TUESDAY, DEC. 11 

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 Redwood, Canyon Meadow. Call for meeting place and if you need to borrow binoculars. 525-2233. 

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

Tai Chi for Peace at 1:30 p.m. in front of the Marine Recruiting Station, Shattuck Square. Open Sidewalk Studios at 3 p.m. 524-2776. 

Snowcamping 101 with Karen Hoffman of the Sierra Club’s Snowcamping Section at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

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

American Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation in Oakland, from 6 to 8 p.m. Various East Bay opportunities available. Advanced sign-up is required; please call 594-5165.  

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. 

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

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 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991.  

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 12 

Richmond Main Street Initiative Community Holiday Celebration from 10 a.m. to noon for preschool and kindergartners and 5 to 7 p.m. for the entire community at the corner of Marina Way and Macdonald Ave. www.richmondmainstreet.org 

Civilian War Victim Series “The Pathology of Survivors” with Dr. Brian Gluss with the film “Survivor Guilt” by psychoanalyst William Niederland, at 1 p.m. at Emeryville Senior Center, 4321 Salem, Emeryville. 596-3730. 

“Field Guide to Owls of California and the West” with author Hans Peeters in conversation with Doris Kretschmer at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585.  

Poetry Writing Workshop with Alison Seevak at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, Edith Stone Room, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720. 

Cancer Prevention and Survival Cooking Class on Antioxidants and Phytochemicals at 8:30 a.m. at Manzanita, 2409 E. 27th St., Oakland. To register call 595-6445. 

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

Berkeley Copwatch: Know Your Rights Training and Copwatching Workshop at 7 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. 548-0425. 

THURSDAY, DEC. 13 

“The Living New Deal Project: Excavating a Lost Civilization Around Us” with Gray Brechin on a statewide collaborative effort to document and map the physical legacy of the New Deal in California and to honor the surviving veterans, at 7:30 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Aven., Oakland. Tickets are $8-$10. Sponsored by Oakland Heritage Alliance. 763-9218. 

“Pete Seeger: Power of Song” a documentary at 2 and 7:15 p.m. at the California Theater, 2119 Kittredge St. Cost is $10. Benefits Berkeley Gray Panthers. 486-8010. 

“And Let There Be Light” A Holiday Procession for Immigrant Justice at 4:15 p.m. at Frank Ogawa Plaza, 14th St. and Broadway in downtown Oakland. Sponsored by East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy. 893-7106, ext. 27. 

Evening of Remembrance Ceremony Remember Victims of Violence In Oakland at 5:30 p.m. at 1st Christian Church, 111 Fairmount Ave., OaklandSponsored by the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Silence the Violence Campaign and others. 428-3939. 

Oakland Workers Center’s Annual Holiday Party with Cruz Reynoso, guest speaker, and dinner, music and dancing from 6 to 10 p.m. at 2501 International Blvd., Oakland. Cosat is $50-$125. RSVP to 437-1554, ext. 112. 

Juggling for Peace Learn juggling and plate spinning at 11:30 a.m. in front of the Marine Recruiting Station, Shattuck Square. 524-2776. 

Teen Book Club meets to discuss light reading at 4 p.m. at Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue at Ashby. 981-6121. 

FRIDAY, DEC. 14 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Christine A. Hastorf, Prf. of Anthropology on “Local Work and World Heritage: How Archeologists Work on the Ground to Learn About the Past as well as to Protect it for the Future” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 526-2925.  

Conscientious Projector Film “Life in Occupied Palestine” at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar at Bonita. Donation $5-10. No one turned away. 528-5403. 

Teen Playreaders meets to read “Hamlet” and other plays based on the classic, at 4 p.m. at Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue. 981-6121. 

SATURDAY, DEC. 15 

Open The Farm Meet and greet the animals at the Little Farm in Tilden Park as you help the farmer with morning chores, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. 525-2233. 

Reptile Rendevous Learn about the reptiles that call Tilden Park home, at 1:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market Holiday Crafts Fair at Civic Center Park with live music from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and handmade gifts by local craftspeople. 548-3333 . 

Berkeley Artisans Open Studios Sat and Sun. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Dec. 16. 845-2612. www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Celebrate a Muir Christmas at John Muir National Historic Site, 4202 Alhambra Ave., Martinez. Music from 10 a.m. to noon, 1 to 3 p.m., House tours at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. and storytelling at noon and 3 p.m. Cost is $3. 925-228-8860. 

Chapel of the Chimes Historical and Botanical Tour at 10 a.m. at 4499 Piedmont Ave. Other events throughout the afternoon. RSVP to 228-3207. 

Create Your Own Card with an Origami Star at 2 p.m. in the Edith Stone Room, Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720. 

Family Workshop: Wrapping Paper and Gift Cards, Sat and Sun. from 1 to 4 p.m. at Mocha, Museum of Children’s Art, 528 9th St., Oakland. Cost is $7. 465-8770. 

SUNDAY, DEC. 16 

Berkeley Hiking Club Hike on Mt. Tamalpais meet at 8:30 a.m. at Berkeley Way and Shattuck. Bring lunch and liquids hike about 8 miles. Rain cancels. 492-0470. 

Women on Common Ground Make decorations for the Women’s Drop-In Center, and some for yourself also. Bring a pair of small hand clippers and a bag lunch if you plan on joining an early winter hike afterwards. From 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $15-$17. Registration required. 1-888-EBPARKS. 

Waterside Workshops Sustainable Holiday Event and Toy Making Workshop with hands-on activities, music, food, and fun for people of all ages. Learn how to make your own wooden toy, or sew up a fleece hat to keep your ears warm. All of our materials are from sustainable sources, and non-toxic. From noon to 5 p.m. at 84 Bolivar Dr. in Berkeley’s Aquatic Park. Sliding scale donation is requested. 644-2577.  

Women on Common Ground Early Winter Hike from 2:30 to 5 p.m. from the Tilden Nature Center to Wildcat Peak, returning to the Nature Center for a warm fire and hot cider. Registration required. 525-2233. 

Berkeley Artisans Open Studios from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Dec. 16. 845-2612.  

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

Free Sailboat Rides from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Cal Sailing Club, Berkeley Marina. Wear warm, waterproof clothing and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. www.cal-sailing.org 

“Chimes Winter Starscape” events from 10 to 5 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. 228-3207. 

“The Cross-Walk Walk” for war resistance, every Sun. at noon at the corner of Solano and San Pablo. Bring signs, ideas, young people. 

Tibetan Buddhism with Jared Baird on “The Value of Spiritual Retreat” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 809-1000.  

MONDAY, DEC. 17 

Public Hearing for the Helios Energy Research Facility, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst St. 486-5183. 

Two-and-a-Quarter-Mile Monday Join a short but strenuous hike from shoreline to ridge in Miller/Knox, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Led by naturalist Meg Platt. Bring lunch, layers, and hiking poles. For meeting place call 525-2233. 

CITY MEETINGS 

City Council meets Tues., Dec. 11, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900.  

Citizens Humane Commission meets Wed., Dec. 12, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6601.  

Commission on Disability meets Wed., Dec. 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6346.  

Energy Commission meets Wed., Dec. 12, at 6:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5434.  

Homeless Commission meets Wed., Dec. 12, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5426.  

Library Board of Trustees meets Wed., Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. at the South Branch Library. 981-6195.  

Planning Commission meets Wed., Dec. 12, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7484.  

Police Review Commission meets Wed., Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-4950.  

Community Health Commission meets Thurs., Dec. 13, at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5356.  

Mental Health Commission meets Thurs., Dec. 13, at 6:30 p.m. at 2640 MLK Jr. Way, at Derby. 981-5213.  

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., Dec. 13, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. 981-7410.

TUESDAY, DEC. 11 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Finding Women of Valor: The Daily Lives of Women in Ancient Israel” An archeology exhibit at the Badé Museum, Holbrook Building, Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave. Open Tues. and Thurs. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to Jan. 31. 849-8272. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Dave Weinstein, author of “Signature Architects of the San Francisco Bay Area,” will give a slide talk about notable architects and homes in El Cerrito and Kensington at 7 p.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave. 526-7512.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Piedmont Choirs at 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 114 Montecito Ave. www.stpauloakland.org 

CZ & the Bon Vivants at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Singers’ Open Mic with Keyy Park at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

Take the Stage Band workshop performances at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $4.50-$5.50. 548-1761.  

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

Chick Corea Elektric Band at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $40-$45. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 12 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Hans Peeters in conversation with Doris Kretschmer on “Field Guide to Owls of California and the West” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. www.universitypressbooks.com 

“Ferruccio Busoni, Italian Piano Prodigy” A lecture by pianist Daniell Revenaugh, with latest Busoni Recording, at 5 p.m. at The Musical Offering Café, 2430 Bancroft Way. 849-0211. www.themusicaloffering.com 

Daniel Marlin and Janell Moon at 7 p.m. at Nefeli Caffe, 1854 Euclid Ave. 644-3977. 

Berkeley City College Digital Arts Club and Milvia Street Art and Literary Journal host a benefit poetry reading and printmaking exhibition at 6 p.m. at Berkeley City College, 2050 Center St. Cost is $5.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oakland City Center Holiday Concert with Mariachi Tradicion Mexicana at noon at 12th and Broadway, Oakland.  

SFSU Jazz Choir & Afro Cuban Ensemble at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $8. 841-JAZZ.  

La Peña’s Latin Jazz Orchestra Recital at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $8. 849-2568.  

Za’atar at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054.  

Rachel Efron at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Peace Nick with Roy Zimmerman at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

THURSDAY, DEC. 13 

EXHIBITIONS 

Kala Artist Annual Exhibition New works in a variety of media. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Kala Art Institute, 1060 Heinz Ave. 549-2977.  

“Ashes to Life” An art exhibit examining the mass exodus of Azoreans to America, and the 50th Anniversary of the eruption of the “Vulcão dos Capelinhos” Reception at 7 p.m. at The Stone Gallery, 600 50th Ave. Oakland. RSVP to 536-5600. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“The Living New Deal Project: Excavating a Lost Civilization Around Us” with Gray Brechin on a statewide collaborative effort to document and map the physical legacy of the New Deal in California, at 7:30 p.m. at the Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $8-$10. Sponsored by Oakland Heritage Alliance. 763-9218. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Darol Anger & Mike Marshall at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761.  

Josh Nelson Quartet, with guest Natasha Miller, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $8. 841-JAZZ.  

Jenny Ferris and Laura Klein, jazz, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Willow Willow, Mushroom, Emily Jane White at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. 

FRIDAY, DEC. 14 

CHILDREN 

“Alice in Wonderland” puppet show at 2, 4 and 6 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., off Grand Ave., Oakland. Cost is $6. 452-2259. 

THEATER 

Altarena Playhouse “The Man Who Saved Christmas” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High St., Alameda, through Dec. 16. Tickets are $17-$20. 523-1553. www.altarena.org 

Aurora Theatre Company “Sex” Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St., through Dec. 23. Tickets are $28-$50. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

BHS Drama and Shift Theatre “Noises Off” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Florence Schwimley Little Theater, Berkeley High Campus. Tickets are $6-$12. 332-1931.  

Berkeley Rep “After the Quake” at the Trust Stage, 2025 Addison St., through Dec. 21. Tickets are $33-$69. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Black Repertory Group “A Rasin in the Sun” at 8 p.m. at 3201 Adeline St., through Dec. 12. Tickets are $10-$20. 652-2120. 

Brookside Repertory Theatre “Hiliday Shorts IV” at noon at The Claremont, 41 Tunnel Rd. Tickets are $65-$75, includes lunch. 549-8512. 

Encore Theatre Company & Shotgun Players “The Shaker Chair” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m., at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Jan. 27. Tickets are pay what you can. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Impact Theatre “A Very Special Money & Run Winter Season Holiday Special” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave., through Dec. 22. Tickets are $10-$15. 464-4468. http://impacttheatre.com 

Masquers Playhouse “Little Mary Sunshine” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., selected Sun. at 2:30 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond, through Dec. 15. Tickets are $18. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

Touchable Stories “Richmond: The Story Continues” Fri. at 8 p.m., Sat. at 2 and 6 p.m. at Old Kaiser Cafeteria, Shipyard #3, 1303 Canal Blvd., Richmond. Cost is $6-$12. Reservations required. 619-3675. www.touchablestories.org 

Holiday Arts from 4 to 8 p.m. at ACCI Gallery, 1652 Shattuck Ave. 843-2527. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

The Best of Actors Reading Writers “Serendipity” at 8 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 932-0214. ricaisabella@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Ballet Theater “Nutcracker” Fri. at 7 p.m., Sat. at 2 and 7 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave., through Dec. 16. Tickets are $16-$22. 843-4689. 

The Venezuelan Music Project at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $13-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Mark Morris Dance Group “The Hard Nut” at 7:30 p.m., Sat. at 2 and 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$60. 642-9988. www.calperformances.net 

Holiday Gospel Extravaganza with Zoe Ellis, Caitlin Cornwell, Carmen Jones and Ashling Cole at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Farlow-Kirch Band, David Gans, Pat Nevins at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $12. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

TC Brewitz and Trio at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

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

Jeff Oster plays selections from his new CD “True” at 7:30 p.m. at Sacred Space Yoga Sanctuary at Rudramandir, 830 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $15-$20. 486-8700. 

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

El Capitan, Axton Kincaid, The Whoreshoes, bluegrass and country, at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Lifesavas, Pigeon John at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10. 548-1159.  

Broun Fellinis at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Chick Corea Elektric Band at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $40-$45. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, DEC. 15 

CHILDREN  

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

Boswick the Clown at 11 a.m. at Studio Grow, 1235 Tenth St. Cost is $7. 526-9888. 

“Children’s Theater Holiday Program” Sat. and Sun. at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., off Grand Ave., Oakland. Cost is $6. 452-2259.  

Bugs Bunny/Road Runner cartoons at 10 a.m. and noon, Sun. at noon at Elmwood Theater, 2966 College Ave. at Ashby. Benefit for local PTAs. 433-9730. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Of Ignorance and/or Mystery” A location-inspired project by Ken Fandell opens at Traywick Contemporary, 895 Colusa Ave. 527-1214. www.traywick.com 

“Robots are Art” Art show and contest at 6 p.m. at Float Gallery 1091 Calcott Place #116, Oakland. 535-1702. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

The Best of Actors Reading Writers “Serendipity” at 8 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 932-0214. ricaisabella@yahoo.com 

Wilde Irish Productions “A Joycean Christmas” with readings from James Joyce’s masterpiece “The Dead” at 8 p.m. at Gaia Arts Center. Tickets are $25. 644-9940. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Pacific Boychoir Academy “Harmonies of the Season” at 7 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 114 Montecito Ave., Oakland. 652-4722. 

Berkeley Ballet Theater “Nutcracker” Fri. at 7 p.m., Sat. at 2 and 7 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave., through Dec. 16. Tickets are $16-$22. 843-4689. 

Trio Concertino with Amy Likar, flute; Madeline Prager, viola; Miles Graber, piano at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $8-$12. 549-3864. www.trinitychamberconcerts.com 

“Carols Around the World Concert” at 5 p.m. at first United Methodist church, 201 Martina St., corner W. Richmond Ave., Point Richond. 236-0527. 

Sacred and Profane Annual Holiday Concert, traditional and contemporary music for Swedish Lucia, Channukah and Christmas, at 8 p.m. at St. Leo’s Catholic Church, 176 Ridgeway Ave., Piedmont. Tickets are $12-$15. www.sacredprofane.org 

Rebecca Riots at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

The Ravines at noon at Cafe Zeste, 1250 Addison St. at Bonar, in the Strawberry Creek Park complex. 704-9378. 

Brian Andres & the Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568.  

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

Pellejo Seco at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cuban salsa dance lesson at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Gateswingers Jazz Band at 8 p.m. at Central Perk,10086 San Pablo Ave. at Central, El Cerrito, 558-7375. 

Moment’s Notice improvised music, dance and theater at 8 p.m. at Western Sky Studio, 2525 8th St. Tickets are $8-$15. 992-6295. 

Fred Odell and Bob Harp at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Flowtilla at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Dave Gleason, 77 El Deora, The B Stars, alt country, at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082.  

SUNDAY, DEC. 16 

EXHIBITIONS 

“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. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra “Puccini’s Messa di Gloria” at 8 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. Free, donations appreciated. 

A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at 5:30 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way at Ellsworth. 845-0888. 

San Francisco Choral Artists “Glorious Sounds of Christmas” at 4 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 114 Montecito Ave. www.stpauloakland.org 

Rebecca Rust, ‘cello and Friedrich Edelmann, bassoon at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Cost is $10. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Al Stewart at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $29.50-$30.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Mamadou Sidibe & Music Mali at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Tom Huber and Misisipi Mike at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Pappa Gianni & the North Beach Band at 2 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198. 

MONDAY, DEC. 17 

CHILDREN 

“Alice in Wonderland” puppet show at 2, 4 and 6 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., off Grand Ave., Oakland. Cost is $6. 452-2259. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Express with Jeanne Powell at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Yolanda and Ric, opera and lieder, at 7 p.m. at Le Bateau Ivre, 2629 Telegraph Ave. 849-1100. www.lebateauivre.net 

Trovatore, traditional Italian music, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Classical at the Freight with San Francisco Chamber Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761 www.freightandsalvage.org 

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

The premiere recording of Ferruccio Busoni’s Complete Two Piano Works (EMI/Angel) will be celebrated by the Musical Offering (Bancroft Avenue below Telegraph), this Wednesday 5-7 p.m., with a reception for and signing by pianists Daniell Revenaugh of Berkeley and Lawrence Leighton Smith, currently musical director of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic.  

“Fantasia Contrappuntistica” and the “Berceuse Elegiaque,” as well as works based on Mozart and Bach, were transcribed by Egon Petri, Busoni’s protegé, who later taught at Mills College in Oakland. While Busoni was composing his opera, Doktor Faust, and reducing his own concert schedule, he composed these two works for a full concert program both would play, in order to promote Petri’s career.  

Busoni and Petri memorabilia will be featured, including photos, as well as letters and manuscripts related to the compositions, which were recovered by Revenaugh in Europe. The public is invited, free of charge, and refreshments will be served. 

“I was associated with Petri for about 10 years,” said Revenaugh, “looking him up due to his relationship to Busoni. In 1960, I rescued the papers and photographs Petri had left behind, in chaos, in the wake of the War, in Zakopanje [Poland]. Over 300 letters, including some to Brahms. He knew everybody, including Rilke and Joyce, from the years spent in Zurich. He was a fascinating character. I’ll have pictures as well as manuscripts and letters relating to the compositions in the Musical Offering’s glass cases.” 

The collaboration on this project, recorded at Yale, began when Smith conducted a premiere work for the Louisville Orchestra of Revenaugh’s schoolmate, Ellen Zwillich. When Zwillich introduced the two, Smith said to him, “You conducted the great recording of the Busoni Concerto. Let’s do something wild like that!”  

Revenaugh is pursuing another project of compositions from notable friends, like Smith (who will be represented by three pieces), including a piano sonata by Carlisle Floyd, composed at the time he was working on his opera, Susannah (1955), “which has been performed more than West Side Story,” according to Revenaugh, “the premiere American folk opera, after Porgy and Bess.” 

Revenaugh owns the ex-slave cabin in which Floyd lived in Tallahassee, now moved to a preservation plantation where Revenaugh plans to have it restored for seminars and study, “as Floyd House.” 

“I’m going to do something wrong here ...” Those ominous words, emblazoned on the cover of the program to the Shift Theatre/Berkeley High School Drama production of Michael Frayn’s backstage bungler, Noises Off, telegraph the message of this non-message play clearly. And a great deal is going to be done wrong. Repeatedly. That’s the whole show. 

A favorite with companies large and small, and their audiences—what stage actor doesn’t want to do a pratfall while playing something serious, and who doesn’t enjoy watching them do it?—Noises Off is really a 3-D look, fore and aft (onstage and backstage) of the same doomed show, from dress rehearsal (onstage) to a month on the road (backstage) to a couple of months later.  

A typical three-act entertainment, as defined by George M. Cohan: Act One: hero goes up tree; Act Two: throw rocks at him; Act Three: get him back on ground again. But in Noises Off, the ground itself is shaky. And the rocks—thrown by all, including the hero(es)—never stop flying. 

“All these doors!” exclaims dubious ingenue Brooke, a.k.a. Viki (Kelly Friedman) with a big sweep of the arm, at the beginning of “Nothing On,” the play we see deteriorate from scratch. And it does seem to be an old-fashioned door-slammer. “Only a handful, really,” breathes her escort, Garry/Roger (Nico Kiefer). And they’re both right: the doors commence to open and slam as the various couples and solitary characters file in, in syncopated entrances unbeknownst to each other—and they’re all a handful, in costume or in mufti. 

The great comedy of Frayn’s play, which the director, Molly Bell, and her cast of nine have a handle on, is the underbelly of the beauty of live theater. That is, what happens when the difference between the real people who act and the characters they’re playing gapes open, big as a chasm—and what happens when the spectacle you’re watching is the resulting implosion of the one you were supposed to watch? 

Door-slammers rely on pinpoint timing—and a door-slammer deliberately gone awry has to turn over that beat with a funny flourish. The Shift Theatre bunch bit off a lot with Noises Off, and they have a lot of fun bringing it off, from Dotty/Mrs. Clackett’s (Elena Wagoner) dottering entrance as the old housekeeper: “I can’t open sardines and answer the phone!” in East End drawl, constantly (and dryly) interrupted by her director Lloyd (Eli Wirtshafter), to the chorus of three burglars who serially break and rebreak the same window to enter onstage, covering (so they think) a missed exit, all finally reciting the lines in unison as the set breaks up in mayhem. 

The two-story set itself, on wheels, as meticulously built by Mathison Ott and Samuel Owens, is rotated twice—to thunderous applause—so the audience may glimpse the many doings onstage and off. 

The cast, crew and director of “Nothing On” all bring their own baggage along, especially Lloyd the philanderer, who—like various stage tyrants—enjoys making his victims cry, in particular the stage manager (Anne Yumi Kobori), constantly in motion, though he can’t seem to get a rise out of Belinda/Flavia (Sonia Decker), of his leading ladies. These three have the most pronounced characters, and get the most out of them. 

The rest are, more or less, real characters in the scenic sense: Selsdon/Burglar (Mark “Thor” Sorenson), the cast lush; Tim Allgood (Peter Walton), the sleep-deprived stage carpenter and erstwhile stand-in; and Frederick/Philip (Eric Chiang), whose nose gushes red when the going gets thick. 

Shift Theatre has a few more coming up at various locations: The Vagina Monologues in February at the Ashby Stage, Independent Theater Projects in Feb. and March at the Hillside Club—and back at the Schwimley at Berkeley High in late April-early May for Grease. 

One of the most enjoyable and inspiring films I’ve seen in a long time comes to Berkeley for one day only, this Thursday, Dec. 13 at the California Theater, a benefit for the local Gray Panther chapter. Screenings are at 2 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $10. 

Pete Seeger: The Power of Song played briefly in San Francisco this fall, but never made it to the East Bay. It is an exceedingly well-made biography of the rugged iconoclast who has insisted on living and working on his own terms for most of his 88 years. 

Of course there are marvelous clips of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Peter Paul and Mary, and the Weavers playing and singing, but the film is focused on Seeger, his life, music and activism.  

In one way or another he has participated in most of the great social movements of the twentieth century, singing at union rallies with Guthrie in the late thirties, writing and singing anti-fascist songs in the forties, staring down the House UnAmerican Activities Committee (HUAC) in the ’50s, going south and playing for the civil rights movement in the early ’60s, singing at countless anti-Vietnam war rallies later in the ’60s and ’70s, then helping to launch the environmental movement with his drive to clean up the Hudson River.  

Finally, there’s a scene showing Seeger, in his mid-’80s, standing in the snow with a few friends beside a well-trafficked road at the beginning of the Iraq war, holding up a sign that says “Peace.”  

Through it all, Seeger has taken great pains to avoid celebrity and commercialization. He hated playing nightclubs and refused to stay in fancy hotels while the Weavers were at the top of the pop charts with “Goodnight Irene” and “Tzena, Tzena, Tzena.” He left the group when, after they had been blacklisted and out of work for a long time, they decided to make a commercial.  

Unable to find work in a mainstream setting for 17 years, Seeger made his living by singing at schools, colleges, and summer camps all across the country, “poisoning the students’ minds,” as he put it.  

During this time, he wrote or co-wrote (he liked collaborative efforts) wonderful songs like “If I Had A Hammer,” “Turn, Turn, Turn,” “We Shall Overcome” “Guantanamera,” “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone.”  

The film also contains some chilling footage of the McCarthy-era Peekskill riots, a right-wing backlash against a Paul Robeson concert north of New York City, at which Seeger also sang, as well as his performance on the Smothers Brothers TV show in 1968, which effectively broke the blacklist.  

Beyond music and politics, The Power of Song also goes into Seeger’s personal life, making for a well-rounded portrait of the man who has tried to live by the principles he believes in, and has pretty much succeeded. His wife Toshi and their children talk about life around the isolated log cabin home which Seeger and friends built more than 50 years ago.  

Anyone who has ever participated in a protest march, walked a picket line, been to a rally or fought for social justice will love this film. Why it will be here for only one day is at this moment unfathomable, but it opened in New York City last week to excellent reviews and is being distributed by the Weinstein brothers who distributed Michael Moore’s Sicko. 

Living With Chernobyl: The Future of Nuclear Power, a new documentary by Berkeley filmmakers and journalists Cliff Orloff and Olga Shalygin, will air at 11 p.m. Thursday on KQED Channel 9.  

As the threat of climate change forces environmentalists to reconsider the virtues of nuclear power, Orloff and Shalygin explore the myths and misconceptions surrounding the world’s worst nuclear accident. In 2006, the United Nations established the Chernobyl Forum, a task force charged with putting together a definitive report on the aftermath of the 1986 disaster. The filmmakers interviewed scientists, environmentalists and Chernobyl survivors in an effort to illuminate the truth behind the accident, as well as the arguments in favor of and in opposition to the use of nuclear power as an energy source. 

The broadcast will be repeated on KQED’s Life-Encore channel at 1 p.m. and 2 a.m. Friday and on KQED World at 9 a.m. and noon Dec. 25.