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Around Berkeley
👑 Berkeley Playhouse’s production of Cinderella Enchanted opens Friday, Nov. 4. Its twist on the classic fairytale imagines Cinderella as a “free-spirited Berkeley artist” and Prince Christopher into a “wealthy Silicon Valley romantic.” See website for details. Through Dec. 22. $33-$52
🕺Artist and choreographer Tanya Lukin Linklater, UC Berkeley’s Art Research Center fall 2023 artist-in-residence, leads a series of open rehearsals for “Ewako ôma askiy. This then is the earth” with invited dance artists Ivanie Aubin-Malo and Ceinwen Gobert responding to the cyclical, seasonal, affective, and formal qualities of selected works in “Duane Linklater: mymothersside” at BAMPFA. Thursday, Nov. 2, 3-7 p.m., Friday-Saturday, Nov. 3-4, 2-5 p.m. FREE with BAMPFA admission
📽️ Cinephiles and music lovers won’t want to miss CineSpin, a silent film and live music event organized by BAMPFA’s student committee. Three short films — Nikola Shpikovsky and Vsevolod Pudokin’s 1925 silent comedy Chess Fever, Sidney Peterson’s 1947 thriller The Cage, and Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí’s surrealist shocker Un chien Andalou — will be accompanied by original music composed by UC Berkeley student musicians. Friday, Nov. 3, 8:30 p.m. BAMPFA. FREE
🍷 The Gilman District Wine Block’s First Friday Block Party features wine, various pop-up chefs and live music. Friday, Nov. 3, 3-8 p.m. Donkey & Goat Winery, Hammerling Wines and Broc Cellars. FREE
🎭 Berkeley native Eisa Davis’ Bulrusher, a coming-of-age play showing at the Berkeley Rep through Dec. 3, follows a multiracial girl found as an infant floating in a basket on the Navarro River who meets a mysterious young Black woman from Birmingham. The Rep is holding free pre-show events on Black Theatre Night (Nov. 3) and Native Heritage Night (Nov. 10). Check Berkeley Rep’s website for details.
🛍️ Head West — an outdoor marketplace of 75 booths of makers, merchants, crafters and designers — is open this Saturday on Fourth Street. Saturday, Nov. 4, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 1717 Fourth St.
🎶 Le Jazz Hot Quartet, a slimmed down version of guitarist Paul Mehling’s Hot Club of San Francisco, plays a set of original new tunes and longtime favorites at the California Jazz Conservatory with violinist Evan Price, rhythm guitarist Jordan Samuels, and bassist Dexter Williams. Saturday, Nov. 4, 8-9:30 p.m. $20
🎨 College Avenue from Webster to Stuart will be closed to cars during the Fall Art & Shop Walk, organized by the Elmwood Business Improvement District. Sunday, Nov. 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. FREE
🎹 Back Room proprietor Sam Rudin, a pianist who dwells in cohabitation with blues and jazz, plays his monthly Sam’s Corner gig with regular triomates, bass maestro Doug Miller and inveterately grooving drummer Jeremy Steinkoler, and newcomer Verónica Freidkes, a Buenos Aires-born vocalist whose repertoire embraces tango, bossa nova, and standards from the American and Latin American songbooks. Sunday, Nov. 5, 7:30-9:30 p.m. The Back Room. $20-$25
🍷 Thirsty Thursdays are back, livening up the North Berkeley Farmers’ Market with local wine, craft beer, food, live music and games. Nov. 2 and Nov. 9, 3 p.m.-7 p.m. FREE
🎻 The UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its centennial season with performances of Benjamin Britten’s foundational Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (with Chancellor Carol Christ narrating), Bela Bartók’s Dance Suite, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s utterly joyful Seventh Symphony. Friday, Nov. 3 and Saturday, Nov. 4, 8 p.m. Hertz Hall. $5-$30
🎤 In a fascinating literary double bill sponsored by Poetry Flash, poet and jazz vocalist Lisa B celebrates the release of her new collection, God in Her Ruffled Dress from LA’s What Books Press, with Dick Cluster, a prolific translator of Spanish-language literature. Sunday, Nov. 5, 3 p.m. Art House Gallery & Cultural Center. FREE
🌸 Mandy Aftel, the founder of the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents in North Berkeley, will give a presentation and book signing in her backyard garden in partnership with Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore. Her new book, The Museum of Scent, gives readers a glimpse into the fascinating world of perfumery. Sunday, Nov. 5, 4 p.m. (Registration required)
🦾 Anime fans should take note: Rialto Cinemas Elmwood is showing Ghost in the Shell (1995), Director Mamoru Oshii’s thrilling cyberpunk Japanese animation film. Wednesday, Nov. 8 (Subtitled), and Thursday, Nov. 9 (Dubbed), 9 p.m. $12.50-$13.75
🎶 Babette’s Wednesday night music series has quietly turned into an essential showcase for creative music in the East Bay, a status confirmed by clarinetist Beth Custer’s November residency, which continues with cellist Jessica Ivry. Wednesday, Nov. 8, 6-8 p.m. $20 music charge with dinner
🎶 Pat Metheny’s Freight shows sold out quickly, but if you’ve got a hankering for boldly original guitar work, don’t sleep on Luca Stricagnoli, the Italian acoustic guitarist who has honed a wildly imaginative approach involving multiple axes and tunings, often on the same piece. Wednesday, Nov. 8, 8 p.m. Freight & Salvage. $22-$27
🍕 Halloween may have passed, but spooky season continues! Hidden beneath a pizza shop in the Northside area is a tiny basement theater showing immersive and intimate live shows. Theatre Lunatico is showing a double header of two classic spooky stories: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and A Rose for Emily. Check the theater’s website for details. Through Sunday, Nov. 5. La Val’s Pizza. Pay what you will ($15-$50 suggested donation)
🔥 The Metal Arts Guild San Francisco, ACCI Gallery and Enamel Guild have forged The Flame Within, their biennial collaborative exhibition showcasing metal sculptures, artwork, handmade jewelry and more. Exhibit open through Nov. 12. FREE
🤖 Patricia Milton’s The Engine of Our Disruption, a satire about artificial intelligence, is playing at the Berkeley City Club. Read our review. Check the Central Works website for details. Through Nov. 19. $15-$40
Beyond Berkeley
🩰 Now in its sixth year, the Oakland Ballet’s Luna Mexicana has become a yearly tradition celebrating Día de los Muertos and kicking off the ballet’s season. Expect an exciting choreography by the ballet’s Artistic Director Graham Lustig, colorful costumes, ofrendas, live music by Mariachi Mexicanisimo, and the return of Viva la Vida, a ballet inspired by the life and legacy of Frida Kahlo, co-choreographed by Martín Romero of the Hayward-based company Ballet Folklórico Mexico Danza and Graham Lustig. Friday, Nov. 3, 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 4, 2:30 p.m., see website for ticket pricing, Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway
🏌️Golf for a cause next week at this annual fundraiser for the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC), which serves over 1,000 local children each year through its afterschool and summer programs. The ticket price includes a gourmet breakfast, lunch, and dinner and access to the tournament, which will feature a bartender at every hole. Monday, Nov. 6, 11:30 a.m., $150-$700, Sequoyah Country Club, 4550 Heafey Rd.
If there’s an event you’d like us to consider for this roundup, email us at the-scene@berkeleyside.org. If there’s an event that you’d like to promote on our calendar, you can use the self-submission form on our events page.
The Oaklandside’s Arts and Community reporter Azucena Rasilla contributed reporting to this story.
MORE TO DO IN BERKELEY
Affordable things to do in Berkeley any day of the week
From farmers markets to trivia nights, we put together a roundup of events and activities held regularly in Berkeley.
