THURSDAY, SEPT. 24 

BRT Locally Preferred Alternative Community Meeting at 7 p.m. at the Willard School Cafeteria. Residents of Willard, LeConte, Bateman, Halcyon and Claremont-Elmwood neighborhoods encouraged to attend. 

Free Speech Open Mic and KPFA Election Forum at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Ashby Village Community Meeting Information on a grassroots organization which provides resources to seniors to enable them to remain in their own homes, at 7 p.m. at West Berkeley Family Practice, 2031 Sixth St. 208-2860. www.ashbyvillage.org 

“Caring for the Dying” Film and discussion with Dr. Michelle Peticolas, filmmaker, student of Sufism and hospice at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalist Hall, 1924 Cedar at Bonita. SUggested donation $10. 841-4824. www.bfuu.org  

“Using Integrative Medicine to Control Weight & Chronic Illness” at 6:30 pm. at Berkeley West Branch Library, 1125 University Ave. Free. 981-6270. www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org 

Berkeley Entrepreneurs Forum: 2009 Angel & Venture Capital Investment Overview at 6:30 p.m. in Andersen Auditorium, Haas School of Business, UC campus. Cost is $20-$30. 642-4255. http://entrepreneurship.berkeley.edu 

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction at 7:20 p.m. at 4th St. Yoga, 1809C Fourth St. Free. 524-8833. 

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

Circle of Concern Vigil meets on West Lawn of UC campus across from Addison and Oxford, Thurs. at noon and Sun. at 1 p.m. to oppose UC weapons labs contracts. 848-8055. 

The Poetry Workshop, offered by the Berkeley Adult School, meets on Thurs. from 9 a.m. to noon in the library of the North Berkeley Senior Center. Writers of all skill levels are welcome. 

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

FRIDAY, SEPT. 25 

“People’s Park Still Blooming” Book release party at 7:30 p.m. at The Book Zoo, 6395 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 

“The Science of a Meaningful Life: Forgiveness and Gratitude” a seminar with Frederic Luskin and Robert Emmons, sponsored by The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. at International House, Chevron Auditorium, 2299 Piedmont Ave. 643-8965. www.academeca.com 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Hans R. Gallas, Gertrude Stein & Alice B. Toklas Collector on “Gertrude Stein and Oakland: Debunking the ‘There There’ Myth” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $15, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 527-2173. www.citycommonsclub.org 

Symposium for Independent Arts: A Day of Vision, Community & Action from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at The David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way. 415-738-4975. 

“The Flu is Coming!” a talk by Harvey Kayman, M.D. and MPH, Public Health Medical Officer for the California Department of Public Health at 8 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 201 Martina St., Pt. Richmond. Free.  

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. 

Stand With Us Stand for Peace Stand with Israel vigil every Friday from noon to 1 p.m. at Bancroft and Telegraph. www.sfvoiceforisrael.org 

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

SATURDAY, SEPT. 26 

Richmond Shoreline Festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Point Pinole Regional Shoreline with live music, children’s activities and guided walks. 544-2233. 

Berkeley Architectural Heritage Fall Walking Tour of West Berkeley Berkeley’s oldest district, once the independent town of Ocean View, abounds in historic relics and early Victorian architecture, retaining its charming village-like character. Walk is level and accessible, along sidewalks. From 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $10-$15, $40-$50 for the series. 841-2242. berkeleyheritage.com 

Help Ready Cerrito Creek for Rains Meet at 10 a.m. at Creekside Park, south end of Santa Clara Ave., El Cerrito. All ages welcome, snacks, tools, and gloves provided. 848-9358. www.fivecreeks.org  

Walking Tour of Old Oakland around Preservation Park to see Victorian architecture. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of Preservation Park at 13th St. and MLK, Jr. Way. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

Festival of Gressroots Economics A bottom-up trade fair showing people working together, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St, Oakland. Free. www.jasecon.org 

Free Car Seat Checks From 10 a.m. to noon officers from the Berkeley Police Department will offer a car seat safety check on the 5th level of the Allston Way Garage, 2061 Allston Way between Milvia and Shattuck. Four out of five car seats are installed incorrectly. Parking will be validated by Habitot. 647-1111. www.habitot.org 

Mata Ortiz Potters Pot painting demonstration by artists from the Northern Chihuahua area in Mexico, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Alameda Free Library, 550 Oak St., Alameda. 747-7777. www.alamedafree.org 

Floral Design Class with Devon Gaster from 1 to 3 p.m. at Expressions Gallery, 2035 Ashby Ave. Cost is $25. www.expressionsgallery.org 

Murder Mystery Weekend at Playland-Not-At-The-Beach Sat. and Sun., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 10979 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. Costs is $10-$15. 932-8966. www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. at 2 p.m. and Sun. at 11 a.m. and 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Lawn Bowling on the green at the corner of Acton St. and Bancroft Way every Wed. and Sat. at 10 a.m. for ages 12 and up. Wear flat soled shoes, no heels. Free lessons. 841-2174.  

SUNDAY, SEPT. 27 

LastSundaysFest with music and performances from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Telegraph Ave. between Dwight and Bancroft. 

Yard Sale Benefit for Lafayette School Mentoring Project in West Oakland from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1828 Prince St., near MLK/Ashby BART. 444-7285. www.lsmptutor.org 

Luke Cole Memorial Birdathon Meet at 9 a.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, then continue on the Garin Regional Park, ending at Coyote Hills Regional Park. The challenge is to identify 400 species and raise money for the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment in Luke’s memory. Bring donation of $25, checks made out to Golden Gate Audubon, along with binoculars, field guides, lunch and liquids. RLewis0727@aol.com 

8th Annual Nikkei Walkathon Fundraiser for the elderly Japanese community in the East Bay at the Richmond Marina. For details call 848-3560, ext. 101. jaseb.org 

Wildcat Peak Survivors Join a hearty hike to Wildcat Peak to admire the tenacity of climate adapted plants and views from the peak. For meeting place call 544-2233. 

Beatrix Potter’s Life in Town and Country Sister-City kick-off with presentations and readings honoring Kensington’s relationship with Kensington UK, rom 2 to 5 p.m. at Rabbit Ears, 377 Colusa Ave. Kensington. 525-6155. 

St. Jerome Church Festival and Street Fair from noon to 5 p.m. at the corner of Carmel and Curry, El Cerrito. with entertainment, games, arts and crafts, food. 525-0876. 

Cycles of Change Benefit with food and entertainment to raise funds for recycled bicycle services, job training, and community repair shop, from 1 to 4 p.m. at 650 W. Ranger Ave., Alameda. 898-7830.  

Read Shakespeare Aloud led by Clifford Schwartz, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Expressions Gallery, 2035 Ashby Ave. Cost is $20, or $15 with pot-luck contribution. 644-4930.            

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. 

Free Sailboat Rides from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Cal Sailing Club, Berkeley Marina. Wear warm, waterproof clothing and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children 5 and over welcome with parent or guardian. www.cal-sailing.org 

Kol Hadash Secular Yom Kippur Service at 7:30 p.m. at Albnay Community Center. Registration required. www.kolhadash.org 

Yom Kippur “Return/Reflect/Remember” Discussion from noon to 3 p.m. at Jewish Gateways, 409 Liberty St. El Cerrito. Cost is $5. RSVP requested. 559-8140. 

Single Payer Health Care Not War Planning meetings at 4:20 at Peoples Park. For more information call 390-0830. peoplespark.org 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park Sat. and Sun. at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Call to confirm. 841-8732.  

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 

Tibetan Buddhism with Sylvia Gretchen on “Joy of Being” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 809-1000. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, SEPT. 28 

“Hope or Hype? What’s Next for Biofuels?” with Jay Keasling, Acting Deputy Director, LBL, and a panel of scientists at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Roda Stage, 2015 Addison St. Free. 486-7292. 

Kensington Book Club meets to discuss “Angle of Repose” by Wallace Stenger at 7 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

Drop-in Knitting Group for all ages. Basic instruction and materials supplied. From 3 to 5 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

TUESDAY, SEPT. 29 

Granite Avatars of Patagonia Photographing Los Glaciares National Park with Tom Reed at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

Family Storytime for pre-schoolers and up, at 7 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 5 p.m. at Berkeley Rep Theater, 2nd flr lobby, 2025 Addison St.. To schedule an appointment go to www.helpsavealife.org 

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. 

Homework Help Program at the Richmond Public Library Tues. and Thurs. from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at 325 Civic Center Plaza. For more information or to enroll, call 620-6557. 

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., Sat. and Sun. from 2 to 6 p.m. at at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. 644-2577. 

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

Bridge for beginners from 12:30 to 2:15 p.m., all others 12:30 to 4 p.m. Sing-A-Long at 2:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5190. 

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

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 30 

Walking Tour of Jack London Waterfront Meet at 10 a.m. at the corner of Broadway and Embarcadero. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234.  

“Time for a new economic system” with speakers on alternatives to a war economy at 7 p.m. at Art House Gallery, 2905 Shattuck Ave.  

“Hard Problems: The Road to the World’s Toughest Math Contest” A documentary by The Mathematical Assoc. of America at 5 p.m. at Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, Simons Auditorium, followed by discussion. 642-0143. www.msri.org 

Candlelight Vigil for the Three Hikers Held in Iran: Sarah, Shane and Josh, to mark 2 months in prison. Meet at 4 p.m. at the Bear statue, UC campus freethehikers.org  

“Holes in Heaven” A documentary on the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation $5. www.Humanist Hall.org 

Conscious Aging in a Changing World: A Series of Dialogues with Nader Shabahangi, CEO and founder of AgeSong Senior Communities; Barry Barkan, co-founder of the Elders Guild and Live Oak Institute; and Duane Elgin, author and activist of sustainable living at 4 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. RSVP to rsvp@agesong.com  

Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation from 10 a.m. to noon at 6230 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Registration required. 594-5165. blackstoneA@usa.redcross.org 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. 548-9840. 

THURSDAY, OCT. 1 

Berkeley Film Foundation Grant winners honored at 6 p.m. at the Fantasy Building, 2600 Tenth St. Donation $100 benefits the Berkeley Film Foundation. filmberkeley.com 

Berkeley Path Wanderers Annual Meeting with Zara McDonald, founder and director of the Felidae Conservation Fund for the protection of big cats, at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. www.berkeleypaths.org 

Celebrating 50 Years of Free Speech Readings from banned books with Mollie Katzen, Marissa Moss, Elisa Kleven David Lance Goines and others at 7 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

Berkeley Public Library Branch Renovation Program Come share ideas, meet the architects, and learn about the projects’ scopes at 6:30 p.m. at South Branch, 1901 Russell St. at MLK, Jr. Way. www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org 

“Rational Empire and the Cuban Five” with Dr. Michael Parenti at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists. 1924 Cedar at Bonita. Donation $10-$15. 219-0092.  

Circle of Concern Vigil meets on West Lawn of UC campus across from Addison and Oxford, Thurs. at noon and Sun. at 1 p.m. to oppose UC weapons labs contracts. 848-8055. 

The Poetry Workshop, offered by the Berkeley Adult School, meets on Thurs. from 9 a.m. to noon in the library of the North Berkeley Senior Center. Writers of all skill levels are welcome. 

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

FRIDAY, OCT. 2 

Rainbow Ramblers Explore the magic of a full moon on a sunset moonrise walk for the LGBTQ community. Bring a sack dinner. Well-behaved dogs on leashes welcome. Meet at 6 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center. 544-2233. 

Berkeley School Volunteers New Volunteer Orientation from 10 to 11 a.m. at 1835 Allston Way. Bring a photo ID and two references to the orientation. Returning volunteers do not need to attend. For further information 644-8833. 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Jeff Robinson on “Amazon Wildlife Photography Cruise” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $15, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 527-2173. www.citycommonsclub.org 

“Celebrating Fr. Damien” A reading by Mary O’Donnell from her manuscript “The Exiles” an historical novel on the life of Fr. Damien of Molokai at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St.  

Single Payer Healthcare Not War' Speakers’ Forum and open mic at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Plaza on Telegraph at Haste.  

Red Cross Blood Drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1701 Harbor Bay Pkwy., Alameda. To schedule an appointment go to www.helpsavealife.org 

Kensington First Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. with art, music and refreshments from the merchants of Colusa Circle and The Arlington. 525-6155. 

Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Instruction Pointing Out the Nature of Mind with Rigzin Dorje Rinpoche at 7 p.m. at Rudramandir, 830 Bancroft Way at Sixth St. Donation $20. http://bayvajra.inf 

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. 

Stand With Us Stand for Peace Stand with Israel vigil every Friday from noon to 1 p.m. at Bancroft and Telegraph. www.sfvoiceforisrael.org 

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

SATURDAY, OCT. 3 

Berkeley Architectural Heritage Fall Walking Tour North-Central Berkeley Cost is $10-$15, or $40-$50 for the series. Advance registration required. 841-2242. berkeleyheritage.com  

Berkeley Historical Society Walk Marin Avenue North Early 20th Century Berkeley Hills, led by Paul Grunland at 10 a.m. with an optional picnic afterwards. Cost is $8-$10. For reservations and starting point, call 848-0181.  

Walking Tour of Old Oakland Explore the 9th and Washington St. district. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of Ratto’s, 821 Washington St. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

Mini-Farmers in Tilden A farm exploration program, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. for ages 4-6 years, accompanied by an adult. We will explore the Little Farm, care for animals, do crafts and farm chores. Wear boots and dress to get dirty! Fee is $6-$8. Registration required. 1-888-EBPARKS. 

Homefront Festival with exhibits, tours, entertainment and activities for children from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Lucretia Edwards Park in Richmond. www.homefrontfestival.com 

“Predatory Lending Prevention and Foreclosure Intervention Workshop” From 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Emeryville Senior Center, 4321 Salem St., Emeryville. All welcom. 596-4316. 

“Obama, the Middle East, and the Prospects for Peace” with Noam Chomsky at 7:30 p.m. at The Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. Cost is $22-$250, benefits the Children of Gaza. www.mecaforpeace.org 

Political Affairs Readers Group meets to discuss “The Struggle for Health Care: Lessons from China, 1949 to Now” with Al Sargis at 10 a.m. at Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library for Social Research, 6501 Telegraph Ave., near Alcatraz. 595-7417. 

A Day of Free Financial Planning, offered by the Financial Planning Association of the Bay Area from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Elihu Harris State Building, 1515 Clay St., Oakland. Please pre-register at clinicregistration@yahoo.com 

Tea & Fashion Show Benefit for Prevention International - No Cervical Cancer at 2 p.m. at Bakewell Hall, 521 29th St., Oakland, just west of Telegraph, behind the historic church. Suggested donation $25. 501-5183. Soroptimistoakland.org  

“The Zen of Alice” with author Daniel Silberberg at 4 p.m. at RabbitEars, 377 Colusa Ave., Kensington. 525-6155. 

BayAir Big Air Bammer Grand Opening Jam event and music show, of a public bike and skate park. Jam sign-up at 9 a.m., Jam at noon at 2310 Myrtle St., Oakland. Free for Oakland youth (ID required), others $10. info@bayairpark.org 

Red Cross Blood Drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Greater Cooper AME Zion Church, Church Hall, 1420 Myrtle St., Oakland. To schedule an appointment go to www.helpsavealife.org 

Witches and Wizards Weekend at Playland-Not-At-The-Beach Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 10979 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. Cost is $10-$15. 932-8966. www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. at 2 p.m. and Sun. at 11 a.m. and 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Lawn Bowling on the green at the corner of Acton St. and Bancroft Way every Wed. and Sat. at 10 a.m. for ages 12 and up. Wear flat soled shoes, no heels. Free lessons. 841-2174.  

SUNDAY, OCT. 4 

Spice of Life Festival from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with food, cooking demonstrations, arts and crafts, and activities for children, on Shattuck Ave. between Virginia and Rose. www.gourmetghetto.org 

“Oakland’s Fernwood Neighborhood” House and garden tour sponsored by Oakland Heritage Alliance. For details see www.OaklandHeritage.org 

Tantalizing Tarantulas Learn about these arachnids and learn th ebest sports for find them, from 2 to 3 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Pak. 544-2233. 

Brooks Island Voyage Paddle the rising tide across the Richmond Harbor Channel to Books Island to explore the island’s natural and cultural history, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.. For experienced boaters who can provide their own kayak and safety gear. Cost is $20-$22. Registration required. 1-888-327-2757. 

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

“People’s Park Still Blooming” Book release party at 7 p.m. at Art House Gallery, 2905 Shattuck. Donation $5. 

“With Hammer in Hand: The Story of Women in Construction” a television documentary in progress at 2 p.m. at 1401 Walnut St., #1C. RSVP to 548-9904. ruthmag@earthlink.net  

GreenPoint Showcase Tour of homes that have been remodeled or built green, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $10. For details see www.ktvu.com/builditgreen 

Moon Viewing Festival An evening of Japanese food, entertainment, and moon viewing sponsored by the Oakland Fukuoka Sister City Association and the Golden State Bonsai Collection North. Bento dinner at 5:30 p.m., for $15 at Lakeside Park Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland, entertainement at 6 p.m. and moon viewing at 6:30 p.m. For dinner reservations call 482-5896 or email info@oakland-fukuoka.org www.oakland-fukuoka.org 

“India: Memories, dreams and Reflections” with Bill Hamilton-Holway at 10 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

East Bay Atheists Annual Picnic from noon to 4 p.m. at Big Leaf Picnic Area, Tilden Park. Please bring a dish to share. Details at www.eastbayatheists.org/meetings.html  

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park Sat. at 2 p.m. and Sun. at 11 a.m. and 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 

CITY MEETINGS 

Parks and Recreation Commission meets Mon., Sept. 28, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5158.  

City Council meets Tues., Sept. 29, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Community Environmental Advisory Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 1, at 7 p.m., at 2118 Milvia St. Nabil Al-Hadithy, 981-7460.  

Landmarks Preservation Commission meets Thurs., Oct 1, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7429.  

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon., Oct. 5, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. 

THURSDAY, SEPT. 24 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Robert Scheer and Peter Richardson in conversation about “A Bomb in Every Issue: How the Short, Unruly Life of Ramparts Magazine Changed America” at 7:30 p.m. at FCCB, in the sanctuary at 2345 Channing Way at Dana. Enter from courtyard. Tickets are $6-$15. www.brownpapertickets.com 

Carolina De Robertis reads from her novel “The Invisible Mountain” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Greek National Opera “Le Nozze di Figaro” Thurs.-Sat. at 7:30 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. at Oakland Metro Operahouse, 630 3rd St., Oakland. Tickets are $25-$35.Free for children 12 and under. www.bayareaBACH.org 

Music in the Redwood Grove at 5:30 p.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $12-$15. For reservations call 643-2755.  

Luminaries, Souleye, DC at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13-$10. 525-5054.  

Ellis Paul & Antje Duvekot at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage, 2020 Addison. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Modesto Brisenio Septet, featuring Bob Kenmotsu at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Guitar vs Gravity, Spidermeow at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Tian Gong Celestial Music at 7:30 p.m. at D. King Gallery, 2284 Fulton St. Cost is $20. 883-1920.  

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

FRIDAY, SEPT. 25 

THEATER 

Alameda Civic Light Opera “Hair” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Kofman Theater, 2200 Central Ave., Alameda, through Sept. 27. Tickets are $30-$34. 864-2256.  

Altarena Playhouse “The Nerd” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High St., Alameda, through Oct. 25. Tickets are $17-$20. 523-1553.  

Aurora Theatre “Awake and Sing!” through Sept. 27, at 2081 Addison St. Tickets are $15-$55. 843-482. 

Belleherst Productions “See Me! Hear Me!” Fri. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 7 p.m. at The Berkeley City Club. Discussion follows. Tickets are $7.50-$10. www.belleherst.com 

Berkeley Rep “American Idiot” at 2025 Addison St., through Nov. 1. Tickets are $32-$86. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theatre “Harvey” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. through Oct. 11 at 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito. Tickets are $18, $11 for 16 and under. 524-9132. = 

Galatean Players Ensemble Theatre “Rivets” A musical based on Rosie the Riveter and Richmond’s Kaiser Shipyards, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. on board the SS Red Oak Victory, 1337 Canal Blvd., Berth 6A, Richmond, through Sept. 27. Tickets are $15-$20. Rosies, WW2 Veterans and uniformed soldiers, free. 925-676-5705.  

Impact Theatre “See How We Are” A contemporary adaptation of “Antigone.” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave., through Oct. 17. Tickets are $12-$20. impacttheatre.com 

Masquers Playhouse “Loot” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2:30 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond, and runs through Sept. 26. Tickets are $18. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

Shotgun Players “This World In A Woman’s Hands” The story of the WWII Victory warships and the African-American women who built them, with live acoustic bass by Marcus Shelby. Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at The Ashby Stage. 1901 Ashby Ave., through Oct. 18. Tickets are $18-$25. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

“The Apple of Nobody’s Eye” On teaching in inner-city schools at 7 p.m., and Sun. at 2:30 p.m. at Montclair Presbyterian Church, 5701 Thornhill Drive, Oakland. Tickets are $10. www.mpcfamily.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Bobbin Lace: The Taming of Multitudes of Threads” Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, 2982 Adeline St. Exhibition runs to Feb. 1. LacisMuseum.org 

FILM 

Berkeley Video and Film Festival Fri. and Sat. at the Landmark Shattuck Cinemas, 2230 Shattuck Ave. www.berkeleyvideofilmfest.org 

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” at 6:30 p.m. at Charles Chocolates, 6529 Hollis St., Emeryville. 652-4412, ext. 311.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Friday Night Poetry at 7 p.m. at Expressions Gallery, 2035 Ashby Ave. www.expressionsgallery.org 

West Marin Review, readings by contributors, at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Point Richmond Summer Concert with Lava, latin, at 5:30 p.m. and Birdlegg and the Tight Fit Blues Band, at 6:45 p.m. at Park Place at Washington Ave. in downtown Point Richmond. www.pointrichmond.com 

Dancing Under the Stars Salsa with Salsa Caliente at 8:30 p.m. at Jack London Square. Dance exhibition and lessons at 7:30 p.m. www.lindendance.com 

Greek National Opera “Le Nozze di Figaro” Thurs.-Sat. at 7:30 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. at Oakland Metro Operahouse, 630 3rd St., Oakland. Tickets are $25-$35.Free for children 12 and under. www.bayareaBACH.org 

University Symphony Orchestra with Michelle Choo, violin, at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC campus. Tickets are $5-$15. tickets.berkeley.edu 

“Con Serrat en el Corazón” Homage to singer and composer Joan Manuel Serrat at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $16. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Joel Dorham Latin Jazz Octet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Kugelplex at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $12-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

GO Ensemble, world jazz, at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

John Gorka & Lucy Kaplansky at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage, 2020 Addison. Cost is $24.50-$25.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Lucas Ohio at 8 p.m. at Art House Gallery, 2905 Shattuck Ave. Donation $5-$10. 

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

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

Oggi Beat at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

SATURDAY, SEPT. 26 

CHILDREN  

Active Arts Theatre “Strega Nona” Sat. and Sun. at various times at Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave, through Oct. 4. Tickets are $14-$18. 296-4433. activeartstheatre.org 

Babes in Toyland Puppet Show at 11 a.m. and 2 and 4 p.m. at at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. 296-4433.  

FILM 

Berkeley Video and Film Festival from noon at Landmark Shattuck Cinemas, 2230 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $10-$13. www.berkeleyvideofilmfest.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Through the looking glass” Artists Bruce Tamberelli, Darwin Price and Yvette M. Buigues interpret wonderland. Reception with a Mad Tea Party at 6 p.m. at Float Gallery, 1091 Calcot Place, Unit 116, Oakland. thefloatcenter.com 

“Improvised Branches” A survey of contemporary Bay Area art. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at ART@TheOakbook, 423 Water St., Oakland. 282-2139. www.theoakbook.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival with Robert Hass, David Mas Masumoto, Arthur Sze, Carol Moldaw and many others, from noon to 4 p.m. at Civic Center Park. Traditonal Strawberry Creek Walk at 10 a.m. just inside the UC campus at Oxford and Center Sts. 526-9105.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Diana Rowan “Tales from the Harp” at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $8-$12, no one turned away. 549-3864. 

University Symphony Orchestra with Michelle Choo, violin, at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC campus. Tickets are $5-$15. tickets.berkeley.edu 

Greek National Opera “Le Nozze di Figaro” at 7:30 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. at Oakland Metro Operahouse, 630 3rd St., Oakland. Tickets are $25-$35.Free for children 12 and under. www.bayareaBACH.org 

Golden Gate Boys Choir 20th Anniversary Fundraiser and CD release, from 9 to 11 a.m. at C’era Una Volta, 1332 Park St., Alameda $12 admission, includes continental breakfast plus performance. Children 6 and under free admission. For reservations call 887-4311. ggbc.org 

Sister I-Live, Sidewinders, Zulu Spear and others in a dance-Thon from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. 525-5045. 

Gabriela Lena Frank, Latin American classical music, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

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

John Gorka & Lucy Kaplansky at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage, 2020 Addison. Cost is $24.50-$25.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

The Best Kept Secret at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10-$20. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

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

Straggler, The Butlers, The Drowsy Holler at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

FenderCronin Band at 7 p.m. at Chester’s Bay View Cafe, 1508 Walnut St. 849-9995. 

Pocket Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

SUNDAY, SEPT. 27 

CHILDREN 

Charity Kahn & the Jamband at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $4-$6. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

“In My View” Photographs by David Belove. Reception at 2 p.m. at the Jazzschool. 845-5373. 

THEATER 

Belleherst Productions “See Me! Hear Me!”at 7 p.m. at The Berkeley City Club. Discussion follows. Tickets are $7.50-$10. www.belleherst.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Egyptology Lecture: Ancient Nubia: A New View from the Fourth Cataract” Presented by Dr. Brenda Baker, Arizona State University at 2:30 p.m. in Barrows Hall, Room 20, Barrow Lane and Bancroft Way, UC campus. 415-664-4767. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

LastSundaysFest with music and performances from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on telegraph Ave., between Dwight and Bancroft. 

Chamber Music Sundaes A program of string chamber music at 3 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets at the door are $20-$25. 415-753-2792. www.chambermusicsundaes.org 

Nanette McGuinness and Megan McQuillan at 3 p.m. at the Christian Science Student Organization, 2601 Durant, donation at the door. 

Greek National Opera “Le Nozze di Figaro” at 3 p.m. at Oakland Metro Operahouse, 630 3rd St., Oakland. Tickets are $25-$35.Free for children 12 and under. www.bayareaBACH.org 

San Francisco Cabaret Opera “Solidarity” at 7 p.m., gala reception at 6 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $15-$20. 415-289-6877. www.goathall.org  

The ReSisters, satire and solidarity with Pat Wynne, Liliana Herrera and Hali Hammer at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $10-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Erik Jekabson & “Bay Area Composers’ Big Band” at 7 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Americana Unplugged: Corbin Pagter & Friends at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Teslim, Greek, Sephardic and Turkish traditionals, at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373.  

Bill Tapia and his Hawaiian Jazz Quartet at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage, 2020 Addison. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

MONDAY, SEPT. 28 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Classical at the Freight at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House, 2020 Addison. Cost is $8.50-$9.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

TUESDAY, SEPT. 29 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Peter Asmus in Conversation with Dan Kammen on “Introduction to Energy in China” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. www.universitypressbooks.com 

Max Blumenthal on “Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement That Shattered the Party” at 7:30 p.m. at FCCB, 2345 Channing Way at Dana. Tickets are $12-$15. www.brownpapertickets.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Clarinet Thing at 8 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Tickets are $25, high school students, free, post-high school $10. www.berkeleychamberperform.org 

Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun/Zydeco dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $18-$20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

Classical at the Freight with Gabriela Lena Frank at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $8.50-$9.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 30 

FILM 

Cine Cubano Film Fest “Tropicola” at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $17-$10 sliding scale. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Diane Ackerman on “Dawn Light: Dancing with Cranes and Other Ways to Start the Day” at 7:30 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Tickets are $10-$12. www.brownpapertickets.com 

Tao Lin reads from his latest novel “Shoplifitng from American Apparel” at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Michael Shepler introduces “Dark Room Elegies,” a poem sequence on the life of photographer and revolutionary Tina Modotti, at 6:30 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert Tribute to Messiaen with Jacqueline Chew, piano, at Hertz Hall, UC campus. Free. 642-4864.  

Fond Farewell Series Musical Evening with Diana Stork and Portia Diwa, harpists at 7 p.m. at Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. www.gracenorthchurch.org 

Dazzling Divas, opera, at 7 p.m. at Le Bateau Ivre Resturant, 2629 Telegraph Ave. 

Brian Finnegan & William Couter at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage, 2020 Addison. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Tony Peebles’ Strong Move Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

Ethan Bixby and Friends at 7 p.m. at Chester’s Bay View Cafe, 1508 Walnut St. 849-9995. 

Loveseat Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

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

THURSDAY, OCT. 1 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Sticky Earth” New ceramics by NIAD artists. Reception at 5 p.m. at NIAD Center for Art and Disabilities, 551 23rd St., Richmond. 620-0290. www.niadart.org 

“On the Road to Dharma” Works by Amy Oliver. Opening reception at 7 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Exhibit runs to Oct. 31. 848-1228. www.giorgigallery.com 

THEATER 

Round Belly Theatre Company “Orestia: Before the Furies” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at Noodle Factory, 1255 26th St. at Union, Oakland. Suggested donation $10. www.roundbellytheatre.com 

FILM 

Berkeley Film Foundation Grant winners honored at 6 p.m. at the Fantasy Building, 2600 Tenth St. Donation $100 benefits the Berkeley Film Foundation. filmberkeley.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry of Protest Local poets present work focused on the realities of war and the current state of America’s Healthcare failures, at 7 p.m. at Café Mediterranean, Telegraph Ave. between Dwight and Haste. 

Celebrating 50 Years of Free Speech Readings from banned books with Mollie Katzen, Marissa Moss, Elisa Kleven, David Lance Goines and others at 7 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

Poetry Flash with Denise Newman and Sandra Stone at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. moesbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

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

Bigelows Treehouse, Porkchop Express at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

FRIDAY, OCT. 2 

THEATER 

Altarena Playhouse “The Nerd” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High St., Alameda, through Oct. 25. Tickets are $17-$20. 523-1553. www.altarena.org 

Berkeley Rep “American Idiot” at 2025 Addison St., through Nov. 1. Tickets are $32-$86. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theatre “Harvey” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. through Oct. 11 at 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito. Tickets are $18, $11 for 16 and under. 524-9132. www.cct.org 

Impact Theatre “See How We Are” A contemporary adaptation of “Antigone.” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave., through Oct. 17. Tickets are $12-$20. impacttheatre.com 

Round Belly Theatre Company “Orestia: Before the Furies” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at Noodle Factory, 1255 26th St. at Union, Oakland. Suggested donation $10. www.roundbellytheatre.com 

Shotgun Players “This World In A Woman’s Hands” The story of the WWII Victory warships and the African-American women who built them, with live acoustic bass by Marcus Shelby. Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at The Ashby Stage. 1901 Ashby Ave, through Oct. 18. Tickets are $18-$25. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Woman’s Will “The Clean House” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at Gaia Arts Center, 2120 Allston Way, through Oct. 10. Tickets are $15-$25. 420-0813. www.womanswill.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

City of Berkeley Civic Center Art Exhibition Works by Berkeley artists on display Mon.-Fri. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Martin Luther King Civic Center, 2180 Milvia St., through Dec. 11. 981-7533. 

The El Cerrito Art Association’s 33rd Annual Art Show Meet the Artists reception at 7:30 p.m. at the El Cerrito Community Center, 7007 Moeser Lane. ALso Sat. from noon to 7:30 p.m. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

Art Attack! A special event for California Arts Day, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Eclectix Gallery, 10082 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. www.eclectix.com 

Tarra Lyons “Transmutation” and Joan Weiss “Reckless Blooms” Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Mercury 20 Gallery, 25 Grand Ave., Oakland. 701-4620. www.mercurytwenty.com 

“Longing for the Background” Thérèse Lahaie’s sculptures, photography and site-specific installations. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Chandra Cerrito Contemporary, 25 Grand Ave., upper level, Oakland. Exhibition runs to Nov. 21. 415-577-7537. www.chandracerrito.com 

“The Human Face of Death Row” Art by Kevin Cooper, James Anderson and Edie Vargas, two of whom are on death row, and the third has a life sentence. Opening reception at 7 p.m. at Rock Paper Scissors Gallery, Telegraph and 23rd St., Oakland. www.nodeathpenalty.org 

“This Long Road” work by Derek Weisberg, Crystal Morey, and Ben Belknap. Reception at 7 p.m. at The Compound Gallery, 6604 San Pablo Ave., Oakland thecompoundgallery.com 

Robert Rickard, metal wall art at Christensen Heller Gallery, 5829 College Ave., Oakland, through Nov. 1. 655-5952. www.christensenheller.com 

“Embracing the Spirit” Works by artists who teach art to children. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Museum of Children’s Art Gallery, 472 Water St., Oakland. 

23rd Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition Opening reception at 6 p.m. at 5815 Shellmound Way, Emeryville. Exhibition runs to Oct. 25. 652-6122. www.emeryarts.org 

“Faces and Places” Paintings by Damon Rodrigues. Opening reception at 1 p.m. at Alameda Museum, 2324 Alameda Ave., off Park St. 521-1233. www.alamedamuseum.org 

“Writer in Residence” Group art show in mixed media. Opening reception at 7 p.m. at Frank Bette Center for the Arts, 1601 Paru St., Alameda. 523-6957. www.freankbettecenter.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Banned Book Week at Berkeley Public Library with readings from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Library Plaza, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6100. berkeleypubliclibrary.org 

“Celebrating Fr. Damien” A reading by Mary O’Donnell from her manuscript “The Exiles” an historical novel on the life of Fr. Damien of Molokai at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Highlands Meets Lowlands Andean and Venezuelan harp tradtions at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $13-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

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

Agualibre, LoCura at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10, $8 with bike. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

WomenGig@Trieste with The Kitty Rose Trio at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. Suggested donation 10-15. 548-5198. 

The Good Friends Trio with Maria Marquez, Hugo Wainzinger and Jonathan Alford at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15-$18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Ramana Viera and Ensemble, Portuguese world music, at 8 p.m. at Art House, Gallery & Cultural Center, 2905 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10-$15. 472-3170. 

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

Damage, Inc., Paradise City, Aaron Pearson at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

SATURDAY, OCT. 3 

CHILDREN  

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

Saturday Stories “Jackson and Bud’s Bumpy Ride: America’s First Cross-Country Automobile Trip” read by author Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff at 1 p.m. at Museum of Children’s Art, 538 9th St., Oakland. 465-8770. www.mocha.org 

Active Arts Theatre “Strega Nona” Sat. and Sun. at various times at Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave, through Oct. 4. Tickets are $14-$18. 296-4433. activeartstheatre.org 

Babes in Toyland Puppet Show at 11 a.m. and 2 and 4 p.m. at at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. 296-4433. activeartsttheatre.org 

THEATER 

Stone Soup Improv Comedy at 8 p.m. at Temescal Arts Center, 511 48th St. at Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $7-$10. www.stonesoupimprov.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Metaphysical Abstraction: Contemporary Approaches to Spiritual Content” Opening Reception at 5 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center. 644-6893. berkeleyartvcenter.org 

“Faces and Places” Paintings by Damon Rodrigues. Opening reception at 1 p.m. at Alameda Museum, 2324 Alameda Ave., off Park St. 521-1233. www.alamedamuseum.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

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 

San Francisco Cabaret Opera “Solidarity” at 8 p.m.at Flux53 Theater/Artspace, 5306 Foothill Boulevard, Oakland. Tickets are $15-$20. 415-289-6877. www.goathall.org  

Festival of the Harps, featuring over 35 harp groups, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave. Oakland. Tickets are $10-$20. www.brownpapertickets.com 

Oakland East Bay Symphony “An Evening with Denyce Graves” at 8:30 p.m. at The Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $60-$125. www.oebs.org 

Jackie Payne, Dennis Wilmerth, Jada Simone in a free concert from 1 to 5 p.m. in People’s Park. Presented in conjunction with Single Payer Healthcare Not War. 

Concert for Labor & Human Rights with George Mann at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship Unitarian Universalists 1924 Cedar at Bonita. Suggested donation $5. 495-5132. www.bfuu.org 

The Marlenes at 6:30 p.m. at Bacheeso’s Garden Bistro, 2501 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 644-2035. 

Mucho Axe CD release party at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $8-$10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Carlos Oliveira and Ana Carbatti at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Youssoupha Sidibe at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

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

Sephardic Music Experience with Kat Parra at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $20. 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 Zony Mash with Horns at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

SUNDAY, OCT. 4 

CHILDREN 

Octopretzel at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $4-$6. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Shepherd’s Crook, Zack Bateman & the Spirit in the Basement and others in a benefit for Children’s Hospital at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

UpSurge: Evolution of UpSurge at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Festival of Harps Fringe Festival with Ann and Charlie Heymann, Park Stickney and Rudiger Oppermann at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

“An independent cinematic marathon,” the self-description of the energetic 18th annual Berkeley Video and Film Festival, showing Friday night and Saturday at Shattuck Cinemas, seems to be the fairest way to depict the ongoing screenings that bring back something of the feel—the exhilaration—of great film festivals of yore, which these days often hold fewer surprises and discoveries than crowds, high per-show ticket prices and the tired format of a typical official event.  

But the low Berkeley Video and Film Festival ticket price and viability may be the clincher: $13 general admission, $10 students and seniors, “valid all day and night.” 

“Dodge out and back in—that’s the marathon approach to a festival, the way we like it,” said Festival Director Mel Vapour.  

Vapour spoke with enthusiasm about this year’s program, its history and the state of independent video and filmmaking while he and festival co-founder Paul Kealoha Blake were engaged in a marathon of their own, preparing for opening night. The festival is under the aegis of the East Bay Media Center, the nonprofit Vapour and Blake founded in 1980.  

This year, the offerings range from feature documentaries to ethnographic shorts and experimental shorts to full-length features.  

Jeff Adachi’s You Don’t Know Jack: The Jack Soo Story (1:15 p.m. Saturday) covers the career and travails of the Oakland-born late singer and actor Jack Soo (best-known for the TV series “Barney Miller”). David Silberberg’s doc Oh My God! It’s Harrod Blank! is about Berkeley art car creator, filmmaker and art curator Harrod Blank, son of music filmmaker Les Blank (5:18 p.m. Saturday). Words of Advice: William S. Burroughs on the Road is a Danish-produced doc of the public and private faces of the late, great vernacular satirist as he traveled to read aloud and perform his “routines” (8:10 p.m. Saturday). Holland Wilde’s Zapook of the North is billed as “a sociocultural memory mash-up” (11:18 p.m. Saturday). And Neil Ira Needleman’s I Know Who Really Sent the Anthrax Letters (7:58 p.m. Friday) is an experimental short like “What family secrets are hidden in the grainy images of ancient 8mm celluloid? Something to think about the next time you open your mail.” The festival also showcases full-length features like Sarba Das’ Karma Calling (“a fable about hope and love for a family of Hindus from Hoboken,” 9:35 p.m. Friday) and short features, like Andrea Lodovichetti’s Under My Garden (Sotto Il Mio Giardino), a kind of “miniature Rear Window told from a child’s perspective,” which has won a Golden Globe and prizes from over 30 international festivals, including Cannes (9:15 p.m. Friday). 

Films and videos such as these, over a wide range stylistically and in subject matter, are programmatically blended, often back-to-back, with student filmmakers, such as Kellan Moore’s The Girl in the Window (7:44 p.m. Friday) or Maria Jose Calderon’s The Edge of the Sea, about “a Puerto Rican fisherman trying to stop coastline development” (3:54 p.m. Saturday). 

“You could do a doubletake, seeing who’s on screen,” said Vapour. “The digital revolution so empowered independent filmmaking—camera technology, editing especially, though high definition will be the equalizer—that independent and commercial filmmaking are on an egalitarian plateau at this point. And so we put a 17-year-old producer up against a seasoned veteran because of the qualitative aspects. Again, you might do a doubletake watching Kellan Moore’s Girl in the Window: ‘A Disney film?’ You just have to shake your head. A teenager has the skill set in their bedroom to be an indie—and I say hats off to the educational facilities doing media training.” 

Vapour spoke of the festival’s beginnings and history: “Initially, in ’91 it started as an East Bay-centric sort of affair, a venue for indie and student film and videomakers to show their wares. It was presented in Schwimley Auditorium [Berkeley High School], to a sell-out crowd.” 

Vapour, who first submitted a film of his own to a festival in 1965, the third year of the first festival for independents, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, recalled the early days, “when there were maybe four [festivals] total; there have to be two to three hundred now.” 

He continued telling of the Berkeley festival’s beginnings. “It started to grow. The audience base had developed more appetite for independent cinema. We expanded into the old UC Theater on University, a 900-seat-plus venue—and we were filling it. We were going beyond our parameters and starting to get a reputation. New festivals were fast germinating: the Film Arts Foundation started theirs in San Francisco; the Mill Valley Film Festival began in Marin. 

“We carved out our niche and presentation style,” Vapour went on, “marathon screening, back-to-back. Many fimmakers hit the screen: Nick Saunders, Robert Greenwald, Mark Birnbaum ... We showed at various places on campus, including Wheeler Auditorium—and in what was really our home, the Fine Arts Cinema, with the right amount of seats. Towards the end, we were turning away literally hundreds from screenings of Unconstitutional, Robert Greenwald’s film, which we premiered. It was sad to see the Fine Arts turn into one of Patrick Kennedy’s restaurants. We were in the Oaks Theatre for three or four years—and had been getting a lot of inquiries from Landmark, dedicated to digital cinema, who had locked onto indie cinema as promoters.” 

Vapour concluded with a word about the range of what’s available today in video and film: “We’re seeing the emergence, for one thing, of a new documentary format—almost a new documentary entertainment style—like with Tao Ruspoli’s Behind the Wheel (9:25 p. m. Saturday), going through the South in a hi-tech-equipped school bus prior to the election, not on a ‘red’ and ‘blue’ states thing, but an examination of the Southern Heartland on where we’re all going politically, artistically, spiritually; the format very gritty, very real ... So many different approaches—and still today we have a niche for making purist cinema.” 

BERKELEY VIDEO AND  

FILM FESTIVAL 

7:30–11 p.m. Friday; noon to midnight Saturday at Shattuck Cinemas, 2230 Shattuck Ave. $13 general, $10 students and seniors. Box office: 464-5980; info: 843-3699 or www.berkeleyvideofilmfest.org.

Amid all the preshow hoopla and media ballyhoo, Berkeley Rep premiered the onstage version of Berkeley’s Grammy-winning rock group Green Day’s American Idiot, with an aftershow party sprawling out of the Roda Theatre, across the courtyard, and onto the thrust stage, where a skating rink-like disco held forth.  

Groaning buffets, wetbars, liquored-up sno-cones—and of course the pièce-de-resistance, lest we forget, the stage musical version of Green Day’s hit rock opera, sandwiched somewhere between. 

On a set bursting with video screens and repros of rock posters (Dead Kennedys and The Minutemen, alas), the singers, on thrift-store furniture, faced the audience; Johnny (John Gallagher, Jr.) made a petulant rockstar leap on a platform bed, initiating the title song—chimes with American Idol—with a flow of derisive and self-derogatory post-adolescent angst with a tinge of social comment, castigating the media—perhaps bracketing those of us in the audience videoing and snapping pictures throughout the auditorium—and parodying or bonding with military figures in desert fatigues, dancing, lying prone, still or singing in hospital beds. And the 75-minute night wore on. 

Viewed online in live-performance clips or heard on their hit CD, Green Day’s own way of selling American Idol has something of the crispness, immediacy and story-telling style of good rock left to its own devices.  

But the stage version served up to us is really just a revue, scraping the bottom of the barrel for theatrical effects to dress what’s intended to be raw to make it seem raw—a kind of double feedback or the gilding of a wilted lily. 

At one point, a young woman in veils and Disneyesque Orientalism is lowered on wires from the flies, imploring a wounded GI (or member of the band? As staged, it’s ambiguous; like artistic music videos, I guess) to fly away with her ... PETER PAN pirated! Tinkerbell as Scheherazde? Where’s the ticking crocodile? 

And we were assured by all concerned that it would be so special ...  

Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day says in the program that he was floored by Spring Awakening and how unconventional Michael Mayer—director and co-writer with Armstrong for the book, who “updated” Frank Wedekind’s great century-old play about the travails of youth in a repressive society (contemporaneous with but rather unlike Peter Pan)—is. And Tony Taccone of the Berkeley Rep says he first heard of Mayer’s brilliance from Tony Kushner, when Mayer directed Angels in America, which Taccone premiered at San Francisco’s Eureka Theater. 

And—maybe because it’s the season opener—the Rep took the opportunity to let its past flash before its eyes, eulogizing itself everywhere, as if American Idiot were the icing on the cake, the life work, the masterstroke ... instead of a Berkeley-is-Connecticutt tryout of an all-too-conventional revue for future New York City consumption. 

It’s hard to adapt rock to another medium. The exhilaration gets dampened or lost, along with the point. A few films found a kind of parallax view—Performance, Privilege, maybe Rock ’n’ Roll High School—but the special energy and intelligence of rock performance, as pioneered by Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, et al., and developed by Ike and Tina Turner, American and British bands of the 1960s and the likes of The Sex Pistols and The Bad Brains doesn’t translate easily—especially when the medium’s a pastiche of floorshow kitsch. 

The performers are pros and work hard, throwing themselves into it, singing, dancing, posing ... and the onstage musicians are perfectly competent or better (drummer Trey Files is especially worthy of mention). But Berkeley Rep’s done this sort of thing before, throwing everything in the closet at Carrie Fisher’s verbal noodling, trying to make a parlor piece look like theater.  

At one point, Johnny tells the audience he knocked over a convenience store to buy a ticket (a bus or plane ticket, apparently, not one to the show), then says, no, he stole the cash from his mother—well, his mother gave it to him, “the bitch!” 

My sentiments, exactly. 

If you can’t get a ticket to the Rep, and miss it at Midtown, too, cheer up—in a couple of years American Idiot will play your local casino as an oldies floorshow. 

AMERICAN IDIOT 

Through Nov. 1 at the Berkeley Rep, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. $32–$86. Visit www.berkeleyrep.org for tickets and  

information.

Got old family footage you’d like to see on the big screen? Once again, Pacific Film Archive is participating in the international celebration of Home Movie Day, inviting patrons to drop off their old films by Sept. 25 for consideration for screening on Oct. 17. Bring in your home movies, in 8mm, Super-8mm and 16mm formats, and PFA will include as many as possible in the screening, where participants are invited to share their films and memories.  

Home Movie Day’s mission is to provide a forum for old footage and to educate the public about film and video care, storage and transfer. For information on International Home Movie Day, see bampfa.edu or homemovieday.com. For home movie conservation tips, see the Home Film Preservation Guide at filmforever.org.

“As you can see, he’s a Pooka,” explains Elwood P. Dowd, straightening the tie and smoothing the ears of his big, invisible friend. “Don’t be disturbed. He stares like that at everybody.” 

Since the mid-20th century, in which time the play’s set, Harvey has seen multitudes come and go in leading and supporting roles—but the title role has always been played by the same six-foot (or so) invisible rabbit who originated the part. 

But not invisible to Elwood, whom Harvey befriended one evening many years before the play’s action (and there’s a lot of crazy action, as well as crazy talk; a little bit of both, appropriately enough, in a sanitarium). Elwood can see his dear friend and is eager to introduce him to everybody he meets. And Elwood meets and befriends everybody. 

A laconic James Stewart, playing it his own way, helped make Mary Chase’s comedy into a memorable motion picture.  

And the late Louis Flynn, who co-founded Contra Costa Civic Theatre with his wife Bettianne 50 years ago this season, made Elwood a signature role; in fact, this is the first time someone else has played the genial Mr. Dowd on the CCCT stage. Tom Reardon essays this plum role in his own comic fashion, quite differently. Where Jimmy Stewart, for example, was laid back, a little absent-minded but knowing, Reardon is bright-eyed, eager to please, a little manic. Together with the others in the cast, he brings in a funny show. 

Elwood’s cockeyed charm leaves his socially-minded sister Veta (Maureen-Theresa Williams) and aggressive niece Myrtle Mae (Liz Caffrey) cool, if not cold. Elwood inherited the family estate, in and on which the distaff side lives, from his and Veta’s mother (“I suppose because she died in his arms; people get sentimental about things like that!”), and this crimped mother-daughter act resents their dependence—on Elwood, and Harvey as well. 

So they decide to stuff their friendly benefactor in the booby hatch—Chumley’s Rest, named after its psychiatrist founder (Ken Ray as William R. Chumley, M. D.)—with the help of old family retainer, Judge Omar Gaffney (Phil Reed). 

But as that truly wise, somewhat misanthropic humorist James Thurber advised, “Don’t count your boobies before they’re hatched.” Much of the fun of the plot lies in the comings and goings of Myrtle Mae, Veta, the Judge, Doctors Chumley and Sanderson (Greg Milholland), Nurse Kelly (Liz Olds), Wilson the strong-arm orderly (Billy Raphael), Dr. Chumley’s charming wife Betty (Merle Nadlin, who in one short scene with Elwood in the moderne waiting room of the sanitarium—nicely designed by Matt Flynn, complete with framed Rorschach Tests—shows as fine a grasp of the tone of Harvey as anyone has in the cast), and cabbie E. J. Lofgren (Chris Harper)—who philosophizes that those he drives to the sanitarium are a happier (and better-tipping) bunch than those he brings back—all in pursuit of Elwood, or in flight of each other, while Mr. Dowd obliviously continues his constant round of socializing, befriending strangers, and doing anybody a favor who will accept it as such. 

There’s lots of good physical comedy (Olds seems particularly adept; Raphael and Caffrey make a funny team) and old-fashioned farcical chases and door-slamming—some of it by a big, invisible entity who, well, seems to grow on everyone. In fact, Dr. Chumley himself imbibes both libations and a few drams of nonpsychological truth in an evening out on the town with the boys. The old boy and the rabbit, that is. 

Harvey is of that line of comedies about American families composed of eccentrics, maybe most famously You Can’t Take It With You and other old chestnuts like Arsenic and Old Lace, as well as some others that also serve up a little hocus-pocus in the brew, like Bell, Book, and Candle. All seemed deliberately a little old-fashioned when they premiered, because all were intended to be gentle reminders of small-town virtues—friendliness, an easy-going demeanor, and the ability to pause for a few—or more than a few—moments to no practical end—which serve as antidote to that virulent other American practice of masquerading as success, social standing, professionalism and The Greater Good. The latter having cracked the whip on and stabbed many a back ever since Plymouth Rock landed on those poor Pilgrims, who were just trying to get away ... 

Harvey—and the best of those others like it—not only reminds but serves as a refresher course in kindness through laughter. The cast, under the direction of Kathleen Ray, the Flynn’s daughter, plays it for laughs. And the play’s chock-full of great, silly old vaudeville and burlesque ticklers—like when any particular, scheming doctor or half-threatening functionary asks that archetypal male ingenue Elwood, “Is there something I can do for you?” And he uncannily replies, “What do you have in mind?” 

HARVEY 

8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 11 at Contra Costa Civic Theatre, 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito. $18; $11 age 16 and under. 524-9132. www.ccct.org.