THURSDAY, OCT. 23 

Meet the Candidates for Mayor, City Council and School Board at 7 p.m. in the Chapel of the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda at Los Angeles. www.northeastberkeleyassociation.org 

MGO Democratic Club meets to discuss five government initiatives in a package called Real Oakland Administrative Reform with John Russo, City Attorney; Courtney Ruby, City Auditor; Ignacio De La Fuente, Council President, Dist 5, and Pat Kernighan, City Council Member, Dist. 2, at 7 p.m. at Dimond Branch Library, Oakland. 595-7402. www.mgoclub.org 

The Oakland Bird Club “Birds of Asia” A slide presentation by Jeff Robinson at 7:30 p.m. at Oakland Public Library, Rockridge Branch, 5366 College Ave. 444-0355. 

“Monterey Market Live” A documentary by Bill Fujimoto, owner of the produce market, at 7 p.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito. 526-7512. 

“California Native Plants for Your Garden” at 7 p.m. at El Sobrante Library, 4991 Appian Way, El Sobrante. Free. 374-3991. 

Easy Does It Board of Directors’ Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at 1636 University Ave. 845-5513. www.easydoesitservices.org 

“Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival” at 5 p.m. at Clif Bar Headquarters, 1610 Fifth St. Tickets are $10-$15. www.brownpapertickets.com 

Workshops for Healthcare Activists, and those who want to be, Single Payer Health Care/SB840 Kuehl at 7 p.m. at Hillside Church, 1422 Navellier St., El Cerrito between Portrero and Moeser Lane. 526-0972. 

Barbary Lane Senior Community Open House with East Bay Symphony Trio and author Armistead Maupin from noon to 5 p.m. at 1800 Madison St., Oakland. Free, but RSVP required 903-3600. 

Art from the Heart Silent Auction benefitting East Meets West Foundation, a nonprofit development agency serving the poor in Vietnam at 6 p.m. at Piedmont Community Church, Clara Barton Room, 400 Highland Ave., Piedmont. www.piedmontchurch.org 

“Life for Sale” A documentary on our ailing health care system at 7:30 p.m. at Shattuck Cinemas. Tickets are $10. 1-877-7LIFE4S. www.lifeforsalemovie.com 

Auditions for “That’s Our Snow White” with East Bay Children’s Theater for 14 M/F adult actors/singers from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Kahilla Community Synagogue, 1300 Grand Ave. For information call 537-9957. zaniladi@comcast.net 

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 

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, OCT. 24 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Antonio Rossman, Land Use Attorney on “How Communities Deal Effectively with Government Entities” including the Caldecott Tunnel issue and the UC Stadium issue. Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. 524-7468. www.citycommonsclub.org 

United Nations Day honoring East Bay Nobel Prize winners for work in climate change at 6 p.m. at International House at 2299 Piedmont Ave. Tickets are $15-$30. For reservations call 642-9461. www.unausaeastbay.org 

“Amazing Grace” A documentary about William Wilberforce, who fought to abolish the slave trade throughout the British Empire, at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Friends Church, Sacramento and Cedar. Free, Discussion to follow. www.berkeleyfriendschurch.org 

Campus Greens meeting with Matt Gonzalez, Jello Biafra, Marcia Feinland and others at 8 p.m. at 2060 Valley LSB, UC campus.  

“The Phantom’s Masquerade” The East Bay Dance Center’s Fourth Annual Halloween Show and Dance, a family-friendly event featuring dance performance, party and treats at 7 p.m. at 1318 Glenfield Ave., off of Park Blvd., Oakland. Tickets are $2-$5. All proceeds benefit the EBDC’s Scholarship Fund. 336-3262. 

Cinema Dreaming “Nosferatu” Screening and discussion at 7 p.m. at The Dream Institute, 1672 University at McGee. Cost is $12. 845-1767. 

Kol Hadash Humanistic Shabbat at 7:30 p.m. at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave. Please bring finger dessert or snack to share for the Oneg, and non-perishable food for the needy. 428-1492. info@kolhadash.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. asiecker@sbcglobal 

SATURDAY, OCT. 25 

“Peace in the World and Social Services at Home” A gathering with Dan and Patricia Ellsberg, Cindy Sheehan, Barbara Becnel and others at the Civic Center Peace Wall in Civic Center Park from noon to 4:30 p.m. 841-4824. 

Community Celebration for Days of the Dead with craft activities, demonstrations, music, dance and food, from noon to 5 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St., Oakland. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Infinity Walk Against Domestic Violence from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Mosswood Park at Broadway and MacArthur in Oakland and will include music, performances, refreshments, youth activities and more. Benefits A Safe Place, Oakland's domestic violence program for battered women and children. 205-0855. asafeplacedvs.org 

“Down Memory Lane” 35th Anniversary of the Oakland Community School from noon to 5 p.m. at 6118 International Blvd., Oakland. 434-1824, 652-7170. www.ocs-communications.com 

Fall Gardening Seminar sponsored by the Alameda County Master Gardeners from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Merritt College, Oakland. Cost is $30. To register see http://groups.ucanr.org/ACMG/ 

New School Halloween Bazaar with face painting, children’s games, rummage sale, book and bake sales, live entertainment and more from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1606 Bonita at Cedar. 548-9165.  

Fiesta de los Angelitos Build a memorial kite, a “nicho” or other crafts from 2 to 4 p.m. at at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave. Dias de las Muertos procession at 6 p.m. 228-3207. 

Haunted House in Berkeley with levels of scariness for all ages from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Come in costume. Donations benefit homeless children. 845-6830. 

Skytown Preschool Fall Festival and Open House Age appropriate activities for 18 months to 5 years from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Skytown Preschool, One Lawson Road, Kensington. Come in costume. 526-8481. www.skytown.org 

Haunted House and Costume Contest for children at 5:30 p.m. at Rhythmix Cultural Works, 2513 Blanding Ave. Alameda. Cost is $5-$10. Cost is $35-$50. www.rhythmix.org 

“Boo at the Zoo” Oakland Zoo Halloween Celebration Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with scavenger hunt, animal feedings, and a visit with creepy crawlies. Cost is $7-$10.50. 632-9525.  

Monster Bash aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS Hornet, with music, haunted tours of the lower deck, and children’s activities at 7:30 p.m. at 707 W. Hornet Ave. Pier 3, Alameda. Tickets are $20-$25 for adults, $10 for children. www.hornetevents.com  

Halloween Music, with Broadway and television favorites for the whole family at 6:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Alameda, 2001 Santa Clara at Chestnut, Alameda. Party follows with tours of the Haunted Parlor. Free, but donations accepted. 522-1477. 

Farm Songs and Stories, including a visit to feed the chickens from 2 to 3 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour of Claremont Paths from 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $8-$10. For reservations and starting point call 848-0181. 

Fall Bird Walk to observe and listen to resident and migrant birds at 9 a.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. Registration required. Cost is $12-$15. 643-2755, ext. 03. 

Small Pet Adoption Day Come meet our rescued rats, hamsters, guinea pigs and mice, and learn how they can be a member of your family, from 1 to 5 p.m. at RabbitEars, 377 Colusa Ave., Kensington. Come in costume to have your photograph taken. 525-6155. 

Pt. Richmond Silent Art Auction from 5 to 8 p.m. at Point San Pablo Yacht Club, 700 West Cutting Blvd., Pt. Richmond. For tickets, or to donate your artwork call 235-0165. 

SEEDS Community Resolution Center Celebrates 25 Years of Service with dinner, music and dancing from 7 to 11 p.m. at Berkeley Yacht Club, 1 Seawall Drive. Tickets are $40. 548-4051. Jaimee@ebcm.org 

Vegetarian Cooking Class Comfort Food from Around the World Learn to make Potato Latkes, Scotch Broth, Cuban Black Bean Soup and more from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St. at Castro. Cost is $50, plus $5 food and material fee. Advance registration required. 531-COOK.  

City Slickers Fall Festival from 1 to 5 p.m. at West Oakland Woods Street farm. Activities including a flag making station to decorate the garden, street games, talent show, street theater, unveiling of our billboard, snail hunt through the garden, and food. We encourage people to bring their favorite fall dishes and recipes to share. www.cityslickerfarms.org 

Bay Area Cohousing Tour A guided bus tour of several communities Cost is $95, includes lunch. 834-7399. www.cohousing.org/tours 

Residential Earthquake Retrofits A free seminar at 10 a.m. at the Montclair Women’s Cultural Art’s Club, 1650 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. 418-1676.  

“Growing Herbs” Learn the climate needs, fertilizer requirements, watering techniques, and pruning of different herbs that you can grow all winter long at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens, 729 Heinz Ave. Free. 644-2351. www.magicgardens.com 

Kennedy High School/Eagle Foundation Community Meeting to discuss the needs of the high school and the role of the community at noon in the cafeteria, Kennedy High School, 4300 Cutting Blvd., Richmond. 231-1433. www.jfkeaglefoundation.org 

Make a Box Sculpture with Emily Kuenstler,from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. Cost is $45. To register call 415-505-7827. 

Animation Film Festival Works by Bay Area middle and high school students at 9:30 a.m. at Bay Street AMC Theaters, Emeryville. 655-4002. 

LBAM Spray Commemoration at 6 p.m. at downtown Berkeley BART, with music and information. www.dontspraycalifornia.org 

Sacred Art & Sacred Space Art Auction at 6 p.m. at Rudramandir, 830 Bancroft Way. Proceeds will benefit Himalayan HealthCare. RSVP to auction@TantricArt.net 

Free Internet Classes “Useful Web Sites” at 10 a.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton St., El Cerrito. 526-7512. 

Floral Art and Design Class with Devon Gaster at 1 p.m. at Expressions Gallery, 2035 Ashby Ave. 644-4930.  

Preschool Storytime, for ages 3-5, at 11 a.m. at Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

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 

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

SUNDAY, OCT. 26 

“No on Prop. 8” A peaceful demonstration against Prop. 8 from 9 a.m. to noon in front of the Mormon (LDS) Temple at 4770 Lincoln Ave., Oakland. Anyone interested in expressing support for equal rights for gay and lesbian people is welcome to join the protest. 

Dia de los Muertos Festival with music, crafts, food and display of altars by community groups and professional artists, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at International Blvd. between Fruitvale Ave. and 39th Ave., Oakland. www.unitycouncil.org/ddlm 

Haunted Caves Halloween exploration for ages 5 and up from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $3. 525-2233. 

Ghostwalk and Graveyard Tales at 7 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave. Bring flashlights. 228-3207.  

Spooky Tales in the Redwood Grove with storytellers Bobbie Kinkaid and Jean Ellison at 4 p.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. Registration required. Cost is $7-$10. 643-2755, ext. 03. 

Create Your Own Halloween Event for familes and children ages 3-10, with educational hip hop, create your own costume, create your own trick or treat bag, fortune telling and healthy treats, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Glitter & Razz Dramatic Play Space, 5951 College Ave., Oakland. Free. 654-7166. www.glitterandrazz.com 

“Oakland Fusion” Community members are invited to paint ceramic tiles for a mural representing Oakland’s diverse community from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Farmer’s Market, Jack London Square. www.thewowhaus.com 

Women of Color Resource Center “Sisters of Fire” Awards honoring local women and organizations at 11 a.m. at Scott’s Seafood Restaurant, 2 Broadway, Oakland. 444-2700, ext. 306. 

“Proposition 8” with Stacy Camillo, Bd member, National Center for Lesbian Rights at 10 a.m. at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave. Sponsored by Kol Hadash. Suggested donation $5. 428-1492. 

Tour of the Berkeley City Club, the “little castle” designed by Julia Morgan from 1 to 4 p.m. at 2315 Durant Ave. 848-7800. 

“The Transcendant Supernatural” with Sarah Lewis at 10 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Albany Reads Community reading of “Snow Mountain Passage” by James D. Houston about the Donner Party. Author talk at 2 p.m. at Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. For a copy of the book call 526-3720. 

“Learning to Move from Overwhelm to Possibility” with Warren Kahn at 3 p.m. at the Ginn House in Preservation Park, 660 13th St., Oakland. Reservations required. 408- 808-1330. wcmoretolife@gmail.com 

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 Jack Petranker on “The Multidimensionality of Time” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 809-1000. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, OCT. 27 

Berkeley Mayoral Debate between Tom Bates and Shirley Dean, sponsored by The Berkeley Daily Planet, moderated by Robert Cheasty, former mayor of Albany, at 7 p.m. at the West Berkeley Senior Center, 1900 Sixth St. The public is invited to submit questions to debate@berkeleydailyplanet.com 

Hallowe’en Stories 10:30 a.m. at Richmond Public Library, Bayview Branch, 5100 Harnett Ave., Richmond. 620-6566. 

“Mind, Brain and Consciousness” with David Presti, senior lecturer, neurobiology, at 12:15 p.m. at Room 150, University Hall, 2199 Addison St. Free for OLLI members, $5 others. 642-5254. 

“Dispatches—Between Google and Gutenberg” A panel discussion on the ways to cover stories on global issues with Dispatches co-editors Mort Rosenblum and Gary Knight, Eric Stover, director of the Human Rights Center, and Rémy Ourdan, chief correspondent of Le Monde in Paris. Reception at 5:30 p.m., Panel at 6:30 p.m. at Graduate School of Journalism, 121 North Gate Hall, UC campus. www.rethink-dispatches.com 

Kensington Library Book Club meets to discuss “Suite Francaise” by Irene Nemirovsky at 7 p.m. at 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

Better Sleep with Acupressure at 11:30 a.m. at Elephant Pahrm, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Auditions for Falsettos with the Pinole Community Players Mon. and Tues. at 7 p.m. at Community Playhouse, 601 Tennent Ave., Pinole. 223-3598. www.pinoleplayers.org 

East Bay Track Club for girls and boys ages 3-15 meets Mon. at 6 p.m. at Berkeley High School track field. Free. 776-7451. 

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. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

TUESDAY, OCT. 28 

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 Briones Regional Park. Call for meeting place and if you need to borrow binoculars. 525-2233. 

Halloween/Day of the Dead Celebration with pumpkin carving, costume making, Day of the Dead alter and more from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Farmers’ Market, Derby at MLK. 548-2220. 

Bat Show with live bats, for ages 5 and up, at 7 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. Free, but tickets required. 524-3043.  

Hallowe’en Stories 10:30 a.m. at Richmond Public Library, West Side Branch, 135 Washington Ave., Richmond. 620-6567. 

“The Political Geography of the Jewish State: Zionism’s Facts on the Ground” A report-back from a Middle East Children’s Alliance delgation to Israel and the Occupied Territories at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. www.bfuu.org 

Kennedy High School/Eagle Foundation Community Meeting to discuss the needs of the high school and the role of the community at 5:30 p.m. in the cafeteria, Kennedy High School, 4300 Cutting Blvd., Richmond. 231-1433. www.jfkeaglefoundation.org 

“Sea Kayaking the West Coast: California, Baja and the Galapagos Islands” at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

Urban Bicycle Safety Class Learn how to share the road with cars on busy streets of the East Bay, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at Kaiser Richmond Medical Center. Sponsored by the East Bay Bicycle Coalition. Free. For information see www.ebbc.org/safety 

Caribbean Rhythms Dance Class begins at 5:30 p.m. at Redwood Gardens, 2951 Derby St., and meets every Tues. eve. Donations accepted for Community Rhythms Scholarship Fund. 548-9840. 

Music for Monotones An opportunity for non-singers to improve their skills at 7 p.m. at JCC of the East Bay, 1414 Walnut St. Cost is $10-$15. 528-6725.  

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

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 

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 

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 

Ceramics Class Learn hand building techniques to make decorative and functional items, Tues. at 9:30 a.m. at St. John's Senior Center, 2727 College Ave. Free, materials and firing charges only. 525-5497. 

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 Masonic Ave., Albany. 524-9122. 

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

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 29 

Berkeley Organizing Congregations for Action Candidate Forum for all of the candidates for Mayor, City Council and School Board at 6:30 p.m. at Rosa Parks School, 920 Allston Way at the corner of 8th St. 665-5821. www.berkeleyboca.org 

“The 12 State of California Propositions” A community discussion with students who have researched each of the propositions at 8 p.m. at JFK Univ. Art Annex, Studion #2, 2956 San Pablo Ave. (enter at rear parking lot). 649-0499. 

“Frontiers of Dreams and Fears” A film about the friendship between two Palestinian girls at 7 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $10-$20, no one turned away. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

“Beyond Elections” A documentary on participatory democracy in Brazil, Colombia and Canada at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation $5. www.Humanist Hall.org 

Hawaiian Party for Our Parks with Hawaiian music and Malcolm Margolin on the history of the East Bay Regional Parks at 7 p.m. at the Brazil Room, Tilden Park. Sponsored by the Sierra Club. Cost is $25, reservations required. 848-0800 , ext.322. 

Pacific Boychoir Academy Auditions from 4:15 to 6:30 p.m. at 410 Alcatraz Ave. in Oakland. No musical knowledge or experience is required. To register for auditions, call 652-4722. 

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. 

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 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. 

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

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, OCT. 30 

Berkeley Mayoral Candidates Debate Pacific Steel Issues and solutions to the plant’s pollution and health threats at 7 p.m. at the Building Education Center, 812 Page St. Sponsored by Global Community Monitor. www.gcmonitor.org 

BUSD Community Meeting on selling Hillside School and Playground Thursday evening, October 30, 7:00 PM in the large conference room, 1720 Oregon St. For information contact Cynthia Cowgill at 549-3435, or cacowgill@aim.com 

Berkeley’s Climate Action Plan A town hall discussion with councilmembers Laurie Capitelli (District 5) and Betty Olds (District 6) at 6:30 p.m. at Northbrae Community Church, Parlor Room, 941 The Alameda. 

Berkeley School Volunteers Orientation from 3 to 4 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. Come learn about volunteer opportunities. Bring photo ID and two references. 644-8833. 

Hallowe’en Stories and creepy songs from 6 to 7 p.m. at Richmond Public Library, Children’s Room, 325 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond. 620-6557. 

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

Bayswater Book Club Dinner meeting at 6:30 p.m. to discuss “Obama Nomics” by John R. Talbott. RSVP to 433-2911. 

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 

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, OCT. 31 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Sherry Smith, League of Women Voters “State and Local Ballot Measures in the Nov. 2008 Elections” 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. www.citycommonsclub.org 

Harvest Festival at James Kenney Community Center with carnival games, arts and crafts, a spooky maze and more from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at 1720 8th St., between Virginia and Delaware. 981-6551.  

Halloween Costume Contest and Magic Show at 5 p.m. at Ray’s Pumpkin Patch, 1245 Solano Ave., Albany. Free. 527-5358. 

“Not-Too-Spooky” Halloween for ages 6 and under from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Habitot, 2065 Kittredge St. Cost is $7-$8. 647-1111. www.habitot.org 

“Farewell to the Thief” Celebrate the end of the Bush years with a concert at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. Suggested donation $10. www.bfuu.org 

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

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, NOV. 1 

Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival Creek Walk Meet at 10 a.m. just inside UC campus at Oxford and Center St. Poetry Festival follows at noon at Civic Center Park. 526-9105. www.poetryflash.org 

Berkeley Path Wanderers Albany Walk Explore history, preservation, and restoration on Albany Hill, University Village, and Cerrito and Codornices Creeks Meet at 10 a.m. at Albany Peet’s on San Pablo. 848-9358. www.berkeleypaths.org 

Reptile Rendevous Learn about the reptiles that live in Tilden Park, and meet some up close, from 2 to 3 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center. 525-2233. 

Close the Farm Help us close the Little Farm and tuck in the animals for the night, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Tilden Little Farm, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Wine and Carrot Reception for Peter Matsukawa and the photographs of his rabbits, at 5 p.m. at RabbitEars, 377 Colusa, Ave., Kensington. 535-6155. 

Lead-Safe Painting & Remodeling A free introductory class to learn about lead safe renovations for your older home, from 10 a.m. to noon at Dimond Branch Library, 3565 Fruitvale Ave., Oakland. Presented by Alameda County Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. 567-8280. www.ACLPPP.org 

“Law School Admissions Workshop for People of Color” from 9:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Berkeley School of Law, Booth Auditorium. Open to all traditionally underrepresented groups such as people of color, people with disabilities, gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people, and those from a disadvantaged socio-economic background. Please RSVP to coalitionfordiversity@gmail.com  

“The Joy of Writing” A workshop with Lynn Hammond from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. Cost is $30. Bring a bag lunch. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Free Internet Classes: Health and Medical Information from 10 to 11 El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton St., El Cerrito. 526-7512. 

Math and Science Classes from the Lawrence Hall of Science for families with children in kindergarten through fifth grade from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Richmond Public Library, 325 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond. Free. 620-6557. 

Berkeley Property Owners Association Monthly meeting with Ted Levenson on “The Current Financial Melt-down and what it means to you and your investments” 10 a.m. at St.John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave., Fireside Room. All welcome. bpoa@bpoa.org 

“The Current Situation in Afghanistan” at 7 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way. 848-1196. 

Preschool Storytime, for ages 3-5, at 11 a.m. at Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

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 

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, NOV. 2 

Art Hike “Sketching Through the Fog” Bring paper, pen or pencil and discover winter flora and fauna in the fog from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Spinning a Yarn Storytelling Watch wool being spun and listen to a tale at 2 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Berkeley Rep Family Series “Myths Come Alive” from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Nevo Education Center, 2071 Addison St. Free, but bring a book to donate to a school library. 647-2973. 

“Diwali: The Hindu Festival of Lights” with Asha Bajaj, at 10 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Dia de los Muertos with crafts and story-telling for children ages 0-6 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Habitot Children’s Museum, 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111. 

African Diaspora Film Society “The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow” at 2 p.m. at Parkway Theater, 1834 Park Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $5. 814-2400. 

Organic Gardening: The Magic of Sheet Mulching from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in North Oakland. Cost is $30-$50. 431-9016. 

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. 

CITY MEETINGS 

Mental Health Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 23, at 6:30 p.m. at 2640 MLK Jr. Way, at Derby. 981-5213. 

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., Oct. 23, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. 981-7410.  

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon., Oct. 27, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. 

Parks and Recreation Commission meets Mon., Oct. 27, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5158.  

Zero Waste Commission meets Mon., Oct. 27, at 7 p.m., at North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6357. 

City Council meets Tues., Oct. 28, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Police Review Commission meets Wed., Oct. 29, at the South Berkeley Senior Center, 981-4950.  

THURSDAY, OCT. 23 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Bay Area Basket Makers” An exhibition of contemporary basketry and gourd art. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at The Albany Arts Gallery, 1251 Solano Ave.  

THEATER 

Kung Pao Kosher Comedy “The 5th and Final George Bush Going Away Party” at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Cost is $20-$30. 800-838-3006. 

FILM 

I Love Beijing: “For Fun” with filmmaker Ning Ying in person at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808.  

“small film festival” through Sun. at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. in Live Oak Park. Free for BAC members, $6-$8 for non-members. 644-6893. www.berkeleysrtcenter.org 

Arab Film Festival “Paloma Delight” at 9 p.m. at Parkway Theater, 1834 Park Blvd., Oakland. Tickets are $10-$12. www.aff.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Strange Harbors: Two Lines World Writing in Translation” with translators from the Center for the Art of Translation at 6 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585.  

Joshua Henkin reads from his novel “Matrimony” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Amistead Maupin reads at the Barbary Lane Open House, at 1:30 p.m. at 1800 Madison St., Oakland. Free, but RSVP required 903-3600. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Pat Nevins & Joe Balestreri at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $6. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Berkeley Symphony conducted by William Eddins at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC campus. Tickets are $20-$60. 841-2800. www.berkeleysymphony.org 

Carol Lukenback & Her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

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

Form and Fate, Vir, Parker Street Cinema, post punk progressive rock at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. 

Beat Boxing with Butterscotch, Soulati, Infinite, Syzygy, Eachbox and others at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $6-$8. 849-2568.  

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

Chris Dadzitus at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

FRIDAY, OCT. 24 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “Doctor Faustus” Fri. and Sat at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave., at Berryman, through Nov. 22. Tickets are $10-$12. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Altarena Playhouse “Bat Boy: The Musical” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High St., Alameda, through Nov. 1. Tickets are $17-$20. 523-1553. www.altarena.org 

Bay Area Performing Arts Collective "A Raisin in the Sun" Fri. at 8 p.m. and Sat. at 2 and 8 p.m. at Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Oakland. Tickets are $25. 575-7112. www.araisininthesunplay.com 

Central Works “Blessed Unrest” by Paul Hawken, Thurs, Fri, Sat at 8 p.m., Sun at 5 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. through Nov. 23. Tickets are $14-$25. 558-1381. centralworks.org 

Fusion Theater “The Piano Lesson” with Donal Lacy Thurs.-Sat. at Laney College Theaater, 900 Fallon St., Oakland, through Nov. 1. Tickets are $5-$10. 464-3543. 

Galatean Players Ensemble Theater “Rivets” A musical based on Rosie the Riveter and Richmond’s Kaiser Shipyards, Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. onboard the SS Red Oak Victory, 1337 Canal Blvd., Berth 6A, Richmond, through Oct. 26. Tickets are $20. 925-676-5705. galateanplayers.com 

Laurie Anderson “Homeland” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $28-$56. 642-9988. www.calperformances.net 

Oakland Opera Theater “Histoire du Soldat” and “Renard” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Oakland Metro Operahouse, 630 3rd St., Oakland, through Nov. 2. Tickets are $25-$32. 763-1146. www.oaklandopera.org 

Ragged Wing Ensemble “The History of the Devil” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Central Stage, 5221 Central Ave., Richmond, Through Nov. 1. Tickets are $10-$30. www.raggedwing.org 

Woman’s Will “Macbeth” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at The Retail Theater Space, 95 Washington, Jack London Square, Oakland, through Oct. 26. Tickets are $15-$25. 420-0813. www.womanswill.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Karl Kasten Retrospective” the Berkeley School 1930-50, Students, 1950-83. Closing reception at 4 p.m. at the Worth Ryder Gallery, Kroeber Hall, UC campus. 642-2582. 

FILM 

Arab Film Festival Fri. through Sun. at Shattuck Cinemas, 2230 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $10-$12. www.aff.org 

I Love Beijing: “On the Beat” with filmmaker Ning Ying in person 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 

Christian Lander describes “Stuff White People Like: The Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $10 at the door. 

Therese Poletti describes “Art Deco San Francisco: The Architecture of Timothy Pflueger” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“Witches Fly & Devils Dance” music from opera to Broadway at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Alameda, 2001 Santa Clara at Chestnut, Alameda. Suggested donation $13-$15, children under 13 free. 522-1477. 

Cenk Karaferya, male soprano, at 8 p.m. at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 1501 Washington Ave., Albany. Cost is $15-$20. 525-1716. 

Mal Sharpe & Big Money in Jazz! at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Swingthing at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Montclair Women’s Big Band at 5:30 p.m. at Barbary Lane, 1800 Madison St., Oakland. Cost is $19.43 for age 65 and older, $25 for others. 903-3600. 

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

“Treasure” with David Helpling and Jon Jenkins at 8 p.m. at Rudramandir, 830 Bancroft Way at 6th. Tickets are $15-$20. 486-8700.  

Dave Matthews Blues Band at 8 p.m. at The Warehouse Bar & Grill, 4th St. and Webster, Oakland. 451-3161. 

Houston Jones at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Nell Robinson & Red Level at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Dave Lionelli, Jason Gouveia at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Todd Mack, Scen Eberlein, Josh Fix in a benefit for Daniel Pearl, at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Donation accepted. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

One in the Chamber, Maggot Colony, Progeria 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. 

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

Dana Salzman at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Jerry Kennedy, acoustic soul, at 7:30 p.m. at 33 Revolutions, 10086 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. 898-1836. 

Chante Moore at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $40. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, OCT. 25 

CHILDREN  

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

“Trickster Tales” Puppet show Sat. and Sun. at 11 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. Cost is $10. 452-2259.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“Double Exposure” works by Kevin Chen, Eleanor Harwood, Nicole Neditch, Narangkar Glover, Pete Glover, Carrie Lederer, Michelle Mansour, Jen Elia, Daniel Healey, and Margaret Tedesco. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Blankspace, 6608 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. 547-6608. www.blankspacegallery.com 

“Urban Landscapes” Works by Mark P. Fisher, Fernando Reyes, and Scott Courtenay-Smith. Opening reception at 2 p.m. at Alta Galleria. 414-4485. www.AltaGalleria.com 

FILM 

Arab Film Festival through Sun. at Shattuck Cinemas, 2230 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $10-$12. For film details see www.aff.org 

“I Love Beijing” with filmmaker Ning Ying in person at 6:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808.  

“small film festival” through Sun. at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. in Live Oak Park. Free for BAC members, $6-$8 for non-members. 644-6893. www.berkeleysrtcenter.org 

Animation Film Festival Works by Bay Area middle and high school students at 9:30 a.m. at Bay Street AMC Theaters, Emeryville. 655-4002. 

Post-WWII Japanese Films with Prof. Frederick Hsia, in Mandarin and English, from 1:45 to 4:45 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 3rd flr., 2090 Kittredge at Shattuck. 981-6107. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“A Conversation on Free Speech, New Media & Performance” with Laurie Anderson at 2 p.m. at Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Sponsored by Berkeley Center for New Media. 642-0635. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oakland Civic Orchestra Free Children’s Concert at 4 p.m. at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland. 238-7275. http://www.oaklandnet.com/ 

parks/programs/ca_civicorchestra.asp. 

Kensington Symphony “New Worlds” at 8 p.m. at Unitarian- Universalist Church, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. Suggested donation $12-$15. Children free. 524-9912.  

Oakland Ballet Company’s Fall Program with excerpts from Ronn Guidi’s Romeo and Juliet; Michael Lowe’s Bamboo; and Ron Thiele’s How’d They Catch Me? at 2 and 8 p.m. at Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $15-$50. 465-6400. 

Betsy Rose and Judy Fjell, “Musical Wit and Wisdom” at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. Suggested donation $15-$20. 525-7082. 

Coco Lopez, The Oakland -East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus and Leslie Hassberg at 6 p.m. at Barbary Lane, 1800 Madison St., Oakland. Free, but RSVP required 903-3600. 

Lloyd Gregory Sextet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Baba Ken & West African Highlife Band at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Dance lesson at 9 p.m. Cost is $12-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

“A Harmony Happening” with Fran Avni in an interactive musical event co-sponsored by the JCC and The Aquarian Minyan at 8:30 p.m. at JCC of the East Bay, 1414 Walnut St. Cost is $15. 528-6725. 

Bang Data, Latin Alternative/ 

Hip Hop with Mezklah, The Hot Pocket, and DJ EKG at 9 p.m. at Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Cost is $7-$10. 418-6985. 

Joe Hickey, Scott Waters at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Tempest, Celtic, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Avotcja & Modupue at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

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

The Todd Shipley Band at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Dave Matthews Blues Band at 8:30 p.m. at Royal Oak Pub, 135 Park Place, Pt. Richmond. 232-5678. 

Dave Ridnell and Alex Calatayud, Brazilian jazz at 7:30 p.m. at 33 Revolutions, 10086 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. 898-1836. 

The Mother Hips, Micki Bluhm and The Gamblers at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $15. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Bucky Sinister, Us Kings, Wardogs at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, OCT. 26 

FILM 

Arab Film Festival at Shattuck Cinemas, 2230 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $10-$12. For film details see www.aff.org 

I Love Beijing: “Railroad of Hope” at 1:30 p.m. and “Perpetual Motion” at 4 p.m., with filmmaker Ning Ying in person, at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Randy Shaw discusses his new book “Beyond the Fields: Cesar Chavez, the UFW and the Struggles for Justice in the 21st Century” at 4:30 p.m. at Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar St. at Bonita.  

Arvid Järnefelt’s “Sointula” (“Place of Harmony”) dramatic reading in English of the 1924 three-act historical Finnish drama, at 2 p.m. at Finnish Kaleva Hall, 1970 Chestnut St. Donation $5. 849-0125. 

Conversations on Art with Nomi Talisman on her work with the Magnes as part of META/DATA, an online project, at 2 p.m. at 2911 Russell St Cost is $6-$8. Seating is limited, RSVP to gmarkham@magnes.org  

Jan Wahl on “Food and Wine in Film” at 3:30 p.m. at Barbary Lane, 1800 Madison St., Oakland. Cost is $19.43 for age 65 and older, $25 for others. 903-3600. 

James D. Houston talks about “Snow Mountain Passage” as part of the Albany Reads program at 2 p.m. at Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 16. 

Egyptology Lecture “Remembering the Ancestors: New Discoveries in Hierakonpolis, Egypt” with Dr. Renee Friedman, Heagy Research Curator, British Museum, and Director of Hierakonpolis Expedition, at 2:30 p.m. at Barrows Hall, Room 126, UC campus. 415-664-4767. 

Julia Glass reads from her novel “I See You Everywhere” at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Crowden Music Center Community Music Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1475 Rose St. Free. 559-6910.  

Berkeley Symphony Under Construction “Democracy in America” conducted by William Eddins at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley. Tickets are $10-$20. 841-2800. www.berkeleysymphony.org 

Duo Trujillo, Rebecca & Javier Trujillo, piano and guitar, perform Bach to Bossa Nova at 6:30 pm. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Donation $12-$25. 654-4053.  

Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra at 7 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $38-$80. 642-9988. www.calperformances.net 

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

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

The Ravines at 3 p.m. at Spud’s Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. at Alcatraz. www.spudspizza.net 

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

Jeff Johnson, Judah Retterman, gospel reggae, at 5 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $12. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Dave LeFebvre Group at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

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

Halloween Show with Violation, Gain to Use, Throat Oyster at 4 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

MONDAY, OCT. 27 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Dispatches—Between Google and Gutenberg” A panel discussion on the ways to cover stories on global issues with Dispatches co-editors Mort Rosenblum and Gary Knight, Eric Stover, director of the Human Rights Center, and Rémy Ourdan, chief correspondent of Le Monde in Paris. Reception at 5:30 p.m., Panel at 6:30 p.m. at Graduate School of Journalism, 121 North Gate Hall, UC campus. www.rethink-dispatches.com 

Nathaniel Tarn, poet, reads at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Classical @ the Freight with Peter Lemberg at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $8.50-$9.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

George Cole, gypsy jazz, at 8 p.m. at 33 Revolutions, 10086 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. 898-1836. 

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

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 

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

TUESDAY, OCT. 28 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Gordon Chang and Mark Johnson on “Asian American Art: A History, 1850-1970” at 6 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. www.universitypressbooks.com 

Lauri Lebo reads from “The Devil in Dover” at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

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

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Tom Rigney & Flambeau at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Zydeo dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

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

Johnny Nitro’s Blues Jam at 7 p.m. at 33 Revolutions, 10086 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. 898-1836. 

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

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 29 

FILM 

“Frontiers of Dreams and Fears” about the friendship between two Palestinian girls at 7 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $10-$20, no one turned away. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

An Evening of Music and Conversation with Rob Katz at 7:30 p.m. at JCC East Bay, 1414 Walnut St. 528-6725. 

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 

Music for the Spirit Halloween music at 12:15 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway. 444-3555. 

Wednesday Noon Concert, with Ellen Ruth Rose, viola, Chris Froh, percussion, at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

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

Concerto Auditions at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

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

Balkan Folkdance at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $7. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

La Verdad 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.  

The Shermer Brothers at 8 p.m. at 33 Revolutions, 10086 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. 898-1836. 

Roy Zimmerman, satirical songs, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Martin Taylor at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $12-$20. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, OCT. 30 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Nesta Rovina reads from her book “Tree Barking” at 7 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, 6050 El Cerrito Plaza, El Cerrito. 524-6813. 

R. J. Ruppenthal discusses “Fresh Food from Small Spaces: The Square-Inch Gardener’s Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Acrisia, Beef Donut, and The Violet Hour at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $5. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

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

Valerie Jay, folk/rock at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Eclair de Lune, gypsy jazz, at 7 p.m. at 33 Revolutions, 10086 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. 898-1836. 

Forrest Day, Harry and the Hitmen at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

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

Tierney Sutton at 8 and 10 at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

FRIDAY, OCT. 31 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “Doctor Faustus” Fri. and Sat at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave., at Berryman, through Nov. 22. Tickets are $10-$12. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Altarena Playhouse “Bat Boy: The Musical” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High St., Alameda, through Nov. 1. Tickets are $17-$20. 523-1553. www.altarena.org 

Central Works “Blessed Unrest” by Paul Hawken, Thurs, Fri, Sat at 8 p.m., Sun at 5 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. through Nov. 23. Tickets are $14-$25. 558-1381. centralworks.org 

Fusion Theater “The Piano Lesson” with Donal Lacy Thurs.-Sat. at Laney College Theaater, 900 Fallon St., Oakland, through Nov. 1. Tickets are $5-$10. 464-3543. 

Oakland Opera Theater “Histoire du Soldat” and “Renard” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Oakland Metro Operahouse, 630 3rd St., Oakland, through Nov. 2. Tickets are $25-$32. 763-1146. www.oaklandopera.org 

Ragged Wing Ensemble “The History of the Devil” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Central Stage, 5221 Central Ave., Richmond, Through Nov. 1. Tickets are $10-$30. www.raggedwing.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Al Young, poet, with the Susan Muscarella Trio at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $20. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“Farewell to the Thief” Celebrate the end of the Bush years with a concert by Jon Fromer, Francisco Herrera, George Mann and others at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. Suggested donation $10. www.bfuu.org 

Bay Area Classical Harmonies “Dance with the Spirits” at 7:30 p.m. at Pro Arts Gallery, 550 Second St., Oakland. $12-$18. 868-0695. www.bayareabach.org 

Jesus Diaz y su QBA at 9:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

The Medicine Ball Band at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Workingman’s Ed, classic rock, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Alabama Waterfall & The Cowlicks at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Reilly & Maloney, contemporary folk, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Santero Deuce Eclipse, Dos For, Mr. E at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10. 548-1159.  

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

Murder Ballads Bash at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

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

Jerry Kennedy, acoustic soul, at 7:30 p.m. at 33 Revolutions, 10086 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. 898-1836. 

SATURDAY, NOV. 1 

CHILDREN  

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

Owen Baker Flynn “Act in a Box” with juggling, fire-eating Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. Cost is $6. 452-2259. www.fairyland.org 

THEATER 

The Strangefellowes Collective “Dog-Ear” A play about readers, rebel, and writing your own ending, Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 7 p.m. at the Willard Metal Shop Theater, 2425 Stuart St. Free. http://strangefellowes.com 

Stone Soup Improv Comedy at 8 p.m. at Temescal Arts Center, 511 48th St. at Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $6-$9. www.stonesoupimprov.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Peter Matsukawa and his Muses” Photographs of rabbits. Wine and carrot reception at 5 p.m. at RabbitEars, 377 Colusa, Ave. Kensington. 535-6155. 

“Balancing Persepctives: East Asian Influences in Contemporary Art” Opening reception and Asian-themed costume party at 6 p.m. at JFK University Arts & Consciousness Gallery, 2956 San Pablo Ave., 2nd Floor. Enter at Ashby Ave. Exhibition runs through Nov. 22. 649-0499. www.jfku.edu/asian  

“Unexplored Territory” Opening reception at 7 p.m. at 4th Street Studio, 1717D 4th St. www.fourthstreetsrudio.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival with Robert Hass, Al Young, Jane Hirshfield, Brenda Hi8llman and many others, from noon to 4 p.m. at Civic Center Park. 526-9105. www.poetryflash.org 

Bay Area Poets Coalition open reading from 3 to 5 pm. at Strawberry Creek Lodge, 1320 Addison St. Park on the street. 527-9905. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Young People’s Symphony Orchestra performs Berlioz, Gershwin and Beethoven at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $12-$15. 849-9776. www.ypsomusic.net 

Amy Brodo, cellist, and LaDene Otsuki, pianist, perform music of Britten, Ginastera and Franck at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $8-$12. 549-3864. www.trinitychamberconcerts.com 

“Love Song Waltzes & Wild Dances” Piano, flute, and vocal octet at 8 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, One Lawson Road, Kensington. Tickets are $15-$20, includes a dessert reception. 525-0302. 

The Distaff Singers ”A Parody Home Companion” at 2 p.m. at Oakland Mormon Temple Auditorium. Tickets are $12-$15. 547-8083. www.distaffsingers.org  

Clifron Burton’s “Upsidedown & Backwards” at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Dia de los Muertos Celebration with Renee Asteria & 7th Street Sound at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $8-$10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

The Gateswingers, traditional jazz, at 7:30 p.m. at 33 Revolutions, 10086 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. 898-1836. 

Sotaque Baiano, Brazilian, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

Wake the Dead at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Tribute to Chabuca Granda at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $13-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Tammy Hall at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

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

Jonathan Douglas, Kevin Burdick, Kat Downs at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Blacklisted, Ceremony, Have Heart, Let Down at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $10. 525-9926. 

Bettye Lavette at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SUNDAY, NOV. 2 

THEATER 

The Strangefellowes Collective “Dog-Ear” A play about readers, rebel, and writing your own ending, at 7 p.m. at the Willard Metal Shop Theater, 2425 Stuart St. Free. http://strangefellowes.com 

The Cooking Show con Karimi y Comrades at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. $5 with donation of canned goods. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

“Citizen Josh: the quixotic adventures of an unlikely Berkeley activist” with Josh Kornbluth in a benefit for Darfuri children at 7 p.m. at Congregation Netivot Shalom, 1316 University Ave. Tickets are $36. www.netivotshalom.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Charles and Louise Keeler: A Collaboration of Literature and Art, Inspired by Love” Opening reception from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Berkeley History Center, 1931 Center St. 848-0181. 

“Loss” Group show. Reception at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893. 

FILM 

African Diaspora Film Society “The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow” at 2 p.m. at Parkway Theater, 1834 Park Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $5. 814-2400. 

Talk Cinema Berkeley Preview of new independent films with discussion afterwards at 10 a.m. at Albany Twin Theater, 1115 Solano Ave., Albany. Cost is $20. http://talkcinema.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Full Circle” Artist talk with JoeSam in conversation with René de Guzman, Senior Curator of Art, Oakland Museum of CA at 4 p.m. at Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th St., Oakland. 465-8928. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Holdstock & McLeod at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

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

Don Neely’s Society Jazz Orchestra at 5 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quartet at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Holdstock & McLeod at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Dia de los Muertos with Boom Boom Kid, Eskapo, Venganza at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $8. 525-9926. 

Going below into the cargo hold of S.S. Red Oak Victory, hearing swing music after the quiet, panoramic sweep of the Bay Area from its decks at night, is to move from the contemplation of thousands of distant lights over water to the close-up ensemble movement and singing of a multiethnic cast of thirty, costumed in wartime (that’s World War II) dress, who present Rivets, an original musical by the Galatean Players Ensemble Theatre, celebrating the Rosie The Riveter legend and touching on the reality of life and work on the Home Front—on site: the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond. Tonight through Sunday afternoon are the final performances. 

With music mostly by Mitchell Covington and book and lyrics by Galatean artistic director Kathryn G. McCarty (who also plays, with brio, a working mother), directed by Clay David, Rivets is midway between a musical and a pageant, with vignettes of the romantic and musical aspirations of different characters sketched in, along with the harsher realities of racism, sexism, uprootedness—and the international conflagration raging abroad—that threaten the ripening of these ongoing desires of ordinary life under those extraordinary circumstances. 

Unlike other staged works set during wartime at home—like Neil Simon’s canny, sometimes acerbic Lost in Yonkers—or books which reflect on that era (humorist Ludwig Bemelman’s surprisingly vivid Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep and Dirty Eddie come to mind), Rivets gets its focus from a sense of the masses of people from all over a continent thrown together to turn out warships and transports at an unprecented rate and volume (the S.S. Red Oak Victory, a cargo ship commissioned on Dec. 5, 1944, after 87 days, with 40 miles of welded seams and 5,624 rivets, just one case in point)—and the comraderie and clashes that spring up between folks who had never socialized with, even never seen, the likes of each other before. 

The big cast is up to the challenge, their great group moment coming on an evening’s spree the night before some of the boys ship out to the Pacific, when a romantic vocal number by Peggy Rutledge (Leah Tandberg)—daughter to McCarty’s character, Grace—is followed by Scatter Patter (Jay Lino) hitting the stage all duded up, jiving over a tune, "Black Out Shuffle" (by Jeff Covington), while the rest deftly shuffle, twirl and hop to the sounds, only to be broken up by a real blackout. 

Rivets is underpinned by a sense of the treadmill repetition and immediacy of the work, of ersatz, urgency, a blur of faces—a little bit like WPA murals, The March of Time newsreels, Dos Passos’ USA Trilogy or Soviet film and theater, all of a decade or so before—but somewhat sentimentalized. Its more delineated characters (a blind saxophonist, hired by a radio station, with a black girlfriend who dreams of becoming a singer; a soldier shipping out, intent on marrying his grammar school crush, a nurse whose sister disapproves) are like bubbles on the surface of the tidal flow.  

The only appearance of Rosie The Riveter is two actresses (Tara Roach and Rebecca Lenk) playing the legendary role as war bond publicity models, taking off furs that slake the shipyard cold to pose for coverage, while spouting slogans that make the working women groan—one of the show’s best moments. 

The radio announcer who introduced the show as “Living History” closed it last Friday night after curtain call by introducing two surviving Rosies in the audience, one who’d worked in the Sausalito shipyards—presumably Marin Ship—where my father’s mother cooked for the workers 65 years ago.  

RIVETS 

Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. on board the S.S. Red Oak Victory, tour available before Sunday matinee  

Tickets $15-$20, complimentary to Rosie The Riveters, Kaiser Shipyard workers, WW II vets and uniformed military 

(925) 676-5705, www.galateanplayers.com 

By the pricking of my thumbs, 

Something wicked this way comes. 

Open locks, 

Whoever knocks. 

Just in time for Halloween, Woman’s Will is putting on a Macbeth, fearlessly (founder Erin Merritt even uttered the dread name, not “The Scottish Play,” onstage in her welcome), in Jack London Square, across from Yoshi’s. 

The sisters of Woman’s Will have played all the parts in many Bardic plays (as well as Oscar Wilde and Brecht) as they do in Macbeth —parts weird, malign and merely unfortunate. Merritt’s adaptation, directed by Joan Scout, has a little band of five playing a panorama of Scottish warriors, their dames and bairns, and all kinds of apparitions, around a screen draped with leafy vines, which become the foliage of Birnam Wood that Malcolm’s troops bear to Dunsinane. The screen conceals the Weird Sisters, who become shape-shifters, literally, in shadowplay backed up by video. 

“We always knew the Weird Sisters were running the show,” Merritt remarks, and her conceit is to have the witches change into every shape in the cast. This vaudevillization of a very melodramatic tragedy demands trouping, provided in particular by Leontyne Mbele-Mbong as a driven, then haunted Lady Macbeth, the drunken porter at the scene of the crime (with a ghastly sense of humor), a remorseless Murderer, and more. Her scenes as Lady M. with her more suggestible husband, played by Valerie Weak, give amplitude to the old paradox of the wife’s virility, driving her hesitant mate on. 

Tracy Corrigan, Desiray McFall and Julia Mitchell take on all the other roles, with only McFall sticking to one—Malcolm, heir to the throne, returning to put down a tyrant who has gone beyond his initial chivalry, his hidden ambitions and hesitancy to kill a guest in cold blood, becoming a murderous despot, before ending as a somewhat soic, somehow tragic figure, standing alone as the uncanny prophecy comes true, overwhelmed by a forest sweeping towards his castle, dispatched by a man “not of woman born.” 

Tonight through Sunday’s matinee are the last shows at Jack London Square. Next week, Macbeth will be staged at Rossmoor (Oct. 29), before opening on Halloween proper at the Exit Theater, near the Powell Street BART in San Francisco, running through Nov. 8. 

Randy Shaw’s new book, Beyond the Fields: Cesar Chavez, the UFW, and the Struggle for Justice in the 21st Century, has just been published by the University of California Press. Beyond the Fields reveals the farmworkers movement’s little-known but essential contributions to the progressive politics of the contemporary United States. In particular, Shaw traces a direct line from the UFW to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.  

Randy Shaw is the director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, the editor of the online daily newspaper BeyondChron.org and an occasional contributor to the commentary pages of the Daily Planet. Zelda Bronstein recently recently talked with Shaw about his new book. 

ZB: You say you wrote Beyond the Fields because you wanted to change people’s understanding of Cesar Chavez and the UFW. What’s the change you hope to see? 

RS: I was orginally motivated by the feeling that the legacy of Cesar Chavez and the farmworkers movement had been relegated to the history books. People know that Chavez fought for farmworkers, but they don’t really know anything more than that. If you’re a certain age, you say: Well yeah, I remember boycotting grapes, or my family wouldn’t eat lettuce. But if you talk to people under forty, all they know is the name. They don’t know how Chavez and the farmworkers succeeded or how they impact today’s social movements or the way we do grassroots politics.We have Barack Obama saying, Yes we can! Many people don’t know that’s from the farmworkers. The whole Obama electoral outreach program is based on the UFW electoral model. I argue that what the farmworkers did in the ‘60s and the ‘70s laid the basic direction for today’s progressive movements. 

ZB: I was wondering if this historical memory loss has to do with something you said in The Activist’s Handbook: activists don’t usually write books. 

RS: Yes, why was I the person to write this book? I was not in the farmworkers movement. One thing the farmworker alumni have almost universally in common is that they go out of the way not to promote themselves. The trainer of Cesar Chavez, Fred Ross, Sr., was, I think most people would agree, the most influential organizer of the twentieth century. But very people have heard of him. Everyone has heard of Sol Alinsky, who had nowhere near the impact of Fred Ross. Fred Ross, Sr., trained many of these guys and women, and his ethos was: the organizer doesn’t claim the credit. They’re busy organizing, and they’re having other people and organizations getting the credit. 

ZB: Let’s talk about some of the UFW’s innovations. 

RS: What people forget was that as late as 1972, there was one rule of national politics: it was all television advertising. Organized labor gave money to candidates. Their whole voter outreach program was calling their members or sending them a letter reminding them to vote. The farmworkers saw electoral politics as a community organizing strategy. They revived this pre-television way of doing electoral outreach. In 1968, the farmworkers got involved working for Robert Kennedy and pioneered the Latino outreach model that’s now used across the country. What they began in ’68 and then really refined and enhanced in 1972 on the statewide ballot measure [the growers’ anti-union/anti-farmworkers Prop 22] was the idea of precinct walking, door-to-door walking petitioning—all the stuff that we see now in the Obama campaign. 

The real bridge is when Miguel Contreras becomes the head of the Labor Federation in Los Angeles in 1996, and then people start wondering: gee, in Los Angeles, Latinos keep winning, union members keep winning, they elect Villaraigosa as mayor—how did that all happen? The answer is: out of the model that Miguel Contreras learned in the UFW and imposed in Los Angeles. And then, Eliseo Medina [another former key UFW organizer], who was in Los Angeles, took that model statewide in California and then in 2006 brought it to Colorado and Arizona. Now he’s brought it to eleven states. 

ZB: I was surprised to read about how Chavez and the farmworkers transformed the environmental movement. 

RS: Some people do know the UFW led the fight to get rid of DDT, but they don’t 

realize that the UFW had a major role in spawning what we now call the environmental justice movement. Labor at that time [1969] was not aligned with environmentalists. We had a double standard: environmentalists were concerned with lakes and rivers—wilderness—not the fields. When Cesar tried to get allies for the lettuce boycott—the Sierra Club in particular—he had a hard time, because even though it involved pesticides, people saw it only as a labor issue. Out of the UFW experience, came the realization that the environmental movement needed to focus on environmental justice, on discriminatory lack of protection for low-income people. 

ZB: You also emphasize the spiritual and moral dimension of the UFW’s work. 

RS: Cesar is viewed as a very secular figure and the hero of Latinos. In fact, he was a deeply religious man. Chavez first got national attention in 1966 through his 300-mile march from Delano to Sacramento, his pilgrimage and penitence, with the Virgin of Guadalupe the whole way. And then in 1968 he did a fast, which he’s widely acclaimed for now, but at the time, a lot of the more radical members of the UFW and the secular types quit the union over that, because they were embarrassed. 

Faith-based activists saw the way Cesar was living his own life, the poverty and the way he just sacrificed, and the high religious and spiritual commitment, and they wanted to be part of that. I do think that Barack Obama’s the most spiritual candidate the Democrats have run—I can’t think of the last one. He talks in terms of values—supposedly, only Republicans do that—other Democrats talk in terms of jobs and the environment. And, like Obama, Cesar attracted a lot of secular young people who liked that this was not just a legislative campaign; it was something bigger. 

ZB: How did the farmworkers engage youth? 

RS: In the early 70s, you couldn’t go anywhere in Berkeley without seeing a UFW person at a table. In the book, I tell about how Gary Gunthman walks on to campus one day and sees this farmworker table and signs up, gets a phone call that night—how many times do you sign up at a table and get a phone call right away? They called and asked him to sit at a table. They said: why don’t you stand up and try to be the barker? He starts doing that, and he thinks, great, I’ve done my part. They called him that same night: we need you to do security for Cesar Chavez. He says, I can’t turn that down—security for Cesar Chavez! So he goes out there, and he meets Chavez—here’s guy who one week earlier had never heard anything about the farmworkers, and suddenly, he’s devoting his life to it! And he’s been an organizer the rest of his life. Today a Gary Gunthman walking through Sproul Plaza wouldn’t find something to enlist in necessarily. 

ZB: Why not? 

RS: A lot of groups don’t prioritize recruitment the way the UFW did, and I think that helps explain why you don’t see more people getting involved in some of these groups. 

ZB: So what does the UFW have to teach us about leadership and the future of progressive movements in this country? 

RS: One of the great ironies of the farmworkers was that Cesar’s charismatic leadership certainly built that movement, and his charismatic leadership also caused its decline. By 1981there were no farmworkers on the farmworkers’ executive board, and when workers tried to get some representatives, Chavez called them out of order and fired those organizing it. This is often written out of contemporary histories of Cesar. It’s almost as if people are afraid to tell the truth about why the movement declined. Instead, there is an alternative myth: Republicans in the 1980s killed the UFW, when it fact almost all the leadership and all the people who made it successful were gone by 1981. 

ZB: But some kind of leadership is essential. 

RS: Right. Look at the Obama campaign—would all those people be together if there wasn’t Barack Obama? No. The question is, where do the Obama volunteers go after the election? One of the things I want people reading my book to think about is: You look at the UFW and how it was this amazing movement, and we haven’t seen anything like this until the Obama campaign. We don’t want all these people to just go back to law school and business school. I would not be surprised if Obama found a way to keep this thing together—which has never happened before. And many people might say: Wait a minute, I don’t want to be part of an organization controlled by a politician. But think about some of the big issues like health care and the environment and how we get support to pass these things. You can’t tell those people who’ve worked on the campaign goodby and depend on existing organizations, because they don’t have the people and the resources. I would expect that the Obama campaign is going to figure something out to keep people involved. 

ZB: That’s certainly your hope—right? 

RS: Well, I think they need to. One of my main motives in writing this book is to say: here we had this organization that got all these people who would not have otherwise been involved, involved not simply for three years but for the rest of their lives. Now, again, we’ve gotten people involved: how do we sustain that? The future of progressive politics in America depends on the answer.