TUESDAY, APRIL 8 

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 the Albany Bulb of the Eastshore State Park. Call for meeting place and if you need to borrow binoculars. 525-2233. 

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. 

Board Games Days, for 4th -8th graders, Tues.-Thurs. from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

“Kayaking 101” at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

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.  

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  

Teen Playreaders meets to read and discuss plays at 4:30 p.m. at Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue. 981-6121. 

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 

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. 

Sing-A-Long Group from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masoni Ave., Albany. 524-9122. 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9 

Bus Rapid Transit in Berkeley A community discussion at the Planning and Transportation Commission meetings, at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 

Sudden Oak Death Preventative Treament Training Session Meet at 1 p.m. at the Tolman Hall portico, Heast Ave. and Arch/Leconte, UC Campus for a two-hour field session, rain or shine. Pre-registration required. SODtreatment@nature.berkeley.edu 

Cycling Lecture with Gary Fisher, bicycle racer, at 7 p.m. at Velo Sport Bicycles, 1615 University Ave., enter at 1989 California St. RSVP to 849-0437. 

Board Games Day, for 4th -8th graders, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Radical Movie Night “Fern Gully—The Last Rainforest” at 8:30 p.m. at the Long Haul, 3124 Shattuck Ave. 

“Behind Every Terrorist There is a Bush” A documentary with stand-up comics and stage artists questioning the “War on Terror” at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation $5. www.Humanist Hall.org 

“The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry” Learn about toxics in beauty products with author Stacy Malkan at 7 p.m. at Elephant, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200.  

Green Home Improvement 101 A lecture at 6 p.m. at 2619 San Pablo Ave. www.ecohomeimprovment.com  

“About Face: The Psychology of Portraiture and the Human Face” A benefit lecture for Ethsix* magazine featuring psychologist and facial expert Dr. Paul Ekman at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Donation $10 and up. 849-2568. 

Teen Chess Club from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the North Branch Library, 1170 The Alameda at Hopkins. 981-6133. 

Theraputic Recreation at the Berkeley Warm Pool, Wed. at 3:30 p.m. and Sat. at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley Warm Pool, 2245 Milvia St. Cost is $4-$5. Bring a towel. 632-9369. 

After-School Program Homework help, drama and music for children ages 8 to 18, every Wed. from 4 to 7:15 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Cost is $5 per week. 845-6830. 

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. 

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 

Morning Meditation Every Mon., Wed., and Fri. at 7:45 a.m. at Rudramandir, 830 Bancroft Way at 6th. 486-8700. 

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

THURSDAY, APRIL 10 

Alternatives to the Aerial Spray Program A forum on the spray plan for the Light Brown Apple Moth and alternatives to the spary, with agroecologist and UC Berkeley professor Miguel Altieri, Mayor of Albany and registered nurse Robert Lieber, and farmers Robert Shultz and Ames Morison, and healthcare worker John Davis, at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave., near Dwight Way. 548-2220 ext. 233, erc@ecologycenter.org 

Poverty Truth Commission at 6:15 p.m. at the Bade' Museum Building, Pacific School of Religion Campus, Graduate Theological Union, 1798 Scenic Ave. For more information, contact 845-6232, ext.103 glettini@sksm.edu 

“Eccentrics, Heroes, and Cutthroats of Old Berkeley” slide talk by author Richard Schwartz featuring highlights of Berkeley’s history from 1850 to 1925, at 7 p.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito. 526-7512. 

“Growing Dinosaur Salad” a discussion with UC Botanical Garden Director, Dr. Paul Licht on Cycads, primitive cone-bearing plants that have survived for over 200 million years, and once provided food for dinosaurs, at 7 p.m. at Espresso Roma, 2960 College Ave. at Ashby. 644-3773. 

Berkeley School Volunteers Orientation from noon to 1 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. Come learn about volunteer opportunities. 644-8833. 

Creative Movement and Sign Language for ages 5-10 at 3:30 p.. at Elephant, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200.  

Board Games Day, for 4th -8th graders, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Babies & Toddlers Storytime at 10:15 and 11:15 a.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043.  

Fitness Class for 55+ at 9:15 a.m. at Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

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. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

FRIDAY, APRIL 11 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Charles Wollenberg on “Berkeley: A City in History” 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 524-7468.  

East Bay Sanctuary Covenant: Celebrating 26 Years in Berkeley at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. Free, donations gratefully accepted. 527-0324. 

Celebrating Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers’ Movement with a screening of the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation film “Common Man, Uncommon Vision: The Cesar Chavez Story” and “Immokalee: From Slavery to Freedom,” at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave, near Dwight Way Free. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

California Studies Conference “Changing Climates: Class Culture, and Politics in an Era of Global Warming” Fri.-Sun. at Berkeley City College, 2050 Center St. For details see http://geography.berkeley.edu/ProjectsResources/californiastudies.html 

“Ministry as Vocation” A week-end long free conference open to all at Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave. For information call 849-8253.  

Girls Inc. of Alameda County 50th Anniversay Gala at 6 p.m. at the Rotunda Bldg., 300 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland. Tickets are $250. RSVP to 357-5515, ext. 282. 

Friday Films for Teens at 3:30 pm. at the Berkeley Puplic Library, 2090 Kittredge St. For details call 981-6121. 

Non-Toxic Cleaning at noon at Elephant, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200.  

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. 

SATURDAY, APRIL 12 

John F. Kennedy High School 40th Anniversary Celebration from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4300 Cutting Blvd., Richmond. Activities include art exhibits, carnival games, entertainment, and food. 231-1433, ext. 25883. 

Goats are Groovy Meet the new goats at the Little Farm in Tilden Park, learn how we care for them, and take them for walks. For ages 6-10 at 2 p.m. at Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

The 2008 Edith Coliver Festival of Cultures from 11 a.m. at 6 p.m. at International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave. 642-9461. http://ihouse.berkeley.edu  

“California Budget Crisis: How Tax Reform Can Solve It” at 7 p.m. at the Alameda Free Library, Conf. Room A, 1550 Oak St. at Lincoln, Alameda. Sponsored by the Alameda Public Affairs Forum 841-9592. www.alamadaforum.org 

Music and Crafts the Ohlone Way including dances by the Maidu-Miwok Dance Group, stories from the elders and other cultural events, from to 2 to 4 p.m. at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, 2465 34th Ave., Oakland. Free. 532-9142. 

“The Power of Community” a film on urban organic farming and how Cuba met the oil depletion crisis, at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists 1924 Cedar St at Bonita. Suggested donation $5. 540-1975. www.bfuu.org  

“On Sacred Grounds: Religion and the Counterinsurgency in Iraq” with Prof. Ron Hassner, UC Berkeley, at 7 p.m. at Congregation Beth El, 1301 Oxford St. 642-3398. 

“Once Upon a Time...” Spring benefit for The Museum of Children’s Art with artists and authors from the annual children’s book illustrators exhibit, at 5:30 p.m. at 538 Ninth St., Oakland. Tickets $150. For details call 465-8770. 

The USS Hornet Museum Commemorates the Doolittle Raid in a Living Ship Day demonstration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. onboard the aircraft carrier berthed at 707 W Hornet Ave, Pier 3, in Alameda. Museum admission is $14 for adults and $6 for children 5-17. 521-8448. www.hornetevents.com. 

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 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

Oakland Artisans Marketplace Sat. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Jack London Square. 238-4948. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 13 

Learn About Plankton An adventure for the whole family to look at the tiny organisms that live in Jewel Lake, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Little Farm Open House Meet the animals, learn some new songs, make a craft and more from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Tilden Little Farm, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Native Plant Garden Tour “Meet the Do-It-Yourselfers” A self-guided tour of gardens in San Leandro, Oakland and Berkeley, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Cost is $30. To register see www.bringinbackthenatives.net 

Earth Day Electronics Recycling & Safe Medicine Disposal Event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 

Free Hands-on Bicycle Class on Flat Repair at 10 a.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

Talk with Cheri Huber, Zen teacher and author of books on meditation and psychology at 7 p.m. at Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. www.eastbayopencircle.org  

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

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

Berkeley Chess Club meets every Sun. at 7 p.m. at the Hillside School, 1581 Le Roy Ave. 843-0150. 

Tibetan Buddhism with Erika Rosenberg on “Seeing through Self-Images” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 809-1000 www.nyingmainstitute.com 

Sew Your Own Open Studio Come learn to use our industrial and domestic machines, or work on your own projects, from 4 to 8 p.m. at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. Also on Fri. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost is $5 per hour. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

MONDAY, APRIL 14 

Tax Day Event: People’s Life Fund Granting Ceremony Join Bay Area War Tax Resisters are the donte over $10,000 in resisted taxes to groups that are working for peace, justice and human needs, at 7 p.m. at 2220 Sacramento St. Pot-luck at 6 p.m. 843-9877. 

Uhuru Forum and Call to Action for Social Justice in Oakland with presentations by Wendy Snyder and Bakari Olatunji at 7 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. 

Berkeley School Volunteers Orientation from 4 to 5 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. Come learn about volunteer opportunities. 644-8833. 

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. 

Dragonboating Year round classes at the Berkeley Marina, Dock M. Meets Mon, Wed., Thurs. at 6 p.m. Sat. at 10:30 a.m. For details see www.dragonmax.org 

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 

ONGOING 

E-Waste Recycling St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County accepts electronic waste including computers, dvd players, cell phones, fax machines and many other ewaste products for disposal free of charge at many of its locations throughout Alameda County. Free bulk pick-up available. 638-7600.  

Free Tax Help If your 2007 household income was less than $42,000, you are eligible for free tax preparation from United Way's Earn it! Keep It! Save It! Sites are open now through April 15 in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. To find a site near you, call 800-358-8832. www.EarnItKeepItSaveIt.org 

CITY MEETINGS 

Commission on Disability meets Wed., April 9, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6346. TDD: 981-6345.  

Homeless Commission meets Wed., April 9, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5426.  

Planning Commission meets Wed., April 9, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7484.  

Police Review Commission meets Wed., April 9, at the South Berkeley Senior Center, 981-4950. 

Waterfront Commission meets Wed., April 9, at 7 p.m., at 201 University Ave. 981-6740. 

Community Health Commission meets Thurs., April 10 at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5356.  

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., April 10, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. 981-7410. 

TUESDAY, APRIL 8 

FILM  

“Intimate Communications: Films by Audrius Stonys” with the artist in person at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Susan Griffin on “Wrestling with the Angel of Democracy: On Being and American Citizen” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Slide Hampton, interactive presentation at 7 p.m. at Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, 1616 Franklin St., Oakland. Tickets are $10-$20, free for youth under 13. www. BrownPaperTickets.com/event/3087 

Bandworks at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $5. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

Natalia Zukerman, Heather Combs at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

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

Eric Alexander Quartet, featuring Harold Mabern, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Jazzschool Tuesdays, a weekly showcase of up-and-coming ensembles from Berkeley Jazzschool at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Paul Robeson, A Hero for All Time” A exhibit celebrating the 100th anniversary of Paul Robeson’s birth. Opening reception at 5 p.m. at Oakland City Hall Rotunda, corner of 14th and Broadway. www.bayarearobeson.org 

FILM  

“Belle de Jour” with lecture by Marilyn Fabe at 3 p.m. Film and Video Makers at Cal at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Portraits: Faces and Emotions” with Dr. Paul Ekman at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10 and up. Benefit for Ethsix Magazine. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Micheline Aharonian Marcom introduces “Draining the Sea” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody's Books, 2201 Shattuck Ave. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, with Rachel Li, piano, Kai Chou, cello, Jessica Ling, violin, at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Carla Kaufman Ensemble with Noel Jewkes and Benny Watson at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $8. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

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

Stephane Wrembel at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $25.50-$26.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Keola Beamer & Chris Yeaton at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $14-$20. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, APRIL 10 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Call & Response” Works from Richmond High School and the National Institute of Art & Disabilities. Opening reception at 5 p.m. at NIAD, 551 23rd St., Richmond. 620-0290. www.niadart.org 

Enrique Chagoya: Borderlandia Guided tour at 12:15 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Eccentrics, Heroes, and Cutthroats of Old Berkeley” slide talk by author Richard Schwartz featuring highlights of Berkeley’s history from 1850 to 1925 at 7 p.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito. 526-7512. 

“The Radical Jack London” with author Jonah Raskin at 1 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

“Forms in the Abyss: A Philosophical Bridge Between Sartre and Derrida” with author Steve Martinot, in conversation with Sandra Luft at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. www.universitypressbooks.com 

Adam Mansbach on “The End of the Jews” at 7:30 p.m. at the JCC of the East Bay, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Don Carlos, Jah Levi, reggae, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $18-$20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $25.50-$26.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jazzalicious! at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

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

Holly Near & emma’s revolution at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $20-$25. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Akosua Mireku, Ghanaian-American folk-singer, at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Omar Sosa Afreecanos Quartet at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$22. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

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

FRIDAY, APRIL 11 

CHILDREN  

Storytelling from Japan Traditional Japanese folktales, songs and games at 7 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Workshop follows to learn how to make toys from recyceld materials. 525-2233. 

THEATER  

Altarena Playhouse “Chicago” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High St., Alameda, through April 12. $17-$20. 523-1553. altarena.org 

Aurora Theatre “The Trojan Women” Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St., through May 11. Tickets are $40-$42. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

California Conservatory Theatre “The Turn of the Screw” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m. at 999 East 14th St., San Leandro City Hall Complex, near BART, through April 27. Tickets are $20-$22. 632-8850. 

Contra Costa Civic Theater “Foxfire” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at 951 Pomona Ave. at Moeser, El Cerrito, through May 11. Tickets are $11-$18. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Masquers Playhouse “Tartuffe” Fri.-Sat. at 8 p.m., some Sun. matinees at 2:30 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Pt. Richmond, through April 26. Tickets are $18. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

Shotgun Players “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” by George Bernard Shaw. Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m., through April 27, at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. Tickets are $17-$25. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Teen One Acts Festival with the winners of the Teen writing competition Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Rep School of Theater, 2017 Addison St. Tickets at the door ate $6-$12. 647-2917. 

TheatreFirst “Future Me” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Tickets are $23-$28. 436-5085. www.theatrefirst.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Fiber 2008” Works by Ingrid Cole, Tom Chen, Donna Duguay, Karin Lusnak, and Alexandra von Burg. Reception at 6 p.m. at ACCI Gallery, 1652 Shattuck Ave. 843-2527. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Coffee House Press Night Readings by Joseph Lease and Martha Ronk at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Paul Belz and Norm Milstein will read their poetry at 7 pm on Friday, April 11th at Nefeli Caffe, 1854 Euclid Avenue, a little north of Hearst, in Berkeley, as part of the Last Word Reading Series. There is also an open reading.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

California’s Música Mexicana with Dr. Loco’s Rockin’ Jalapeño Band and La Familia Peña-Govea at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Jovino Santos Neto and Harvey Wainapel Brazilian music from yesterday, today and tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $10-$15, children under 12 free. 228-3218. 

Ben Stolorow & His Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Stompy Jones, East Coast Swing, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Ron Thompson, blues, at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Ramana Viera Ensemble at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Karla Bonoff with Kenny Edwards at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $26.50-$27.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Charles Wheal & the Excellorators, blues, at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Resistant Culture, Black Fire, Disobediencia Civil 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. 

Kevin Beadles Band at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Bird Head at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

SATURDAY, APRIL 12 

CHILDREN  

Celebration of Children’s Literature with Marissa Moss, Gennifer Choldenko, Thacher Hurd, Elisa Kleven, Joel ben Izzy, Gary Lapow, LeUyen Pham, and Sarah Klise at 11:30 a.m. at Tolman Hall, UC Campus. http://gse.berkeley. edu/admin/childlit.html  

East Bay Children’s Theater “The Emperor’s New Clothes” at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak St. Cost is $10. 655-7285.  

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

Active Arts Theatre, “The Emperor’s New Clothes” Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $14-$18. www.activeartstheatre.org 

J. Otto Seibold on illustrating “Seamore, The Very Forgetful Porpoise” at 4 p.m. at Cody’s Books, 2201 Shattuck Ave. 559-9500. 

THEATER  

San Leandro Players “Redwood Curtain” Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 2 p.m. at San Leandro Museum Auditorium, Casa Peralta, 320 W. Estudillo Ave., through May 4. Tickets are $10-$15. 895-2573. www.sanleandroplayers.org  

EXHIBITIONS 

“Dancing for Joy” Group art show celebrating dance and movement. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Expressions Gallery, 2035 Ashby Ave. Gallery open Wed.-Sat., noon to 5 p.m., Sun. noon - 3 p.m. www.expressionsgallery.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Moazzam Sheikh reads from his new book “The Idol Lover” at 4 p.m. at Eastwind Books of Berkeley, 2066 University Ave. 548-2350, www.asiabookcenter.com 

Small Press Distribution Open House from noon to 4 p.m., readings by Joanne Kyger, Marjories Welish, Taylor Brady and Rob Halpern at 2 p.m., at 1341 7th St. at Gilman. 524-1668. 

Book Party for “Love, Grandma” letters written mostly by women activists to their grandchildren, telling how they became activists, at 2 p.m. at Redwood Gardens, 295l Derby St. 549-2210. www.gawba.org 

West Coast Live with Germaine Greer, author of “Shakespeare’s Wife,” Sue Miller, author of “The Senator’s Wife,” and Mark Wilson, author of “Julia Morgan, Architect of Beauty” at 10 a.m. at Freight & Salvage Coffee House, 1111 Addison St. Tickets are $13-$18. 415-664-9500. www.ticketweb.com 

Robert Kourik explains “Roots Demystified: Change Your Gardening Habits to Help Roots Thrive” at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oakland Youth Chorus “Music of Our World Concert” at 3 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St., Oakland. Suggested donation $5 per family. 893-6129. www.uuoakland.org 

Animal Crackers! Music by Gershwin, Whitacre, PDQ Bach at &:30 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. Tickets are $15-$20, no one turned away for lack of funds. 525-0302. 

Oakland Ballet “The Secret Garden” at 2 and 8 p.m. at Oakland Paramount Theater 2025 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $15-$50. 465-6400. www.paramounttheatre.com.  

Kensington Symphony with Geoffrey Gallegos, conductor, Kelsey Walsh, piano, at 8 p.m. at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 545 Ashbury Ave., El Cerrito. Suggested donation $12-$15, children free. 528-2829. 

San Francisco Bay Area Chamber Choir “Utterly English” Choral music of Britten, Rutter Howells at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Alameda, 2001 Santa Clara at Chestnut. Suggested donation $10-$15. 522-1477. 

Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, Dana and Durant. Tickets are $48. 642-9988. 

Kat Parra, jazz vocalist, at 1 p.m. at Downhome Music, 1809b Fourth St. 204-9595. 

Nosotras at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $13-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Macy Blackman & The Mighty Fines at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. AnnasJazzIsland.com 

“Rock the Planet” A Benefit for Greenaction with Nu Snowmen, Lebo, The Jolly Gibsons and David Gans at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo. Tickets are $20-$40. www.ashkenaz.com  

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

Vocal Masters Series: Nancy King and Steve Christofferson at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $20. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Dave Rocha Jazz at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Roger Rocha & The Goldenhearts at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Blue Bone Express, New Orleans jazz, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Street Eaters, and showing of film “156 Rivington” 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. 

Omar Sosa Afreecanos Quartet at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$22. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SUNDAY, APRIL 13 

EXHIBITIONS 

Darfur Humanitarian Aid “Tents of Hope” outdoor painting project for Darfur Humanitarian Aid from 1 to 5 p.m. at Congregation Beth El, 1301 Oxford St. 813-3777. 

“The Nature of LA” Paintings by Samantha Fields, Portia Hein, Stas Orlovski and Andre Yi at Traywick Contemporary, 895 Colusa Ave. through June 28. By appointment. 527-1224. 

FILM  

The Magnificent Orson Welles “It’s All True” at 2 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Victor Martinez and Enrique Chagoya in discussion at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum Galleries Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Rusty Morrison, Barbara Claire Freeman and Elizabeth Robinson read their poetry at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Jazz/Poetry with poet Michael McClure and saxophonist George Brooks at 2 p.m. on the 5th flr of Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6100. 

Kota Ezawa: The History of Photography Remix Artist lecture at 3:30 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak St. Cost is $5-$8. 655-7285.  

“Freedom Illuminated: The History of The Szyk Haggadah” with Rabbi Irvin Ungar at 2 p.m. at the Judah L. Magnes Museum, 2911 Russell St. Cost is $6-$8. RSVP to 549-6950. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Community Women’s Orchestra, Dr. Kathleen McGuire, conductor, at 4 p.m. at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland. Suggested donation $10, children free. 463-0313. www.communitywomensorchestra.org 

Art Lande & Paul McCandless Duo at 7 p.m. at The Berkeley Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Tickets are $10-$15. 845-135. 

The Itchy Mountain Men “Kickgrass” at 4 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$20. 684-7563. 

San Francisco Chamber Orchestra celebrates the 175th birthday of Johannes Brahms at 3 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing WAy. Free. 415-248-1640. www.sfchamberorchestra.org  

The Grassroots Composers and Performance Workshop A two-hour jazz ecture/performance event at 3 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $10-$15, children under 12 free. 228-3218. 

Kate Royal, soprano, Roger Vignoles, piano, at 3 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $42. 642-9988. www.calperformances.net 

Anton Schwartz Quartet with Tim Bulkley at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

The Angry Pholosophers at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Dave Ellis “A Tribute to Joe Henderson” at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Reilly & Maloney: Tribute to Tom Dundee at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org

Empathy—it’s a muscle. If you don’t use it, it wastes away.” What “society’s monsters”—that is, child molesters—experience, in Stephen Brown’s play Future Me at the Berkeley City Club, seems to have little to do with empathy—with their victims, from society, with themselves.  

But this uncanny exploration of this difficult subject manages to open up a hidden world, unknown territory even to its troubled inhabitants, avoiding melodrama as well as the temptation to resolve a complex human tragedy with assertions or answers in scenes that follow the tortuous path of a seemingly normal, even successful offender, from the moment an e-mail from his computer is sent out to everyone in his address book with a child porn photo attached. 

“It hasn’t crashed—more of a malfunction.”  

Right from the start, ironic lines highlight questions that are never answered, true dramatic, living ambiguity. Is Peter (Dana Jepsen)—a mature, charming London attorney with everything going for him—outed by a bizarre technical accident or by an unacknowledged wish to get caught? The text of the play makes no comment on this incident or the others that follow, offers no speculation nor whisper of inference, just the events as they unfold in time—a time of duration which ripens certain memories and reflections, while others become more elusive. 

The scenes cluster around relationships—Peter with his journalist girlfriend Jenny (Maggie Mason), with his techie brother Mike (Ryan Purcell) and their always-offstage father, with other offenders both sympathetic (Dana Kelly as Harry) and rowdy or mocking (Ryan Purcell as Patrick, Peter Ruocco as Tim), as well as with a rehab specialist (TheatreFIRST founding member Alison Studdiford as Ellen).  

In a challenging role, Dana Jepsen plays both protagonist and straightman, seemingly amazed by his own story, only gradually able to begin to see the part he played in making it. This corresponds to an unusual feature in Brown’s dramaturgy: the ongoing sense of hiddenness and revelation, of something shown both obliquely, yet very directly. 

The whole cast, with Dylan Russell’s careful direction, explores this minefield of concealed and overt emotions in nuanced performances, each with an individual point of view, the perspectives contradicting, overlapping, or snarling up—as when Harry, a lifelong offender, chides Peter for missing his cry for help (which the audience may very well admit to having missed as well), or Jenny, in a tension-filled confrontation with Ellen, tells of the terrible fantasy in lovemaking of being a child victim. 

But there’s much humor, and the irony’s never cold, often communicated through puns in language and situation. Meeting again, once they’re “out,” Peter and Harry talk about life, staying clean and temptation—at the dog races: “We went to the dogs.” Harry’s genial, even eager awkwardness is expressed through some bad pub guitar. The moods shift subtly as the questions turn, displaying different facets and reflections. 

“Sometimes I can sit quite outside myself,” Peter says, maybe echoing the thoughts of a spectator of this exploration of engagement and detachment, in which achieving or even just thinking about your desires may get you “more than you wanted—exactly what you wanted.”  

FUTURE ME 

Presented by TheatreFirst at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. $23-$28. 

436-5085, www.theatrefirst.com.

Future Me is about how society deals with its monsters,” said British playwright Stephen Brown, “what we do with people who’ve done terrible things.” 

Brown, visiting to catch TheatreFirst’s U.S. premiere of his play at the Berkeley City Club, summarized its point of departure: a bright, young, successful London barrister is about to move in with his girlfriend, with everything going well, when his computer sends out an e-mail to everybody in his address book with child pornography attached.  

The play follows him over the next five years, into and back out of prison, showing the people he meets (two other sex offenders, a probation officer who works in a treatment program) and the impact his troubles have on his girlfriend and his brother. 

“It deals with desire and anger, with what happens when our reasonable mind hits the iceberg of our buried visceral reactions, when we don’t know what to think,” said Brown. “Ungoverned desire provokes ungoverned anger. It’s slow burning. How to stay calm, think clearly—to punish, rehabilitate? When does punishment end? And what does it mean to say you’re sorry?” 

Brown emphasized Future Me is in no way a tract or merely an educational problem play: “It has a lot of black humor in it. How do humans cope with strong emotions on a day-to-day basis? Maybe by laughing a lot, not beating their chests. It also has a lot of story.” 

Brown, who’s written plays professionally “for four or five years,” started out as “a freelance journalist working in publishing,” publishing and writing for the British political magazine Prospects for the better part of a decade, then writing theater reviews for Prospects, the Times Literary Supplement and others. 

Clive Chafer, TheatreFirst’s cofounder and director of Future Me, had read reviews of the play last summer. “I’d been looking for a play on this subject,” he said. “Then in September I picked up a copy of the script in the bookstore of the National Theatre before a show, read half of it standing in the shop, then at intermission—even though the play was good—went to a pub and read the second half. By the end, I was wrung out. It’s the final taboo, which has reduced intelligent and rational people to monosyllables. We’ll have six post-show discussions with professionals who are in the rehabilitation field. We certainly want to make people think—but it’s important to remember it’s a play, not an essay.”  

Brown stressed how “very exciting it is for me to see a cast of American actors, with a different style, reveal different aspects of what I’ve written. I’ve started seeing lines, scenes opened up a bit. More open emotion.” 

TheatreFirst, an Oakland-based troupe for more than 13 years, has been searching for a new home after their site at the Old Oakland Theatre on 9th Street near Broadway became unavailable last spring after a successful season, for which the company won awards from the Bay Area Theater Critics Circle. 

“It’s astonishing that a city of over 400,000 doesn’t have a professional, full-season-producing theater company,” Chafer said. 

TheatreFirst is negotiating for a space for a 99-seat theater not far from the Paramount Theater, where they will pay commerical rates, in the range of $50,000 for the year. The group receives some city funding and has also secured some private funds to help compete for commercial rents. 

“The area around the Paramount and Fox theaters is being talked about as an arts district and is coming up rapidly,” said Chafer. “We’ve planned our next season, planning to go from three to four plays.”

You may ask, Why another Rolling Stones concert film? Aren’t they a tad past their prime? And haven’t these guys had enough camera time over the past 45 years?  

The answer is simple: Not only is it unprecedented for a rock ’n’ roll band to stay together this long, to keep recording and performing well into their 60s, but the Stones are undoubtedly a better live band today than they’ve ever been.  

Martin Scorsese’s new concert film, Shine a Light, showing at Shattuck Cinemas and in an IMAX version at San Francisco’s Metreon, captures the latter-day Stones in its current incarnation as the hardest-working band in show business.  

The dynamics of the band’s performances have changed over the years, and at nearly every significant stage of their development they’ve had a great director drop in to document the proceedings. In the early 1960s they were a British white-boy blues band, with much of their repertoire drawn from the songbooks of their Chicago blues idols: Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy. By the late ’60s, the band was something quite different, having carved out its own identity with a unique sound that blended their influences into an idiosyncratic new brand of rock. The band’s image had grown darker, and their live shows began to take on a somewhat menacing air—the Stones seemed genuinely dangerous. The era reached its conclusion with the infamous free concert at Altamont in which a man was murdered by Hell’s Angels right in front of the stage, a harrowing moment caught on film in the first of the great films about the Stones, Gimme Shelter.  

By the early ’70s the aura of danger had faded a bit, and the Stones took on an air of camp rock ’n’ roll decadence, dabbling in reggae and disco, glitter and makeup, and staging ever more outrageous live performances. Once again, they were put on the big screen in Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones. In the 1980s, the Stones set out on rock’s first stadium tour, proving that even while pushing 40, they were still the biggest band in the world, and legendary director Hal Ashby caught it all on film in Let’s Spend the Night Together. Since that time, as the band morphed into a smoothly run global enterprise, they’ve been competently filmed by a variety of lesser-known directors for the band’s various DVD releases. 

But here they get another great director, one able to go beyond the mechanics and craft of a concert film to strive for something more, to attempt to capture the essence of a live performance and transform it into something distinctly cinematic.  

Critics have complained that Shine a Light isn’t a documentary, that it neither seeks nor provides much insight into the inner workings of the band and the secret to its longevity. These critics are missing the point. There is no shortage of documentaries about the band’s storied career. Perhaps it is true that the definitive Stones documentary has yet to be made, and perhaps Scorsese, coming off well-received films about Bob Dylan and blues, is just the man to do it. But this is not that film. Here Scorsese is simply interested in the performance itself. The Stones have never been particularly introspective, never sentimental, never prone to dwelling on the past. Thus it is entirely fitting that Shine a Light should simply focus on the moment. 

A good concert film first requires a good concert, but more than that it requires an understanding of what makes that concert good. Most of the ingredients are here: a great band at the peak of its form; a great venue, New York’s Beacon Theater, intimate and packed to the rafters; and a great director to capture it all. What is missing from Shine a Light is a true Stones crowd. The occasion was a benefit concert for Global Warming Awareness, with Bill and Hillary Clinton and their vast entourage taking up the center of one balcony. But the real problem is the floor crowd, which Scorsese decided to fill with a bevy of photogenic 20-something women—hardly the Stones’ prime demographic these days. As a result, much of the first few rows are filled with young fillies more focused on being photographed than on the band and the music. Their conspicuous placement and posturing only detracts from the film. 

Still, you’ve never seen such a beautifully photographed concert. Scorsese matches the movement of his cameras to the pace of the band, following guitarists Keith Richards and Ron Wood around the stage, registering the crack of Charlie Watts’ tightly controlled drumming, and relentlessly pursuing singer Mick Jagger as Jagger relentlessly pursues the audience. Scorsese built a team of top-notch cinematographers to man the 17 cameras that relentlessly traverse the theater to keep pace with the whirling dervish that is Jagger. Low-angle shots transform the lights and ceilings into a dizzying pattern that swirls above the heads of the band as they roam the stage and dart in and out along the catwalk. Close-ups of the guitarists give a glimpse of the band’s unique dual-guitar attack, in which both trade off playing lead and rhythm. And plenty of screen time is given to the cast of backing musicians, most of whom have been touring with the Rolling Stones for at least 20 years, and, in the case of saxophonist Bobby Keyes, for nearly 40. 

And Scorsese never loses sight of the crowd, keeping them dappled in warm light and misty shadow, as much a part of the tableau as the gilded theater and set design.  

Though the set list begins and ends with stalwart Stones classics, 12 of the concert’s 18 songs are lesser-known or at least less-often-performed tracks. After the behind-the-scenes prologue, which, in the IMAX version, is projected at standard movie size, the frame immediately expands to full IMAX size at the first notes of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” and the frenetic pace, rapid editing and flashing lights make the experience a bit overwhelming. But things settle down a bit with “Shattered,” as the Stones settle into gear and highlight album tracks and overlooked gems, with a special emphasis on 1978’s Some Girls album. And in between, Scorsese peppers the film with brief archival clips from interviews with the Stones through the decades, most of them adding a light comedic touch to the proceedings. There is just one misstep, as Scorsese interrupts Richards’ rendition of the rarely performed “Connection” with clips of interviews with the guitarist. 

Fittingly, the one moment where Scorsese’s restless camera comes to a stop, if only for a few seconds, is for a prolonged close-up of guest star Buddy Guy. Fitting because Guy, as one of the still-living icons of the Chicago blues sound of the 1950s, is at the very center of what the Stones are all about. He joins them for a cover of “Champagne and Reefer,” a song by the great Muddy Waters, the man who more than anyone else inspired the Stones’ music and identity. They even took their name from a Waters song. Sure, most of their signature riffs are based on the guitar work of Chuck Berry, and there were myriad other influences along the way. But it was Waters, along with the rest of the electrified, urban, plugged-in Chicago blues masters, that led the way for a quintet of English white boys in the early 1960s. 

The Stones have always been loyal to those roots and paid homage to them, sharing the stage with their idols and helping to bring greater fame to those elder gentlemen, even when it means getting blown off the stage by them. For all of Jagger’s manic energy and cheeky posturing, for all Keith Richards’ swaggering attitude, it is Buddy Guy who summons the essence of the hard, driven sound that inspired them, with his deft, soulful guitar work and powerful, resonant voice. As Guy solos, standing firmly at center stage, the band circles him, surrounding the man like worshippers paying tribute to the sound and spirit which launched them on their five-decade journey.