THURSDAY, AUGUST 14 

Introduction to Urban Permaculture A talk by local permaculture designers from the Ecological Division of Merritt College’s Landscape Horticulture Department on what is possible in a city, at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave., near Dwight Way. 548-2220, ext. 233. www.ecologycenter.org 

Photography Night with Harold Davis, author of Photoblog 2.0, at 7 p.m. at Expression College for Digital Arts, 6601 Shellmound Street, Emeryville. http://ebmug.org 

An Afternoon of Board Games for children of all ages at 3 p.m. at the Bayview Branch of the Richmond Public Library, 5100 Harnett Ave. 620-6566. 

Oakland International Black LGBT Film Festival through Sun. at Parkway Theater, 1834 Park Blvd., Oakland. FOr details of films see www.clubrimshot.com/f 

ilmfestival.html 

Toastmasters Berkeley Communicators meets at 7:30 a.m. at Au Coquelet, 2000 University Ave. Rob.Flammia@gmail.com 

“Obama: Best Hope or Deadly Trap?” A presentation by Sunsara Taylor at 7 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way. 848-1196.  

American Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation from 3 to 5 p.m. at 6230 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Advanced sign-up is required; please call 594-5165.  

Three Beats for Nothing South Mostly ancient part music for fun and practice meets every Thurs. at 10 a.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, Ellis at Ashby. 655-8863. asiecker@sbcglobal 

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

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

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

FRIDAY, AUGUST 15 

Iraq Moratorium Day and Vigil to Protest the War from 2 to 4 p.m. at the corners of University & Acton. Sponsored by Strawberry Creek Lodge Tenant’s Assoc & Berkeley-East Bay Gray Panthers. 548-9696. 

“SB 840: The Promise and Politics of Single-Payer Health Care” A discussion with current and future Assemblymembers on how we can help win real health care reform, at 7 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland, between Telegraph and Broadway. 415-695-7891. 

Conscientious Projector Film Series “Swing Kids” A film about young people in Nazi Germany who resisted Hitler and danced the swing at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Hall, 1924 Cedar at Bonita. 841-4824. www.bfuu.org 

Berkeley City College Welcome Back to College Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aone-stop center for registration, financial aid, and counseling for new and returning Berkeley City College students. 981-2858. 

Introduction to Pilates at 10:30 a.m. at Elephant Pharm, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Berkeley Women in Black weekly vigil from noon to 1 p.m. at Bancroft and Telegraph. Our focus is human rights in Palestine. 548-6310. 

Three Beats for Nothing Mostly ancient part music for fun and practice meets every Fri. at 10 a.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, Hearst at MLK. 655-8863. asiecker@sbcglobal 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 16 

Berkeley Path Wanderers Path-a-thon Meet at Live Oak Park, Shattuck Ave. between Rose and Eunice to explore three different routes, returning to the park for a BYO picnic lunch. The difficult walk departs at 9:45 a.m., the moderate walk departs at 10:15 a.m., and the eassier walk departs at 11:15 a.m.. 528-3246. www.berkeleypaths.org 

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

Introduction to Permaculture Design Workshop on ecological landscape design basics, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost is $10-$15. Registration required. Call 548-2220, ext. 233. erc@ecologycenter.org 

Vegetarian Cooking Class on Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Cuisine Learn to make braised figs, muhummara, polenta with mushrooms, falafel burgers and more from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St. at Castro. Cost is $50, plus $5 food and material fee. Advance registration required. 531-COOK. www.compassionatecooks.com 

Rail Meets Water: Then and Now A walking tour of Middle Harbor Shoreline Park sponsored by Oakland Heritage Alliance. Meet at 10 a.m. in the parking lot of the park, off of 7th St. Cost is $10-$15. 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org 

CopWatch Know Your Rights Training from 2 to 5 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. berkeleycopwatch@yahoo.com 

Got a problem in the garden? Want expert advice on watering, plant selection, lawn care, or pest management? Visit the master gardener booth from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Center Street between ML King and Milvia. 639-1275. 

Marsh-kateers! An adventure hike for 6-8 year olds and their caregivers to investigate the native and non-native plants that call the salt marsh their home, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center, 4901 Breakwater Ave., Hayward. Cost is $6, registration required. 670-7270.  

Family Art Workshop: Fantasy Cityscape Build a model city from a variety of materials from 1 to 4 p.m. at The Museum of Children’s Art, 538 9th St., Oakland. Cost is $7 per child, adults free. 465-8770. www.mocha.org 

Walk the Line & Connect to the Home Front Walk the line of history and the keel of a victory ship, and learn about the men and women who contributed to victory on the home front during World War II, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. followed by optional 45 min. Bay Trail stroll. Meet park ranger at memorial by main parking lot at Rosie the Riveter Memorial, Marina Bay Park, Melville and Regatta, Richmond. 232-5050. www.nps.gov/rori/ 

All Hands on Deck: Building the Ships that Kept Democracy Afloat Learn about the 747 ships built at the Kaiser shipyards and the people that built them, from 2 to 3 p.m. at Historic Shipyard No. 3, 1337 Canal Blvd., Berth 6A, Richmond. Park outside SS Red Oak Victory gate. 232-5050. Directions to shipyard 237-2933. www.ssredoakvictory.com/contact.htm 

Prevent Back to School Colds and Flu at 10:30 a.m. at Elephant Pharm, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Summer Board Game Days from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

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

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755.  

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

Oakland Artisans Marketplace Sat. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Jack London Square. 238-4948. 

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 17 

Community Labyrinth Peace Walk at 3 p.m. at Willard Middle School, Telegraph Ave. between Derby and Stuart. Everyone welcome. Wheelchair accessible. 526-7377. info@eastbaylabyrinthproject.org  

Creek Care Workday at Wildcat Creek from 10 a.m. to noon. Meet at the parking lot off Richmond Pkwy. between Gertrude Ave. and Pittsburg Ave. Sponsored by Golden Gate Audubon Society and East Bay Parks. 919-5873, 525-2233. 

Trails Challenge: Landfill Loop Discover life on the urban fringe where Wildcat Canyon meets San Pablo Bay on a 3-mile level hike along the Bay Trail from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Call for meeting place. 525-2233. 

South Prescott & Seventh St. A walking tour of West Oakland’s Bay View Homestead Tract, sponsored by Oakland Heritage Alliance. Meet at 10 a.m. at the Wesst Oakland BART Station, 5th St. at Center. Cost is $10-$15. 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org 

Junior Naturalists Discover Amazing Amphibians Explore the mysterious world of salamanders, toads, and frogs from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center, 4901 Breakwater Ave., Hayward. Cost is $8, registration required. 670-7270.  

Youth Spirit Artwork’s Silent Auction of “Art Chairs” created by homeless and low-income youth involved in an interfaith urban arts jobs training program, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Lake Merritt Boat House, 568 Bellevue Ave., Lakeside Park along Lake Merritt, Oakland. 282-0396. 

How to Plan and Build a Nanofarm Participants will draw up a simple plot plan of their garden, identify zones for perpetual edibles, learn the basics of soil preparation, and more, from 1 to 4 p.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. Cost is $50. 643-2755 ext. 03.  

”Information Warrior: Taking a Stand in an ‘Anti-terrorist’ Climate” Sunday Service with Josh Wolf at 10:30 a.m. at Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St at Bonita. 841-4824. www.bfuu.org  

East Bay Atheists meets to discuss how active Atheists should be about their Atheism, at 1:30 p.m. at Berkeley Main Library, 3rd Floor Meeting Room, 2090 Kittredge St. eastbayatheists.org 

Discussion on the New Constitution of the RCP, USA at 6:30 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way. 848-1196. www.revolutionbooks.org 

Yoga and Meditation at 9:15 a.m. at Elephant Pharm, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

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

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

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712.  

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

Tibetan Buddhism with Hugh Joswick on “Knowing Mind” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 809-1000. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, AUGUST 18 

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group, for people 60 years and over, meets at 9:45 a.m. at Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave, Albany. Cost is $3.  

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

Free Boatbuilding Classes for Youth Mon.-Wed. from 3 to 7 p.m. at Berkeley Boathouse, 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. Classes cover woodworking, boatbuilding, and boat repair. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 19 

Tuesday Twighlight: Beaches, Birds & Bay Explore the Berkeley Meadow of the Eastshore State Park at 7 p.m. on an easy 1.5 mile walk. 525-2233. 

Living Graveyard City at noon on the sidewalk in front of the Oakland Federal Building, 1301 Clay St., Oakland. Bring a pad to lie on and a white sheet to cover yourself with. www.epicalc.org 

“Iran Today: Myths, Realities and the Threat of a New U.S. War” A report-back with two Iranian American ANSWER activists just back from Iran at 7 p.m. at 636 9th St. at MLK, Oakland, near 12th St. BART. 415-821-6545 

Henna Workshop for Teens Learn the ancient art of henna design, for students in grades 6-12 at 4:30 p.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave. Registration required. 526-7512 

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. 

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

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

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

Street Level Cycles Community Bike Program Come use our tools as well as receive help with performing repairs free of charge. Youth classes available. Tues., Thurs., and Sat. from 2 to 6 p.m. at at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

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

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

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

Sing-A-Long Group from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave., Albany. 524-9122. 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20 

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

Simplicity Forum on Sustainable Consumption at 6:30 p.m. at Claremont Library, 2940 Benvenue Ave. at Ashby.  

American Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation from 6 to 8 p.m. at 6230 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Advanced sign-up is required; please call 594-5165.  

“Teach Your Body New Strategies for Healing & Wellness” A panel discussion for older adults at 4 p.m. at Barbary Lane at Lake Merritt, 1800 Madison St. 903-3600. 

Jump Start Entrepreneurs Network meets at 8 a.m. at Cuppa Tea, 3202 College Ave. at Alcactraz. Cost is $5-$6 includes breakfast. 899-8242. www.jumpstartten.com 

Summer Board Game Days from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes and a warm hat. 548-9840. 

Theraputic Recreation at the Berkeley Warm Pool, Wed. at 3:30 p.m. and Sat. at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley Warm Pool, 2245 Milvia St. Cost is $4-$5. Bring a towel. 632-9369. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www.geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

Teen Chess Club from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the North Branch Library, 1170 The Alameda at Hopkins. 981-6133. 

Spanish Conversation Classes Wed. and Thurs. at 9:30 a.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst St. 981-5190. 

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

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

Stitch ‘n Bitch at 6:30 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

THURSDAY, AUGUST 21 

Michael Krasney on “Election Year Insights” at the League of Women Voters Luncheon at 11:15 a.m. at Hs Lorships Restaurant, Berkeley Marina. Cost is $75. 843-8824. 

ACCI Seconds Sale Thurs.-Sat. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sun. noon to 5 p.m. at 1652 Shattuck Ave. 843-2527. www.accigallery.com 

Art Workshop for ages 5 and up at 3 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043.  

Three Beats for Nothing South Mostly ancient part music for fun and practice meets every Thurs. at 10 a.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, Ellis at Ashby. 655-8863. asiecker@sbcglobal 

“Kneipp Wellness Program for Elders” at 5:30 p.m. at AgeSong at Lakeside Park, 486 Perkins St., Oakland. RSVP to 444-4684. 

“Away With All Gods” Discussion group meets to discuss Part 4 of the book by Bob Avakian at 7 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way. 848-1196. 

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

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

info 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22 

Berkeley High School, Class of 1968 40th Reunion at 6 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Hotel, Emeryville, dinner-dance on the 23rd, and picnic in Roberts Park, Oakland on Sun. Cost for the weekend is $90. For information call 867-1389. 

Hurrican Katrina Fundraiser with authors who contributed to “Words Upon The Waters: A Poetic Response by SF Bay Area Artists in Support of Hurricane Katrina Survivors” at 7 p.m. at Rebecca’s Books, 3268 Adeline St. Donation $5. 852-4768. 

Introduction to Pilates at 10:30 a.m. at Elephant Pharm, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Summer Outdoor Movie Series “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” at 8:30 p.m. at Charles Chocolates, 6529 Hollis St, Emeryville. Free. Bring a chair or blanket. 652-4412, ext. 311. 

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. 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 23 

Bike Against the Odds Fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Fund from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Lakeside Park, Lake Merritt, Oakland. Registration is $50-$75. 866-760-8223. www.breastcancerfund.org/bao 

Michael Parenti on “Capitalism's Apocalypse: Why the Plutocrats Cannot Save Anyone, Not Even Themselves” at 4 p.m. at NoneSuch Space, 2865 Broadway, at 29th St., 2nd flr., Oakland. Donation $10. 625-1600. www.paragon-media.org/nonesuchspace 

Nature’s Pharmacy: Medicine Making Workshop Learn how to make a variety of botanical medicines using native California plants, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Visitor Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $30-$35, with optional $5 materials fee. Bring lunch. To register call 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Raptors from the Ridges Join a strenuous 8-mile hike in search of birds of prey, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Crockett Hills Regional Park. Bring sunscreen, water and a lunch. Call for meeting place. 525-2233. 

Philbrick Boatworks A tour of a business unchanged since 1946, one of the last of the twenty wooden boatbuilders in the Oakland Estuary,sponsored by Oakland Heritage Alliance. Tours at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Meet 603 Embarcadero, at Clinton Basin. Cost is $10-$15. 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org 

Got a problem in the garden? Want expert advice on watering, plant selection, lawn care, or pest management? Visit the master gardener booth from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Center Street between ML King and Milvia. 639-1275. 

Walk the Line & Connect to the Home Front Walk the line of history and the keel of a victory ship, and learn about the men and women who contributed to victory on the home front during World War II, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. followed by optional 45 min. Bay Trail stroll. Meet park ranger at memorial by main parking lot at Rosie the Riveter Memorial, Marina Bay Park, Melville and Regatta, Richmond. 232-5050. www.nps.gov/rori/ 

All Hands on Deck: Building the Ships that Kept Democracy Afloat Learn about the 747 ships built at the Kaiser shipyards and the people that built them, from 2 to 3 p.m. at Historic Shipyard No. 3, 1337 Canal Blvd., Berth 6A, Richmond. Park outside SS Red Oak Victory gate. 232-5050. Directions to shipyard 237-2933. www.ssredoakvictory.com/contact.htm 

“Japanese Only/No Foreigners Allowed” A lecture by Debito Arudo on the Otaru Onsen lawsuit over Japanese xenophobia at 4 p.m. at University Village Community Center Gym, 1123 Jackson St., Albany. Suggested donation $7. 

Jewish Literature and Discussion Series meets to discuss “The Little Disturbances of Man” by Grace Paley at 2 p.m. at the Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

”Celebration of Praise” Praise dance by Changing Lives Ministry, at 6 p.m. at First Christian Church, 111 Fairmont Ave. Oakland. Cost is $10-$20. 669-1893.  

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

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

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

Oakland Artisans Marketplace Sat. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Jack London Square. 238-4948. 

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 24 

Flutter by Butterflies Learn about butterfly life cycles, and the plants that attract them, from 10 a.m. to noon at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Sprouts Gardening Project Spend the afternoon in the Kids’ Garden doing chores, singing songs, and learining about what it takes to make plants grow, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Tiles and Terra Cotta in Uptaown Oakland A tour of twenty buildings with facades clad in architectural ceramics, all built between 1914 and 1931, sponsored by Oakland Heritage Alliance. Meet at 10 a.m. at southeast corner of 17th and Webster, at the Howden Bldg. Cost is $10-$15. 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org 

Live Broadcast of the Democratic National Convention at 7 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation $5. www.Humanist Hall.org 

Social Action Forum with Dr. Stephen Zunes on his work on the Western Sahara at 10 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensigton. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Kensington Library Book Club meets to discuss “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy at 7 p.m. at 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

Yoga and Meditation at 9:15 a.m. at Elephant Pharm, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

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

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

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

Tibetan Buddhism with Jared Baird on “A New Way of Learning” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 809-1000. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

Sew Your Own Open Studio Come learn to use our industrial and domestic machines, or work on your own projects, from 4 to 8 p.m. at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. Also on Fri. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost is $5 per hour. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

ONGOING 

School Backpack Collection Drive Drop off new or gently used backpacks at Spenger’s, 1919 Fourth St.,during August, for a $10 dining certificate. Backpacks will be distributed by the Berkeley Boosters/Police Activities League. 845-7771. 

CITY MEETINGS 

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., Aug. 14, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. 981-7410.  

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Mon., Aug. 18, at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers. 981-7368.  

Design Review Committee meets Thurs., Aug. 21, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7415. 

Fair Campaign Practices Commission meets Thurs., Aug. 21, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6950.  

THURSDAY, AUGUST 14 

FILM 

Oakland International Black LGBT Film Festival through Sun. at Parkway Theater, 1834 Park Blvd., Oakland. For details of films see www.clubrimshot.com/filmfestival.html 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Dora Sorell, holocaust survivor and author of “Tell the Children” talks at 6:30 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, North Branch, 1170 the Alameda. 981-6250. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Marcus Shelby Trio at noon at the downtown Berkeley BART station, Shattuck at Center St. 

David Rovics, radical and progressive songs at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. at Bonita. Tickets are $15 at the door. 528-4941. 

JBill at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $5. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

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

Scott Amendola with the Gyan Riley Trio at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

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

Spanish Harlem Orchestra at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $24-$28. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 15 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “The Matchmaker” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave., through Aug. 16. Tickets are $10-$12. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org  

Central Works “Midsummer/4” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., through Aug. 24. Tickets are $20. 558-1381. www.centralworks.org 

Crowded Fire Theater Company “The Listener” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Aug. 31. Tickets are $15-$25. 415-433-1235. crowdedfire.org 

Woodminster Summer Musicals ”Seussical” a musical based on the works of Dr. Seuss, Fri.-Sun. at 8 p.m., at Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Rd., Oakland. through Aug. 17. Tickets are $23-$38. 531-9597. www.woodminster.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Kwatro-Kantos” Works by the Filipino Collective on display to Sept. 13 at 21 Grand, 416 25th St., at Broadway, Oakland. 444-7263. www.kwatro-kantos.com 

FILM 

“Fellini's 8 1/2” View and discuss the archetypal, mythic, and depth psychological dimensions of this film at 7 p.m. at The Dream Institute, 1672 University. Cost is $10-$12. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Paces “The Tristan Codas” Poetry and dance at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Donations benefit Berkeley Art Center. 644-6893. www.berkeleysrtcenter.org 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Amigos, Latin rock, at 5 p.m. outdoors at Broadway at Water St., Jack London Square, Oakland.  

Pacific Coast Jazz on the Green at 6 p.m. in the gardens of the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak, Oakland. 238-2022. www.museumca.org  

Conjunto Los Pochos, Conjunto Romero at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Panel discussion at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

E. W. Wainwright’s African Roots of Jazz at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Steve Lucky & the Rhumba Bums at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. East Coast Swing lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

Christmas, Members of Thizz, Thizz Latin, hip-hop benefit for CopWatch at 8 p.m. at 3228 Adeline St. Cost is $5-$10. berkeleycopwatch@yahoo.com 

Small Guitarmen, Jessica Rice at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Desario, Whitey on the Moon, Bye Bye Blackbirds, California indie pop, at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

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

Killing the Dream, Risen, Resist the Right at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

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

SATURDAY, AUGUST 16 

CHILDREN  

Puppet Show “The Adventures of Peer Gynt” Sat. and Sun. at 11 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m. and “The Girl Who Lost Her Smile” at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. Cost is $6. 452-2259.  

THEATER 

Shotgun Players “Ubu for President” An adaptation of the plays of Alfred Jarry, Sat. and Sun. at 4 p.m. at John Hinkel Park, Southampton Ave., off the Arlington, through Sept. 14. Free, donations accepted. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Prism Stage “The W. Kamu Bell Curve” Sat. and Sun. at 8 p.m. at JCC of the East Bay, 1414 Walnut St., through Aug.24. Tickets are $15-$20. 848-0237. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Communication Gap” Works by Angie Brown, Crystal Morey, Jake Gabel, Nancy Bach, Patrick Renner and Amanda Jayne Kennedy, opens at The Compound Gallery, 6604 San Pablo Ave., Oakland, and runs through Sept. 7. 655-9019. www.thecompoundgallery.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Cool Mash-Up Youth Speaks female spoken word artists from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Rhythm & Muse with spoken word performer Paradise and horn player The Ambassador of Trouts at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Los Boleros, Afro-Cuban Latin band, at 9:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

V-Note at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. 

Barry Melton Band, Nick Gravenites Band at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Mark Fromm, Erika Wright Band at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe. 595-5344.  

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

Jonathan Stein Experiment at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Fred Frith, Matthias Bossi, Shazad Ismally Duo, improv rock, at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Patrick Wolff Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Rich White Males, Regal Beagle, Idiot Box at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Spanish Harlem Orchestra at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $24-$28. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 17 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

The Men’s Story Project, exploring masculinity through spoken word, monlogues, music and dance, at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $12-$20. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

San Francisco Renaissance Voices at 4 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$20 at the door. 684-7563. 

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

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

Ahimsa, Indian fusion, at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

Americana Unplugged: Dark Hollow Band at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Household Items with the Jordan Wardlaw Band at 7 p.m. at Mama Buzz Cafe. 465-4073. www.mamabuzzcafe.com 

Jyoti Kala Mandir, College of Indian Classical Arts, “Devi: Mystic Goddess” at 5 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $12-$18. 486-9851. www.jyotikalamandir.org  

MONDAY, AUGUST 18 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Writers of the WPA” A community reading of selected works from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at Library Plaza, Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6121. 

“Silhouettes” Writers explore the boundaries between light and shadow with Daphne Gottlieb, Kelly Lydick, Amy Reed and MG Roberts, at 7:30 p.m. at Mama Buzz Café, 2318 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 465-4073. 

Poetry Express with Jan Steckel and Giovanna Capone at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

String Trio at 5:30 p.m. at the West Side Branch Library, 135 Washington Ave., Richmond. 620-6567. 

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

Chris O’Brien at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Downtown Jam Session with Glen Pearson at 7 p.m. at Ed Kelly Hall, Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, 1616 Franklin St., Oakland. Cost is $5. www.opcmucsic.org 

Kaz George Quartet at 4:30 p.m., Inspiration Sextet at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373.  

Lloyd Gregory at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200.  

TUESDAY, AUGUST 19 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Judye Hess, author, in conversation with Dan Wile on “Core Focused Family Therapy: Moving from Chaos to Clarity’ at 6 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. www.universitypressbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Roy Carierre 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 

Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Brian Woods Ensemble at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

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

Jazzschool Tuesdays at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20 

FILM 

Latino Film Festival “Hijo de la Guerra” at 6:30 p.m. at Richmond Public Library, Madeline F. Whittlesey Community Room, 325 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond. Free. 620-6561. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082 . 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Summer Sounds at Oakland City Center with Mucho Axe, Latin jazz, at noon at 12th and Broadway, Oakland.  

Music on the Main with Junction, Richmond PAL, and College Prep Dancers at 5 p.m. in the parking lot at the corner of Macdonald Ave. and Marina Way, next to the Richmond BART station. 236-4049.  

Dan Stanton Group at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $8. 841-JAZZ.  

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

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

Ed Neff and Friends at 7 p.m. at Le Bateau Ivre, 2629 Telegraph Ave. www.lebateauivre.net 

Latin Dub Stars at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

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

Carioca at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$14. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, AUGUST 21 

FILM 

The Dark Cinema of David Goodis “The Professional Man x Two” at 6:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

CineMingle “Sidewalk” by Israeli filmmaker Duki Dror at 7:30 p.m. at JCC of the East Bay, 1414 Walnut St. Cost is $5-$8. 848-0237. 

“The Petrified Forest” A fundraiser for Masquers Playhouse at 9:15 p.m. at El Cerrito Speakeasy Theater, 10070 San Pablo Ave. at Central, El Cerrito. Tickets are $9. www.cerrito 

speakeasy.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Introduction to Fire in California” with author David Carle, part of a summer series of natural history literary events at 5:30 p.m. University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. www.universitypressbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Downtown Berkeley MusicFest feturing jazz, blues, folk r&b at various locations through Sun. www.downtownberkeleymusic.org 

Amendola vs Blades, groove jazz, at noon at the downtown Berkeley BART station, Shattuck at Center St. 

Cataracts, hip-hop, rock, pop, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054.  

Alasdair Fraser’s Fiddle Summit with Natalie Haas, Martin Hayes, Dennis Cahill and Bruse Molsky at 8 p.m. at the Roda Theater. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

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

Monte Montgomery, acoustic guitar, at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

Speak the Music at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $8. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Courtney Niole Trio at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Habib Koite & Bamada at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Divasonic with Diet Snakes at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22 

THEATER 

Central Works “Midsummer/4” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., through Aug. 24. Tickets are $20. 558-1381. www.centralworks.org 

Crowded Fire Theater Company “The Listener” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Aug. 31. Tickets are $15-$25. 415-433-1235. crowdedfire.org 

“Prisons” by Shanique Scott. Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $15-$18. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Stage Door Conservatory Teens on Stage “The Wiz” Fri.-Sat. at 7:30 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2460 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$20 at the door. 521-6250. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Alison Wilson-Fried reads from her novel “Outside Child” at 7 p.m. at Rebecca’s Books, 3268 Adeline St. 852-4768. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Carmen Milagro, Latin pop, at 5 p.m. outdoors at Broadway at Water St., Jack London Square, Oakland.  

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

Dee Spencer’s “Jook Joint Jazz” at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Macka B, reggae at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $12-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

Steve Forbert at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Brendan Getzell, Kristin Lagasse at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

The California Honeydrops, The Lloyd Family Players at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Devastator, Virulent Death, Laceration at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

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

Amar Khalil, R&B, at 9 p.m. at Maxwell’s, 341 13th St., Oakland. Cost is $10. 839-6169. 

Steven Emerson Band at 8 p.m. Beep Trio at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Martin Luther at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $14-$20. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 23 

CHILDREN  

Puppet Show “The Adventures of Peer Gynt” Sat. and Sun. at 11 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m. and “Aesop’s Fables” at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. Cost is $6. 452-2259. www.fairyland.org 

THEATER 

San Francisco Mime Troupe “Red State” at 2 p.m. at Live Oak Park. Free, donations accepted. 415-285-1717. www.sfmt.org 

Shotgun Players “Ubu for President” An adaptation of the plays of Alfred Jarry, Sat. and Sun. at 4 p.m. at John Hinkel Park, Southampton Ave., off the Arlington, through Sept. 14. Free, donations accepted. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Prism Stage “The W. Kamu Bell Curve” Sat. and Sun. at 8 p.m. at JCC of the East Bay, 1414 Walnut St., through Aug.24. Tickets are $15-$20. 848-0237. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“WhatYouSee Galore” featuring Bay Area artists, fashion designers, and musicians, at 7 p.m. at Autobody Fine Art Gallery, 1517 Park St., Alameda. www.myspace.com/1517artprojects 

FILM 

The Dark Cinema of David Goodis “Moon in the Gutter” at 6:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Junius Courtney Big Band at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge at Shattuck, the 2nd floor Reading Room. 981-6241. www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org 

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

Baba Ken & The Afro-Groove Connexion at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $12-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Mike Glendinning, Will Derryberry at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Great Night of Soul Poetry at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $20.50-$21.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

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

Beep with Michael Coleman at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

The Porchsteps, Evil Diane, Xenia Rudycka at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $9. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Curtis Bumpy at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Toys That Kill, Off with Their Heads, Nothington at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

Maria Muldaur & The Free Radicals with Holly Near and Linda Tillery at 8 and 10 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $18-$22. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 24 

THEATER 

San Francisco Mime Troupe “Red State” at 2 p.m. at Live Oak Park. Free, donations accepted. 415-285-1717. www.sfmt.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

Berkeley Art Center Annual National Juried Exhibition Opening reception at 2 p.m. at 1275 Walnut St. in Live Oak Park. Exhibition runs through Oct. 12. 644-6893. www.berkeleysrtcenter.org 

“Communication Gap” Works by Angie Brown, Crystal Morey, Jake Gabel, Nancy Bach, Patrick Renner and Amanda Jayne Kennedy. Opening reception from noon to 5 p.m. at The Compound Gallery, 6604 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. 655-9019. www.thecompoundgallery.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Egyptology Lecture “Excavations at the Amenhotep III Mortuary Temple at Thebes” with Dr. Hourig Sourouzian, German Archaeological Institute, and Dr. Rainer Stadelmann, Director Emeritus, German Institute of Archaeology, Cairo, at 1:30 p.m., Barrows Hall, Room 20, Barrow Lane at Bancroft Way, UC Campus. 415-664-4767. 

Mama Coatl and Phava Kujchagulia read at 3:30 p.m. at Rebecca’s Books, 3268 Adeline St. 852-4768. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

West Coast Songwriter’s Playoff Finals at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Alex Pfeifer-Rosenblum at 8 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

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

Tom Huber and Misisipi Mike at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Americana Unplugged: Pete Madsen at 5 p.m. and Chad Manning and Friends at 6 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Royal Society Jazz Orchestra at 5 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Karl Tingwald Quintet at 4:30 p.m., Natalie Cressman at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

In a rush of oft-repeated words, The Listener sits in her studio, a conning tower of junk electronics, and broadcasts: “Calling anyone who is anyone out there, do you read me?” 

Junk City, the earth of the future, is strewn with just that—junk. It is the principal feature of Melpomene Katakalos’ set (lit by Heather Basarab), somewhere between a funk sculpture and a well-landscaped dump, for Crowded Fire’s production of Liz Duffy Adams’ eponymous play, The Listener—which the author and director Kent Nicholson note could have been inspired in part by the weather-beaten farm structures and site-specific artworks “designed to decay” at the Djerassi Foundation retreat in the Santa Cruz Mountains where Duffy started writing the play. That, and articles about enormous dumps in the Third World where scavengers live, and the “brutal abandonment” of New Orleans.  

The scavengers in this dump are Smak (Michael Moran) and Jelly (Rami Margron), talking in a street slang without streets that’s momentarily reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange, or of the post-Gertrude Stein experiments with naive speech playwright Irene Maria Fornes essayed during the ’80s and ’90s. Their costumes (by Louise Jarmilowicz) are grungy post-Punk, or beach bum, in contrast to the vaguely tribal wear of The Listener (Juliet Tanner) and the hieratic Namer (Lawrence Radecker). 

Into this forlorn scape tumbles John (Cole Alexander Smith), captured by Smak and Jelly when his one-man craft from “Nearth” (the moon, where the more privileged of Humanity have fled) touched down, not in answer to Listener’s faintly-broadcast call, but as part of a Nearth faction that “wants to help,” however patronizingly, versus another clique that would sooner destroy the “backwards” remnants of those left behind in what John identifies as a toxic environment. (For a change, the alien who shows up to help is another human.) 

The couple of scavengers bring John in like an unidentified gadget, and he’s casually brutalized while passed onto Namer, a kind of priest who “names” the unfamiliar and recites the myth of humanity’s great divide and its consequences, which John recognizes as a reworking of the same history he’s familiar with in technocratic terms. 

Namer names, and dictates. Listener listens—and ceaselessly broadcasts, in hope of contacting others, the existence of which Namer discounts, so that the strict routine and hierarchy of Junk City might be diversified by other voices, other presences. 

The metaphor, or simile, is clear and the parallels to the post-apocalyptic sci-fi of the ’50s and ’60s are cited in the program: Bradbury, Delaney, LeGuin (as well as C.J. Cherryh, publishing since the mid-’70s); A Canticle for Leibowitz and A Boy and His Dog also come to mind. 

Shotgun Players produced Duffy’s Dog Act in 2004 (also directed by Nicholson, with Rami Magron in the cast, which the author thought would be her last post-apocalyptic play), somewhat more successful as a low-down futuristic parable. The simplicity of the similes doesn’t carry the weight or suggest the irony of Wells’ struggle of grotesque castes in The Time Machine, or of Chestertonian humor (found more recently in TV’s The Prisoner and the film The Man Who Fell to Earth), both authors who Jose Luis Borges identified as true storytellers for the future. Other examples would include the strange, too familiar but empty world of M. K. Shiel’s 1930s post-apocalyptic The Purple Cloud—and much of Poe, for that matter. 

Crowded Fire emphasizes high production values throughout, including Cliff Caruthers’ music and sound design and the stage movement, coached by Matthew Graham Smith. The cast uniformly supports the tone, quiet amid angst and menace, with good performances, especially Crowded Fire co-founderJuliet Tanner’s in the title role, bringing subtly stated sensitivity and humor to small moments, as she so often does. 

THE LISTENER 

Presented by the Crowded Fire Theater Company at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday through Aug. 31.  

Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. $15-$25. (415) 433-1235. crowdedfire.org.

The Wiz isn’t exactly “We’re off to see the Wizard.” Both follow the Yellow Brick Road with high spirits, but The Wiz proceeds to a different, syncopated beat. Both eventually get to the same place: back (or down) home, where it all began. 

Maybe what they have most in common is Harold Arlen. The Wiz brings to the fore, using the storyline of Arlen’s best-known work (if none of his tunes! Charlie Smalls’, instead), what he was encouraging behind the scenes at the Cotton Club and on musicals like House of Flowers and Jamaica: new vehicles and recognition for African-American performers. 

Belasco Theatre Co. opened their production of The Wiz last weekend at Malonga Casquelourd Arts Center Theatre (formerly Alice Arts) in Oakland, running through Aug. 21, featuring many of the young local performers who appeared in the 2000 production. Founder Edward Belasco came out of retirement for this one—and hopes to direct more. 

This is community theater in the deepest sense. Since 1981, Belasco has been training young people to perform at higher levels, and the results are apparent in the lively display of talent on stage, and its impact on the audience, which visibly feeds the performers’ zeal. 

Their stories tell it, too. The show’s stars mostly grew up here; some of them are now cultivating careers, locally and internationally. Kamaria Ousley, who plays Dorothy (she was 15 in the 2000 show), was born in Oakland, went to Skyline and graduated from Berklee School of Music, and just performed at Jazzaar in Switzerland. Jonathan Smothers, The Cowardly Lion, also a Skyline grad, teaches voice in Oakland. Dave Abrams, The Scarecrow, has been with Belasco since age seven; his wild flair for acrobatic dancing shows his sports background. He’s just been accepted to UC Berkeley as a performing arts student. “Tinman” Phillip Harris is a Saint Mary’s High and an alumnus of the Young Musicians’ Program at UC Berkeley who toured in China this year and sang Threepenny Opera with UCLA Opera. Many others in the cast of 16 are students or grads of Skyline, Oakland School for the Arts, Berkeley High, or YMP—and more than a few have been with Belasco for years. 

The nine-member team of chorus and dancers sets up and plays off the leads, rocking especially, in a combination of show and street, to the big numbers, the show-stoppers. There’s “Ease On Down the Road,” The Tinman’s “Slide Some Oil to Me,” “Brand New Day” ... it seems like a song with a production number comes along every other minute in this part quick scan, part vaudeville, of the Oz story. 

Dr. Samuel Lewis (another Berkeley High grad), whose son once performed with Belasco, also came back to produce The Wiz, putting together funding from over 85 donors, corporate and individual. “An acronym in medicine, TNTC, means ‘too numerous to count,’” Dr. Lewis said when thanking the community for its backing. “Pediatrician by day, producer by night,” he’s also the liveliest spectator, with a stream of informative asides. When a little kid cried, frightened by a blackout between scenes, Dr. Lewis quipped, “I’m a pediatrician; they always know where to find me!” 

It’s a gutsy, fun, gratifying show—sensations clearly shared by audience, cast and production staff alike. 

THE WIZ 

Presented by Belasco Theatre Company at the Malonga Arts Cener, 1428 Alice St., Oakland. $15-$20. (925) 284-9544. www.belasco.org.

When a pompous old professor (James Carpenter as Serebryakov) and his alluring young wife (Sarah Grace Wilson as Yelena) take up residence with his relations by marriage on his late wife’s country estate, their extravagant style unsettles the household—and some of its visitors. It’s not just the professor’s pontificating, or the hours they keep, it’s the demands they make that get under everyone’s skin. 

Vanya (Dan Hiatt), brother to the professor’s late wife, and Astrov (Andy Murray), the district doctor (and reforestation enthusiast), both follow Yelena around like lovelorn schoolboys. They joke with her that, since she’s come, everybody has knocked off work, just talks ... is she a witch? No, Vanya proclaims, a siren. A landlocked mermaid who makes others restless. 

When Vanya goes to fetch her some “beautiful, melancholy autumn roses” (a lugubrious line that gets repeated), she sighs and says out loud but to herself, “September, already. How am I going to live through the winter?” 

Such posing for no one on particular, such absurd, self-regarding lines, are the stuff of existence for Chekhov’s gentry, whose lives dissipate in endless circles—the same games played out endlessly, as we see onstage in CalShakes’ production of Uncle Vanya, outdoors in the Bruns Amphitheater in Orinda, as September is indeed coming on. 

“The humor of everyday life,” I overheard a spectator say at intermission when Actors Ensemble staged Vanya in Stan Spenger’s production earlier this year. After generations of Stanislavski’s “pathetic” approach to Chekhov as melodrama, an approach Chekhov vociferously opposed, the pendulum seems to be swinging to comic interpretations of this unique playwright, as well as a few other modernists heretofore presented “pathetically”: Strindberg, O’Neill, Tennessee Williams, to name the most obvious. 

(Ironic, as humorous parodies of Chekhov’s eccentrics were so often played, are prominent in certain works by Bernard Shaw and others; the parody was closer to the mark than the “official” version.) 

Director Timothy Near of San Jose Rep presides over the cast, which, in part, reflects this interpretation, as does Emily Mann’s adaptation. Hiatt, Howard Swain (playing the cheerful and pathetic hanger-on, Waffles) and Joan Mankin (as Vanya’s mother, Maria Voynitsky) are all well-known in the Bay Area for their comic interpretations. 

The situation is ripe for humor—almost stretched to the point of soap opera. Vanya, whose endeavors managing the estate—along with his niece Sonya (Annie Purcell), the daughter of the professor and Vanya’s late sister—have supported the professor, whom Vanya has come to despise, as he regrets his own drab, middle-aged existence. Sonya lights up whenever the doctor comes—and the doctor comes for Yelena. Vanya carries on, the professor pontificates and complains, Yelena and Sonya try to patch things up ... in different combinations. They all revolve like the figures around a medieval clock. 

Chekhov’s style was considered strange, suspicious even, from the start. It seemed formless, concerned with little nothings; in the program, he’s compared to Beckett. Chekhov’s plays are modular, progressing less by plot than by vignettes between characters. The great director V. S. Meyerhold, who as an actor with Stanislavski premiered several Chekov plays and grew close to him, said Chekhov’s poetry was in the rhythm of the words, and allowed flashes of figurative poetry: “an old man dancing with a woman [in The Cherry Orchard] is, for a moment, Death—but just for a moment.” 

The cutting for this production has reduced this artful indirectness and cut down the possibilities for several promising performances: Carpenter as the professor, Swain as Waffles, Mankin as the obstreperous mother. What may seem like repetitions in the parts that were cut not only develop the rhythm but show the characters saying or doing similiar things with others—an important humorous mode. 

The choice of comic emphasis, since the “aha” tha Chekhov was a humorist (as he himself maintained), seems superficial. Dan Hiatt, a talented comic actor, puts in an atonally silly performance as Vanya—silly in the sense a sitcom protagonist is silly, plays it silly. His climactic scenes, which read as hysterical, embarrassing and very funny, lose most of their humor, a souffle that collapses after much comic buildup. (The streamlining of Chekhov’s indirection, of his characters’ indirectness as gentry, makes for uneven performances, too—Sarah Grace Wilson, often fine with her expressions and body language, has the languid Yelena speaking like an American college girl. Some of the problem may be in the adapted script.) 

And Chekhov’s most overtly humorous lines don’t get a laugh, aren’t played to get one: the doctor, a self-acknowledged misanthrope and yet one who insists “think global/act local,” constantly showing maps and charts to the uninterested, glances in a claustrophobic moment at a world map, smiles and says: “It must be stifling in Africa right now!”—or best of all, Vanya, blowing his stack: “If I’d led a normal life, I could’ve been a Schopenhauer or a Dostoyevsky!” Not a laugh ... 

(Though a Russian friend remarked that it was hard to tell how much of his humor was of the dark kind of a doctor who is also a patient, his helpless gentry should ring a bell in today’s atmosphere of entropy.)  

Nonetheless, some of the middle scenes work, if only in moments, and the bittersweet quality of summer fading into autumn, in lives and society as well as nature, brings a spark of sentiment—closer to Stanislavski’s noble conception—watching these quiet moments, broken by fits and starts, on Erik Flatmo’s radiant wood interiors exposed under a late summer sky. 

UNCLE VANYA 

Presented by California Shakespeare Theater Tuesdays-Sundyas through Aug. 31 at Bruns Memorial Amphitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., Orinda. Times vary. $52–$57.  

548-9666. www.calshakes.org.

Two new films in Berkeley theaters this week depict the dangers of demagoguery from two different perspectives—from the relatively small-scale harassment of the Hollywood 10, to the murderous horrors of Augusto Pinochet’s reign in Chile.  

Trumbo 

Dalton Trumbo was one of the Hollywood writers blacklisted after testifying before the House Un-American Activities Committee. He was perhaps the most brashly outspoken of the group, as well as the first to overcome the blacklist.  

Trumbo is a documentary based loosely on the play written by son Christopher Trumbo that starred Brian Dennehy in the title role. The film doesn’t adapt the stage play; instead it’s essentially a standard documentary, with interviews and archival footage, but interspersed with staged readings of Trumbo’s letters to family, friends, colleagues and enemies.  

Many actors are brought in for these readings, and several of them are quite good. The reasoning is obvious and a bit clumsy: By bringing in a range of well-known actors, the film’s box office appeal is increased. Another reason is to likely mirror that moment in Spartacus, written by Trumbo, in which a group of slaves stands up one at a time to cry out “I am Spartacus!” in a showing of solidarity. Here actors ranging in age and persona utter Trumbo’s words as if to say that his words are universal, that they speak to and through all of us.  

Trumbo’s letters were by turns poignant, flashy, bellowing, humorous and ribald, but they all share one thing in common: a delight in the beauty and rhythm and power of language. Some of these actors do a decent job: Joan Allen, Paul Giamatti, Liam Neeson, Michael Douglas. One in particular, Josh Lucas, does an absolutely lousy job, reading the dramatic eloquence of Trumbo with the inflections of a moody Gen. X slacker. But when David Strathairn and Dennehy take the role, they bring the power and grace and humor of Trumbo to the fore, and we wonder why the filmmakers couldn’t have simply stuck with these two for the duration. Strathairn handles it with gravity and force, staring down the camera; Dennehy brings out more of the raconteur, delivering the lines with a devil-may-care smile. Though the film has its moments, ultimately it just makes you wish you had seen the stage show.  

The Judge and the General 

When Chilean Judge Juan Guzman was assigned to investigate charges against the 17-year regime of Augusto Pinochet, dissidents had little reason to expect that justice would be served. In a government rife with corruption, and where judges also act as special investigators, it was expected that Guzman—who was not only a conservative, but a Pinochet supporter—would continue the practice covering of up the dictator’s crimes and deferring to the immunity that Pinochet claimed for himself.  

But Guzman proved himself to be a man of great courage and integrity. As documented in a new film, The Judge and the General, Guzman was able to put aside his biases and keep his mind open as he heard testimony and uncovered evidence that told a much different story than the one he had been to led to believe for so many years.  

The investigation “opened the eyes of my soul,” Guzman says, and through him the country itself seemed to be atoning for its sins. “A wounded country needs to know the truth.” 

The film, by Berkeley resident and PBS NewsHour correspondent Elizabeth Farmsworth and Patricio Lanfranco, is showing this week at Rialto Theater Elmwood in Berkeley and will show on PBS Tuesday, Aug. 19. 

TRUMBO 

Directed by Peter Akin. Featuring Brian Dennehy, David Strathairn, Joan Allen, Paul Giamatti, Liam Neeson, Michael Douglas, Donald Sutherland, Josh Lucas, Nathan Lane. 96 minutes. Playing at Shattuck Cinemas. 

THE JUDGE AND THE GENERAL  

Directed by Elizabeth Farmsworth and  

Patricio Lanfranco. 86 minutes. 

Playing at Rialto Theater Elmwood.