THURSDAY, OCT. 15 

Proposed Changes to Berkeley Election Reform Act Discussion on raising the $250 contribution limit and creating additional disclosure requirements, at the Fair Campaign Practices Commission meeting at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Comments can also be mailed to Kristy van Herick, FCPC Secretary, 2180 Milvia St., 4th Flr., Berkeley 94704. kvanherick@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

LeConte Neighborhood Assoc. meets to discuss the crime report and and several major property developments in the area, at 7:30 p.m. at LeConte School. KarlReeh@gmail.com 

Berkeley School Volunteers New Volunteer Orientation from noon to 1 p.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. 

“Peace of Mind in Earthquake Country” with earhtquake engineers Peter Yanev and Andrew Thompson at 7:30 p.m. at Builders Booksource on Fourth St. 845-7051. 

SEEDS Community Resolution Center will celebrate National Conflict Resolution Day, honoring Judge Gail Bereola with workshops on Restorative Justice and Conflict Resolution skills. Begins at 7:30 a.m. at Niles Hall in Preservation Park, 1233 Preservation Parkway, Oakland. 548-2377. www.seedscrc.org 

“The New New Deal: How Regional Activism Will Reshape the American Labor Movement,” with author Amy Dean, at 12:30 p.m. at the UC Berkeley Labor Center, IRLE Building, 2521 Channing Way. 642-9187. 

Traditional Farming with Native Farmers from New Mexico A presentation and discussion on farming self-sufficiency at 6:30 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $5$50 sliding scale. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

“Demolition of Berkeley’s Bevatron and its Radioactive Waste” A report by LA Wood and others at 7 p.m. at BFUU, 1924 Cedar at Bonita. Donations welcome. 

UC Press Hurt Book Sale New and slightly scuffed books from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 2120 Berkeley Way. www.ucpress.edu 

“Gandhi & the Unspeakable: Why He Died & Why it Matters” with Jim Douglass at 7 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 114 Montecito Ave., Oakland. Cost is $10-$20. 268-8765. pacebene.org 

“The Body Code” with Dr. Larry J. Gertler at 5:30 p.m. at Whole Foods. 512-0448. 

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

FRIDAY, OCT. 16 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Nancy Scheper-Hughes PhD on “The Shockng Story of Illegal Human Organ Trafficking” 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 

Say No to War! Bring Our Troops Home Now Rally from 2 to 3 p.m. at the corner of Action and University. 

Shimmy Shimmy Kids Dance A ‘60s-style event for the whole family at 7 p.. at Rhythmix Cultural Works, 2513 Blanding Ave., Alameda. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for age 2 and older, 2 and under, free. 865-5060. www.rhythmix.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. 

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 

SATURDAY, OCT. 17 

Telling Tales: A Fall Storytelling Festival with Awele Makeba, Joel ben Izzy and Megumi, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Berkwood Hedge School, 1809 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $4 children, $8 adults. www.berkwood.org/storytelling 

War is Just a Racket Day Readings and Sing-Along from noon to 3 p.m. at the Downtown Bekeley BART Plaza. www.october17.org 

Berkeley Architectural Heritage Fall Walking Tour Berkeley Villa Tract From 10 a.m. to noon along Codornices Creek to explore the area subdivided in the 1880s. Walk is moderate, requiring some climbing. Not wheelchair accessible. Cost is $10-$15. Advance registration required. 841-2242. berkeleyheritage.com  

Berkeley Historical Society Walk “The Obscure History of South Telegraph” A block-by-block stroll down one of Berkeley's oldest streets and into the adjacent neighborhoods, led by Steve Finacom, from 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $8-$10. For reservations and starting point, call 848-0181.  

Berkeley Path Wanderers Panoramic Hill Walk An insider’s look at this neighborhood of steep steps and hills, overlooking the city. Meet at 10 a.m. at the foot of Panoramic Place at the south end of the footbal stadium Parking is difficult. 520-3876. www.berkeleypaths.org 

Hike for Toddlers and Friends to explore the meadows, ponds and trails of Tilden. Meet at 2:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center. 544-2233. 

Loma Prieta Twenty Years Later with an exhibit and speakers, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Oakland Main Library, 125 14th St., Oakland.  

Creative Personal Statement Writing Workshop for teens writing their college application essays, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the Claremont Branch of the Berkeley Public Library, 2940 Benvenue. A free event sponsored by ecBerkeley.org. 266-2069. 

Wheels for Meals Ride Benefit ride through Livermore Valley for Alameda County Meals on Wheels. Ride lengths are 15, 35, or 65 miles. For information see www.wheelsformealsride.com 

Lakeshore Neighborhood Plant Exchange Come trade your excess with others, from noon to 4 p.m. at 3811 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland. All types and sizes of plants are welcome. For information see www.plantexchange.wordpress.com 

Greening El Cerrito Day with tree planting in the morning followed by a showcase with educational displays, children’s activities and music from noon to 2 p.m. at City Hall Plaza, 10890 San Pablo Ave.  

Walking Tour of Old Oakland “New Era/New Politics” highlights African-American leaders who have made their mark on Oakland. Meet at 10 a.m. at the African American Museum and Library at 659 14th St. 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

Live Owl Program from 1 to 4 p.m. at RabbitEars, 377 Colusa Ave., Kensington. 525-6155. 

“Exploring De Staebler Through Movement” A movement workshop with Muriel Maffre in conjunction with the exhibition “Steven De Staebler: The Sculptor’s Way” at 11 a.m. at The Richmond Art Center, 2540 Bartlett Ave., Richmond. Free. 620-6772. www.therac.org 

El Cerrito Democratic Club Annual Dinner at 6 p.m. on Sat the Arlington Community Church, 52 Arlington Ave., Kensington, with Jenn Pae of PowerPac, on “Is the Honeymoon Over? A Young Obama Delegate Looks Back—and Ahead.” Cost is $30-$35 for adults, $10-$15 for children. 526-4874. www.ecdclub.org 

Home Movie Day from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Film inspection and check in at 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Fascinating Objects in our Solar System” with Prof. Imke de Pater, UC Dept. of Astronomy at 11 a.m. in the Genetics and Plant Biology Building, Room 100, UC campus. Free, no science background required. 

Fall Storytime for preschool children and thier families at 11 a.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

Flute Masterclass with Isabelle Chapuis at 11 a.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $25 at the door. 549-3864. 

Halloween Origami a class for all ages, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

“Spiritual Awakening, a New Economy, and the End of Empire” with David Korten at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship, 1924 Cedar at Bonita. Tickets are $25-$35. www.brownpapertickets.com 

Red Cross Blood Drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at American Red Cross bus at 2001 Allston Way. To schedule an appointment go to www.helpsavealife.org 

Alameda Public Affairs Forum Good Citizenship Award for Community Service Honoring Jean and Jim Sweeney at 7 p.m. at Alameda Free Library, Conference Rooms A&B, 1550 Oak St. at Lincoln, Alameda. Suggested donation $5. www.alamedaforum.org 

California Writers Club “Could Your Novel be an e-Book?” with Kemble Scott at 10 a.m. at Barnes and Noble, Jack London Square, Oakland. www.cwc-berkeley.com 

Vampires & Werewolves 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 

Tibetan Buddhism meditation, awareness, and movement practices with Sylvia Gretchen and Jack van der Meulen, from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. at Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. Cost is $80. 809-1000.  

Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld at 7 p.m. at 145 Dwinelle, UC campus.  

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. 18 

“Berkeley in Conflict: Eyewitness Images” featuring never- exhibited works by photographers John Jekabson, Dan Beaver, and Lydia Gans. Reception at 3 p.m. at the Berkeley History Center, 1931 Center St. 848-0181.  

John Muir Legends Honoring John Muir School alumni Marian Alltman, Anne Donaker and Pam Ormsby at 11:30 a.m., luncheon at 12:30 p.m. at John Muir Elementary School, 2955 Claremont Ave. Tickets are $40. RSVP to 653-6761. lockesj@comcast.net 

Grass Roots House Open House with presentations, historical material, food and music from 3 to 6 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Suggested donation $5-$25, no one turned away. 

“Water Fair” with information on home and garden, political action and personal responsibility, and the global problems affecting water availability and fair distribution at noon at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. www.stjohnsberkeley.org 

ACLU Berkeley/North East Bay Annual Meeting “Schools for All Campaign” with Diana Tate Vermeire at 2 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave., Near Solano. www.acluberkeley.org 

Kensington Library Fall Book Sale from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the parking lot behind the Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

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

Benefit for Prisoners Revolutionary Literature Fund with international food, music, poetry and readings of letters from prisoners, from 3 to 7 p.m. at La Placita, 2375 Fruitvale Ave., Oakland. Cost is $10-$15.  

“The Kingdom of God as Alternate Universe” with Sarah Lewis at 10 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

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 

Tibetan Buddhism with Ken McKeon on “The Time of Our Lives” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 809-1000.  

MONDAY, OCT. 19 

Berkeley Zero Waste Commission on proposed plastic bag ban at 7 p.m. at North Berkeley Senior Center, 1900 Hearst Ave. 981-6357. www.CityofBerkeley.info/plasticbagban 

“The California State Budget” with Assembly 

member Nancy Skinner at 12:30 p.m. at Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

“Facing Death....with open eyes” Film screening with filmmaker Dr. Michelle Peticola at 7 p.m. at BFUU, Cedar at Bonita. Suggested donation $10. 495-5132. 

Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 5 p.m. at University Village Gymnasium, 1125 Jackson St., Albany. To schedule an appointment go to www.helpsavealife.org 

Community Yoga Class 10 a.m. at James Kenney Parks and Rec. Center at Virginia and 8th. Seniors and beginners welcome. Cost is $6. 207-4501. 

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

TUESDAY, OCT. 20 

Over the Hills Gang Hikers 55 years and older explore Briones from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. For details call 544-2233. 

Bat Show by the Bat Conservation Fund Information on Bat conservation and the usefulness of bats in our ecosystems at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Community Center, 59 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Free, but tickets required. Tickets are available at the Kensington Library. For ages 5 and up. 524-3043. 

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 Garretson Point, Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline Bring water, field guides, binoculars or scopes. Call for meeting place and if you need to borrow binoculars. 544-2233. 

“Afghanistan” A film by Robert Greenwald at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Unversalists, 1924 Cedar St. 841-4824. www.bfuu.org 

Health, Wellness and Cancer Awareness Fair with workshops, and information, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Peralta Community College District Main Office, Atrium & Boardroom, 333 East 8th St., Oakland. Free 

Berkeley School Volunteers New Volunteer Orientation from 3:30 to 4:30 p.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. 

Berkeley Garden Club with Gary Bogue, gardening and wildlife columnist on “Gardening with Wildlife” at 2 p.m. at Epworth United Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St. Free. 526-1083. www.BerkeleyGardenClub.org 

“Adventures on the Bay Area Ridge Trail” with Morris Older at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

Traffic Safety Skills Course: Learn to Drive a Bike in a 3.5-hour classroom course covering the basics of safe cycling, riding in traffic, equipment, crash avoidance, rights and responsibilities. Adults 14 and over. No bike needed. From 6 to 9:30 p.m. at Kaiser Medical Center, 3801 Howe St, Fabiola Building Room G65B, Oakland. 533-7433. safety@ebbc.org 

African People’s Solidarity Day Stop U.S. Colonial Wars at Home & Abroad from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation $10-$20. 625-1106. uhurusolidarity.org  

Genealogy Workshop with Jane Knowles Lindsey, President of the California Genealogical Society who will instruct individuals on how to research and start a genealogical program at 3 p.m. at Salem Lutheran Home, 2361 East 29th St., Oakland. Free. 534-3637. www.salemlutheranhome.org 

Pacific Boychoir Academy Day School Admissions Open House at 6:30 p.m. at 2401 Le Conte Ave. 849-8180 

“What Peace Means to Me” Create collaborative works in performance, song, poetry, photography or video at from 3 to 5 p.m. at Unity of Berkeley, 2401 Le Conte Ave.. RSVP to 302-8734. 

Richmond Emergency Food Pantry Volunteers needed to help organize cases of canned food, from 9 a.m. to noon at 2369 Barrett Ave. Richmond. Ability to lift 50 pounds helpful.  Help needed on Fridays also. 235-9732. 

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 

Homework Help at the Albany Library for students in grades 2 - 6, Tues. and Thurs. from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. Emphasis on math and writing skills. No registration is required. For more information, call 526-3720. 

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. 

PC Users Meeting at 7 p.m. at 1145 Walnut St., near corner of Eunice. meldancing@comcast.net 

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. www.watersideworkshops.org 

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

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. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 21 

Tilden Explorers An after-school nature adventure program for 5-7 year olds. We will have a Nature Treasure Hunt. from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m.. Cost is $6-$8, registration required. 1-888-EBPARKS. 

Berkeley Retired Teachers Association General Meeting at 12:30 p.m. at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. David Walrath, Legislative Advocate for California Retired Teachers will speak on “Challenges and Opportunities for Retirees in 2010.” 

“A New Deal for the East Bay: Excavating the Buried Civilization of the Great Depression” with Gray Brechin at 7:30 at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St Tickets are $15, $40 for the series. 644-9344. berkeleyheritage.com 

Walking Tour of Oakland Chinatown Meet at 10 a.m. at the fountain of Pacific Renaissance Plaza, Ninth St., between Webster and Franklin. 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

Albany Reads “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” Book discussion at 7 p.m. in the Edith Stone Room of the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720 ext. 5.  

“Holes in Heaven” a documentary on the High Frequency Active Auroral Reseach Program managed by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation $5. www.Humanist Hall.org 

Family Sing-along for young children and their families at 5 p.m. at Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720. 

Red Cross Blood Drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Oakland State Bldg., Training Room1, 1515 Clay St., Oakland. To schedule an appointment go to www.helpsavealife.org 

Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation from 6 to 8 p.m. at 6230 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Registration required. 594-5165. 

“Places for the Dead: Shrines, Memorials and the Living” at 7 p.m. at Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. www.gracenorthchurch.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. 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 

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

THURSDAY, OCT. 22 

Berkeley Path Wanderers Founders Walk Join BPWA co-founder Pat DeVito on a brisk walk of her favorite paths. Meet at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley Rose Garden, near the sign on Euclid. Walk lasts 2.5 hours. 520-3876. www.berkeleypaths.org 

Conference on Afghan and Iranian Diaspora Cultures and Communities in the Bay Area with presentations, discussions, film screening, art exhibition, poetry and dance performance, Thurs. from 5 to 7 p.m. and all day Sat. and Sun. at California State University, East Bay, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd., Hayward. Cost is $35- $50. http://class.csueastbay.edu/Global_Knowledge.php 

Home Energy Improvements Workshop Learn how you can save energy and money, improve indoor air quality and take advantage of incentives and rebates, at 7 p.m. at Epworth Unified Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St. For information call 981-7473. 

Berkeley Entrepreneurs Forum for innovation in the semiconductor industry at 6:30 p.m. in Andersen Auditorium, Haas School of Business, UC campus. 

National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality at noon at Oakland City Hall Plaza, 14th & Broadway 

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. 

FRIDAY, OCT. 23 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Dr. Joel Parrott, Exec. Dir. of the Oakland Zoo, on “The History and Future of the Oakland Zoo” 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 

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 

SATURDAY, OCT. 24 

Out of the Darkness Walk A benefit for the American Society for Suicide Prevention at 6 a.m. at The Colonnades, at Lake Merritt. You do not have to fundraise to walk, and any size donation helps. For information email OaklandWalk@aol.com 

Help Restore Cerrito Creek at the foot of Albany Hill. Meet at 10 a.m. at Creekside Park, south end of Santa Clara Ave., El Cerrito. Wear closed-toed shoes with good traction and clothes that can get dirty. All ages welcome, snacks, tools, and gloves provided. 848 9358. www.fivecreeks.org 

Project Peace East Bay’s Day of Peace from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Volunteers at Claremont Middle School, 5750 College Ave., in Oakland, and Berkeley’s Leconte Elementary School, 2241 Russell St. will help each school with various building and grounds projects. Those who wish to volunteer may register at www.projectpeaceeastbay.org 

The New School Halloween Bazaar with face painting, children’s games, rummage sale, book sale, wonderful lunch, crafts, jump tent, bake sale, mobile bike repair, and live entertainment, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1606 Bonita at Cedar. 548-9165. 

Haunted House and Family Pre-Halloween Party for all ages with adjustable scariness, from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. at , St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Wear costumes. 845-6830 ext 13. 

Halloween Spook-tacular Music and party with games, Haunted Parlor and fun for the whole family, at 6:3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Alamda, 2001 Santa Clara at Chestnut, Alameda. Free, donations acepted. 522-1477.  

Fall Storytime for preschool children and thier families at 11 a.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

Superheroes and Mythical Monsters Make a cape and mask from 1 to 3 p.m. at Museum of Children’s Art, 538 9th St., Oakland. Cost is $7 per child, $3 per adult. 465-8770. 

Music Business Seminar sponsored by California Lawyers for the Arts from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Ex’pression College for Digital Arts, 6601 Shellmound St. Cost is $25-$70. 415-775-7200. www.calawyersforthearts.org 

South Berkeley Clinic Acupuncture Day from 8 a.m. to noon at 2880 Sacramento St.  

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. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

“Get Well!” Alternative practitioners talk about healing from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 3rd Flr Community Room, 2090 Kittredge. 981-6107. 

Family Art Workshop: Superheroes and Mythical Monsters from 1 to 3 p.m. at Museum of Children’s Art, 538 9th St., Oakland. Cost is $3-$7. 465-8770. www.mocha.org 

Albany Reads “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” Discussion on autism and asberger’s syndrome with Mimi W. Lou, Clinical Director of CHAI, Children's Hospital Autism Intervention at 2 p.m. in the Edith Stone Room of the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720 ext. 5.  

Zombies and Killer Klowns 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. 25 

Free/Low-Cost Animal Care including vaccines for dogs and cats, rabies vaccines, microchipping, dog licensing, and spay/neuter vouchers, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Berkeley Animal Care Services, 2013 Second St., cross street Addison. Dogs need to be on a leash; puppies and cats in a carrier. No-one turned away for lack of funds. 981-6603. 

Community Music Day with Instrument Petting Zoo, class demonstrations, performances, food and prizes from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Crowden Music Center, 1475 Rose St. 559-6910. info@crowden.org 

Haunted Caves of the Environmental Education Center with crafts, refreshments and Halloween Lore. For ages 6 and up from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at Tilden NAture Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $4. 544-2233.  

Pumpkin Mania Come and carve pumpkins and make your own mask from 1 to 5 p.m. at Expressions Gallery, 2035 Ashby Ave. 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 

“From Mystical Encounters to Social Activism” with Patrick M. McCollum, at 10 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Jewish Dance Theatre’s “Freylekh” Yiddish dance party with live music by The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band at 7 p.m. at the JCC of the East Bay. 

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 

Tibetan Buddhism with Judy Rasmussen on “Power of the Tibetan Prayer Flag” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 809-1000. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

CITY MEETINGS 

Proposed Changes to Berkeley Election Reform Act Discussion on raising the $250 contribution limit and creating additional disclosure requirements, at the Fair Campaign Practices Commission meeting, Thurs., Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Comments can also be mailed to Kristy van Herick, FCPC Secretary, 2180 Milvia St., 4th Flr., Berkeley 94704. kvanherick@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Design Review Committee meets Thurs., Oct. 15, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7415.  

Medical Cannabis Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 15, at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall, Cypress Room, 2180 Milvia. 981-7402. 

Transportation Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 15, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7061.  

Proposed Bus Rapid Transit in Berkeley Public Workshop Sat., Oct. 17, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge Street Community Meeting Room, 3rd Floor. 

Berkeley Zero Waste Commission on proposed plastic bag ban Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. at North Berkeley Senior Center, 1900 Hearst Ave. 981-6357. www.CityofBerkeley.info/plasticbagban 

THURSDAY, OCT. 15 

EXHIBITIONS 

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

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. 

“Domestic Disturbance” Intergenerational group of artists on the difficulties of balancing public and private life. Opening reception at 5 p.m. at Worth Ryder Gallery, 116 Kroeber Hall, UC campus. Exhibit runs to Oct. 31.  

Todd Laby: Images from “Brink” detailing his physical and psychological recovery from a serious surfing accident. at 5 p.m. at The LightRoom Gallery, 2263 Fifth St. Exhibition runs to Nov. 6. 649-8111.  

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

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

“I’m A People Person” Exhibit depicting images of seniors at Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts Annex, 1428 Alice Street, off 14th St., downtown Oakland. Exhibit runs through Oct. 22. 

“Surface Strata” Paintings by Chris Trueman, Kevin Scianni, Alison Rash, Maichael Cutlip, Joshua Dildine, Jay Merryweather, and Eric Ward at Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th St., Oakland. Exhibition runs to Oct. 31. 465-8928. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Thad Carhart reads from his historical novel “Across the Endless River” of frontier America in the 1800s, at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Amy Dean discusses her new book “The New New Deal: How Regional Activism Will Reshape the American Labor Movement” at 12:30 p.m. at the UC Berkeley Labor Center, IRLE Building, 2521 Channing Way. 642-9187. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Symphony performs works by Berkeley composers, John Adams and Gabriela Lena Frank, at 7 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC campus. Tickets are $10-$60. 841-2800. www.berkeleysymphony.org 

Chirgilchin, Tuvan throat singing, at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15-$20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

The James King Band at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

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

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

Dolorata, The Big Nasty at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

FRIDAY, OCT. 16 

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. 15. Tickets are $32-$86. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Berkeley Rep “Tiny Kushner” Short plays by Tony Kushner at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison, through Nov. 29. Tickets are $33-$71. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.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 

Ragged Wing Ensemble “So Many Ways to Kill a Man” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at Metal Shop Theater, 2425 Stuart St. at Willard School, through Oct. 24. Tickets are $15-$30. 1-800-838-3006. www.raggedwing.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 

Smokey Joe’s Cafe “The Songs of Lieber and Stoller” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Alameda Elks Lodge, 2255 Santa Clara Ave., Alameda. Tickets are $30, Dinner and show tickets are $55. 522-3428. 

TheatreFirst “Stones in His Pockets” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Marion E. Greene Theatre, ground floor of The Fox Oakland Building, 19th St. entrance, through Nov. 8. Tickets are $15-$30. www.brownpapertickets.com  

UC Dept. of TDPS “Dead Boys” A musical by Joe Goode in collaboration with composer Holcobe Waller, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m., through Oct. 18 at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC campus. Tickets are $10-$15. 642-8827. 

Youth Musical Theater “A Chorus Line” Fri. and Sat. at 7:30 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave., through Oct. 25. Tickets are $10-$20. www.brownpapertickets.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

2009 James D. Phelan Art Award in Printmaking Gallery reception at 6 p.m. at Kala Gallery, 2990 San Pablo Ave. 841-7000. www.kala.org 

“Counts & Constructs” Works by Augusta Talbot and Eli Noyes. Reception at 6 p.m. at Garage Gallery, 3110 Wheeler St. Exhibit runs Sat. and Sun. 1 to 5 p.m. to Nov. 1. www.berkeleyoutlet.com 

“Dementions” A Halloween and Day of the Dead art exhibit. Opening reception at 7 p.m. at Eclectix Gallery, 10082 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. Runs to Nov. 29. www.eclectix.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Stewart Brand on “Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way at Dana. Tickets are $40, includes autographed copy of book. www.brownpapertickets.com 

Poetry Reading and Open Mic at 7 p.m. at Expressions Gallery, 2035 Ashby Ave. 644-4930. 

Gabrielle Calvocoressi reads from her new volume of poems, “Apocolyptic Swing” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oakland Ballet “Jewels of the Bay: A Mixed Repertoire” at 7:30 p.m. at Holy Names University, Valley Center for the Arts, 3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Tickets are $25-$30 www.oaklandballet.org 

“Division” Chamber music for viol and lutes at 6 p.m. in the Parish Hall of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $10-$15. www.brownpapertickets.com 

Won Fu, from Taiwan in a benefit for typhoon relief at 7 p.m. at Genetics and Plant Biology Building, Room 100, UC campus. tasa.berkeley.edu.  

Kiyana “Vital and Perpetual Movements” Traditional Persian mystical whirling dance at 8 p.m. at the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California, 1433 Madison St., Oakland. Workshop on Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets are $15 for performance, $45 for workshop. hamza@iccnc.org 

Mestiza at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $7. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Music, She Wrote at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15-$18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

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

Wailing SoulsLuv Fyah, 7th Street Sound, reggae, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $17-$20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

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

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

Code Name: Jonah at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

SATURDAY, OCT. 17 

CHILDREN  

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

EXHIBITIONS 

“The Luminious Veil” Black and white photographs by Kristin Satzman. Artist’s reception at 4 p.m. at El Cerrito City Hall, 10890 San Pablo Ave. Exhibition runs to Nov. 17. 

“Exploring De Staebler Through Movement” A movement workshop with Muriel Maffre in conjunction with the exhibition “Steven De Staebler: The Sculptor’s Way” at 11 a.m. at The Richmond Art Center, 2540 Bartlett Ave., Richmond. Free. 620-6772. www.therac.org 

“The Self as Super Hero: Exchange and Response” A joint project with ArtEsteem and CCA faculty. Reception at 3 p.m. at Oliver Art Gallery, California College of the Arts, 5212 Broadway, Oakland.  

FILM 

Home Movie Day from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Film inspection and check in at 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Telling Tales: A Fall Storytelling Festival with Awele Makeba, Joel ben Izzy and Megumi, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Berkwood Hedge School, 1809 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $4 children, $8 adults. www.berkwood.org/storytelling 

Jack Boulware, author of “Gimme Something Better” and member of East Bay punk bands Schlong and Classics of Love at 7:30 p.m. at 924 Gilman. Co-sponsored by Pegasus Books. pdtevents@gmail.com 

Douglass Gayeton presents “Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Spice-Y Comedy Progressive comedy with Kelly Anneken, Awet Teame, Greg Asdourian and others at 7 p.m. at Spice Monkey Cafe, 1628 Webster St., Oakland.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oakland Ballet “Jewels of the Bay: A Mixed Repertoire” at 2 and 7:30 p.m. at Holy Names University, Valley Center for the Arts, 3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Tickets are $25-$30. www.oaklandballet.org 

Kensington Symphony Orchestra performs a Hallo- 

ween-inspired program at 8 p.m. at Unitarian-Universalist Church, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. Suggested donation $12-$15. Children free. 524-9912. kensingtonsymphonyorchestra.org 

Sonic Harvest 09 A festival of new music for voices and instruments Sat. and Sun. at 7:30 p.m., pre-concert discussion at 6:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Cost is $15-$20. 654-8651. http://sonicharvest.org 

Randy Berge at 11 a.m. and Alan Lipton at 1 p.m. at Westbrae Berkeley Bagel Garden, Gilman at Santa Fe. 

“Walk in Faith not in Fear” Gospel Concert at 6 p.m. at Hilltop Community Church, 3118 Shane Drive, Richmond. Benefit concert for Breast Cancer Awareness month. 758-7939. 

Gamelan Sari Raras at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC campus. Tickets are $5-$10. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Arab Orchestra of San Francisco at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $13-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

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

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

Amy X Neuburg & Solstice at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Kelley Gray at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

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

2ME at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

The Buckets Reunion, 20 Minute Loop at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

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

Little Muddy, CD release, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Countdown Cabaret Halloween kick-off at 8 p.m. at Flux 53, 5300-12 Foothill Blvd., Oakland. Tickets are $10, $2 off with a costume. www.flux53.com 

SUNDAY, OCT. 18 

CHILDREN 

ME3 at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $4-$6. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Berkeley in Conflict: Eyewitness Images” featuring never- exhibited works by photographers John Jekabson, Dan Beaver, and Lydia Gans. Reception at 3 p.m. at the Berkeley History Center, 1931 Center St. 848-0181.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Metaphysical Abstraction: Contemporary Approaches to Spiritual Content” Adult education and teacher training on “Visual Thinking Strategies” from 2 to 5 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center. 644-6893. berkeleyartvcenter.org 

Oran Canfield reads from “Long Past Stopping” at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. moesbooks.com 

Audrey Heller presents her photographs in “Overlooked Undertakings” at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Egyptology Lecture “King Tut’s Medicine Cabinet” with Dr. Lise Manniche, Univ. of Copenhagen at 2:30 p.m. at Barrows Hall, Room 20, Barrow Lane and Bancroft Way, UC campus. 415-664-4767. 

Benefit for Prisoners Revolutionary Literature Fund with international food, music, poetry and readings of letters from prisoners, from 3 to 7 p.m. at La Placita, 2375 Fruitvale Ave., Oakland. Cost is $10-$15.  

Clive Matson & Friends “Passion & Post-Psychedelic Poetry” at 5 p.m. at ArtHouse Gallery, 2905 Shattuck Ave. Donation $5-$10. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“The Unsung Diva” with Angela Dean Baham at 4 p.m. at The Bellevue Club, 525 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. Cost is $12-$30. Dinner follows. 451-1000.  

Christa Pfeiffer, David Aurbach, Michael Jones Music by Ludtke, Corelli, Granados and Messiaen at 3 p.m. at 2601 Durant. 665-5988. 

Calle 49, instrumental Latin jazz, at 8 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $8. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

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

Americana Unplugged: The Stairwell Sisters at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Vernon Bush at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15-$18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Peppino D’Agostino at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

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

MONDAY, OCT. 19 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

PlayGround “Futurism Revisited” Short works from new and emerging playwrights at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $15. 415-704-3177. www.PlayGround-sf.org 

“From A to B and Back Again” with artist Candice Breitz at 7:30 p.m. at 160 Kroeber Hall, UC campus. Sponsored by Berkeley Center for New Media. 495-3505. atc.berkeley.edu 

Daniel Jonah Goldhagen “Worse Than War: Genocide, Eliminationism, and the Ongoing Assault on Humanity” at 7:30 p.m. at FCCB, in the sanctuary, 2345 Channing Way at DanaTickets are $6-$15. www.brownpapertickets.com 

“Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth” A panel discussion of the graphic novel by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitriou, with art by Alecos Papadatos and Annie Di Donna at 5:15 p.m. in room 100, Genetics and Plant Biology building, UC campus. 642-0143. 

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

TUESDAY, OCT. 20 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Paul Hoover and Norman Fischer read at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Kim Stanley Robinson reads from “The Lucky Strike” and discusses his larger body of work at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Meredith Norton reads from her book, “Lopsided. How having breast cancer can be distracting” for Breast Cancer Awareness Month at 6:15 p.m. at Samuel Merritt University, Fontaine Auditorium, 400 Hawthorne Ave., Oakland. Free, but space limited. RSVP to 869-8833 or markstein@sutterhealth.org  

Poor Poets & Poor Magazine Stop Police Brutality, Repression, & the Criminalization of a Generation at 7 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way. 848-1196. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Acadien Cajun Band at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $12. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 21 

READINGS AND LECTURES  

“A New Deal for the East Bay: Excavating the Buried Civilization of the Great Depression” with Gray Brechin at 7:30 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Tickets are $15, $40 for the series. 644-9344. berkeleyheritage.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, with University Gospel Chorus at Hertz Hall, UC campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

“Einstein’s Cosmic Messengers” A project by Andrea Centazzo and Michele Vallisneri at 7 p.m. at Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive. Tickets are $8-$10. 642-5132. 

Nada Lewis & Jon Schreiber at 7 p.m. at Le Bateau Ivre Resturant, 2629 Telegraph Ave. 

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

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

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

Orquestra Candela at 8 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

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

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

Han Bennink, Michael Moore & Will Holshouser at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

THURSDAY, OCT. 22 

THEATER 

Saint Mary’s College High School Performing Arts Department “Alice in Wonderland” Thurs.- Sat. at 7:30 p.m. in the school auditorium, 1294 Albina Ave. Tickets are $6-$8. www.saintmaryschs.org  

EXHIBITIONS 

Photographs by Kim Stringfellow at 6 p.m. at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism Center for Photography, Northgate Hall, Hearst and Euclid. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Kay Redfield Jamison “Nothing Was The Same” at 7:30 p.m. at the The Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Tickets are $6-$15. rwww.brownpapertickets.com 

Joshua Beckman and Graham Foust read their poetry at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Kim Stanley Robinson and Terry Bisson read at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Richie Unterberger presents his latest book “White Love/White Heat: The Velvet Underground Day-by-Day” at 7 p.m. at the El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito. 526-7512. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

The Other Guise Grateful Dead Night at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $3. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

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

Jeff Kanzler Band, The Whiskey Dicks at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

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

Benefit for KUSF’s Friday Night Session at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

FRIDAY, OCT. 23 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “As It Is in Heaven” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave., through Nov. 19. Tickets are $12-$15. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

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. 15. Tickets are $32-$86. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Berkeley Rep “Tiny Kushner” Short plays by Tony Kushner at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison, through Nov. 29. Tickets are $33-$71. 647-2949 www.berkeleyrep.org 

Central Works “Blastosphere!” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. through Nov. 22 at The Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Tickets are $14-$25. 558-1381. centralworks.org 

Ragged Wing Ensemble “So Many Ways to Kill a Man” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at Metal Shop Theater, 2425 Stuart St. at Willard School, through Oct. 24. Tickets are $15-$30. 1-800-838-3006. www.raggedwing.org 

Saint Mary’s College High School Performing Arts Department “Alice in Wonderland” Thurs.- Sat. at 7:30 p.m. in the school auditorium, 1294 Albina Ave. Tickets are $6-$8. www.saintmaryschs.org  

TheatreFirst “Stones in His Pockets” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Marion E. Greene Theatre, ground floor of The Fox Oakland Building, 19th St. entrance, through Nov. 8. Tickets are $15-$30. www.brownpapertickets.com 

Virago Theatre Company “The Afterlife of the Mind” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at tThe Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. Tickets are $15-$25. 865-6237. www.viragotheatre.org 

Youth Musical Theater “A Chorus Line” Fri. and Sat. at 7:30 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$20. www.brownpapertickets.com 

FILM 

“Tragos” A film by Antero Alli at 8 p.m. at Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. Cost is $6-$10. www.verticalpool.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Michael Lewis in Conversation with Dacher Keltner in a benefit for the Greater Good Science Center, at 7:30 p.m. at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC campus. Tickets are $25. www.greatergoodscience.org 

Deepak Chopra “Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul: How to Create a New Self” at 7:30 p.m. at FCCBin the sanctuary at 2345 Channing Way at Dana. Tickets are $35, includes and autographed copy of book. www.brownpapertickets.com 

Milvia Street 2009 Publication celebration with art exhibit at 6:45 p.m. and readings by contributors at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley City College, 2050 Center St. scoleman@peralta.edu 

Leonard Pitt presents “Paris Postcards: The Golden Age” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Lichi Fuentes with Argentinian guitarist, Hugo Wainzinger and Peruvian percussionist Raul Ramirez at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $14-$16. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

“Songs the Brothers Warner Taught Me” CD Release Party, Megan Lynch with Tony Marcus, Steven Strauss and Billy Wilson at 8 p.m. at DaSilva Ukulele Co., 2547 8th St., Suite 28. Cost is $15. 649-1548. www.ukemaker.com 

Valerie Cooper at 5 p.m. at at It’s A Grind, 555 12th St., Oakland. 268-9902. 

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

Eric Swinderman’s Straight Outta Oakland at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Native Elements, Mega Banton & the Reggae All-stars in a birthday bash for Ras Kidus, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15-$20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Chris Smither at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $20.50-$21.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Tempest, Points North at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $12. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

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

The Grease Traps at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $8. 548-1159.  

Code Name: Jonah at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

SATURDAY, OCT. 24 

CHILDREN  

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

Jack O’ Lantern Jamboree from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with parade at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. 296-4433.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“3AM: Under the Full Moon” New work by Christopher Romer. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at The Compound Gallery, 6604 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. www.thecompoundgallery.com 

“Counts & Constructs” Works by Augusta Talbot and Eli Noyes. Sat. and Sun. 1 to 5 p.m. to Nov. 1. at Garage Gallery, 3110 Wheeler St. www.berkeleyoutlet.com 

“Space/Place” featuring works by Claudio Cambon, Sherrod Blankner and Kim Bass. Opening reception at 7 p.m. at 4th Street Studio, 1717d 4th St. 

“30 Days Later” Art exhibit planned in just one month with works by artists associated with Berkeley City College, at 5 p.m. at The Space, near High St., 4148 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. www.thespaceoakland.com 

THEATER 

“Reality Playthings” experiments in experience with Frank Moore at 8 p.m. at Temescal Arts Center, 511 48th St. www.eroplay.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Islam and Authors: A Conversation with Anouar Majid at 8 p.m. at Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California, 1433 Madison St., Oakland. Tickets are $5-$7. 832-7600, hamza@iccnc.org 

Music Business Seminar sponsored by California Lawyers for the Arts from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Ex’pression College for Digital Arts, 6601 Shellmound St. Cost is $25-$70. 415-775-7200. www.calawyersforthearts.org 

Kazuko Nakane, Stan Yogi and poet Alan Chong Lau discuss Central Valley immigrant history, stories and poetry at 3 p.m. at Eastwind Books of Berkeley, 2066 University Ave. 548-2350. 

David Sax reads from “Save the Deli” at 4 p.m. at Saul’s Restaurant and Deli, 1475 Shattuck Ave. www.saulsdeli.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

San Francisco Early Music Society “Strings of the Streicher Trio” with Elizabeth Blumenstock at 7:30 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 Colleges at Garber. Tickets are $10-$25. 528-1725. www.sfems.org 

“Songs of Love and Light” Mezzosoprano Anne Shapiro, pianist Rebecca Trujillo, cellist Gael Alcock, guitarist Javier Trujillo present Latin American classical music, in a benefit for the Ridhwan School at 7:30 p.m. at Ridhwan Center, 2075 Eunice St. Suggested donation $20. www.diamond-dust.org/newbuilding 

Anna Estrada at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12-$14. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

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

Baba Ken & Afro-Groove Connexion at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

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

The Lost Cats at 7 p.m. at Chester’s Bay View Cafe, 1508 Walnut St. 849-9995. 

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

Pam and Jerry, Clair at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

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

SUNDAY, OCT. 25 

CHILDREN 

Rachel Rodriguez presents her new picture book, “Building on Nature: The Life of Antoni Gaudi” at 3 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

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

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Gary Vaynerchuk on “Crush It! Why NOW Is The Time To Cash In On Your Passion” at 7:30 p.m. at The Hillside Club, 2285 Cedar St. Tickets are $6-$15. www.brownpapertickets.com 

Poetry Flash with Jennifer K. Sweeney and Patti Trimble at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph. 525-5476. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Community Music Day with performances from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Crowden Music Center, 1475 Rose St. 559-6910. info@crowden.org 

Oakland Civic Orchestra with Alina Ming-Kobialka, violin, at 4 p.m. at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland. Free. 238-7275. 

Allen Temple Baptist Church Men’s Chorus Benefit for South African Child Care Center at 2 p.m. at Allen Temple Auditorium, 8501 International Blvd., Oakland. Tickets are $15. 433-0175. www.allen-temple.org 

Samantics performs music for movies and television, including Ennio Morricone, Henry Mancini and John Barry, at 3 p.m. at All Saints Chapel at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, 2451 Ridge Rd. Tickets are $10 at the door. 

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

Rita Hosking & Cousin Jack at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Bill Ortiz at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

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

Rhythm and Blues at 7 p.m. at Chester’s Bay View Cafe, 1508 Walnut St. 849-9995. 

Oh how I wish that an embargo 

Had kept in port the good ship Argo! 

Who, still unlaunch’d from Grecian docks, 

Had never passed the Azure rocks; 

but now I fear her trip will be a 

Damn’d business for my Miss Medea, &c. &c. 

So Lord Byron burlesqued the nurse’s speech that opens Euripides’ most famous play, anachronistically camping up tragedy beyond pathos. 

Ragged Wing Ensemble is working in a similiar vein with their new (and original) piece, So Many Ways to Kill a Man, playing at the Willard Metal Shop Theater off Telegraph Avenue. 

Ragged Wing has old torch songs of heartbreak and betrayal playing before their show. Yet So Many Ways to Kill a Man is a kind of riff on the Oresteia and the related tragedies about the House of Atreus in Greek myth, touched up a little noirishly here and there, and vaudevillized by this talented group, who understand what trouping’s all about. 

It’s not exactly Mourning Becomes Electra—set by Eugene O’Neill in New England, post-Civil War, structured like the Oresteia—but it’s getting there. Before four screens, spaced across the back of the stage, with a slash of blood-red paint running continuously across them, Amy Sass (who scripted So Many Ways) poses as Clytemnestra, a femme fatale, flicking her cigarette lighter shut with a click! after lighting up; Anna Shneiderman (who wrote the songs) alternately huddled or exalted in an Oriental robe as Cassandra, captive Trojan princess and doomed prophetess; and Keith Davis, in what look like desert fatigues with combat ribbons and a red beret, as world-weary Agamemnon, survivor of the 10-year siege, returning to die at his wife’s hand in Argos, prescient yet unflinching, ready for the knife he sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia with. 

One quick series shows Ragged Wing at its signature best: Sass as Clytemnestra recounts as Davis and Shneiderman pantomime the sacrifice—when, with a quick leap, Shneiderman sits on Davis’ shoulders, miming drawing back a bow, while both recite in unison Artemis’ edict at father immolating his child—then the deus ex machina dissolves as Shneiderman slips down into Davis’ arms, Cassandra once again, carried off from Troy as Agamemnon’s soldier’s pay.  

Breaking up the vignettes, the three—Ragged Wing’s core group—lift up puppets, becoming the voices of a dithering chorus of townspeople, wondering what’s going on, trading gossip, reading the paper together, talking about the boss returning from the war—and “The Bitch” he’ll encounter. 

In a way, the longer opening act, fluctuating between a touch of camp and many shades of grey, of reflection spoken out loud and the anguish of a love triangle acted out, is a springboard for the capper of the quick second act, the younger generation, Clytemnestra and Agamemnon’s brood: “Lectra, Shneiderman in shades and a mohawk, tagging her monicker on a screen; Davis as Orestes in Hawaiian shirt, shooting dice; Sass as a Rapunzelish Crysothemis, “the Other One,” a pregnant Pollyanna. The contrast works: Shneiderman from nurturing prophetess to brash iconoclast; Davis from stoic warrior to slacker son; Sass from femme fatale to ingenue. 

If it sounds like cabaret-tragedy, in the same way much post-Sondheim musical theater could be called cabaret-musicals, there’s something to it. Tragedy itself was often deliberately anachronistic, resetting the myths in Athenian present time, for political-social effect. And tragedians after Euripides, himself only the third generation, began composing melodrama, which originally meant a greater emphasis on music and the swing of emotion associated with it, than the grand ambiguities of tragedy. 

Much in the way of cultural attitude about myth—and fiction—seems to have developed in the wake of tragedy: Plato, a tragic poet-manqué, adopted in his dialogues an ironic, if not exactly skeptical, distance from myth that’s lasted as a mode in the arts and philosophy to the present day, source of both controversy and continuity. 

Ragged Wing has produced a half dozen shows, distinguishing itself in two older pieces meant for physical theater, Richard Schechner’s The Serpent and Andre Gregory’s Alice in Wonderland—maybe best of all, directed by Sass and featuring a ubiquitous Davis and an elusive Shneiderman—and Davis’ staging of The Tempest, with an exceptional Amy Sass as Ariel. 

All three bring their different sensibilities and a terrific sense of dedication, concentration and presence to So Many Ways to Kill a Man, the kind of collaborative show that could fulfill their talent as a troupe. Hopefully, they’ll continue to develop it further, as a work-in-progress. The necessary complications of the first act could be both smoothed and fleshed out. Psychologizing tragic figures—conjuring up motivation, neurosis, guilt from mythic directness and poetic ambiguity—can quickly slide into sentimental kitsch, a morass that Mourning Becomes Electra willingly indulged in (not without humor) and which Godard satirized in passing with Contempt. But Ragged Wing’s really onto something very theatrical in the fullest sense of the word, something they could take all the way, which seems to be what they’ve always been about. 

SO MANY WAYS TO KILL A MAN 

Presented by Ragged Wing Ensemble at 8 p.m. Thursday–Saturday through Oct. 24 at Metal Shop Theater, 2425 Stuart St. (at the back of Willard School). $15-$30, sliding scale. (800) 838-3006. www.raggedwing.org. 

They Left a Light, Susan Waterfall’s multimedia program of music composed in Nazi prison camps, will be presented this Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at the East Bay Jewish Community Center on Walnut in North Berkeley for the 25th annual Jewish Music Festival. including Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, composed in 1940 at a P.O.W. camp in Silesia, and rare selections of music composed by Jewish musicians at Terezin (Thereisenstadt) concentration camp north of Prague. This will be the second year Waterfall and the Mendocino Music Festival have collaborated with the Jewish Music Festival, after last year’s Degenerate Music, music of the Weimar Republic and German emigration, condemned by Hitler as “degenerate art.” 

“I’ve wanted to play Quartet for the End of Time again—I played it with some of the same people in 1992 in Mendocino,” said Waterfall, “It’s so powerful, it takes people into an awareness of the eternal, which makes the music from Terezin more heartrending, knowing these people were denied even a normal lifespan. 

“I didn’t know right away about Terezin, or in much detail about the camps. After what I’d been immersed in the previous year, I was asking what happened to Central European music, this incredible thread that was cut off and died in the camps. Janacek is one of my favorite composers; I wondered why he had no heirs. He had a lot of students—and they were Jews, in the eyes of the Nazis: Gideon Klein, Pavel Haas, Hans Krasa ... all strong Czech nationalists.”  

The program will include rare cabaret pieces from Terezin, arranged by Julian Waterfall Pollack. Terezin had been a popular spa before the war; the Nazis concealed the desperate nature of the true life of the camp under a facade of a paradise for Jewish artists and intellectuals. Yet “it’s fantastic to see how music helped people to survive, to escape into it, to express revolt ... it was a way to restore dignity, to continue with the best part of their lives from before entering the camps.” 

Photographs and drawings of the camps, the composers and original performers, as well as translations of the songs, will be projected during the performance. 

Waterfall will play piano and narrate, accompanied by Jeremy Cohen on violin; Burke Schuchman, cello; Emily Onderdonk, violin; and Art Austin on clarinet. Singers will be soprano Erin Neff—whose inspired performance last year drew accolades—and baritone Paul Murray.  

Waterfall’s intensive research led her to other musicians and scholars around the world, including Bret Werb of the U.S. Holocast Museum in Washington, D.C.; Kobi Luria at the Beit Terezin (Terezin House) in Israel; Serge Dreznin, Paul Hamburg of the Judaic Library and Moshe Zoman. “I met some amazing people during the course of this.” 

The music itself was hard to get: Waterfall spoke of two scores being “in thread form.” 

Though “every story is devastatingly sad; you can’t take it all in—only by accretion,” there are unusual vignettes, like the friendship Messiaen developed with Albert Ruhl, an anti-Nazi guard who helped him get manuscripts and kept him from hard labor so he could write the Quartet; of Messiaen meeting two musicians who helped him, one an Algerian Jew from a military band, of listening to birdsong on night watch together—and of Bartok’s letter to Hitler, insisting Bartok be placed on the list of proscribed composers, as they were the most distinguished.  

Waterfall’s programs are always in depth and intensive, with multimedia imagery that expands the effect of the music, consolidating its impact. Nonetheless, music is the thing, beginning with the Messiaen, inspired by his vision of the Angel of the Apocalypse from seeing the Aurora Borealis above the camp, music that Alex Ross in the New Yorker called “the most ethereally beautiful ... of the 20th century,” so transcendental yet forceful, at times a listener feels as if bodily lifted up.  

“I’m moving my Bechstein into the JCC for this, for the Messiaen,” said Waterfall. “It’ll really be a treat.” 

The program is dedicated to the memory of Max and Rosa Eichengruen, Walter Green’s paternal grandparents, who died at Terezin. 

THEY LEFT A LIGHT 

7:30 p.m. Sunday at the 25th annual Jewish Music Festival at the East Bay Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut. $20-$25. 848-0237. www.jewishmusicfestival.org.

Waking up in your own bed, but under the bare, spreading arms of a tree, to a bare-chested dancer and a chorus of singer-dancers could be an unnerving experience. 

Or it could be, just as easily, an opening scene for the exploration of dance in an otherwise familiar environment, a setup borrowed and normalized, say, from Surrealism. 

Or it could be a narrative hook familiar to movie audiences: images from dreamlife, from the subconscious, invading the space where the dreamer experiences them. 

In any case, it could at least register as a disturbing experience, a kind of communality of internal and external lives. 

This seems to be part of what Joe Goode and Holcombe Walter have in mind with their most recent experiment in musical theater, Dead Boys, at Zellerbach Playhouse on the UC campus, produced by the Department of Theater, Dance and Performance Studies (which, incidentally, has—as usual—a full season of worthy, sometimes unusual, programs). 

Goode, a force for years in Bay Area performing arts, is on the faculty; others participating in various ways are in the department; Holcombe is a lecturer. Others, like lecturer Lura Dolas, who performs very well indeed as Anna the landlady for the young crew at the center of the story, are part of cast or production team. 

Dead Boys meanders through a series of scenes with dance, song and dialogue, following the life and conflicted thoughts of Monroe (Daniel Duque-Estrada, with splendid presence), a gay artist working on a performance piece involving his claustrophobic dreams of gay people in trouble around the globe—and the romantic complications of his roomates, Carly and Brandon (Rachel Ferensowicz and Nicholas Trengove—a high point their dance piece on and around a couch, trying to either avoid each other or connect), and others, some appearing as chorus or ensemble, giving amplitude in one or several of the performing arts to the story and the multidisciplinary show: Danny Nguyen, Nyomi Stjepovic, Erica Freestone, Megan Lowe.  

There’s also S & M couple Dwayne (Ben Abbott) and Luis (Mario Rizzo), with leather and dog leashes, upstairs. 

And Roberta, played with an offbeat comic awkwardness by Caitlin Marshall, who suddenly becomes the medium in an unnerving scene for her gay, gardener uncle who hanged himself, the most exceptional vignette of the evening. 

There’s an urge, across the board, in the arts and outside them too, to put a story into everything, or everything in a story. A narrative urge in another art form shows an advanced or aging state of that form, opined Orson Welles.  

Here, it shows an admirable stick-to-itiveness by Goode and Holcombe, though the frontal affectation of scene and tableau (maybe natural for many dance performances), the dialogue that is more expository than shared and much in content and situation made one spectator mutter, “Where’s Sondheim when we need him!” And indeed, the sense of ensemble, of a kind of domesticated cabaret of private versus public life reminds one of Company, updated—or a more engaged episode of Friends with song-and-dance. 

Much of Goode’s most intriguing—most penetrating—work in the past has involved maybe two primary elements or modes, thrust up against or syncopated with each other—singing or instrumental playing and dance, for instance—suggesting or provoking stories almost casually, fleetingly ... 

Dead Boys was worked up pretty quickly—though not all that quickly, considering the tradition of improvised shows. Still, the arch attitudinizing of dialogue and delivery, which have figured in other, more finished work by Goode and Holcombe, doesn’t do justice to what could be an interesting, engaging, even gripping tale, mostly effective in an organic sense only when it abandons the false naivete. The little moments, and some of the bigger issues in reflection, which must’ve inspired the piece, are what, dissociatively, remain with the viewer. And a fair amount of talented dancing and performance ability, including the excellent instrumental septet led by Holcombe. 

DEAD BOYS 

Presented by the UC Department of Theater, Dance and Performance Studies at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 18 at Zellerbach Playhouse on the UC campus. $10-$15. 642-8827. tdps.berkeley.edu.

“Music has been really a part of my imagination since I was very young,” said Joana Carneiro. “When I was 9, I told my parents I wanted to be a conductor. And they thought it was absolutely the right idea. There was something attractive to me in the figure of the conductor. And on the Christmas after that, I was given my first baton!” 

Carneiro, whose inaugural concert as Berkeley Symphony’s music director, succeeding Kent Nagano, will be tonight at 7 p. m. in Zellerbach Auditorium, spoke with pianist Sarah Cahill last Saturday afternoon at the Berkeley Public Library about her life, her music and what she hopes to accomplish during her tenure at the Symphony. Carneiro also discussed the pieces to be played tonight, two composed by Berkeley residents: John Adams’ “The Chairman Dances,” from Nixon In China; Gabriela Lena Frank’s Peregrinos, in its West Coast premiere; and Bela Bartok’s Concerto for Symphony Orchestra. 

Carneiro spoke of what she considered her luck in being born when she was, in Portugal: “In 1976, it was a free country, after a long dictatorship. Not long before, women couldn’t vote; they couldn’t leave the country without their husbands’ authorization.” Her parents were not musicians, but decided all their children would learn music, truly a commitment, as the grammar schools taught music only to a few grades. Carneiro, the third of nine children (“A veritable orchestra!” commented Sarah Cahill) who all went to conservatory, started with violin at 8. 

Asked what she would be doing if she hadn’t become a conductor, Carneiro said, “A doctor, for sure!” She studied medicine in Portugal. “That kind of thinking is close to music; memorizing structure, for example. I don’t remember anything, but I miss it very much!” 

(That training and its subsequent analogue in studying musical texts in preparing for concert perhaps accounts somewhat for Carneiro’s coherence in speaking, her ability to communicate with orchestra and audience, as well as individuals.) 

Again, Carneiro cited her luck at being able to take a course in conducting, leading to her career. 

Carneiro has both studied music and conducted extensively in America; in particular, she cites her time as assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, thinking of herself as “coming from that tradition” and speaking of L.A. Philharmonic music director Esa-Pekka Salonen as “very much my mentor.” Her experiences in Los Angeles clearly provided something of a nexus for her career: the feeling for “investing in new voices”; her first meetings with composers Gabriela Lena Frank (just named Creative Advisor to the Symphony) and Steven Stuckey (who she also referred to as a mentor, both for herself and for composers in Berkeley Symphony’s Under Construction development program), as well as the opportunity to work with their music—and the chance to work in opera.  

“One day Esa-Pekka asked me, ‘Do you speak French?’ When I said yes, he said he’d be premiering a new opera; would I like to be his assistant?” Carneiro mentioned she’d sung in choir when young, but had no operatic training. Her first work in opera resulted in her acquaintance with stage director Peter Sellars, who introduced her to John Adams. She assisted Adams with his opera The Flowering Tree in Vienna, later conducting it in Chicago and Paris—and in March in Cincinnati. “Opera is where I learn the most; it’s the mostcomplex form. Dance, opera ... there’s something very organic about this music. Stravinsky’s Firebird [which she’ll conduct here later this season] is one of the pieces I conduct the most. Dealing with these connections: gesture and music, how music mimics verbal experience, phrasing in melody ... I’ve only conducted 21st-century operas! The first time I’ll conduct a 20th-century opera will be Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex, later this season.” 

While in Los Angeles, Carneiro withdrew from auditioning. “I wanted to go back home more; I thought it was not the time to have my own orchestra, especially on the West Coast—and look what happened! I took a year to think about it. Then I heard that Kent was leaving Berkeley—and everyone around me said, that’s it! The orchestra you’ve been waiting for.” 

Coming to Berkeley was in some ways like a homecoming: there were musicians she’d worked with. “I didn’t know I knew them until I came here! When I arrived for the Under Construction reading of new pieces, I saw at least five musicians I worked with before, including Franklyn [D’Amato] the concertmaster, from L.A. or Santa Rosa [where she’d served as guest conductor]—and a composer I knew in Portugal.” Thinking of Berkeley, it had “the talent, intellectual community, the amount of freedom ... so crazy ideas actually happen. Five living composers are coming this season, in only four subscription concerts. Kent and the Berkeley Symphony are really responsible for that way of thinking, that tradition. In the context of this season, Bartok and Stravinsky seem like the old people. Around the world, many think of them as new. When I think of Berkeley, I think of no limits artistically. How many inaugural concerts have nothing written before 1940?” 

Asked by Cahill what she says to listeners who say they don’t care for contemporary music, Carneiro said, “There’s such a huge spectrum, I hope there’s enough variety in our programming of great contemporary music that one piece will move them. I want to show that beautiful music is being created today—beautiful like Beethoven’s music is beautiful.” 

Carneiro spoke of her growing friendship with Frank, a Berkeley native, and commented on the Bartok concerto: “He really wanted to emphasize each instrument ... The melody will be shared, one instrument starts, another repeats, showing the beauty of the timbre of each ... It’s a way of celebrating the orchestra, the individuals and the whole ... with the dark sounds of Bartok.” 

Of her life and career so far, Carneiro said, “It’s sort of a romantic story, but true. Maybe it was this musical experience that liberated me to be entirely who I am.” 

BERKELEY SYMPHONY 

Works by John adams, Gabriela Lena Frank, Bela Bartok, 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15 at Zellerbach Auditorium. $10-$60. 841-2800. www.berkeleysymphony.org.