-1332, ext. 105. 

“Reincarnation and Buddhism” A series of three talks with Reverend Harry Bridge, Lodi Buddhist Temple, on Oct. 2, 16, and 30 at 7 p.m. at the Jodo Shinshu Center, 2140 Durant Ave. at Fulton St. Cost is $20 for the series. 809-1460. 

Berkeley High School Governance Council meets to discuss proposed changes to the bylaws and the advisory plan, at 4:15 p.m. in the Community Theater Lobby. 644-4803. 

End the Occupation Vigil every Tues. at noon at Oakland Federal Bldg., 1301 Clay St. www.epicalc.org 

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

Community Sing-a-Long every Tues, at 2 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. 524-9122.  

Street Level Cycles Community Bike Program Come use our tools as well as receive help with performing repairs free of charge. Youth classes available. Tues., Thurs., and Sat. from 2 to 6 p.m. at at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

Tuesday Documentaries at 7 p.m. at the Gaia Arts Center, 2120 Allston Way. Donation of $5 benefits the Berkeley Food and Housing Project. 665-0305. 

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. Monthly field trips. 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, OCT. 3 

Walking Tour of Oakland City Center Meet at 10 a.m. in front Oakland City Hall at Frank Ogawa Plaza. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. 

El Sabor de Fruitvale with a farmers’ market, bilingual storytelling with puppets, face painting, free books for children and information on community services from 3 to 7 p.m. at Fruitvale Village Plaza, 3411 East 12th St., Oakland. 535-6900. www.unitycouncil.org  

“The Revolt Against Consumerism” Author and journalist Tim Holt will speak on the Hillside Movement at 6 p.m. at the North Berkeley Branch Library, 1170 The Alameda at Hopkins. 981-6250. 

“The Darwin Awards” a film comedy, at 7:30 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Cost is $5. 843-8724. 

Friends of Albany Library Membership Meeting with a celebration of the publication of “Images of America: Albany” by Karen Sorensen at 7:30 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Colloquium with Clare Cooper-Marcus on “Healing Gardens and Restorative Landscapes: The Links to Physical Health and Psychological Wholeness” at 1 p.m. at Wurster Hall, Room 315A, UC Campus. All welcome. laep.ced. 

berkeley.edu/events/colloquium 

“Responsibilities of Global Citizenship” Dinner and reception for I-House director Martin Brennan, at 5:30 p.m. at Chevron Auditorium, International House, Piedmont Ave. Cost is $15. 642-4128. 

Stagebridge Theater at the monthly birthday party at 1:15 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst. 981-5190. 

Writer Coach Connection Volunteers needed to help Berkeley students improve their writing and critical thinking skills from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. To register call 524-2319. www.writercoachconnection.org  

Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation from 10 a.m. to noon at 6230 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Registration required. 594-5165. 

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. 548-9840. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at 6:30 p.m. at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center.www.geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

Stitch ‘n Bitch at 6:30 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

THURSDAY, OCT. 4 

BOSS Graduation Formerly homeless graduates celebrate new homes, jobs and lives at 6 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Includes entertainment and dinner. 649-1930. 

El Cerrito Conversation on Climate Action, a part of the National Conversation on Climate Action, at 6 p.m. at Cerrito Theater’s It Club Too, 10070 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. www.climateconversation.org 

Stop the Proposed BP-UC Berkeley Deal! Gather at the Kroeber Fountain with signs at 11:30 a.m. for a noon rally at a biofuel conference at the Bancroft Hotel, 2680 Bancroft. stopbp-berkeley.org 

Berkeley School Volunteers Orientation from 10 to 11 a.m. at 1835 Allston Way. Come learn about volunteer opportunities. 644-8833. 

“Natural Medicine and Hormone Testing” at 6 p.m. at Pharmaca, 1744 Solano Ave. 527-8929. 

World of Plants Tours Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $5. 643-2755.  

Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters Club meets at 6:45 p.m. at Spud’s Pizza, 3290 Adeline at Alcatraz. namaste@ 

avatar.freetoasthost.info  

FRIDAY, OCT. 5 

Impeachment Banner Fridays at 6:45 to 8 a.m. on the Berkeley Pedestrian bridge between Seabreeze Market and the Berkeley Aquatic Park, ongoing on Fridays until impeachment is realized. www. Impeachbush-cheney.com 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Celeste MacLeod on “Immigration in Australia, Past and Present” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. 526-2925.  

Birding with the Golden Gate Audubon Society at Jewel Lake in Tilden Regional Park Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the parking lot at north end of Central Park Dr. for a mile-long stroll through this lush riparian area. 848-9156. philajane6@yahoo.com 

“Ghosts of Abu Ghraib” A documentary by Rory Kennedy at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. For mature audiences only. Presented by the Bay Area Religious Campaign Against Torture and the Fr. Bill O’Donnell Social Justice Committee. 499-0537. 

“The Thursday Club” A documentary about the Oakland police in the 1960s, followed by discussion with the filmmaker, George Csicsery, at 8 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2022. www.museumca.org 

3rd Annual Berkeley Juggling & Unicycling Festival Fri. from 5 to 7 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at King Middle School, 1781 Rose Ave. For details see www.berkeleyjuggling.org/festival 

“Catching the Wave: Connecting East Asia Through Soft Power” Conference on ways in which culture, product branding, export projection of national cultures, athletic events, and global NGOs serve to create a more unified (or divided) Asia. Fri. and Sat. in the Toll Room, Alumni House, UC Campus. For details see http://ieas.berkeley.edu/events/2007.10.05.html 

Berkeley Women in Black weekly vigil from noon to 1 p.m. at Bancroft and Telegraph. Our focus is human rights in Palestine. 548-6310. 

Circle Dancing, simple folk dancing with instruction at 7:30 p.m. at Finnish Brotherhood Hall, 1970 Chestnut St at University. Donation of $5 requested. 528-4253. www.circledancing.com 

SATURDAY, OCT. 6 

Berkeley Indigenous Peoples’ Day Powwow and Indian Market, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Grand Entry at noon, at Civic Center Park, on MLK Way between Center St. and Allston Way. 595-5520. 

Berkeley Historical Society Tour of the Maybeck Estates in Kensington from 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $8-$10. To register and for meeting place call 848-0181. 

Walking Tour of Old Oakland “New Era/New Politics” highlights African-American leaders who have made their mark on Oakland. Meet at 10 a.m. at the African American Museum and Library at 659 14th St. 238-3234.  

Mini-Farmers in Tilden A farm exploration program, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. for ages 4-6 years, accompanied by an adult. We will explore the Little Farm, care for animals, do crafts and farm chores. Wear boots and dress to get dirty! Fee is $6-$8. Registration required. 1-888-EBPARKS 

Swim a Mile for Women with Cancer Fundraiser for the Women’s Cancer Resource Center Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Mills College Pool, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. For information call 601-4040, ext. 180. wcrc.org 

Political Affairs Readers Group meets to discuss “High-Tech Capitalism and the Class Struggle” by John Bachtell at 10 a.m. at the Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library for Social research, 6501 Telegraph Ave. Sponsored by the CPUSA. 595-7417. 

Annual Bonsai Show and Sale Sat. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sun. from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lakeside Garden Center, 666 Bellevue, Oakland near Fairyland. lsolivenster@gmail.com 

Stagebridge Theatre Company’s Open House from 3 to 5 p.m. at Arts First Oakland, 2501 Harrison St., at 27th St., Oakland 444.4577. www.stagebridge.org 

Introduction to Stamp Collecting with the East Bay Collectors Club at 1:30 p.m. in the 3rd flr Community meeting Room, Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6143. 

Free Digital Fingerprinting for Children and activities for children Sat. from noon to 6 p.m., Sun. from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Hilltop Buick, 3230 Auto Plaza, Richmond. Records are given to parents.1-319-268-4044. 

Albany Tennis Tournament from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Memorial Park to raise money for the new Albany High School Men’s Tennis Team. All ages and levels are welcome to play in a doubles round robin format. Cost is $10-$25, sliding scale. BBQ lunch included. Advance sign up strongly suggested. 527-5775. bbguletz@sbcglobal.net 

Make a Miniature Japanese Kite at 2 p.m. in the Edith Stone Room, Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

“Destination Studies Class: Hawaii” from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Berkeley City College, 2050 Center St. Cost is $10. 981-2931. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. and Sun. at 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

SUNDAY, OCT. 7 

Beach Impeach Join 1,500 others to spell out IMPEACH on the lawn of Cesar Chavez Park, Berkeley Marina. Arrive by 11 a.m. To sign up see www.beachimpeach.org 

Autumn Meditation Walk Guided exercises including walking meditation and quiet sitting at 9:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

“The Big Game” A documentary about Berkeley’s urban tree-sit at 6:55 p.m. at the Landmark California Theater, 2133 Kittredge St. 464-5983. 

ACLU B.A.R.K.+ Chapter Annual Meeting “Govenment Surveillance 2007: Where Has Privacy Gone?” with Nicole A. Ozer, Gayle McLAughlin and BArbara Zerbe MacNab from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel, Berkeley Marina. 558-0377. 

CodePINK Newcomer Orientation & Activist Training at 10 a.m. at 1248 Solano Ave., Albany . RSVP to 524-2776. 

Friends of People’s Park meeting at 4 p.m. in the park at the stage. Topics include Park updates and work objectives. All are welcome.  

“Lose 5,000 Pounds” Cool the Earth Workshop from 2 to 6 p.m. at Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar St. at Bonita. Cost is $25. www.bfuu.org 

EcoHouse Tour of the Ecology Center’s environmentally friendly demonstration home and garden, at 10 a.m. at 1305 Hopkins St., enter via garden entrance on Peralta. Cost is $10, sliding scale, no one turned away. RSVP to 548-2220, ext. 242. ecologycenter.org 

Rockridge Kitchen Tour of nine remodeled kitchens from Arts & Crafts to Contemporary, from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Register at 5951 College Ave at Harwood. Tickets are $30-$40. www.rockridge.org 

“Driving Public Policy to Improve End-of-Life Care” with former US Assistant Attorney General Robert Raben, at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge. 981-6100. www.compassionandchoicesnca.org 

Booksigning: “Yoga as Medicine” with Timothy McCall, M.D. at 1 p.m. at Elephant Pharm Berkeley, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Old Time Radio East Bay Fans and collectors meet to listen to classic radio shows at 5 p.m. at a private home in Richmond. Email for details DavidinBerkeley@yahoo.com 

Free Hands-on Bicycle Repair Class Learn how to do a safety inspection. Bring your bicycle and tools. At 10 a.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712.  

“Poetry and the Spiritual Journey” with Barbara Hamilton-Holway at 10 a.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Tibetan Buddhism with Rosalyn White on “From the Roof of the World: Saving Tibet’s Culture” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812.  

MONDAY, OCT. 8 

Berkeley Green Monday meets to discuss “ Think Global - Act Local. Go Green at Work, at Home and at the Beach!” with Babak Jacinto Tondre of EcoHouse & Graywater Systems, Ecology Center; Pamela Evans of Green Business Program, Alameda County; Patty Donald of Marina Experience Programs, City of Berkeley, at 7:30 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Free. 848-4681. 

“Faith, Politics and Passion” with John L. Bell from the Iona community in Scotland at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. 848-3696. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

Free Boatbuilding Classes for Youth Mon.-Wed. from 3 to 7 p.m. at Berkeley Boathouse, 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. Classes cover woodworking, boatbuilding, and boat repair. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

CITY MEETINGS 

Commission on Labor Special Meeting to discuss the Public Commons for Everyone Inititive Wed. Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7550.  

Commission on the Status of Women meets Wed., Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5190.  

Landmarks Preservation Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 4, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7419.  

Public Works Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 4, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6406.

A Sept. 25 story about an Oakland police shooting (“Protesters Call for Prosecution of Oakland Police Sergeant”) quoted an Oakland police spokesperson as saying that a loaded revolver was found on “Gonzales,” which is the name of the police officer, not of the shooting victim, whose name was King.

TUESDAY, OCT. 2 

EXHIBITIONS 

Berkeley Public Library Staff Art Show on display to Oct. 28 at the Central Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6100. www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org 

FILM 

“Miss Navajo” reception at 6 p.m., film at 6:30 p.m. followed by discussion, at Oakland Museum of California, Oak at 10th St., Oakland. 238-2022. www.museumca.org 

Vintage Films: “Lawrence of Arabia” at noon and 6:30 p.m. at Piedmont Cinema, 4186 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. 464-5980. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Lawrence Ferlinghetti reads at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

“The Road to 9/11: Wealth, Empire, and the Future of America” with author Peter Dale Scott at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Brass Menazheri/The Greg & Aya Band at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Balkan dance lesson at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

Tessa Loehwing, jazz, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Tessa Loehwing at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198. San Francisco, SoVoSo at 8 p.m. and Paula West, Steve Heckman Quartet at 10 p.m. in at benefit for the Alzheimers Association at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $25-$35. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 3 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Hand of the Artist” Paintings, photography, sculptural basketry and jewelry. Reception at 6 p.m. at Royal Ground Gallery, 2058 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. 841-0441. 

FILM 

Vintage Films: “The Last Picture Show” at 1 and 7 p.m. at Piedmont Cinema, 4186 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. 464-5980. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Reese Erlich describes “The Iran Agenda: The Real Story of U.S. Policy and the Middle East Crisis” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

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 

Enchante String Quartet at noon at Oakland City Center, 12th and Broadway. www.oaklandcitycenter.com 

Dan Stanton Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $9. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Whiskey Brothers, old-time and bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

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

The Websters & Scott Nygaard at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Mikie Lee and Amber at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Sakai at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, OCT. 4 

THEATER 

“Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” written and performed by Amy Wong, Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $7-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

Brick & Mortar: Bay Area Sculptural Abstracts Works by Stephen Day, David O. Johnson, Christopher Loomis, and Florian Roeper. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Pro Arts Gallery, 550 Second St. Oakland. 763-4361.  

FILM 

Into the Labyrinth: The Films of Jan Svankmajer at 5:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Free screening. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Boarding Gate” with Oliver Assayas and Jean-Michel Frodon in conversation at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Vintage Films: “Star Trek IV: THe Voyage Home” at 1 and 7 p.m. at Piedmont Cinema, 4186 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. 464-5980. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Lunch Poems with John Matthais at 12:10 p.m. at the Morrison Library, inside the Doe Library, UC Campus. 642-0137. 

5 Cave Canem Poets from the African American community at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

Artist Talk with Rosalind Nashashibi at 6 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum Galleries, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-8734. 

Ann Aurelia Lopez discusses her book “The Farmworkers’ Journey” at 7 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425-C Channing Way. 848-1196.  

Jeffrey Toobin introduces “The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court” at 7:30 p.m. in Chevron Auditorium, International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave. Tickets are $5 available from Cody’s. 559-9500. 

Gary Braasch describes “Earth Under Fire: How Global Warming is Changing the World” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Bayonics, Culver City Dub Collective at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Joffrey Ballet at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$90. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Global Conversations: Kala Ramnath & George Brooks at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Wendy Dewitt, blues, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Denisa Fraga & Kristan Lynch at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $9. 841-JAZZ. 

Pirate Radio, Scotland Barr and the Slow Drags at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082 w 

Rahsaan Patterson at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $24-$28. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

FRIDAY, OCT. 5 

THEATER 

California Shakespeare Theater “King Lear” at the Bruns Ampitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., Orinda, through Oct. 14. Tickets are $15-$60. 548-9666. www.calshakes.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theatre “Rumors” by Neil Simon, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., selected Sundays at 2 p.m. at 951 Pomona Ave. at Moeser, El Cerrito, through Oct. 14. Tickets are $11-$18. 655-8974. www.cct.org 

Impact Theatre “Sleepy” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave., through Oct. 13. Tickets are $10-$15. 464-4468. 

Masquers Playhouse “4 Plays by Peter Levy” Fri. at 8 p.m., Sat. at 2:30 and 8 p.m., and Sun. at 2:30 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond. Q&A with the playwright at the Sat. eve. performance. Tickets are $10. 232-3888. www.masquers.org 

Ragged Wing Ensemble “Alice in Wonderland” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Envision Academy, 1515 Webster St., Oakland, through Oct. 13. Tickets are $15-$30. 800-838-3006. www.raggedwing.org 

Shotgun Players “Bulrusher” Thurs.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. through Oct. 28. Tickets are $17-$25. For reservations call 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

“Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” written and performed by Amy Wong, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“The Quilts of Dorothy Vance” On display Fri. from 5 to 8 p.m., and Sat. from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. 

Tea Pot Show Works by members of the Potters’ Studio in celebration of their 35th Anniversary. Opening reception at 5:30 p.m. at 637 Cedar St. 528-3286. 

“A Class Act CCA-C” A group art show by students from California College of the Arts. Opening reception at 5:30 p.m. at Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th St. 465-8928. 

“Works by Keira Kotler and Jenn Shifflet” Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Chandra Cerrito Contemporary, 25 Grand Ave., upper level, Oakland. Exhibition runs through Nov. 17. www.chandracerrito.com 

New Works by Peter Honig and Ce Ce Landoli Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Mercury 20 Gallery, 25 Grand Ave. at Broadway, Oakland. 701-4620. 

First Annual Oakland Arts Day Ceremony and Reception at 5 p.m. at Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza at 14th St, & Broadway. RSVP to 238-7561. 

FILM 

Berkeley Video & Film Fest Independent cinema from around the world continuous sreenings Fri.-Sun. at California Theater, 2113 Kittredge St. 464-5983. http://berkeleyvideofilmfest.org 

“Irma Vep” with filmmaker Oliver Assayas and film historian Jean-Michel Frodon in conversation at 6:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Sunset Cinema: “Piece by Piece” on San Francisco’s graffiti art movement at 6:30 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, Oak at 10th St., Oakland. 238-2022. www.museumca.org 

Midnight Movies “Office Space” Fri. and Sat. at midnight at Piedmont Cinema, 4186 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Cost is $8. 464-5980. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Wendy Tokunaga introduces her novel “Midori by Moonlight” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oakland Opera Theater “Turn of the Screw” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Oakland Metro Operahouse, 630 3rd. St., through Oct. 14. Tickets are $25. 763-1146.  

The Korean Traditional Dance Company at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. No ticket required. 642-5674. 

Ric Alexander, jazz fusion, at 5 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, Oak at 10th St., Oakland. 238-2022. www.museumca.org 

Tin/Bag plus Chris Brown, Phillip Greenlief & Donald Robinson at 8 p.m. at Free-Jazz Fridays at the Jazz House, 1510 8th St., Oakland. Cost is $5-$15. 415-846-9432. 

Yore Folk Dance Ensemble “Semah” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. tickets are $15-$25. 925-798-1300. 

Joffrey Ballet at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$90. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Dwele and Melissa Young at 8:30 p.m. at Kimball’s Carnival, 522 2nd St., Jack London Square. Tickets are $30. 444-6979. www.kimballscarnival.com 

Michael Smolens & KRIYA at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $15. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Robinson, Brown & Greenlief in Trio at 8 p.m. at Free-Jazz Fridays at the Jazz House, 1510 8th St., Oakland. Cost is $5-$15. 415-846-9432. 

Youssoupha Sideibe and Shimshai, West African kora, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $12-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Tamra Engle, rock, folk, at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Australian Bebop Ragas at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

The Brothers Goldman at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Jeff Rolka and Robert Heiskell at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Berkeley Django Reinhardt Hot Jazz Festival at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $12. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Modern Life is War, Trap Them, Trash Talk 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. 

The Dave Stein Hub-Bub at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Ben Adams Quintet at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Rahsaan Patterson at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $24-$28. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, OCT. 6 

CHILDREN  

Michael Katz, storyteller, at 10:30 a.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 3rd floor, Community Meeting Room, 2090 Kittredge St. 

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Jerry Kennedy, aka J-Soul at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $5 for adults, $4 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Active Arts Theatre for Young Audiences “James and the Giant Peach” Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m., Mon. at 11:30 a.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $14-$18. 925-798-1300. 

“Short Attention Span Circus” Acrobatics and juggling by Jean Paul Valjean Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave. 452-2259. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“The Quilts of Dorothy Vance” On display from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. 

“One Way or Another: Asian American Art Now” Sign-language interpreted tour at 1:30 p.m.at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. 

“Cross Currents: Artists of Alameda” Opening reception at 1 p.m. at Alameda Museum gallery, 2324 Alameda Ave. 865-0541. 

21st Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition A showcase for more than 90 artists who live or work in Emeryville opens at EmeryStation East, 2nd Floor, 5885 Hollis St., Emeryville, and runs to Oct. 28. 652-6122. www.emeryarts.com  

“Counter Intuitive: Photographs by Susan Tuttle” Opening reception at 3 p.m. at Montclair Gallery, 1986 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. 339-4286. 

FILM 

Berkeley Video & Film Fest Independent cinema from around the world, Sat. and Sun. from 1 to 9:45 p.m. at California Theater, 2113 Kittredge St. 464-5983. http://berkeleyvideofilmfest.org 

“The Big Game” A documentary about Berkeley’s urban tree-sit at 6:55 p.m. at the Landmark California Theater, 2133 Kittredge St. 464-5983. 

“demonlover” with filmmaker Oliver Assayas and film historian Jean-Michel Frodon in conversation at 6:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

The Third Baby Beat Poetry Festival featuring Judy Wells, Neeli Cherkovski, H.D. Moe & Blake More from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The Humanist Fellowship Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Free. 528-8713. 

Bay Area Poets Coalition Annual Contest and Poetry Reading from 3 to 5 p.m. at Strawberry Creek Lodge, 1320 Addison St. Park on the street, not in Lodge parking lot. 527-9905.  

Oliver Chin reads from his latest work “Julie Black Belt, The Kungfu Chronicles” at 3 p.m. at Eastwind Books of Berkeley 2066 University Ave. 548-2350. 

Poetry Flash with Tung-Hui Hu and Mari l’Esperance at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Erica Weber, soprano, performs the works of Mozart, Brahms, Schubert at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $8-$12. 549-3864. www. 

trinitychamberconcerts.com 

Women’s Antique Vocal Ensemble “Transitions: Spanish Influence in the New World” at 8 p.m. at St. Albert Priory Chapel, 6172 Chabot Rd., Oak land. Tickets are $10-$15. www.wavewomen.org  

“Melody of China” Premiering compositions by Gang Situ and Yuanlin Chen at 7:30 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $10-$18. 415-681-8599. www.melodyofchina.org 

Gamelan Sekar Jaya Music and dance of Bali, at 8 p.m. at Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 11th St. between Franklin and Webster in the Pacific Renaissance Plaza in Oakland's Chinatown. Tickets are $6-$12. 237-6849. www.gsj.org 

Joffrey Ballet at 2 and 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$90. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Beep with Michael Coleman jazz, at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $5. 843-2473.  

Tanaora at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ.  

Melodians, reggae, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15-$18. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Sotaque Baiano, Brazilian, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

Jessica Rice and Stevie Barsotti at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Veretski Pass at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Faye Carol at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Royal Hawaiian Serenaders at 9 p.m. at Temple Bar Tiki Bar & Grill, 984 University Ave. 548-9888. 

Sugar Shack at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Tried and True, Troublemaker, Call to Arms, 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, OCT. 7 

CHILDREN 

Asheba at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $4-$6. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Rosemary Wells reads from her new books including “Mother Gooses’s Little Treasures” at 4 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

“The Panchatantra: Animal Lessons from India” at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave. 452-2259. 

EXHIBITIONS 

Berkeley Treasures: Three Generations of Printmakers Works by Emmanuel Montoya, Miriam Stahl and Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs. Opening reception at 2 p.m. at Berkeley art Center, 1275 Walnut St. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

“One Way or Another: Asian American Art Now” Guided tour at 2 p.m.at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. 

Michael-Che Swisher “Animals of Tilden” Artist talk at 2 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

21st Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition featuring more than 90 artists who live or work in Emeryville. Reception at 6 p.m. at EmeryStation East, 2nd Floor, 5885 Hollis Street, Emeryville. 652-6122. www.emeryarts.com  

FILM 

Berkeley Video & Film Fest Independent cinema from around the world, from 1 to 10 p.m. at California Theater, 2113 Kittredge St. 464-5983. http://berkeleyvideofilmfest.org 

“Cold Water” with filmmaker Oliver Assayas and film historian Jean-Michel Frodon in conversation at 3 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“A Celebration of Odd and Hilarious Found Videos” at 5 p.m. at Parkway Theater, 1834 Park Blvd., Oakland. Tickets: $8. 814-2400. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Prometheus Symphony Orchestra at 3 p.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Montecito and Grand Ave., Oakland. 415-864-2151. 

Paul Hanson, bassoon, Steve Erquiaga, guitar, perform music of Brazil, Eastern Europe and more at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. Cost is $8-$10. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Oakland Opera Theater “Turn of the Screw” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Oakland Metro Operahouse, 630 3rd St., through Oct. 14. Tickets are $25. 763-1146.  

Slammin’ the Infinite & Citta Di Vitti featuring Steve Swell & Sabir Mateen at 8 p.m. at 1510 8th Street Performance Space, Oakland. Cost is $10-$15. 415-846-9432.rob@thejazzhouse.com 

Esteban Bello, Meli Rivera, Ray Cepeda and other, noon to sundown on Edith St. just off Cedar. Look for balloons. Benefits “The Children of Chaguitillo Nicaragua” Cost is $12. 472-3170. 

Benny Watson Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $8. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Americana Unplugged: The BAckyard Party Boys at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

William Beatty and The Unconditionals at 6:30 p.m. at The Mt. Everest Restaurant 2011 Shattuck Ave. at University. 665-6035. 

Duamuxa and Rafael Manriquez recounting a musical history of the Chilean presence in California, at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

John Handy at 4:30 at the Jazzschool. Cost is $20. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Philips Marine Duo at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

MONDAY, OCT. 8 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Express with May Garron and Terry McCarty at 7 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Four Seasons Concerts presents Joyce Yang at 7:30 p.m. at Regents Theatre, Valley Center for Performing Arts at Holy Names University. Tickets are $30-$40. 601-7919. www.fourseasonsconcerts.com 

Ric & Yolanda, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Viva Brasil at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

The Oakland Opera Theater will present Benjamin Britten’s The Turn of the Screw this weekend as the inaugural opera in their new theater space at 630 Third St. Because of the company’s commitment to producing opera that is meaningful to the community, director Tom Dean, in concert with production manager Mia Steadman, has reworked the setting of this ghost story set in Victorian England by placing the opera’s action on a remote plantation in Louisiana. 

Britten and his librettist Myfanwy Piper made substantial changes to the original Henry James’ novella, which is atmospheric, eerie, and full of unresolved innuendo. It’s uncertain in James whether or not the narrator/governess is truly seeing ghosts or if those ghosts are determined to take over the lives of the children as she imagines. In the opera the ghosts exist as real characters, the governess may be a hysteric but what she sees and imagines are true.  

Further, the ghosts are surely evil: their intent is to corrupt the children’s innocence. Peter Quint, the dead valet, sings “I seek a friend—/Obedient to follow where I lead, / Slick as a juggler’s mate to catch my thought, / Proud, curious, agile, he shall feed / My mounting power.” The former governess/ghost is just as unsavory, and the two sing a repeating refrain from Yeats’ Second Coming: “The ceremony of innocence is drowned.” 

As if to emphasize this theme of innocence under threat, Piper has the children sing nursery rhymes, which bear a suggestion of violence or sexuality. The text of the focal song of Miles’ struggle with sexual abjection is taken from schoolboys’ rhyming grammatical rules of Latin, which according to librettist Piper were from a Latin primer that belonged to her aunt: “Malo … I would rather be/ Malo … in an apple tree / Malo … than a naughty boy / Malo … in adversity.” The children’s songs like much of the opera’s music contrasts the charming and ethereal against the dark and obsessive. 

In return, the ghosts Quint and Miss Jessel speak to the children in mythic and fairy tale metaphors: “The little mermaid weeping on the sill / Gerda and Psyche seeking their loves again.” Their melodies rising in lingering runs and ornamentation. 

Britten’s opera is tightly structured in a prologue and 16 scenes that are separated by a theme and 15 short musical variations that sketch out the meaning of the scenes through a musical motif that uses the 12 notes of the chromatic scale ascending and descending. The celestina describes the motif linked to Peter Quint, which falls on the listener’s ear like fairy dust. 

Oakland Opera’s choice to relocate this Victorian haunting was made not only with the desire to Americanize the opera but also because of Louisiana’s rich European history as well as the Southern plantation’s suggestive setting—both spooky and beautiful. Within the company’s new space, which has twice the square footage of the Oakland Metro, the company’s artistic team have built both plantation house and a swamp to replace the lake where the governess and Flora first see the apparition of Miss Jessel. 

Only one major change in the libretto has been made to accommodate the setting: the housekeeper Mrs. Grose, the source of the opera’s kindness and stability, has been transformed to Mama Grose, an African American slave. The ghosts are represented by the aerial team The Starlings Trapese Duo.  

Britten’s score calls for a 13-piece chamber orchestra of winds and strings, with harp, piano and celestina, and a full range of percussion instruments, from glockenspiel to timpani. Unable to find an orchestral reduction, musical director Deirdre McClure opted for the full orchestration, which was now possible given the larger space of the company’s new theater. The orchestration is very compact in the original, with the burden of dynamics placed in the percussion, and strings and woodwinds creating the haunting melodic atmosphere of the ghost story. 

One of the major stumbling blocks to mounting the opera was finding children who could sing the roles of Flora and Miles. After two months of auditions, the role was double cast for two pairs of children: Brooks Fisher and Madelaine Matej, and Nick Kempen and Kelty Morash. All four children have sung the roles before; Nick and Kelty appearing in the 2007 Adler Fellows production at the Lincoln Theater in Napa. 

Soprano Anja Strauss sings the governess and was chosen for her crystal clear and vibrant sound. Lori Willis sings Mama Grose. “Her rich silvery sound blends beautifully with Anja’s,” said Mia Steadman, who added that “this is the best cast we have ever had.”  

Miss Jessel is sung by Marta Johansen, whose lyric soprano “sounds like water” in the role’s lower passages. Tenor Gerald Seminatore, whose engagements have included performances with the Glimmerglass and Santa Fe Opera, sings the complexly evocative role of Peter Quint, which was debuted by Peter Pears in the original 1954 production staged at La Fenice in Venice.  

Photograph by Ralph Granich. 

Kelty Morash in The Turn of the Screw.

The crown, as conceived of in Shakespeare,” Orson Welles said, “bears a very special kind of magic ... [Shakespeare] spent years getting himself a coat of arms. He wrote mostly about kings. We can’t have a great Shakespearean theatre in America anymore, because it’s impossible for today’s American actors to comprehend what Shakespeare meant by ‘king.’ They think a king is just a gentleman who finds himself wearing a crown and sitting on a throne.” 

As far as this goes—and Welles touches on one of the crucial ideas, one in crisis, of Shakespeare’s time—it reflects on how the CalShakes production of King Lear, onstage now in Orinda, has made a virtue out of that incomprehension by adapting the tale (which The Bard himself pieced together from legendary sources) to the America of the 1920s, flush with success (and lucre) from the “adventure” of the First World War—with Lear as a Captain of Industry (or Robber Baron) surrounded by military men and advisors in silk hats and cutaways, on a set of girdered colonnades and oil drums, haunted by the down-and-out. There’s a whiff of the Teapot Dome Scandal hovering in the background, and Lear (in a finely nuanced performance by Jeffrey DeMunn, oft-seen in character on the big screen, TV and the New York stage) expresses himself with the impatience, even impetuosity, of the self-made man, rather than with the regal gesture of those to the manner born. 

There’s great clarity to this production, as directed by Lisa Peterson (with the dramaturgical assistance of Shakespearean scholar Philippa Kelly), a clarity of line running through the complex actions, of gesture in the interaction of characters, and of speech, so crucial, in a performing arts milieu that is often content with “Festivalese” rushes of uninflected verse and hackneyed or tossed off expressions and “body language.” 

There’s been some criticism that an otherwise admirable show has sacrificed the true poetry and drama of the play. What is true is that the CalShakes production isn’t operatic and concentrates on meaning, on the coherence of the wild pitch and yaw of the poetry and the range of characters and situations comprising one vast (and easily overwrought) drama, which it manages to scan briskly, with driving rhythms, never leaving a moment free of absorbing interest. Nearly three hours pass without the weariness of the wait for great moments. And when those great moments come, they’re integrated into the whole, not played up like a wind-lashed, illuminated banner, flapping in the dark and stormy night—but in a very human space that can hold in tableau these diverse and difficult personalities in a world breaking up on the rocks of personal extravagance. 

It’s a little unfair to single out a few in the uniformly hard-working cast of more than 20, but besides DeMunn’s excellent Lear, mention should go to the hot and cool team of daughters who put Lear out on the heath, Delia MacDougall and Julie Eccles; to James Carpenter’s upright—and terribly wrong—Gloucester; Erik Lochtefield as Gloucester’s foppish son feigning mad indigence (one of Lochtefield’s best performances yet); and Anthony Fusco as a Fool half second banana, half racetrack tout. 

The rest of those in name roles—Sarah Nealis, Andy Murray, Andrew Hurteau, L. Peter Callendar—give much to the delineation of their characters, and add to the impressive ensemble’s unity, as Liam Vincent, as Oswald, the least of the named roles, does by showing the smarmy snobbishness that masks cowardice. 

Only Edmund, Gloucester’s bastard son, played (and played very well) by Ravi Kapoor as Al Pacino-doing-Scarface, doesn’t strike the right note. One of Shakespeare’s “incomprehensibly” evil villains, who addresses the audience a fair bit, Edmund in this interpretation falls down (as the title role in the CalShakes’ Richard III did, earlier this summer) seemingly to a cultural phenomenon. After several generations spent trying to make such caricaturish roles “believable,” once directors and actors caught on that Shakespeare was playing with types (right out of the allegorical medieval theater which preceded him by only a generation or two), they took up the concept. But they ran with it a little too far, playing everything over the top, too cartoonish, losing, amid the sound and fury, The Bard’s Manneristic purpose for placing an allegorical type next to—or within the same role as—a flesh and blood character. 

Alexander V. Nichols’ lights, Paul James Prendergast’s sound and original music and Meg Neville’s costumes all add to the overall effect—as Rachel Hauck’s remarkable set especially does. This is one of the rare productions of Lear which catches the whole sweep of this prodigious drama.