CHEKHOV ON CAMPUS Some of the best theater in town is put on by the students in UC Berkeley’s Department of Theater, Dance and Performance Studies. The department is presenting Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, a classic tale of 20th-century social upheaval. This production, which opens Friday at Zellerbach Playhouse on the UC Berkeley campus and runs through Sunday, Nov. 1, is directed by senior lecturer Lura Dolas and based on a new translation by Libby Appel. “It’s a play about love and hope, fear and denial,” Dolas says, “as well as giving up treasured beliefs and ways of life, and looking to the future–rushing headlong into it.” Tickets are $13-$20, and can be purchased online through the TDPS Box Office or at the door.
CIRCUS FUNDRAISER A glassblowing circus? What kind of creations might come out of that? You will have a chance to see on Saturday at 6 p.m. when the Berkeley Bohemian Glassblowing Cooperative hosts The BeBo Family Hot Glass Circus at 701 Bancroft Way near Bolivar Drive. The members of the cooperative will be blowing glass with a circus theme all evening – in costume. There will be pizza cooked in the kiln, drinks, and live music performed by The Bohemian Family Band. The event is free, but it is a fundraiser to support the cooperative, which was formed in 2014 to support a glassblowing studio started 20 years ago by Lee Miltier, so donations are encouraged.
JAZZ ENSEMBLE What could be better than good eats and good music in an intimate neighborhood café? If that sounds like your idea of a good time, then head over to Café Leila at 1724 San Pablo Ave. near Virginia Street on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. The Éclair de Lune Gypsy Jazz Ensemble will be playing three sets of their signature, soulful, acoustic Gypsy Jazz music.
INSIDE THE CITY CLUB Have you ever driven by the gorgeous, Julia Morgan-designed Berkeley City Club at 2315 Durant Ave. near Ellsworth Street and wondered what it looks like inside? You may have seen photos of its elegant pool and well-appointed rooms. Well, now you can see the club in person and learn all about its construction. On the fourth Sunday of every month, except December, docents lead a tour around the building nicknamed “The Little Castle.” The tour starts Sunday at 1 p.m. The tour is free, but donations are accepted.
BACS BENEFIT Berkeley Animal Care Services takes care of the lost, abused, stray and unwanted animals in the cities of Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville and Piedmont. Now you can help support all the work they do at a rollicking benefit. The bluegrass bands Front Country and Colonels of Truth will be at Freight & Salvage Sunday at 1 p.m. The BBC has called Front Country “the biggest new bluegrass band in America.” The Colonels of Truth call their music “Northern California Neo Bluegrass Anti-Folk Urban Gospel Alt Country Americana.”
Don’t miss these other weekend events featured on Berkeleyside:
Jazz’s cool queen gets hot with Swing Fever
Wasted: A novel set in Berkeley’s recycling world
Big Screen Berkeley: Experimenter, the amazing Nina Simone
Thirteen for Halloween group art show
For more events in and around Berkeley, check out Berkeleyside’s Events Calendar. Submit your own events there — the calendar also offers options for making your event stand out.
