THURSDAY, JULY 31 

Parks for Peace Visit the rennovated Studio One Art Center, located between the North Oakland Temescal Pool and Oakland Technical High School at 365 45th St., with activities for children from 1 to 7 p.m. 597-5096. 

Community Meeting on Pacific Steel Casting at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1400 8Th St. at Camelia. 233-1870. gcmonitor.org 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters meets at 7:30 a.m. at Au Coquelet, 2000 University Ave. Flammia@gmail.com 

Diabetes Screening Drop in anytime between 8:30 and 11:30 a.m. at Savo Island Community Room, 2017 Stuart St. Do not eat or drink anything for 8 hours, with the exception of water, before the test. 981-5367. 

“Growing Food, Growing Community: Food Access Through Urban Gardens” A panel discussion of the ideas and projects of the late Karl Linn at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220, ext. 233. www.ecologycenter.org 

Teen Book Cub meets to celebrate Harry Potter’s birthday at 4 p.m. at the Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue at Ashby. 981-6107.  

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

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

Three Beats for Nothing South Mostly ancient part music for fun and practice meets every Thurs. at 10 a.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, Ellis at Ashby. 655-8863. asiecker@sbcglobal 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 1 

“Witnesses to History: Conveying the Tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki” Opening reception with special guests Nagasaki A-bomb survivor, Nabuaki Hanaoka at 5 to 8 pm at Oakland City Hall rotunda, 3rd floor, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, between 14th and 15th St. Exhibition provided by the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation runs to Aug. 15. 839-5877. www.nuclearfreefuture.org 

“A World Beyond Violence” CA 2008 U.S. Dept. of Peace Conference at UC Berkeley, Fri.-Sun. Keynote speaker Marianne Williamson at Wheeler auditorium. Conference cost $105. Call regarding sliding scale tickets. 527-6062. 

Introduction to Pilates at 10:30 a.m. at Elephant Pharm, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Fearless Meditation I at 7 p.m. at Center for Urban Peace, 2584 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. Sliding scale fee $20-$30. 549-3733, ext. 3.  

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. 

Three Beats for Nothing Mostly ancient part music for fun and practice meets every Fri. at 10 a.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, Hearst at MLK. 655-8863. asiecker@sbcglobal 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 2 

Summertime at the Ponds Learn about life in the ponds, then use nets to investigate this dynamic habitat, from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

“Wildlife Photography of Jeff Robinson” A slide show of wildlife photographs from around the world at 2 p.m. at the Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

“Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historic Park” Hear National Park Ranger Betty Reid Soskin share the overlooked stories and contributions of the “Rosies” and other Americans on the Home Front during World War II, at 2 p.m. at Dimond Library, 3565 Fruitvale Ave, Oakland. 531-4275.  

Oakland Heritage Alliance Walking Tour: The Civil War at Mountain View Meet at 10 a.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave. Cost is $10-$15. 763-9218. info@oaklandheritage.org 

Got a problem in the garden? Want expert advice on watering, plant selection, lawn care, or pest management? Visit the master gardener booth from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Center Street between ML King and Milvia. 639-1275. 

Port Huron Project 5: The Liberation of Our People a reenactment of the 1969 speech by Angela Davis at 6 p.m. at the original site of DeFremery Park, 1651 Adeline St., West Oakland. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Nature Detectives at the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center Discover the fascinating world of arthropods by exploring our channels, meeting a resident crab in our touch tank, and making a craft to take home. For 3 to 5 year olds and their caregivers, at 11 a.m. at 901 Breakwater Ave., Hayward. Cost is $5, registration required. 670-7270. 

Walk the Line & Connect to the Home Front Walk the line of history and the keel of a victory ship, and learn about the men and women who contributed to victory on the home front during World War II, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. followed by optional 45 min. Bay Trail stroll. Meet park ranger at memorial by main parking lot at Rosie the Riveter Memorial, Marina Bay Park, Melville and Regatta, Richmond. 232-5050. www.nps.gov/rori/ 

All Hands on Deck: Building the Ships that Kept Democracy Afloat Learn about the 747 ships built at the Kaiser shipyards and the people that built them, from 2 to 3 p.m. at Historic Shipyard No. 3, 1337 Canal Blvd., Berth 6A, Richmond. Park outside SS Red Oak Victory gate. 232-5050. Directions to shipyard 237-2933. www.ssredoakvictory.com/contact.htm 

Common Agenda Regional Network on reordering federal priorities from the military to human and environmental needs, meets at 2 p.m. at Peace Action West, 2800 Adeline at Stuart. 524-6071. 

US Tennis Association Girls’ 18 National Championship Aug. 2-10 at the Berkeley Tennis Club and the Claremont Resort, Tunnel Rd. at Domingo. www.USTAgirls.org  

Summer Board Game Days from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

LakeFest 08 A festival along Lakeshore Ave. in Oakalnd Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 834-9198. www.oaklandevents.net 

Free Meditation Workshop at noon at 7th Heaven Yoga Studio, 2820 7th St. 665-4300. 

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, AUGUST 3 

Berkeley Rent Board Nominating Convention Help nominate a progressive rent board slate for the November election, at 4 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Donation $3-$10, no one turned away. 549-0534. 

Lazarex Cancer Foundation “Hope in Motion” 5/10 K Walk/Run, at 8 a.m. at Lake Merritt, 568 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. Cost is $30-$35. 925-820-4517. www.lazarexfoundation.org 

Trash to Treasure at the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center. Get some creative reuse ideas as we turn our old and/or ripped pants into a small pillow, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. at 4901 Breakwater Ave., Hayward. 670-7270. 

Social Action Forum with Antonio Medrano on his work in Mexico for Amnesty International at 10 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensigton. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Free Hands-on Bicycle Clinic Learn how to do a safety inspection, from 10 to 11 a.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Bring your bike and tools. 527-4140. 

Yoga and Meditation at 9:15 a.m. at Elephant Pharm, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

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. 

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, AUGUST 4 

Butterflies and Butterfly Gardening with Sal Levinson, entomologist, butterfly gardener, at 7 p.m. at Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin, at Masonic. 848 9358. www.fivecreeks.org 

“A Zoo at the Library” Small animals visit the Bayview Branch of the Richmond Public Library at 11 a.m. at 5100 Harnett Ave. 620-6566. 

“The Reflecting Pool” A new take on 9/11 at 7 p.m. at Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Bancroft Way. www.reflectingpoolfilm.com 

Castoffs Knitting Group meets at 7 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

JourneyDance with Toni Bergins at 7:30 p.m. at Rudramandir, 830 Bancroft Way. Cost is $25. 486-8700. 

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group, for people 60 years and over, meets at 9:45 a.m. at Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave, Albany. Cost is $3. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. 548-0425. 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 5 

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 Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline. Call for meeting place and if you need to borrow binoculars. 525-2233. 

National Night Out Meet your neighbors in community-building events at 7 p.m. in neighborhoods all over the East Bay. To host an event or for more information in Berkeley call 981-5808; in Oakland see www.oaklandnet.com  

“Ethics in Project Management” An all-day conference at Haas School of Business, UC Campus. for information see http:// 

execdev.haas.berkeley.edu/bes 

“Away With All Gods” Discussion group meets to discuss Part 3 of the book by Bob Avakian at 7 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way. 848-1196. 

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

Walk the Line & Connect to the Home Front Walk the line of history and the keel of a victory ship, and learn about the men and women who contributed to victory on the home front during World War II, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. followed by optional 45 min. Bay Trail stroll. Meet park ranger at memorial by main parking lot at Rosie the Riveter Memorial, Marina Bay Park, Melville and Regatta, Richmond. 232-5050. www.nps.gov/rori/ 

All Hands on Deck: Building the Ships that Kept Democracy Afloat Learn about the 747 ships built at the Kaiser shipyards and the people that built them, from 2 to 3 p.m. at Historic Shipyard No. 3, 1337 Canal Blvd., Berth 6A, Richmond. Park outside SS Red Oak Victory gate. 232-5050. Directions to shipyard 237-2933. www.ssredoakvictory.com/contact.htm 

Butterfly Basics Learn how a caterpillar changes into a butterfly at 10:30 a.m. at the West Side Branch Library, 135 Washington Ave., Richmond. 620-6567. 

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. 

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

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 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. 845-6830. 

Yarn Wranglers Come knit and crochet at 6:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll study reptiles, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 1-888-EBPARKS. 

Tilden Mini-Rangers Hiking, conservation and nature-based activities for ages 8-12. Dress to ramble and get dirty. From 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8, registration required. 1-888-EBPARKS. 

Peace Day Crane Making and reading of Eleanor Coerr’s “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” from 2 to 5:30 p.m. in the 4th flr. story room, Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6121. 

Stand Strong Against Nuclear Weapons on the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima at noon at Marine Recruiting Center, Shattuck Ave. Sponsored by CodePINK, MECA, Courage to Resist, Women in Black, Gray Panthers. 

White Mountain in a Wheelchair: An inspirational climb with Boob Coomber at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Bring your bike and tools. 527-4140. 

Grief Workshop “Memorial Tile Making” at 6:30 p.m. at Pathways, 333 Hegenberger Rd., Suite 700, Oakland. Free. 613-2092. 

American Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation from 10 a.m. to noon at 6230 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Advanced sign-up is required; please call 594-5165.  

Summer Board Game Days from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

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. 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 

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

Spanish Conversation Classes Wed. and Thurs. at 9:30 a.m. at North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst St. 981-5190. 

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. 

Berkeley CopWatch Drop-in office hours from 6 to 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. 548-0425. 

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

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll study reptiles, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 1-888-EBPARKS. 

“Obama: New Day for Black People or New Face on Same Setup?” A presentation by Sunsara Taylor at 7 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way. 848-1196.  

An Afternoon of Board Games for children of all ages at 3 p.m. at the West Side Branch Library, 135 Washington Ave., Richmond. 620-6567. 

Three Beats for Nothing South Mostly ancient part music for fun and practice meets every Thurs. at 10 a.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, Ellis at Ashby. 655-8863.  

Emergency Preparedness For Older Adults & Caregivers at 1:30 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 745-1499. 

Portrait Drawing Classes every Thurs. at 12:30 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. at Ashby Ave. 981-5170. 

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

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

Healing Yoga for High Blood Pressure at 7:30 p.m. at Elephant Pharm, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

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.  

FRIDAY, AUGUST 8 

“The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Became a War on American Ideals” with New Yorker reporter Jane Mayer at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $10. 848-3696. www.brownpapertickets.com/event/38919  

Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve Faire, Fri. from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. , and Sat. from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. with tours of the Preserve’s historic, natural and scenic features. www.mareislandpreserve.org 

Introduction to Pilates at 10:30 a.m. at Elephant Pharm, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Summer Outdoor Movie Series “Mostly Martha” at 8:30 p.m. at Charles Chocolates, 6529 Hollis St, Emeryville. Free. Bring a chair or blanket. 652-4412, ext. 311. 

“What is Jewish Mysticism?” at 6:15 p.m. at JGate near El Cerrito Plaza and BART station. RSVP to get directions and food assignment for pot-luck. 559-8140. rabbibridget@jewishgateways.org 

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. 

Three Beats for Nothing Mostly ancient part music for fun and practice meets every Fri. at 10 a.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, Hearst at MLK. 655-8863.  

SATURDAY, AUGUST 9 

Native Medicinal Plants of California We will explore many of the plants used in Western American herbalism, with a focus on historical as well as modern use, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Regional Parks Botanic Garden. Cost is $30-$35. Bring lunch. To enroll call 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

THURSDAY, JULY 31 

FILM 

Hecho por México: The Films of Gabriel Figueroa “Days of Autumn” at 6:30 p.m. and “Macario” at 8:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Wendy Lesser examines the intersections between life and art in “Room for Doubt, Except in Regard to Mark Morris” at 7:30 p.m. at JCC of the East Bay, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

Annie Barrows reads from “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Country Joe McDonald Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. at Cafe de la Paz, 1600 Shattuck Ave. 843-0662. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Midsummer Mozart Festival Piano Recital with Nikolai Demidenko, at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley. For ticket information call 415-627-9141. www.midsummermozart.org 

AileyCamp “...ism” Young dancers from Alvin Ailey’s summer program perform at 7 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. 642-9988. www.calperformances.net 

Kaz George Group at noon at the downtown Berkeley BART station, Shattuck at Center St. 

Sean Hodge with High Heat at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $5. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

The Jake Blackshear Quartet, The Bridge Crawl, Settledown at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082  

Saul Kaye, Jewish blues, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568.  

Fred O’dell and the Broken Arrows at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

The Django Festival with Dorado Schmidt and Larry Coryell at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $14-$26. 238-9200.  

FRIDAY, AUGUST 1 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “The Matchmaker” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave., through Aug. 16. Tickets are $10-$12. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org  

Altarena Playhouse “Hay Fever” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High St., Alameda, through Aug. 9. Tickets are $17-$20. 523-1553. www.altarena.org 

Central Works “Midsummer/4” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., through Aug. 24. Tickets are $20. 558-1381. www.centralworks.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theater “Kiss Me Kate” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito, through Aug. 3. Tickets are $15-$24. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Subterranean Shakespeare “The Merry Wives of Windsor” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at The Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., through Aug. 9. Tickets are $12-$17. For reservations call 276-3871.  

The Wild Party Performances Fri.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at The Black Repertory Group, 3201 Adeline St. 652-2120 BWLEM@aol.com  

EXHIBITIONS 

“East Bay Regional Parks Wildlife: Past & Present” Photographs by Jeff Robinson on display at the Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park, through Aug. 30. Closed Mondays. 525-2233. 

“Present Tension” Works by Jerry Carniglia, Judith Foosaner and Ann Weber. Reception at 6 p.m. at Chandra Cerrito Contemporaty, 25 Grand Ave., upper level, Oakland. www.chandracerrito.com 

“Cycles in Nature” Sculpture using materials found in the natural world by Deborah Yaffe. Reception at 7 p.m. at Oakopolis, 447 25th St., Oakland. Open Sat. from 2 to 5 p.m. 663-6920. 

“Rooted in the Bay Area” Works by Makhael Banut. Reception at 7 p.m. at The Compound Gallery, 6604 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. Exhibition runs to Aug. 12. 655-9019. thecompoundgallery.com 

“Accordion Dreams” Paintings by Julie Alvarado and “Slipping (Into Something)” paintings by Kathleen King. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Mercury 20 Gallery, 25 Grand Ave., Oakland. 701-4620. www.mercurytwenty.com 

“home bound” Mixed media paintings by dj whelan. Artist reception at 5 p.m. at Awaken Cafe, 414 14th St., Oakland. 836-2058. info@awakencafe.com  

“Toasting the End of Capitalism” Collage and photography by Maria Gilardin. Artist reception at 6 p.m. at NoneSuch Space, 2865 Broadway at 29th Street, 2nd fl., Oakland. 650-224-3108. annskinnerjones@yahoo.com 

FILM 

ITVS Community Cinema “Chicago 10” A documentary directed by Brent Morgan at 6:30 p.m., followed by discussion, at Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St., Oakland. Part of the Port Huron Project 5. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Sunset Cinema “Paperback Dreams” the story of two independent bookstores, at 7:30 p.m. in the garden of the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak St. 238-2022. 

The Dark Cinema of David Goodis “Dark Passage” at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Studio One Reading Series with Jaarrod Roland and Kaya Oakes at 7:30 p.m. at Studio One, 365 45th St. at Broadway, Oakland. Suggested donation $3-$15. 597-5027. 

Noelle Oxenhandler reads from her memoir “The Wishing Year: A House, A Man, My Soul” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Birdlegg and the Tight Fit Blues Band at 5 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak, Oakland. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2022. www.museumca.org 

The Black Diamond Band, rhythm and blues, at 5 p.m. outdoors at Broadway at Water St., Jack London Square, Oakland. at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Glenn Miller Orchestra at 8 p.m. aboard the USS Hornet at Pier 3, Alameda. Tickets are $45-$95. 521-8448, ext. 282. www.hornetevents.com 

Alfredo Naranjo y El Guajeo, from Venezuela, at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $16-$18. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Grace and Julian at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Grace Woods Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

A Tribute to Utah Phillips with Rebecca Riots and Hally Hammer at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10 and up. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Claudia Russell & the Folk Unlimited Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Emith, Mary Redente Duo at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Pat Nevin’s Ragged Glory in a benefit for the Jerry Day Foundation, at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Slick 46, Harrington Saints, Leif Erickson 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 P-PL at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Shawn Brown, R&B, at 9 p.m. at Maxwell’s, 341 13th St., Oakland. Cost is $10. 839-6169. 

The Django Festival with Dorado Schmitt and Larry Coryell at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $16-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 2 

CHILDREN  

Sandi & Stevie Sing Bug Songs at 2 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. For ages 3 and up. 524-3043.  

Puppet Show “The Adventures of Peer Gynt” Sat. and Sun. at 11 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m. and “Aesop’s Fables” at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. Cost is $6. 452-2259. www.fairyland.org 

Saturday Stories: “The Foolish Tortoise” Listen to the story, then create an art project related to the story, at 1 p.m. at The Museum of Children’s Art, 538 9th St., Oakland. 465-8770. www.mocha.org 

THEATER 

Port Huron Project 5: The Liberation of Our People a reenactment of the 1969 speech by Angela Davis at 6 p.m. at the original site of DeFremery Park, 1651 Adeline St., West Oakland. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Ka Lei Maile Ali’i - The Queen’s Women Protest re-enactment play performed by members of Ka Lei Maile Ali’i Hawaiian Civic Club from Honolulu at 7 p.m. at Redwood Gardens Community Room, 2951 Derby St.  

San Francisco Mime Troupe “Red State” at 2 p.m. at Willard Park. Free, donations accepted. 415-285-1717. www.sfmt.org 

Shotgun Players “Ubu for President” An adaptation of the plays of Alfred Jarry, Sat. and Sun. at 4 p.m. at John Hinkel Park, Southampton Ave., off the Arlington, through Sept. 14. Free, donations accepted. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Stone Soup Improv at 8 p.m. at Temescal Art Center, 511 48th St. at Telegraph. Cost is $6-$9. 415-430-5698. info@stonesoupimprov.com 

Prism Stage “The W. Kamu Bell Curve” Sat. and Sun. at 8 p.m. at Pro Arts, 550 Second St., Oakland, through Aug.10. Tickets are $15-$20. 848-0237. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Wildlife Photography of Jeff Robinson” A slide show of wildlife photographs from around the world at 2 p.m. at the Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

FILM 

The Dark Cinema of David Goodis “Shoot the Piano Player” at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, Sat.-Sat. at the Roda Theater, 2015 Addison St. All Festival Pass is $225. Group rates and specials for students and seniors are available. 925-275-9490. www.sfjff.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Port Huron Project 5: The Liberation of Our People A reenactment of the 1969 Angela Davis speech at deFremery Park, 1651 Adeline St., between 16th and 17th St., Oakland. Sponsored by the Oakland Museum of California. 238-2200. 

Bay Area Poets Coalition open reading, 3 to 5 p.m., at Strawberry Creek Lodge, 1320 Addison St. Park on the street, not in Lodge parking lot. 527-9905. poetalk@aol.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Ballet Afsaneh “Safar-e Bienteha - Eternal Journey” at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $24 and $100. 800-838-3006. www.brownpapertickets.com 

Duo Amaranto, in a concert honoring Julie Winkelstein, at 2 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 16. 

Glenn Miller Orchestra at 8 p.m. aboard the USS Hornet at Pier 3, Alameda. Tickets are $45-$95. 521-8448, ext. 282. www.hornetevents.com 

Gateswingers Jazz Band at 8 p.m. at 33 Revolutions Record Shop and Cafe, 10086 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. 898-1836. 

Mariachi Monumental de México de Juan Reyes at 8:30 p.m., panel discussion at 7:30 p.m., at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Frankye Kelly & Her Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

The Phenomenauts with Kepi Ghoulie Electric, Vic Ruggiero and The Secretions, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $110-$12. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Anna Laube, Garrick Davis at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Geroid O’hAllmhurain & Barbara Magone at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Kyle Athayde, trumpet, at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373.  

Planet Loop at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Izabella, Sugar Shack at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082.  

Portraits of Past, Yaphet Kotto, La Quiete at 7:30 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $10. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 3 

THEATER 

San Francisco Mime Troupe “Red State” at 2 p.m. at Willard Park. Free, donations accepted. 415-285-1717. www.sfmt.org 

FILM 

United Artists: 90 Years “Broken Blossoms” at 5 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oakland Municipal Band at 1 p.m. at the Lakeside Park Bandstand. Bring your beach chair and picnic. 339-2818. 

Ethiopian Arts Forum Ethiopian poetry and music at 3 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Cost is $112 at the door.  

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

Ron Thompson at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Kapalakiko Hawaiian Band, Regina Wells in a cultural celebration of Hawaiian Independence at 7 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Tamar Sella and Shynell Blanson, vocalists, at 4:30 p.m. and Michael Coleman, Nick Lyons Quartet at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10 for each concert. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Po’ Girl at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Krum Bums, Verbal Abuse, Peligro Social at 4 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

MONDAY, AUGUST 4 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Virago Theatre Company: Visions and Voices Play Reading Series at 7 p.m. at Freank Bette Center for the Arts, 1601 Paru St., Alameda. Cost is $10. www.viragotheatre.org 

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

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Downtown Jam Session with Glen Pearson at 7 p.m. at Ed Kelly Hall, Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, 1616 Franklin St., Oakland. Cost is $5. www.opcmucsic.org 

Avotcja’s Birthday Bash at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$20. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

John Ellis & Double-Wide with Jason Marsalis, Matt Perrine and Wil Baldes at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 5 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

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

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Creole Belles with Andrew Carierre 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 Ellen Hoffman at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Tony Furtado at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $14. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6 

CHILDREN 

Peace Day Crane Making and reading of Eleanor Coerr’s “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” from 2 to 5:30 p.m. in the 4th flr. story room, Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6121. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

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

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Summer Sounds at Oakland City Center with The Sun Kings, Beatles tribute, at noon at 12th and Broadway, Oakland.  

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

Nick Lyons/Michael Coleman Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Bass Culture Revue with Nex B and Moraima at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $tba. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Quake City, jug band, at 7 p.m. at Le Bateau Ivre, 2629 Telegraph Ave. www.lebateauivre.net 

Molly’s Revenge with Moira Smiley at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Willie K at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $20. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7 

FILM 

The Dark Cinema of David Goodis “Nightfall” at 6:30 p.m., “The Burglar” at 8:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, through Sat. at the Roda Theater, 2015 Addison St. All Festival Pass is $225. Group rates and specials for students and seniors are available. 925-275-9490. www.sfjff.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Meg Waite Clayton reads from her second novel “The Wednesday Sisters” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Rafaela G. Castro reads from “Provocaciones: Letters from the Prettiest Girl in Arvi” at 7 p.m. at Rebecca’s Books, 3268 Adeline St. 852-4768. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Jazzschool Student Vocal Showcase at noon at the downtown Berkeley BART station, Shattuck at Center St. 

Clinton Fearon at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $12-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Ledward Kaapana & Mike Kaawa at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

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

Owen Roberts, The Ben Benkert Trio at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Noche de Maestros with Marcelo Ledesma from Buenos Aires at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Fleeting Trance at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 8 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “The Matchmaker” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave., through Aug. 16. Tickets are $10-$12. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org  

Altarena Playhouse “Hay Fever” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High St., Alameda, through Aug. 9. Tickets are $17-$20. 523-1553. www.altarena.org 

Central Works “Midsummer/4” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., through Aug. 24. Tickets are $20. 558-1381. www.centralworks.org 

Stage Door Conservatory Teens on Stage “Anything Goes” Fri.-Sat. at 7:30 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2460 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$20 at the door. 521-6250. 

Subterranean Shakespeare “The Merry Wives of Windsor” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at The Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., through Aug. 9. Tickets are $12-$17. For reservations call 276-3871.  

Woodminster Summer Musicals ”Seussical” a musical based on the works of Dr. Seuss, Fri.-Sun. at 8 p.m., at Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Rd., Oakland. through Aug. 17. Tickets are $23-$38. 531-9597. www.woodminster.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

“888 Pieces of We” A photo memoir by Keba Armand Konte Reception at 8:08 p.m. at Oakland Art Gallery, 199 Kahn’s Alley, Oakland. 637-0395. www.oaklandartgallery.org 

“Our Quiet Earthquake” Mixed media works by Aunia Kahn. Opening reception at 7 p.m. at Eclectix, 7523 Fairmount Ave., El Cerrito. Exhibition runs through Aug. 31. www.eclectixgallery.com 

“New City Scenes and Landscapes” Paintings by Jerome Carlin on display at Caffe 817, 817 Washington St., Oakland to Aug. 14. 271-7965. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Adam David Miller and Rita Flores Bogaert will read at 7 p.m. at Nefeli Caffe, 1854 Euclid Ave. 841-6374. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Bobby Young Project, old school rock, at 5 p.m. outdoors at Broadway at Water St., Jack London Square, Oakland.  

Point Richmond Summer Music with Rock Soup Ramblers and Houston Jones, at 5:30 p.m. outdoors at Park Place in downtown Point Richmond. www.pointrichmond.com 

Ben Bolt, guitar, at 8 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. at Arch. Cost is $10-$15. 845-1350. www.hillsideclub.org/concerts 

University Summer Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Sliding scale donation at the door. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Marvin Sanders, flute, Lena Lubotsky, piano perform works by Bach, Mozart, Haydn and Debussy, at 8 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery 2911 Claremont Ave. Cost is $10. 848-1228. www.giorgigallery.com 

Jon Fromer, CD release concert at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

David Hunter Quartet at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Jack Pollard & His Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Marley’s Ghost at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Antioquia, Last Legal Music at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Drumm Workshop at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $8-$20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Greenmountain with members of Hamsa Lila will play sacred world dance music at 9:30 p.m. at Numi Tea Garden, 2230 Livingston St., Oakland. Donation $5-$10. 

Oh Shasta, Amy Meyers at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

The Free Peoples, Burglars Wine at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

The Dave Matthews Blues Band at 8:30 p.m. at Royal Oak Pub (formerly Baltic), 135 Park Place, Point Richmond. 232-5678. 

Say Bok Gwai, La Grita, Colectivo Error 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. 

Red, R&B, at 9 p.m. at Maxwell’s, 341 13th St., Oakland. Cost is $10. 839-6169. 

3rd Date at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 9 

CHILDREN  

Puppet Show “The Adventures of Peer Gynt” Sat. and Sun. at 11 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m. and “Harvest a the Lake” Native American Stories at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. Cost is $6. 452-2259. www.fairyland.org 

THEATER 

Shotgun Players “Ubu for President” An adaptation of the plays of Alfred Jarry, Sat. and Sun. at 4 p.m. at John Hinkel Park, Southampton Ave., off the Arlington, through Sept. 14. Free, donations accepted. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Prism Stage “The W. Kamu Bell Curve” Sat. and Sun. at 8 p.m. at Pro Arts, 550 Second St., Oakland, through Aug.10. Tickets are $15-$20. 848-0237. 

FILM 

“Sisters of ‘77” Archival film of the struggles and triumphs of the equal rights movement at 2 p.m. at the Rockridge Library, 5366 College Ave. Sponsored by Oakland Eastbay NOW, AAUW-Oakland-Piedmont Branch and Alameda County Commission on Status of Women. 251-0559. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Dreams in Metaphor” Black and white photographs by Moja Ma’at. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St. Exhibition runs through Aug. 30. 644-1400. www.photolaboratory.com 

Auto Erotica “It’s All About The Car” A group show by Phillip Hall, Bill Silveira and Laurell True. Opening party at 6 p.m. at Float Gallery, 1091 Calcot Place, Unit #116, Oakland. Exhibition runs to Sept. 6. 535-1702. info@floatcenter.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Barbara Quick reads from her novel “Vivaldi’s Virgins” with musical accompanient on the cello by Tessa Seymour, at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

University Summer Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Sliding scale donation at the door. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Global Voices of Resistance Benefit for La Guinera Community Center in Cuba, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$20. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

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

Bongo Love at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Drum workshop at 8:30 p.m., bring your own drum. Cost is $12-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Ari Chersky Trio at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Mike Zawitowski, Laura Zucker at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

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

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

Charlie Wilson’s War at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

The Sleepy Alligators, Seconds on End, in a tribute to Jerry Garcia at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Attitude Adjustment, Part Time Christians, Zombie Holocaust at 7 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $8. 525-9926. 

Yellowjackets with Mike Stern at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 10 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Fire & Flora” Hand-built ceramic vessels by Will Johnson and landscape paintings by Karen LeGault. Artists reception at 2 p.m. at the Community Art Gallery, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, 2450 Ashby Ave. Exhibition runs through Sept. 4. 204-1667.  

Samplings 2008: A Festival of Textiles with demonstrations of quilting, lace-making, needlepoint, knitting, spinning and more, from noon to 4 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak, Oakland. Free. 238-2022. www.museumca.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Architecture Tour of the Oakland Museum of California Meet by the Admissions Desk on the second level at 1 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak, Oakland. Free. 238-2022. www.museumca.org 

Arte Poetica, The Dream Poetry Team at 7 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $5. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

“Fat Man, Little Boy, and the Mushroom Cloud” Poets reflect on the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at 6:30 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way. Admission is free, donations encouraged. 

“The Music of the Word” The Petaluma Poetry Walk Antholog celebartion and reading at 3:30 p.m. at Rebecca’s Books, 3268 Adeline St. 852-4768. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

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

Café Bellie at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Jesse Scheinin Group at 4:30 p.m. Nebula Explosion at 5:30 p.m. and Christine Donaldson at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

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

A prosperous—and obstreperous—dry goods merchant in Belle Epoque suburban Yonkers forbids his daughter to marry a young artist, all the while planning a marriage himself, bride-to-be as yet unknown. Having engaged a matchmaker of great certitude and byzantine machinations, the shopkeeper prepares to descend on Manhattan with his counselor to visit his apparently intended, a millineress.  

Meanwhile, his daughter and artist beau elope, and the mild-mannered young men who slave for the merchant, given the run of the shop in his absence, decide to close up for the day and go wild on a cheap fling in the big city. With wry inevitability, in comedy born of romance (if not exactly the romances in a few young heads), all their paths converge in the trackless metropolis, and out of silly mayhem, a charming happy ending befalls everyone. 

Thus, The Matchmaker, Thornton Wilder’s hit from 1955, with later collateral hits from Hello Dolly, was originally a flop when it first ran in New York in 1938, a contemporary of his magnum opus, Our Town.  

Wilder, a former Berkeleyan (he went to high school here), was already a successful novelist when he essayed the theater. Both Our Town and what was then titled The Merchant of Yonkers were nostalgic Americana in great part. Our Town is about generations of backwater hamlets, a kind of inward panorama, and The Merchant/Matchmaker is a farce of innocence that pretends it is knowing, set in the big city, a big city of horsecars and Victorian ladies cinched tight in corsets, riffling their skirts as they stroll. 

Based on an old Viennese farce of Nestroy’s, The Merchant of Yonkers may have nose-dived because the typical Broadway burlesque of the ’20s, the parody melodrama, had been replaced by more exotic, if no less parodic fare, like Dracula. Perhaps the sophistications and breezy screwball-ity of Viennese farce didn’t match up to the darkening, prewar mood. Or perhaps it reminded audiences of the “semiclassical” operettas of their parents. 

Success only came after another world war brought even more of a sense of distance from the material—and Wilder tinkered with The Merchant, fleshing out the now-title character of Dolly Levi, the matchmaker, as well as lifting a running gag from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. In any case, a charming romp in what must have looked like more carefree times suddenly seemed appealing. 

Director Matthew Travisano has added some nice touches to the Actors Ensemble production at Live Oak Theater, decorating this layer cake mit schlag, Viennese waltz music. When the millineress (Mary Kidwell as Irene Molloy) is introduced in her shop, her youthful assistant, Minnie Fay (Heather Morrison) whirls in a waltz before the two are embroiled in an adventure with the two errant clerks (Justin Wheeler and Ariel Herzog), who pose as big spenders.  

Familiar faces Maureen Coyne as Dolly and Louis Schilling as the ever-complaining but somehow compliant merchant, Horace Vandergelder, bounce off each other and everybody else, including an offbeat Pennell Chapin as Flora Van Huysen, the merchant’s trustworthy (though not to him) relation, his daughter Ermengard and beau (Meira Perelstein and director Matt Travisano in artist drag), his cross-eyed new sideman, Malachi Stack (Kevin Watkins) and the various servants, waiters, cabbies and barbers, some played by the likes of Martha Luehrmann and Jose Garcia, also familiar Actors Ensemble faces. 

“Even if I dig ditches for the rest of my life, I will be a ditch digger who had a wonderful day.” The dialogue has great whimsical charm: “I like it in here; it’s a woman’s world, and very different ... can I take my shoes off?” and wryness: “Take my word for it, Minnie, the best of married life is a fight. The rest is just so-so.”  

And even a kind of common coin wisdom: “if a man has no vices, he is in great danger of making vices of his virtues. Nurse one vice in your bosom, give it the attention it deserves, and let your virtues spring up modestly around it,” and “Everybody always talks about breaking into houses, but more want to break out of houses.” 

After all the innocent fun—leisurely breakneck pursuits, genial hoodwinking and silly disguises carried over into ridiculous (but effective) transvestism—a character can truly exclaim, “Oh dear, Nobody’s anybody anymore!”  

But absurdity leads to a realization of happiness, and the tight-fisted merchant himself comes to the realization that “Money, money, money ... Like the sun we walk under, it can kill and it can cure.” 

THE MATCHMAKER 

8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Aug. 16 at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. $10-$12. 649-5999, www.oeofberkeley.org.

Above a leaf-pattern carpet, the narrow eyes and wry smile of a strange man look out through foliage, a funny portrait above the mantel. Or are the leaves growing from his face? (The painting is King of the Green Men, by Brian Froud.) 

This is the set of Midsummer / 4, Gary Graves’ new play for Central Works at the Berkeley City Club. 

Below this picture, along the mantel, a bottle of spirits and many books ... a spectator pauses on the way to his seat to check out the titles. One with prominent lettering on its spine reads “Maerchen” fairytales. 

There’s an oddly neat heap of clothing on the floor. 

A few moments later, the play begins, with a young woman quietly writing in a notebook, seated on the floor by the hearth. 

One after another, people abruptly appear, rummage through the clothing, act stunned or disoriented, asking what happened or exclaiming that the place is a nuthouse—then, just as abruptly, race out. It’s funny, and nerve-wracking. 

Finally all four, two women and two men, confront one another in the room, talking about leaving immediately, suspicious of one another, unwilling to ride together back to the bay from this spot, an old estate in the Sierras. But they finally start sharing fragmented memories of the night before, narrating— 

and hopefully navigating—themselves through a grand confusion, a kind of half-slapstick comedy of manners, trying to capture what occurred in multiple, blurry perspective. 

The story starts out simply enough before it weaves itself into a tale, then tangles. Two best friends, Raissa (Leontyne Mbele-Mbong) and Lena (Arwen Anderson), are sharing a summer getaway, Raissa a writer who’d like to stay away reflecting forever, Lena who’s seeking love—or, as she says later, to be loved. She’s met a guy at an eye-gazing party, and thinks he might be the one—and has impulsively asked him to join them for the weekend, to Raissa’s discomfort. And her new friend (Armond Dorsey as Dex) has invited his buddy Larry (John Patrick Moore) to accompany him—or is it to take care of his new girlfriend’s companion? 

Add a bottle of locally distilled absinthe, and the midsummer’s eve customs, bonfires and reputedly wild behavior, of the mountain locals (the owner of the estate is mayor of Athens, the nearest town, and friend to Raissa’s father), and the stage is set—if the unwitting players are not—for a gyroscopic dance on the thin, intersecting filaments of the consciousness and affections of each, as they trade off in romantic fervor and distain, pursuit and flight, and uneasy awareness, even panic, over some other, unworldly presence. 

Central Works cofounder Jan Zvaifler has directed this tight little ensemble through every facet of this fractured crystal, bringing out the considerable comedic skills of its quartet without losing the lingering, provocative eeriness that plays around the edge of their confusion. Is it something in them—or something that’s got into them—that makes them act this way, and every which-way?  

Graves’ play, developed with the actors, works like other adaptations he’s done for the company he cofounded, miniaturizing his original into a chamber drama, then slightly burlesquing it. This even works with comedies being burlesqued, in this case, like the lamp seller in ‘Alladin,’ a new romantic (and fantastic) comedy exchanged for old: the situation of the lovers, lost in the Attic wood, from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but treated in some ways like a Feydeau door-slammer. 

The ruse works. Arwen Anderson is funny and touching, Armond Dorsey exuberantly funny, John Patrick Moore deadpans a perfectly sincere, aspiring nerd and Leontyne Mbele-Mbong lends a certain grave elegance she has to Raissa, with gaiety, hilarity even, breaking through. All sing, carry on, get caught up in their own head as well as in the other three, a round robin of collective solipsism cut with abandon. 

Greg Scharpen helps localize the insanity with a sound design that plays off the corners of the City Club’s room and echoes through the atrium outside. Two of the players, Anderson and Dorsey, are new to the Central Works process of putting on a collaborative show, demonstrating the success of the method and adding to it with their presence. 

MIDSUMMER / 4 

8 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Aug. 24 at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. $20. 558-1381. www.centralworks.org.

Alabama churchgoers sway in their pews, back and forth between testifying with a sanctimonious air and buzzing with gossip. “Lord, it’s hot! Hot as Hades ... in a gut-bucket town, a hundred degrees ... nowhere to go, too hot to drive around, too hot to leave the house!” Some suddenly freeze in attitudes of suspicion as the ensemble builds to a crescendo, writhing, rubbing their hands and exclaiming in unison: “We’re hot—because our church is on fire—and we’re trapped!” 

The first of two staged readings of Marcus Gardley’s play in development, every tongue must confess—as vigorously performed by a cast of nine with the direction of Traveling Jewish Theatre Artistic Director Aaron Davidman for the ongoing Bay Area Playwrights Festival at the Magic Theatre in Fort Mason—got off to an explosive start. 

Davidman, a Berkeley High alumnus, directed Shotgun Players’ successful production of the work they commissioned from Gardley about South Berkeley, Love Is a Dream House in Lorin, in 2006. 

“What Aaron and the actors have done forces me to look at what I’m doing here,” said Gardley of the unusually active staged reading. “He believes the work can’t be seen until the actors are on their feet, moving around, not with their scripts on music stands. We have such a shorthand between us, but it’s amazing to me he can do that. There’s always some major visual moment in my work, which can be described only by physical action. One old friend of mine calls me a visual thinker, but my plays are so heavy language-wise, both Aaron and I feel they need the action, not to overwhelm the audience with language. I hear that all the time: ‘It’d be great as a radio play!’ But only the action truly represents what I want to say.” 

Gardley’s work-in-progress has something of the quality of a parable, though one told by and through many voices. There’s something of the air of another spinoff of Southern Romance (and Gothic), Faulkner’s Light in August, to it. Many of the characters and dramatic actions have a semi-mythical quality to them, the words Jorge Luis Borges used to describe Walt Whitman’s persona as a poet, and perhaps a fundamental American stance that combines a desire for storytelling, nostalgia for roots and a way of coming to grips with the multiplicity and confusion of the present moment by harnessing those urges.  

every tongue must confess weaves a web of characters and incidents that include a young woman (Rebecca White) gone mute, returned to her cracker father (Michael Oakes) after her mother’s (Julia McNeal) shooting by her boyfriend (Mujahid Abdul-Rashid); a gravedigger (Robert Hampton) discovering a Bible with a strange family tree in an empty grave; a forceful stranger just called Blacksmith (also Abdul-Rashid), a kind of Stagolee figure, fleeing something and moving in on prophet and healer Mother Sister Madkins (C. Kelly Wright) and her son, Shadrack (Roy Ellis), who dreams of running off to Nashville to play spoons; a chorus that takes up the community’s voice, led by Myers Clark, and a kind of counter-chorus, a reporter (Pjay Phillips) on TV, spieling out the events as news.  

Each thread is tangled with the others; there is much symbolism but also humor. “Marcus’ humor lets us show difficult things without them getting too dark,” said actor P. J. Phillips.  

“I’m most interested in what leads up to the burning,” said Gardley. “I set out to understand a question: what would make someone want to burn a church? I found out in a case down South the arsonist was also part of the relief committee, rebuilding churches he’d burnt down. I want to go deeper, raise questions for the audience to answer, take it a step further.” 

Gardley’s father was a pastor for the City of Refuge, East 14th and National in Oakland. Studying poetry, he took a class in playwrighting, “and that led to a deep love of the theater. We did plays in church, but they weren’t very well written.” 

Often compared to August Wilson, Gardley said, “It’s a great compliment. I met him a couple of times. He was writing about a very specific community in Pittsburgh, and became so well-known and so specific in his work, I think that in the end he found it hard to write outside his box. But we both write about black communities in transition. And he also was a poet.” 

Another playwright Gardley talked about was Eisa Davis, who grew up in South Berkeley (and has said she didn’t know her neighborhood was called Lorin until Gardley’s play came out) and also had her Pulitzer Prize-nominated play Bulrusher produced by Shotgun.  

“I’m a big fan of her work,” he said. “I’d heard of her, but never met her until she became my first mentor. She doesn’t like me calling her that, because we’re close in age, but when I was in graduate drama school, New Dramatists in New York, which assigns members to young playwrights as mentors, gave me to Eisa. It was a great day. We found out we were from the same area. It’s great to have someone who’s gone through the same doors you have, to advise you. She’s one of those people who can sense you need something, very attuned. When I taught a class at USF, I used Bulrusher and she came to talk to my students.” 

“There was a time we and other Bay Area playwrights felt we were not being paid attention to here,” Gardley went on, “that they hadn’t even heard of us. We were known in other places. There’d be a national search by a theater here, and they’d come up with someone they didn’t know was from here. I’d get asked, ‘Who are the Bay Area playwrights?’ I don’t even live here anymore and I know who they are.” 

Gardley, who now teaches at Columbia University, has received a commission from Berkeley Rep to do a play about Oakland, which he’ll base on the Icarus myth, and set in the Acorn-area projects—“all torn down now for new apartments”—he was born in West Oakland. “There’ll be a mythic element, but it’ll be grounded in real people I grew up with.” 

Gardley talked about “liking going back and forth between New York and here, that being here “gives the golden opportunity to do community work. The history of this area is important to me. What the Bay Area provided was a close-knit community—why my plays require a large cast: so many people had a hand in my growing up, so many opinions. The Bay Area has many voices. It’s diverse, but it’s a specific diversity.” 

There is one more staged reading of every tongue must confess at 4 p.m. Sunday Aug. 3 at the Magic Theatre 2008 Bay Area Playwrights Festival, produced by The Playwrights Foundation. (415) 626-0453 x105, www.playwrightsfoundation.org.

Bookstore shelves groan with volumes on how the world is out to get us. Authors tell us that what we eat, drink and breathe are just a slow way to commit suicide. The media is full of crime stories, drug busts and murders. It’s a wonder people get out of bed in the morning.  

But since hiding in the house is not an option, people search for solutions to protect themselves. Chemicals in the water? Drink bottled water or buy a filter. Pesticides in the food? Go organic. Crime worries? Move to a gated community. 

Those “solutions” are what sociologist Andrew Szasz, in his new book Shopping Our Way to Safety, calls “inverted quarantines,” and they are likely to produce exactly the opposite of what people intend. “Act jointly with others?” asks the author. “Try to change things? Make history? No, no. I’ll deal with it individually. I’ll just shop my way out of trouble.”  

Inverted quarantines—erecting barriers to wall off threat—are hardly new. “Separating and distancing oneself from threatening social conditions” is as old as walled villages, writes Szasz, but what is different about today is that “inverted quarantine has become a mass phenomenon. Millions—many millions—do it.” 

Szasz, a professor at UC Santa Cruz, begins his study with an examination of the fallout shelter hysteria of the 1950s and early ’60s, which eventually collapsed in the face of the obvious fact that no one would survive a nuclear war. Szasz points out—with a certain amount of wry delight—that one of the major boosters of fallout shelters, Nobel laureate and former chair of the Atomic Energy Commission Willard Libby, lost his shelter to a brushfire in Bel-Air. “This suggests,” writes Szasz, “that it may not have been sturdy enough to withstand a multimegaton detonation over Los Angeles.” 

But that didn’t stop Americans from trying to shop their way to safety. 

In 1975, the average American consumed a gallon of bottled water a year. By 2005 that figure had grown to 26 gallons. In 1970 there were approximately 2,000 gated communities in the United States. By 1997 that figure had grown to 20,000. 

Take, for instance, suburbanization—a subject the book examines in detail. What’s the problem with a little peace, quiet and crabgrass? According to Szasz, plenty. 

“The suburbs’ gains were the cities’ losses,” argues Szasz. Federal money went toward highway construction instead of mass transit. Industry moved out of the cities because transport costs were reduced, thus depressing urban tax bases. That in turn created underfunded schools, deteriorating infrastructure, and the problems of urban America: poverty, crime and drugs.  

It is fairly easy to make an argument that bottled water is a bad idea, even that the suburbs create more problems than they solve. But is organic food really a bad idea? 

Szasz argues it is. It is not that the author is Pollyannaish about the variety of awful things people ingest in their food, or that eating organic food doesn’t lower the chemical and toxic load we all carry. 

But this is a book about social consequences, not how to dodge the latest designer pesticide, and his logic about the downside of organic food is hard to fault. Szasz argues that the combination of growing wealth inequality, with the expense of organic food, means there is “a class dimension” to eating right.  

Those shut out of the organic food market because of cost represent the bulk of the population, and it is a sector that likely will increase. This will result in “two agricultural systems side by side: a large conventional sector that grows affordable, if slightly contaminated, food stuffs for the majority, and a smaller one producing organic alternatives for a minority, largely made up of affluent health seekers.” 

This two-tier system for what we eat, drink and breathe creates a kind of “anesthesia” that, according to Szasz “impedes the development of public sentiment that would support a broader reconsideration of the toxic mode of production in general.” 

Inverted quarantines are also a lot of work. “When inverted quarantines become one of the central organizing principles of a person’s life, freedom of movement incrementally decreases. The person voluntarily imprisons herself or himself, restricting movement in social space…living in an ever shrinking life-world.” 

Shopping Our Way to Safety will make the reader uncomfortable (although Szasz’s dry wit and engaging prose makes the book a pleasure to read) precisely because he doesn’t give easy answers. But the book is hardly apocalyptic. The author gives a number of historical success stories wherein people repudiated the inverted quarantine and sought solutions within a wider social framework. The resistance by peace activists and nuclear scientists to the fallout shelter mania was an important part of why people eventually rejected it. 

“It is heartening to remember that the shelter critics won their struggle to convince Americans that building fallout shelters was folly and suicidal. Rationality prevailed over the illusory siren song of individual self-protection. That fight needs to be fought—and won—again, this time concerning environmental threats, not nuclear ones.” 

Rejecting the inverted quarantine, he says, is like refusing to make a wrong turn. In and of itself, that choice does “not guarantee anything,” but it creates “the possibility that better choices could yet be made. But that is a lot.” 

Conn Hallinan is a former provost in journalism at UC Santa Cruz. 

SHOPPING OUR WAY TO SAFETY: HOW WE CHANGED FROM  

PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT TO PROTECTING OURSELVES 

By Andrew Szasz, professor of sociology at UC Santa Cruz.  

University of Minnesota Press. $24.95.