FRIDAY, OCT. 26 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Camille Minichino, author of “Sister in Crime: Who Will Murder Whim, and How?” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. 526-2925.  

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll have a nature scavenger hunt from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 1-888-327-2757. 

Computer Recycling, Safe Medicine Disposal and Thermometer Exchange from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1000 Folger Ave. at San Pablo. near Ashby. Please bring unwanted medicine in original containers with your name marked out. Bring thermometers in two plastic zipper bags to prevent spills. 287-1651. 

“Until When” a film by Dahna Abourahme which follows four Palestinian families living in the Dheisheh Refugee Camp at 7 p.m. followed by update & discussion with Jeanne Shaterian at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Hall, 1924 Cedar at Bonita. Donation requested, no one turned away. 841-4824. 

“10 Questions for the Dalai Lama” A documentary by Rick Ray, at 7:30 p.m. at Unity of Berkeley, 2075 Eunice St. Cost is $10. 528-8844.  

Community Dance/Barn Dance at 8 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Cost is $5-$10. 650-365-2913.  

Auction and Sale of Beardless Irises at 8 p.m. at the Lakeside Park Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. Sponsored by the Sydney B. Mitchell Iris Society. Free. http://bayareairis.org. 

SATURDAY, OCT. 27 

Bat Show at 1 and 3 p.m. at the Kensington Community Center, 59 Arlington Ave., Kensington. For ages 5 and up. Free, but tickets required. 524-3043. 

Fall Fruit Tasting at the Saturday Farmers’ Market with appleas, Asian and European pears, and persimmons, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Center St. at Martin Luther King, Jr. Way 

Fall Birdwalk in the UC Botanical Garden with Dennis Wolf and Chris Carmichael from 9 to 10:30 a.m., 200 Centennial Dr. Cost is $12-$15. Registration required. 643-2755. 

Haunted House and Pre-Halloween Party from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. at St. John’s Church, 2727 College Ave. For all ages, adjustable scariness. Wear costumes. Bring a book, food item or toy for a hungry or homeless child. Donations also welcome. Grades 6-12 invited to come at 3 p.m. to help set up the Haunted House. 845-6830. 

Halloween Celebration in Albany and Berkeley from 5 to 8 p.m. at Ray’s Pumpkin Patch, 1245 Solano Ave., Albany. 527-5358. www.SolanoStroll.org 

Celebrate Halloween at the Haunted Harbor Festival from 3 to 7 p.m. at Jack London Square. Safe and fun activities for children including live music, puppet show and costume contest.  

Jack O’ Lantern Jamboree A Halloween Celebration for the whole family Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Belleview Ave., Oakland. Cost is $8. www.fairyland.org 

Feast of the Angelitos Come build a “nicho,” and other arts and crafts and enjoy traditional sweets, Sat. and Sun. from 2 to 4 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Dias de los Muertos Procession, featuring Ernesto Olmos at 6 p.m. Free and open to all ages. 228-3207. 

“Demystifying the Tarot, It's in the Cards” with a Halloween Happening from 7 to 9 p.m. at 4th Street Studio, 1717d 4th St. 527-0600. 

Monster Bash Aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS Hornet from 7:30 p.m. to midnight at 707 W Hornet Ave., Pier 3, Alameda. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children. 521-8448, ext. 282. www.hornetevents.com 

Rebecca’s Books Grand Opening in South Berkeley from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 3268 Adeline St. 852-4768. 

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. For reservations call 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

3rd Not-So-Silent Church Auction with live music by jazz ensemble The House Band, at 7:00 p.m. at Epworth United Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St. at Napa. $10. 524-2921. www.epworthberkeley.org 

Berkeley Digital Media Conference “Current and Emerging Intersections” from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Haas School of Business, UC Campus. Organized by Berkeley MBA students and hosted by the Berkeley Digital Media and Entertainment Club. http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/haas/maps.html 

Computer Recycling from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200.  

Meet Your Friendly Firefighters For ages 3 to 7 at 10:30 a.m. Central Berkeley Public Library, 4th Floor, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6223.  

Protest the War in Iraq from 2 to 4 p.m. on the corner of Acton and University. Sponsored by the Strawberry Creek Lodge Tenants Assoc. and Berkeley-East Bay Gray Panthers. 841-4143. 

“Uyghurs on the Silk Road” A celebration of people and culture, dinner at 6 p.m. followed by program at 7:30 p.m. in the Home Room, International House, UC Campus. Cost is $5, plus $9.25 for dinner. http://ihouse.berkeley.edu 

“Creating a Mixed Border for Year Round Color” with gardener Aerin Moore at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. 

Ongoing Vocal Jazz Workshop at Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin at the corner of Masonic, on Saturdays from 2:30 to 4 p.m. 524-6797. 

“Savvy Woman’s Guide to Buying a Home” at 2 p.m. at The Bellevue Club, 525 Bellevue Ave.. Oakland. 451-1000. 

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

SUNDAY, OCT. 28 

Oakland Heritage Alliance House Tour of the Historic San Antonio Neighborhood A self-guided tour of ten houses open from 1 to 5 p.m. Tour begins at 2002 10th Ave. Tickets are $25-$35. 763-9218.  

Fall Colors of Briones Join a moderate 4 mile hike with naturalist Tara Reinertson to learn about the diversity of oaks. Bring lunch, sunscreen and water. 525-2233. 

Haunted Caves of the Environmental Education Center at Tilden Explore and learn the facts and fictions of Halloween at 1 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center. Cost is $3 for ages 3 and up. 525-2233. 

Spooky Tales in the UC Botanical Gardens at 1 p.m. at 200 Centennial Drive. Come in costume and bring a blanket. Cost is $3-$10. 643-2755.  

Dia de los Muertos Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on International Blvd., between Fruitvale Ave. and 40th Ave. with community altars, traditional dance, live music, children’s ativities, international food and more. 535-6900.  

Chabot Elementary School Fall Carnival with games, activities, refreshments and entertainment for all ages, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 6686 Chabot Rd. at Patton, Rockridge.  

Ghostwalk and Graveyard Tales from 7 to 9 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. 228-3207. 

Free Market at Oak Grove Tree-Sit from 1 to 5 p.m. at Piedmont Ave. north of Bancroft. Autumn Ritual at 5:30 p.m. 938-2109. www.saveoaks.com 

Women of Color Resource Center 9th Annual Sisters of Fire Awards Ceremony at 11 a.m. at Oakland’s Scottish Rite Center. Honorees are Assemblywomen Karen Bass, Ishle Park, Linda Tillery. Tickets are sliding scale from $45-$75. 444-2700, ext. 306. 

Ecumenical Peace Institute Annual Dinner with Dr. Joseph Gerson on “Empire and the Bomb, from Hiroshima to Iraq and Iran” at 6 p.m. at Redwood Gardens, 2951 Derby St. Suggested donation $15-$35, no one turned away. RSVP to 655-1162.  

Tour of the Berkeley City Club, Julia Morgan’s “little castle” at 1:15, 2:15, and 3:15 p.m. at 2315 Durant Ave. Free, donations welcome. 883-9710. 

Alameda Architectural Preservation Society “Historic Wood Finishes” A presentation by John Dilks at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 2001 Santa Clara Ave., Alameda. Cost is $5 for non-members. www.alameda-preservation.org 

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

“Marx’s Ecology” A discussion of Ralph Bellamy Foster’s book presented by Raj Sahani at 10 a.m. at Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave, Oakland. 595-7417. www.tifcss.org 

beatsitasana UrbanYoga Open House from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Center for Urban Peace, 2584 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. 866-732-2320. 

Tibetan Buddhism with Elizabeth Cook on “Sacred Places of the Buddha: Teaching the Dharma” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812.  

“What is Humanistic Judaism?” with Rabbi Jay Heyman and Marcia Grossman from 10 a.m. to noon at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Avenue. Suggested donation $5. To register call 428-1492.  

MONDAY, OCT. 29 

“Diaspora Talk with From Heart to Hand Teens” with film screening, at 6 p.m. at Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, 1616 Franklin St., Oakland. Free. 836-4649. 

Halloween Spooktacular! Join us for not so scary stories, songs, and a costume parade fro ages 3-8 at 6:45 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 4th Flr Children’s Story Room, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6223.  

“Green and Healthy Homes” A presentation on indoor environmental quality and sustainable design at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

TUESDAY, OCT. 30 

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 Sobrante Ridge, Coach Drive. Call for meeting place and if you need to borrow binoculars. 525-2233. 

Fall Fruit ‘n’ Fright at the Tuesday Berkeley Farmers’ Market with pears, pomegranates and persimmons, a Pumpkin Carving Contest, Day of the Dead festivities, and Fall Fruit Pies by Mission Pies from 3 to 7 p.m. on Derby St. at MLK, Jr. Way. 548-3333. www.ecologycenter.org 

“Volunteer at Any Age” A Peace Corps Information Session at 6 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 1-800-424-8580. www.peacecorps.gov 

“Quilombo” Performance and fundraiser for Kim McMillon’s play on the Diaspora at 6 p.m. at Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, 1616 Franklin St., Oakland. 836-4649. 

“Reincarnation and Buddhism” with Reverend Harry Bridge, Lodi Buddhist Temple from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Jodo Shinshu Center, 2140 Durant Ave. at Fulton St. Donation $20. 809-1460. 

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

Community Sing-a-Long every Tues, at 2 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. 524-9122.  

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

Fresh Produce Stand at San Pablo Park from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Frances Albrier Community Center. Sponsored by the Ecology Center’s Farm Fresh Choice. 848-1704. www.ecologycenter.org 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your digital images, slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

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. 31 

Walking Tour of Old Oakland uptown to the Lake to discover Art Deco landmarks. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of the Paramount Theater at 2025 Broadway. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. 

Ancestor Night “Quilombo Communities of Rio de Janeiro” with Robert King at 6 p.m. at Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, 1616 Franklin St., Oakland. 836-4649. 

Halloween Storytime and Costume Party for ages 3 to 8 at 3:30 p.m. at Claremont Branch, Berkeley Public Library, 2940 Benvenue Ave. 981-6280.  

Halloween at Habitot A not-too-spooky event for infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2065 Kittredge St. Cost is $6-$7. 647-1111. 

Howl-o-ween Celebration with tricks and treats, for dogs and humans from 5 to 6 p.m. at Ohlone Dog Park, Grant St. and Hearst Ave. Dress up your pup and bring them out to the ball! Treats for dogs and humans, costume pageant at 5:45 p.m. Sponsored by the Ohlone Dog Park Association. 845-4213. ohlonedogpark.org 

Studio One Art Center Annual Pumpkin Potluck with sharing of squash recipes and treat bags for youth, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 1428 Alice St., off 14th St. Costumes welcome. 597-5027. 

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Colloquium with Caroline Chen on Dancing in the Streets of Contemporary Beijing: improvised USes of Space” at 1 p.m. at Wurster Hall, Room 315A, UC Campus. All welcome. laep.ced.berkeley.edu/events/colloquium 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets 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. Heavy rain cancels. 548-9840. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www. 

geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, NOV. 1 

El Sabor de Fruitvale with a farmers’ market, bilingual storytelling with puppets, face painting, free books for children and information on community services from 3 to 7 p.m. at Fruitvale Village Plaza, 3411 East 12th St., Oakland. 535-6900. www.unitycouncil.org  

“Observations: The San Francisco Bay Area and its Built Environment” with author Susan Dinkelspiel Cerny at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Reception to follow. Tickets are $15. Sponsored by Berkeley Architectural Heritage Assoc. 841-2242. www.berkeleyheritage.com 

Mario Savio Memorial Lecture: “From Jim Crow to Guantanamo: Prisons, Democracy and Empire” with Angela Davis, social activist and UC Santa Cruz professor at 7 p.m. at Pauley Ballroom, Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Union, UC Campus. Free. 707-823-7293. 

“Last Man Out” with William Rodriguez, a janitor in the World Trade Center North Tower who was the last person to leave the tower before it fell on 9/11, at 7 p.m. at Grand Lake Thearer, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $10. 650-857-0927. www.communitycurrency.org 

“A Little Bit of So Much Truth” A film on the 2006 popular uprising in Oaxaca, Mexico at 7 p.m. at La Peña. Donation $5-$10. Sponsored by the Task Force on the Americas. 415-924-3227. www.mitfamericas.org 

“Preventing Falls for 50+ Adults” Learn about changing behaviors, nutrition and medication management at 1:30 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

Berkeley School Volunteers Orientation from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. Come learn about volunteer opportunities. 644-8833. 

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

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

freetoasthost.info  

World of Plants Tours Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $5. 643-2755.  

ONGOING 

Donate the Fruit From Your Fruit Trees We will gladly pick and deliver your fruit to community programs that feed school kids, the elderly, the homebound and the hungry. The fruit trees should be located in or very near North Berkeley and the fruit should be organic (no pesticides) and edible. This is a volunteer/ 

grassroots thing so join in!! Please email northberkeleyharvest@gmail.com or 812-3369. 

Bay-Friendly Gardening Offers Discounted Compost Bins to Alameda County residents. In addition to the bins, they also offer free workshops, videos, brochures, and answers to your compost questions. To order a bin call the compost information hotline 444-7645. 

CITY MEETINGS 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon. Oct. 29, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. 

Downtown Area Plan Advisory Commission meets Wed. Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7487.

FRIDAY, OCT 26 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave., through Nov. 17. 525-1620. 

Altarena Playhouse “Morning’s at Seven” A family comedy by Paul Osborn, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High St., Alameda, through Nov. 11. Tickets are $17-$20. 523-1553.  

Central Works “Every Inch a King” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., through Nov. 18. Tickets are $9-$25. 558-1381. 

International Theater Ensemble A Propos of the Wet Snow” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Metal Shop Theatre, Willard Middle School, 2425 Stuart St. Tickets are $20-$30. 415-440-6163.  

Shotgun Players “Bulrusher” Thurs.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. through Oct. 28. Tickets are $17-$25. For reservations call 841-6500.  

Women’s Will “Antigone” Fri.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at Temescal Arts Center, 511 48th St. between Telegraph and Shattuck, Oakland, through Nov. 11. Tickets are $15-$25 sliding scale. 420-0813.  

Youth Musical Theater Company “Man of La Mancha” Fri.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 7 p.m. at Longfellow Auditorium, 1500 Derby St. Tickets are $8-$15. 595-5514. info@ymtcberkeley.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

RIP.MIX.BURN.BAM.PFA Opening and performances at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

FILM 

Arab Film Festival Berkeley Fri.-Sun. at California Theater 2113 Kittredge St. Tickets are $8-$10. www.aff.org 

“Canto a lo Poeta” A documentary about La Paya, a style of improvisational singing in Chile, at 8 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $8-$10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Midnight Movies “Serenity” Fri. and Sat. at midnight at Piedmont Cinema, 4186 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Cost is $8. 464-5980. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Lonny Shavelson and Fred Setterberg introduce “Under the Dragon: California’s New Culture” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com  

George Taber discusses “To Cork or Not To Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Miami City Ballet at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$90. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Russian Patriarchate Choir at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, Durant at Dana. Tickets are $42. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

martha and monica, cello-piano duet of Monica Scott and Hadley McCarroll at 8 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Tickets are $15. www.hillsideclub.org 

“Witches & Warlocks, Ghosts & Goblins” Opera scenes and art songs at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Alameda, 2001 Santa Clara at Chestnut, Alameda. Tickets are $12-$15, children 13 and under, free. 522-1477. www.alamedachurch.com 

University Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $4-$12. 642-9988.  

Crooked Road Tour, mountain music from Virginia at noon at Down Home Music Store, 1809b Fourth St. 204-9595. 

Angela Wellman Group at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Hot Hot Caribbean Nights with Steele in motion and other performers at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$12. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

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

Nomad and Alex Schumacher at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Plum Crazy, Shelley Doty at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $TBA. 841-2082.  

San Pablo Project at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Isul Kim Band at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Oliver Mtukudzi & Black Spirits at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $20-$24. 238-9200.  

SATURDAY, OCT. 27 

CHILDREN  

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

“The Stone Flower” Puppet show Sat. and Sun. at 11 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave. 452-2259. 

EXHIBITIONS 

Halloween Happenings The art of Kim Bass, Ed Monroe and Kynthia. Opening reception at 7 p.m. at 4th Street Studio, 1717d Fourth St. Come in costume. 527-0600. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Ancient Roots/Urban Journeys: expressions for Dias de los Muertos” Gallery Talk at 2 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts., Oakland. 238-2022. www.museumca.org 

May-Lee Chai reads from her new book “Hapa Girl: A Memoir” at 3 p.m. at Eastwind Books of Berkeley, 2066 University Ave. 548-2350. 

Diana Nyda and Bonnie Stoll introduce their new fitness DVD and book at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Janet Fletcher discusses “Cheese & Wine: A Guide to Selecting, Pairing and Enjoying” at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Miami City Ballet at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$90. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Live Oak Concert “Harvest of Song” at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Cost is $12-$15. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Dr. Drew Mays, winner of the Van Cliburn Amateur Competition, Sat. and Sun. at 7:30 p.m. at the Interstake Auditorium, 4780 Lincoln Ave., Oakland, located just inside the entrance to the Mormon Temple. Free. 

Kensington Symphony with Daniel Glover, piano, at 8 p.m. at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 545 Ashbury Ave., El Cerrito. Suggested donation $12-$15. 524-9912. 

An Afternoon of Chopin with Rebecca Trujillo, piano, at 4 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Cost is $20. 

University Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $4-$12. 642-9988.  

Unplugged, joined by Skylar and Mother of Pearl, at noon at Cafe Zeste, 1250 Addison St. 704-9378. 

The Wild Magnolias at 1 p.m. at Down Home Music Store, 1809b Fourth St. 204-9595. 

Yancie Taylor Jazztet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ.  

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

Moment’s Notice, improvised music, dance and theater at 8 p.m. at Western Sky Studio, 2525 8th St. Costumes welcome. Tickets are $8-$15. 992-6295. 

Land of the Blind and Anna Laube at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

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

The Refuge Trio at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Royal Hawaiian Serenaders at 9 p.m. at Temple Bar Tiki Bar & Grill, 984 University Ave. 548-9888. 

Murder Ballads Bash featuring 5Cent Coffee, Joe Rut, the Happy Clams at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Disappear Incompletely, the music of Radiohead, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Oliver Mtukudzi & Black Spirits at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $20-$24. 238-9200.  

SUNDAY, OCT. 28 

CHILDREN 

Colibri at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $5 for children, $10 for adults. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

“Act in a Box” Owen Baker Flynn’s show of juggling, fire eating and more Sat. and Sun. at 10:30 a.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave. 452-2259. 

Spooky Stories in the Redwood Grove with Jean Ellisen and Bobbie Kinkead from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. Tickets are $3-$10. Come in costume and bring a blanket. 643-2755. 

THEATER 

“By George, It’s War” A musical satarization of the Bush administration by Dale Polissar at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $18-$20. 849-2568. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Bill Evans describes “Banjo for Dummies” at 4 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. Concert at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. 559-9500. 

“The Harlem Renaissance” with Dennis M. Chester at 1 p.m., followed by a screening of the film “Their Eyes Were Watching God” at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6275. 

“The Pastor’s Family” A dramatized reading in English of the 1891 Finnish drama by Minna Canth, at 2 p.m. at Finnish Kaleva Hall, 1970 Chestnut St. Donation $5. 849-0125.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Miami City Ballet at 3 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$90. 642-9988.  

Concert/Labyrinth Walk with musician Margie Adam and special guest, Lauren Artress, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant. Benefit for Berkeley Marina labyrinth installation. Tickets are $25-$30. 526-7377. 

Live Oak Concert “Harvest of Song” at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Cost is $12-$15. 644-6893.  

Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, tabla artist at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Tickets are $15. www.hillsideclub.org 

Indian Classical Jugalbandi at 4 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $20-$30. 925-798-1300. 

Dr. Drew Mays, winner of the Van Cliburn Amateur Competition in 2007, at 7:30 p.m. at the Interstake Auditorium, 4780 Lincoln Ave., Oakland, located just inside the entrance to the Mormon Temple. Free. 

Songs and Stories from Ukraine with Kitka at 7 p.m. at Oakland Metro Opera Theater, 201 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $20-$25. 444-0323. 

Grupo Falso Baiano at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

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

Americana Unplugged: Jeannie & Chuck’s Country Round-up at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Yaelisa, flamenco, at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $8. 525-5054.  

Susan Muscarella Trio at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $20. 845-5373.  

Jody Stecher and Bill Evans “The Secret Life of Banjos” at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

MONDAY, OCT. 29 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“New Media Art: In Search of the Cool Obscure” with Geert Lovink, Media Theory, Amsterdam University, at 7:30 p.m. at 160 Kroeber Hall, UC Campus. 643-9565.  

Joshua Henkin reads from his new novel “Matrimony” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Poetry Express theme night on “life and death” at 7 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Project Attacca Children’s choral music at 7:30 p.m. at Holy Names University, 3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Free. Suitable for all ages. http://piedmontchoirs.org 

Yolanda and Ric, opera and lieder, at 7 p.m. at Le Bateau Ivre, 2629 Telegraph Ave. 849-1100. www.lebateauivre.net 

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

Tito y su Son De Cuba at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200.  

TUESDAY, OCT. 30 

THEATER 

“Quilombo” Performance and fundraiser for Kim McMillon’s play on the Diaspora at 6 p.m. at Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, 1616 Franklin St., Oakland. 836-4649.  

FILM 

“Alternative Requirements” Works by Bay Area students at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Tell on on Tuesdays Storytelling at 7:30 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Cost is $8-$12 sliding scale. www.juiamorgan.org 

“Blood and Belief: The Circulation of a Symbol Between Jews and Christians” with author David Biale at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. www.universitypressbooks.com 

“Journey in Ancient Arabia” with photographer Mamade Kadreebux at 7:30 p.m. in the Home Room, International House, UC Campus. Cost is $5. http://ihouse.berkeley.edu 

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

Don Lattin describes “Jesus Freaks: A True Story of Murder and Madness on the Evangelical Edge” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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 

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

The Bluesbox Bayou Band at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 31 

FILM 

“The Last Man on Earth” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Amiri Baraka, founder of the Black Arts Movement, and winner of the American Book Award reads at 6:30 p.m. at 315 Wheeler Hall, the Maude Fife Room, UC Campus. http://holloway.english.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Frederica von Stade in a benefit for the Sophia House, at noon at Oakland City Center, 12th and Broadway. www.oaklandcitycenter.com, www.sophiaproject.org 

Music for the Spirit HAlloween Concert with Ron McKean on harpsichord at 12:15 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway. 444-3555. 

Erin Inglish & Joe Ridout at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

UC Jazz Ensembles at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $6. 841-JAZZ.  

Zabava!, Disciples of Markos, Yalazia at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Costumes welcome. Cost is $10-$12. 525-5054.  

Orquestra Borinquen at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

The Soul Burners at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200.  

THURSDAY, NOV. 1 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Goya: The Disasters of War” An exhibition of prints by the Spanish artist opens at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way, and runs through March 2. Cost is $3-$8. 642-0808. 

Photographs of Hill Tribe Women in Northern Thailand by Adrienne Miller opens in the Catalog Library, Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6241. 

“One Way or Another: Asian American Art Now” Guided tour at 12:15 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft. 642-0808. 

FILM 

“Un Poquito de Tanta Verdad” about the people of Oaxaca, Mexico at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15-$20. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Lunch Poems with Amiri Baraka at 12:10 p.m. at the Morrison Library, inside the Doe Library, UC Campus. 642-0137 

Susan Dinkelspiel Cerny on “Observations: The San Francisco Bay Area and its Built Environment” at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Reception to follow. Tickets are $15. Sponsored by Berkeley Architectural Heritage Assoc. 841-2242.  

Joshua Clover, D.A. Powell and Juliana Spahr read in celebration of the publication of “American Poets of the 21st Century: The New Poetics” at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Alan Williamson explores both Buddhism and Christianity in his new series of long, interrelated poems at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720 ext 17.  

Lucy Jane Bledsoe reads from her new novel “Biting the Apple” at 7:30 p.m. at Laurel Bookstore, 4100 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. 531-2073. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Mud, The New Up, Phonofly, female-fronted rock, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $8. 525-5054.  

Iva Bittova, fiddler and vocalist, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $20.50-$21.50. 548-1761.  

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

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

Superthief at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

Kinsella, Thurs.-Sat. at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200.  

Among the bodies in the famous heap at the end of Hamlet, two are notably missing: the Melancholy Prince’s schoolmates (though Hamlet himself can’t seem to tell them apart), summoned by his usurper uncle to spy on him in his presumed madness, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. 

It’s this uneasy anonymity in the highest profile of tragedies that Tom Stoppard hit upon for his breakthrough play of the ’60s, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, a skewed buddy tale (though owing a lot to an off-beat parody of a much deeper comedy, Waiting for Godot). 

Actors Ensemble is presently essaying Stoppard’s unmannerly comedy, under the able direction of Stanley Spenger at Live Oak Theatre. It’s not a bad Halloween treat, with its atmospherics of a rotting Elsinore Castle, from part of the beautifully painted set, a Gothic crypt, from Helen Pau’s Viaticum. 

To describe what he was up to, Stoppard lifted a line from Jean Cocteau, saying Rosencrantz and Guildenstern was a view of Elsinore as seen by tourists driving by. It is a playful piece of chance meetings, with ominous overtones that the meetings aren’t so chancy. The audience’s familiarity with Hamlet’s plot and the aura of fate borrowed from this great original give ballast to the burlesque sense of what goes on behind the famous scenes and soliloquies.  

What are the other characters saying or whispering? 

According to Stop-pard, not much: just killing time and trying to square their seemingly meaningless lives with the bigger issues playing out around them, in which they find themselves caught up and finally swept away. It opens with the two pitching coins, which seem to fall heads up, against all probability, and closes at sea, a road trip to England, the voyage wherein Hamlet is spirited away by pirates, but not before he makes the switch of a secret order of execution.  

On the way, the ill-starred pair meet up with the band of itinerant players Hamlet ends up hiring for his mousetrap to catch the king. The players make a kind of mirror between one play and another, the venerable tragedy and contemporary comedy. 

Harold Pierce shines as the resilient and matter-of-fact Player King, good at dying over and over, or knowing when to slip away. Marcus Liefert plays a truly doddering Polonius, who all but paralyzes Claudius (Jerome Solberg) and Gertrude (Melanie Curry), offering up Ophelia (Wendy Welch, who seems made for the part) to the Prince (a slightly punkish Ariel Herzog), who spurns her famously. Snippets of Hamlet are cleverly shoehorned into this study of the least of his retainers, played by Patrick Glenn and Gabriel Ross, each taking up the slack for the other—even though they, too, can’t really tell themselves apart. 

It’s a long play, not as long as Hamlet, but sometimes hitting doldrums when Rosen-crantz and Guildenstern quibble over inconsequentials without the sharp edge of British club humor. But in the end, even though “the rest is silence,” even those quibbles are caught up in the sweep of artistry that grants an elusive meaning to life and lives. 

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley at Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck Ave. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.through Nov.17. 525-1620.

Altarena Playhouse, Alameda’s venerable community theater, is celebrating its 70th anniversary—and 50 years at its present location on High Street—with a venerable old comedy of just about the same vintage as the troupe, Paul Osbourn’s Morning’s at Seven (1939).  

The production offers something more than nostalgia. With the direction of Sue Trigg, whose Death of a Salesman at Altarena was one of the best shows in the Bay Area last year, Morning’s at Seven gives audiences a chance to see a finely tuned ensemble show and to witness a compelling interpretation of a prewar family stage comedy. The play shows what’s become unfamiliar to many of us and what is, after all, strangely familiar—the way Americans looked at themselves right before the start of an ongoing period of change that hasn’t abated. 

The two porches and doorways into backyards that take up much of the set mark the comings and goings (and the interplay) of the two families, the Swansons and the Boltons, around whom the story is built. They’re related: Cora Swanson (Maureen Coyne) and her live-in spinster sister, Aaronetta (Arry) Glass (Sarilee Janger), are two of four sisters, one right next door (Sue Williams as Ida Bolton) and the other up the road a piece (Peggy DeCoursey as Esther “Esty” Crampton), married to a seemingly snobbish academic (David Crampton, played by Chris Chapman), who’s forbidden her to associate with “those morons” down the road. 

Those morons are an eccentric bunch, even if their extravagances are just stretched-out normal peccadilloes. Homer Bolton (Richard Robert Bunker), pushing 40 and still living at home, brings his fiancee of some years, Myrtle Brown (Shauna Shoptaw) to meet the folks—and Homer’s father, Carl (Tom Leone), picks the day to have a spell.  

Carl’s long felt he’s a failure, not knowing who he is. Meanwhile, everybody’s speculating on what the relations might be between Homer and Myrtle during their long wooing, and if there’s a triangle among the in-laws in the arrangement that’s dragged on for a half-century; Arry insists on her place in the home, and Theodore (Thor,” played by T. Louis Weltz) agrees but doesn’t want to talk about it. 

As in classic comedies, there are many funny reversals. Underneath the stolid or squirrely exteriors of the tightly knit neighbors lurk opposite tendencies, which prove very amusing when seen in the light of day. The interplay among characters and dilemmas prove dense, and more accrues as this well-written plot unfolds, tying the audiences up in knots—of laughter. 

It’s great to see a present-day crowd fall under the spell of something that by current standards of urban self-image seems light years away from our present state of affairs. But one thing Altarena’s production demonstrates is the enduring nature of Americans’ ability to laugh at our own foibles when they’re presented in an appropriate light. 

An older kind of play, well-wrought, Morning’s at Seven holds hidden delights and entertainment, thanks to the sensitivity of Sue Trigg’s direction and the wonderful ensemble’s ongoing discovery of their characters’ true interrelationship.  

Every time the play seems to be slipping into the maudlin or the sentimental, which characterized much popular culture then—and now—there’s a happy surprise reversal, right up to the classically comic happy end. The cast is composed of regulars in the little theater (and even dance) scene of the East Bay; here, together, they show what they can really do. It’s a great evening, a great celebration of seven decades of Altarena Playhouse and of a perennially pleasing American comedy. 

MORNING’S AT SEVEN 

Alterena Playhouse, 1409 High St., Alameda. 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., Sun. 2 p.m. 

through Nov. 11. $17-$20. 523-1553.

The seventh annual Harvest of Song features new vo-cal and instrumental compositions by Bay Area composers headed by Ann Callaway, Allen Shearer and Peter Josheff, in collaboration with writer Jaime Robles. Composers Alexis Alrich and Laurie San Martin join this year’s mix. Performers include the Harvest Players, some of the Bay Area’s finest musicians, augmented by marimba and vibraphone. A women’s vocal ensemble adds to the festivities.Sat.Oct. 27 and Sun. Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.  

A pre-concert discussion will be held at 6:30 p.m. Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. $15–$12. 644-6893.  

www.berkeleyartcenter.org.

The 11th annual Arab First Festival continues this weekend at the California Theater in downtown Berkeley.  

This year the festival has turned its focus to issues of youth and urban life, with a range of films on these topics showing at venues in San Francisco, San Jose and Berkeley. 

The festival’s mission is to explore the depth and diversity of filmmaking in the Arab world with an array of documentaries and feature-length and short narrative films.  

Hisham Zaman’s Winterland makes its American debut at 7 p.m. Sunday.  

The film examines the relationship between Renas, a middle-aged Kurdish immigrant from Iraq who has made his home in the snow-covered hills of rural Norway. Renas has been looking forward to the arrival of his bride-to-be from Iraq. It is an arranged marriage with a woman he has never met, except by way of a few letters and phone calls. He has pictures of Fermesk, however, that depict a young woman, perhaps still a teenager, gently smiling and wearing a flowing dress.  

Upon her arrival, however, Renas is perturbed to find a larger and older woman. She is still young, but it is clear that the photos are quite outdated. And Fermesk too faces disillusionment, for Renas too sent photos of his younger self, dashing and svelte in military garb, and also managed to greatly inflate his status and income from his humble job in Norway. And each has still more surprises for the other along the way.  

What follows is a tense drama of disillusionment and reconciliation, of hopes dashed on the snowy banks of cold reality. Renas and Fermesk must deal simultaneously with their estrangement from one another and from their home country, from family, friends and culture. The stunning photography of the wide-open fields and snow-blanketed hillsides of rural Norway presents a beautiful but alienating environment, pristine and harrowing at the same time. Zaman’s camera transforms the landscape into a vast white desert, where the two protagonists have no reference points other than each other. 

Nasser Bakhti’s Night Shadows examines similar themes of Arab displacement but in a dark, urban environment. His film follows the interlocking lives of five characters, each adrift in the darkness and decadence of Geneva nightlife.  

A jaded cop, nearing retirement, faces another night on the beat with his obnoxious brute of a partner. Hans’ dedication to his job has cost him his health and his marriage, and those losses have in turn cost him his passion for his job. His partner, a brash, insensitive thug, cares nothing for the immigrants he is tasked with tracking down, and his cruelty and ignorance are only brought to his attention when his wife threatens to pack up the kid and leave him. Claire is a down-and-out junkie with no friends or family, forced to consider prostitution to sustain her habit. Adé is an illegal Malian immigrant who dreams of a professional soccer career while working as a waiter. And Mohammed, a Moroccan immigrant, has been forced to abandon his medical studies just to get by while supporting his family back home.  

Each, whether a native or an immigrant, faces the same hostile environment, one that undermines their common humanity and puts them at each other’s throats much of the time in a thoughtful parable of ignorance and xenophobia. 

ARAB FILM FESTIVAL 

Through Sunday, Oct. 28 at the California Theater in Berkeley and at the Castro Theater and Roxie Film Center in San Francisco. 

Image: Two Kurdish immigrants from Iraq struggle with displacement and romance in rural Norway.