Arts & Events
‘Before The Dream’
Richard Wright, the great African-American writer, whose novel Native Son (a deliberate black perspective to parallel Dreiser’s “Great American Novel,” An American Tragedy) and autobiographical book Black Boy have been taught in schools and colleges for generations, is featured at his centennial as the main character in Richard Talavera’s original play, Before the Dream: The Strange Death (and Life) of Richard Wright, staged by Oakland Public Theatre this weekend at the Noodle Factory in West Oakland, before a San Francisco run at Teatro de la Esperanza in the Mission District. -more-
Cal Shakes Stages the Bard’s ‘Twelfth Night’
“How have you made division of yourself?” Twelfth Night, or What You Will, now onstage outdoors at CalShakes’ Bruns Amphitheatre in Orinda, like other Bardic comedies, realizes some of its many confusions from love and some from questions of identity. -more-
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Announces Fall Program
This might be better than AARP. The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute has re-launched its Berkeley center in association with UC Berkeley. -more-
Berkeley Video and Film Festival Showcases the Indie Spirit
Time and time again we’ve seen the word “independent” co-opted by the very corporate forces the independents claim independence from: “indie” record labels engulfed by a corporate parent; “indie” film festivals that draw Hollywood’s A-List roster to remote Western boomtowns. -more-
East Bay: Then and Now—On the Trail of Zimri Brewer Heywood’s Residence
Legendary lumberman Zimri Brewer Heywood (1803-1879) left behind many legends. Retracing his history through original 19th-century documents (see “Zimri Brewer Heywood: Separating Fact From Myth,” Sept. 4, 2008) reveals that while some of the oft-recounted stories have no basis in fact, there are others, largely unknown until now, that are just as absorbing as the myths. -more-
About the House: Living in Houses Made of Vegetables
I built my house from barley rice -more-