Shattuck Cinemas is closing, as downtown loses another movie theater
Downtown Berkeley, which once boasted a half-dozen movie theaters, will soon be down to one.
Arts
Top Stories
Proposal for California Theatre would keep facade, add high-rise housing
A proposal to build “approximately 15 stories” of new housing behind the theater’s facade cleared an early hurdle this month.
Berkeley filmmaker’s documentary career has covered the saga of Korean adoptees
Deann Borshay Liem began her career exploring the mystery of her own identity. In ‘Geographies of Kinship, her latest film, she’s looking to place personal stories “within a broader historical phenomenon.”
Arts resource guide
Upcoming shows
OCTECT
Three-time Tony Award nominee Dave Malloy (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812) makes his Berkeley Rep mainstage debut with his latest award-winning off-Broadway hit.
Berkeley Rep
Apr 20, 2022–May 29, 2022
A Small Fire
Adam Bock’s meticulously crafted story follows Emily Bridges, a woman used to running everything — from her construction business to her family — until she suddenly begins experiencing mysterious changes. As her world shifts, her relationships transform in poignant and revelatory ways.
Shotgun Players
May 14, 2022–Jun 12, 2022
Full: The Gypsy Chronicles
Accomplished international recording artist and Oakland native Femi Andrades (FEMI) brings her latest project, “The Gypsy Chronicles,” to our performance space.
BAMPFA
Jun 3, 2022–Jun 3, 2022
SYMPHONIC III: REJOICE
REJOICE, the final concert of Berkeley Symphony’s 50th Anniversary Season is Sunday, June 12, 4pm at Zellerbach Hall, and features Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and a World Premiere by Berkeley-based composer Jimmy López Bellido. Free reception following the concert. Tickets start at $15.
Berkeley Symphony
Jun 12, 2022–Jun 12, 2022
WIVES
From Hemingway’s widow to a maharani in Rajasthan, from 16th century France to the campus of Oxbridge University today, the Great Men are left behind as their wives claim center stage in this irreverent celebration of female capability and power.
Aurora Theatre
Jun 24, 2022–Jul 24, 2022
Goddess
Berkeley Rep presents the world premiere of an exuberant new musical…
Berkeley Rep
Aug 13, 2022–Sep 25, 2022
Theater
Berkeley Rep’s melodic musical ‘Octet’ explores the cacophony of the internet
Dave Malloy’s ingenious a capella chamber opera about an internet addict support group pierces a stake into the heart of the net, song by glorious song.
Black Cal students’ theories of political change play out over decades in Aurora Theatre show
‘The Incrementalist,’ written by Berkeley City College professor Cleavon Smith, is steeped in Berkeley history and explores the ongoing conflict between students and the administration.
‘Endlings’ resists sentimentalizing elderly Korean deep-sea abalone divers
All’s not paradise for the aquanauts in a new Oakland Theater Project production. But one Korean-American character, both tempted and pressured by the white gaze, is cynically writing a play about them.
Music
Maureen Gosling’s new film explores the life and revolutionary times of jazz and blues vocalist Barbara Dane
From ‘Dry Wood’ to ‘Blossoms of Fire,’ filmmaker’s documentaries capture golden moments of art and culture.
Illicit concert series goes legit, but secret maps and moonlit merriment are here to stay
A Berkeley composer has been organizing hike-in covert concerts since 2018. Last weekend, blessed with city funding, he hosted Moonstruck’s first legal performance.
Berkeley drummer Scott Amendola and pals to play Saturday at California Jazz Conservatory
After two years lying low, Amendola hit the road for a brief tour. Now he’s back in the Bay Area fray, starting with a performance of his trio SticklerPhonics.
Books
Book review: A murder and a cover-up in 1960s Pakistan
Berkeley resident Aamina Ahmad’s stunning debut novel, The Return of Faraz Ali, follows a police detective assigned to cover up the death of a young girl.
Movies
CAAMFest films explore the complexities of the Asian-American experience
One movie looks at a man unjustly accused of murder; another examines a restaurant in Michigan contending with COVID-19 and racism.
As owners move to sell the California Theatre, fans try to save it
An unidentified prospective buyer has plans to “transform” the 108-year-old California Theatre, one of its owners says.
Visual arts
At Berkeley gallery, student photos of Hong Kong protests get rare showing
Organizers of the ‘Echoes of Defiance’ exhibition at Fourth Street Fine Art say it’s the first time student photos of the 2019 street protests have been shown overseas.
‘Pencils are my weapons’: Lava Thomas tackles lack of art by Black women in BAMPFA collection
The Berkeley artist was asked to sort through the museum’s holdings for a new show. She sought a way to hang erasure on the walls.
A day of music and dancing at the Asian Cultural Festival: Photos
The Asian Cultural Festival drew dancers and musicians to Downtown Berkeley Saturday.
Taller than 1 inch? You won’t fit into this Berkeley art gallery.
Andrea Scharff’s Art & Lit Gallery, opened in April 2021, rotates its selection every few weeks, showing miniature photographs, hand drawings, a Frida Kahlo exhibit and more.
Related stories
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Berkeley Rep snags Broadway hit ‘Dana H.’
The Tony-nominated solo show mixes true-crime drama and theatrical magic, opening at Berkeley Rep June 3.
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Shotgun Players’ ‘A Small Fire’ looks for a light in the long tunnel of illness
Adam Bock’s play, written years before the pandemic, was inspired by a stroke, but has new relevance.
Filmmaker Jon Else turns an operatic flop into cinematic gold
‘Land of Gold’ is making its West Coast premiere April 28 at the Castro Theatre as part of the San Francisco International Film Festival.
Humanitarian aid trip to Transylvania makes for must-see cinema at SF Film Festival
The annual celebration of cinema plants its East Bay flag at Pacific Film Archive. The festival runs through May 1.
Kamala Harris’ Berkeley ballet teacher fled the Russian Revolution and danced for royalty
Madame Bovie was a world-famous ballerina before teaching in Berkeley for 30 years.
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Aurora Theatre Company’s ’22-’23 season spans the centuries and the globe
A struggling jazz club and the appropriation of pho, a pared down Cyrano and a butch Greek goddess — all get their turn on the the stage.
It’s a new chapter for Charlie Winton, Berkeley book publisher turned rock ‘n’ roller
Winton’s songwriting ambitions remained dormant for decades, but he released his first album at age 66 and is now out with his second, ‘The Soul and the Shadow.’
