stage

Stage listings are compiled by Cheryl Eddy. Performance times may change; call venues to confirm. Reviewers are Robert Avila, Sima Belmar, Rita Felciano, and Brad Rosenstein. Theater intern is Lara Shalson. See 8 Days a Week for information on how to submit items to the listings.

theater

Opening

Bodies and Hearts in the Face of the Monster Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor; 841-1262. $15. Opens Fri/31, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through July 6. First Seen presents Toni Press-Coffman's comedy about a series of illicit love affairs in a small Midwestern city.

611 $upreme Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy; 561-1418. $15-25 (preview, pay what you can). Previews Fri/31, 8pm. Opens Sat/1, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat and July 1, 8pm. Through July 6. See 8 Days a Week, page 52.

Top Girls Exit Stage Left, 156 Eddy; 675-5995, www.crowdedfire.org. $12-25. Previews Thurs/30-Fri/31, 8pm. Opens Sat/1, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through July 6. Crowded Fire Theatre Company presents Caryl Churchill's exploration of the sacrifices women make in pursuit of power.

The World Goes 'Round: The Songs of Kander and Ebb New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972. $15-35 (Thurs/30, pay what you can). Previews Wed/29-Fri/31, 8pm. Opens Sat/1, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm (no show June 30). Through July 14. See 8 Days a Week, page 52.
Bay Area

Carnival Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High, Alameda; (510) 523-1553. $12-15. Opens Fri/31, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through June 29. The Altarena Playhouse presents Bob Merrill and Michael Stewart's musical that follows a woman who joins a circus troupe in war-torn France.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Bruns Memorial Amphitheater, Gateway Blvd exit off Hwy 24, Orinda; (510) 548-9666, www.calshakes.org. $13-46. Previews Wed/29-Fri/31, 8pm. Opens Sat/1, 8pm. Runs Tues-Thurs, 7:30pm; Fri-Sat, 8pm (also June 22, 2pm); Sun, 4pm. Through June 23. California Shakespeare Festival kicks off its 2002 season with Shakespeare's comedy.

Nunsense A-Men! Larkspur Cafe Theatre, 500 Magnolia, Larkspur; (415) 924-6107. $12-30. Previews Thurs/30, 8pm. Opens Fri/31, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun/9, 3pm. Through June 22. Hoochi-Doo Productions presents Dan Groggins's all-male version of his musical comedy Nunsense.

Ongoing

Ain't Misbehavin' Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, 620 Sutter; 474-8800. $22-30. Thurs-Sat, 8pm (no shows Thurs/30-Sat/1); Sun, 2pm (no show Sun/2). Extended through June 16. The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre presents the musical, set in 1930s Harlem and featuring the music of Fats Waller.

Are We Almost There? Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 345-7575. $12-15. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Open-ended. Travel is the theme of this musical comedy revue.

Cockroach Infestation New Langton Arts, 1246 Folsom; 776-7247. $12-15. Thurs/30-Sat/1, 8pm; Sun/2, 3pm. Steve Lyons's comedy tells the tale of two mismatched roommates: flaky, passionate Simone (Mara Luthane) and sensible, acerbic Jenny (Sarah J. Mitchell). When fate brings together Simone's fling of the moment, a shady performance artist named Doug (Jim Eckhart), and Jenny's straight-arrow computer programmer fiancé, Don (Michael J. Symonds), it's the men who seem to make the strongest connection, hatching a wild but potentially lucrative dot-com scheme to offer online funerals. Lyons's script is diverting but lightweight stuff, an intriguing collision of worlds that gets resolved too superficially. But director Dawson Moore's frenetic production goes zooming way over the top, squelching any sense of underlying reality or stakes and pushing the volume and mugging to increasingly unfunny extremes. (Rosenstein)

'EROShambo' OmniCircus, 550 Natoma; 701-0686. $8-15. Runs Fri, 9pm. Through June 28. OmniCircus presents DeusMachina in an "erotic robotic cabaret" that features live music, robots, and puppets.

Fat Men in Skirts Studio 210, 3435 Cesar Chavez; 621-4736. $5-10. Fri/31-Sat/1, 8pm. Flux Theatre Company performs Nicky Silver's black comedy about a mother and son stranded on a desert island.

*Five Flights Thick House, 1695 18th St; 401-8081. $15-20. New schedule for extended run: Wed/29-Sat/1, 8pm (also Sat/1, 2pm); Sun/2, 2 and 5pm. Five Flights is a fable of faiths in collision, each of its characters desperately looking for something or someone to believe in. Kent Nicholson crafts a gem of presentational staging in perfect sync with playwright Adam Bock's self-conscious structure. Unfortunately, the play loses steam as it strains toward a conclusion of difficult grace. Still, Bock remains a tremendously exciting talent, and you couldn't ask for a better production than this one by the Encore Theatre Company. (Rosenstein)

*Fool for Love Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079. $14-16. Thurs-Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 7:30pm. Through Sun/9. Sam Shepard's take on obsessive love and loss is as much about masculinity and femininity as it is about the ties that bind and gag. Directors J. Grinde and M. Murphy have picked up on this and put it to good use in their alternatively gender-cast version. There are moments when, in playing it for laughs, this UStickEm production loses some of Shepard's depth, but this version adds nuances of its own: the discussion about the differences between a "man" and "guy" had me laughing so hard it brought tears to my eyes. (Shalson)

For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again Geary Theater, 415 Geary; 749-2228, www.act-sfbay.org. $11-61. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Sat and Wed/5, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. Through Sun/9. Carey Perloff directs Olympia Dukakis in celebrated Quebecois playwright Michel Tremblay's tribute to his mother. American Conservatory Theater's Marco Barricelli plays the 50-year-old narrator recalling moments from boyhood to young adulthood shared with his beloved Nana. Dukakis brings a sympathetic American inflection to Nana, and Barricelli (whose job as devoted son amounts mainly to sitting still and paying attention) delivers an able if uninspired performance. Despite their charm (and a last-minute apotheosis) these scenes feel too limited, as if malingering just beyond reach of a larger play or the discipline of a plotline. (Avila)

Greater America The Next Stage, 1620 Gough; 841-1262. $15. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through Sun/9. First Seen and Bare Bones Theater Company present the world premiere of Katherine Murphy's black comedy about a dysfunctional family.

How to Be a Secret Agent Girl as Seen on Television and in Movies Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 289-2000. $10-15 (Thurs, pay what you can). Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Extended through Sat/8. Cathleen Daly's comedic exploration of the female psyche, a Fringe Festival favorite, returns for a full run.

Knuckles and Crunch Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079. $15-24. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm (also Mon/3, 3pm). Through Sat/8. Theatre Rhinoceros artistic director Doug Holsclaw (The Last Hairdresser) offers up his first play in three years, directed by Adele Prandini. A revamped Of Mice and Men, the play follows the lives of two army buddies, both dishonorably discharged under shady circumstances and consequently adrift and unemployable. Knuckles is the oversized but gentle simpleton who might easily love a smaller creature to death, while Crunch (as in Cap'n) is the one with all the ideas. The two find work in a gay bar in Columbus and are drawn into the lives of the men who work there: the seedy owner, his go-go dancer boy-toy, and the African American DJ who will never be given a job behind the counter by the racist owner. Interjected in the plot are scenes from a New York disco, featuring some superb musical drag performances. Brian Yates Sharber is especially enchanting in his double role as Ms. Loretta Fox and the DJ. (Shalson)

Malambo Theatre on the Square, 450 Post; 433-9500. $35-50. Tues-Thurs, 8pm; Fri-Sat, 8:30pm (also Sat, 3pm); Sun, 3 and 7pm. Through June 16. Luis Bravo (Forever Tango) presents the world premiere of his new Argentine dance and theater production.

Les Misérables Curran Theatre, 445 Geary; 512-7770. $30-85. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Wed, Sat-Sun, 2pm). Through Sun/9. Jean Valjean and company return to San Francisco.

Mr. Mystic Presents the Danger Tour Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 249-9177. $10-15. Fri-Sat, 10:30pm. Through Sat/8. Performer Mr. Mystic presents "hilarious feats of mystery and daring."

Now, Do What? The Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750. $10-17. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through Sat/8. White Noise Radio Theatre presents their latest sketch comedy show.

Pipe Dream Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson; 255-8207. $15-27. Thurs-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 6pm; Sun, 3pm. Through June 9. 42nd Street Moon presents Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1955 Tony winner, a musical set on Cannery Row.

The Ritz New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972. $18-35. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun/2, Sun/9, and June 16, 2pm (additional matinees June 30 and July 7, 2pm; Wed-Sat shows run through June 29 only). The New Conservatory Theatre Center presents Terrence McNally's play about a straight guy who evades the Mafia by hanging out in a gay bathhouse.

*Shakespeare's R&J New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972. 861-8972. $18-35. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun/9, June 16 and 23, 2pm. Through June 29. The spoken words are almost exclusively Shakespeare's, but the context puts a unique spin on this classic tale of forbidden love. Playwright Joe Calarco gives us Romeo and Juliet, in all of its melodramatic magnificence, as performed by four Catholic school boys. As the youths act the parts of Shakespeare's play, their own stories of repression and desire come through in their exchanged looks and momentary breaks in character, where shrugging off a line or delivering it with pointed intensity serves to lend it new meaning. The result is a version of Romeo and Juliet that is self-conscious while remaining genuinely moving: the balcony scene (featuring actors Brent Rosenbaum and Taylor Valentine) is a treat in itself. (Shalson)
Bay Area

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) Highway One at Calle del Mar, Stinson Beach; (415) 868-1115, www.shakespeareatstinson.org. $13-23. Fri-Sat, 7pm; Sun, 6pm. Through June 30. Shakespeare at Stinson presents a play that tears through all of Shakespeare's repertoire.

*The Entertainer Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; (510) 843-4822. $26-35. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through June 16. On the heels of the seminal Look Back in Anger (1956), John Osborne shrewdly advanced his biting critique of postwar England by juxtaposing the tawdry escapism of the music hall comedy with the earthbound tribulations of a showbiz clan. Against the backdrop of the Suez Crisis, Jean Rice (Emily Ackerman) flees a stifling relationship only to share in her family's unraveling by a host of worries, foremost among them her half-brother Mick, who is sent to war in the Middle East. Ackerman exudes a quiet but helpless defiance as Jean, a squashed rebel amid the traditionalism of her grandfather Billy (the very fine Edward Sarafian) and stepmother Phoebe (the equally astonishing Phoebe Moyer). Charles Dean heads the exceptional cast (which also includes Alex Moggridge as Jean's half-brother Frank), brilliantly embodying the slippery patriarch and doomed showman Archie Rice, the unlikely conscience in a world of implacable social forces, where survival demands the superficiality, reverie, and egoism of the entertainer – an ethic summed up in Archie's bittersweet theme song, "Why Should I Care?" Aurora Theatre Company's producing director Tom Ross admirably balances the mixture of fantasy and realism so integral to this resonant theme and our sleepwalking age. (Avila)

Homebody/Kabul Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949. $38-54. Tues and Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Sat/8, June 15 and 22, 2pm); Wed and Sun, 7pm (also Sun, 2pm). Through June 23. While much has been made of Tony Kushner's "prescience" in writing his latest play, Homebody/Kabul, long before Sept. 11, the play is about much more than the events of the moment. The focus begins intimately in the living room of the Homebody (Michelle Morain), an obsessive reader who has settled in with a quaint but informative 1965 travel guide to Kabul. Surprisingly, this armchair traveler decides to go explore the world she has only read about. This three-hour-and-forty-minute evening is absorbing, witty, fierce, and intelligent, but it's hard for Kushner to top the Homebody's astounding opening monologue. Like the script, Tony Taccone's direction has its rough spots, but his work here bristles with attentiveness and dynamism. (Rosenstein)

Love Is the Law La Val's Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid, Berk; (510) 464-4468. $7-12. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through Sat/8. Impact Theatre premieres Zay Amsbury's play about a raver who falls in love with an undercover DEA agent.

Medea UC Theatre, 2036 University, Berk; (510) 704-8210. $10-18. Thurs/30-Sat/1, 8pm; Sun/2, 7pm. The Shotgun Players' Medea has brought new life to the UC Theatre, an ideal home for Euripides' classic tale of betrayal and revenge. The venue is particularly well suited to director Russell Blackwood, whose trademark affinity for Grand Guignol is reflected in this production's approach – a combination of art nouveau stylization and metatheatrical self-consciousness. Actor Beth Donohue's Medea reveals layer after layer of emotional complexity; she possesses the fury of a woman scorned intermingled with vulnerability, regret, and a master's relish of her own cunning. Unfortunately, nothing else in this production comes close. The other casting is uniformly weak, and Blackwood's melodramatic approach is only intermittently successful, uncertain in its balance of earnestness and camp. (Rosenstein)

Two for the Seesaw Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller, Mill Valley; (415) 388-5208. $24-40. Tues-Thurs, 7:30pm; Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat/8, 2pm); Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Sun/9. Marin Theatre Company performs William Gibson's comedic drama, set in 1950s New York.

What Cats Know Transparent Theater, 1901 Ashby, Berk; (510) 883-0305. $20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through Sun/9. Lisa Dillman's darkly comic chronicle of the manipulations and sexual jealousies brewing between four "friends" begins promisingly. But Dillman can't seem to figure out who really wants what from whom, and the story feels so haphazard that the play begins to seem endless. Rebecca J. Ennals's paceless direction doesn't help, and two and a half hours in this bunch's company is more than enough. Because there are so few plays that render the current generation with anything approaching honesty, you can see what attracted Transparent Theater to this project. But the play needs a lot more than "real life" going for it: it needs to make us care. (Rosenstein)

dance

The Don't Quit Your Day Job Dancers Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon; 258-0558. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. $20. The troupe performs Fearless Beauty, a two-act dance play.

Joe Goode Performance Group Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission; 978-ARTS. Fri-Sun and Wed/5-Thurs/6, 8pm. Through Sun/9. $20-30. The company presents the world premiere of Mythic, Montana; also on the program is last season's What the Body Knows.

Jo Kreiter/Flyaway Productions Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission; 978-ARTS. Wed-Sun, 8pm. $12-20. See Critic's Choice.

Peters-Wright CreativeDance Palace of the Legion of Honor, Florence Gould Theater, near 34th Ave and Clement; 931-0365. Sun, 2pm. $12-15. The faculty and students of Peters-Wright Creative Dance perform The Land of Miracles, their 90th annual afternoon of dance.

Purple Moon Dance Project SomArts Cultural Center, 934 Brannan; 552-1105. Thurs-Fri, 8pm. $10. As part of the United States of Asian America Festival, the company presents "Cultures Crossing," a program that draws on modern, west African, Japanese, and Filipino dance styles.

Stephanie Schaaf and Sue Roginski ODC Theater, 3153 17th St; 863-9834. Thurs-Sun, 8pm. $15-17. The choreographers present "Dust and Other Stories," an evening of dance that features two premieres and two older pieces set to live and original music. 'Trajectories' Dance Mission, 3316 24th St; (650) 570-6846. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $10-15. The Spinning Yarns Dance Collective presents an evening of dance featuring work by Jenice Acosta, Susan Donham, Jennifer Gwirtz, Joe Landini (featuring dancers from Big Moves), Rebecca Pappas, and Marisa Pugliano.
Bay Area

Attitude Dance Company Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College, Berk; (925) 798-1300. Sat, 2 and 8pm. $8-12. The company presents "Dream a Dance," a program combining jazz, hip-hop, street funk, modern, and other styles.

Luna Kids Dance Mills College, Haas Pavilion, 5000 MacArthur, Oakl; (510) 525-4339. Sat, 7pm. $12. The Luna Kids Dance faculty choreograph an evening of dance for their students at this 10-year anniversary celebration.

Western Ballet Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro, Mountain View; (650) 903-6000. Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat-Sun, 2pm). $18.50-22.50. The company presents a new interpretation of the Prokofiev favorite Cinderella.

White Oak Dance Project Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph, Berk; (510) 642-9988. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. $36-62. See 8 Days a Week, page 52.

performance

'Circus Proboscis: A Sneeze of Freaks' Goat Hall, 400 Missouri; 662-6826. Fri/31, Fri/7, Sat/8, and June 15, 8pm. $10-15. Karen Penley's performance piece is a circus-themed exploration of the world of language.

'The Element of Temporary 3' Southern Exposure Gallery, 401 Alabama; 1-866-841-9139, ext 4255, www.elementoftemporary.com. Thurs, 6-10pm. $3-10. See 8 Days a Week, page 52.

'It's a Femme Thing' San Francisco LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market; 865-5611, www.queerculturalcenter.org. Sun, 7pm. $15-20. As part of the National Queer Arts Festival, writers C.C. Carter and Maiana Minahal perform solo works.

'Homage to Jose Rizal' Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa; 621-7978. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. $15. Nemesio Paredes Flamenco Ensemble presents a tribute to the Filipino hero through dance, music, poetry, and a flamenco adaptation of one of his works.

National Queer Arts Festival opening-night gala San Francisco LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market; 865-5611, www.queerculturalcenter.org. Sat, 7pm. $25-100. See 8 Days a Week, page 52.

'R x D = [eros] x [ethnicity]' Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia; 626-2787. Wed, 8pm (also June 26 and July 13). Call for price. This performance is held in conjunction with an art installation that explores how cultural identities affect relationships.

'Til Friday' Club Rendez-vous, 1312 Polk; 309-CLUB. Fri, 10:30pm and midnight. Free. A cast of drag performers – including Cockatelia, Gypsy Calabrese, Sonfondaboyz, Manley Lennox, and Karen Kill – takes the stage; this week's theme is "Get Funked Up."

'The Twin's Mistress' Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 289-2000. Wed, 8pm. $6-10. Venue 9's "Meet the Beat" spoken word-music series continues with a night featuring poet Ronald Sauer, Jesse Redpond, and Gaya Jenkin, plus musicians Paula O' Rourke, Christian Got, and Micah Ball.

'Two Men Talking' San Francisco LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market; 865-5611, www.queerculturalcenter.org. Sun, 2pm. $15. Part of the National Queer Arts Festival, this dramatic dialogue explores the relationship between two men who went from being enemies during their South African boyhood to friends during New York's AIDS crisis.
Bay Area

'Boxing with Ghosts: Tales of Death and Resurrection' Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut, Berk; (510) 845-3332. Fri, 8pm. $8-15. Soapstone Theater Company – comprising ex-offenders and survivors of violence – performs a play based on members' real-life experiences.

'In Search of My Clitoris' La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 849-2566. Thurs-Fri, 8pm. Call for price. Sia Amma performs her humorous show about female circumcision.

'Masques of the Goddess: Goddesses of Beauty and Inspiration' The Black Box, 1928 Telegraph, Oakl; (510) 451-1932. Fri, 8pm. $10-15. This performance about the seasonal wheel of human life features original masks of deities by artist Lauren Raine.

'Oaktown Blue' Alice Arts Center, 1428 Alice, Oakl; (510) 433-9799. Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm). $18-20. Dance with Reason presents an original work that incorporates dance, theater, spoken word, and music in an exploration of West Oakland's artistic past.

'Remember Me O' Lord' Black Repertory Group, 3201 Adeline, Oakl; (510) 719-8466. Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2:30pm); Sun, 5pm. Call for price. Black Repertory Group presents the gospel stage play by Toni Houston.

comedy

Bayfront Theater Fort Mason Center, Bldg B, Third fl, Marina at Laguna; 474-8935. Thurs, 8pm: "The Belfry Presents: Musical May," $7. Fri, 8pm: "Improvised Shakespeare," $12. Sat, 8pm: "The Summer Games!," $12; 10:30pm: "Eat the Apple," all-female comedy, $7. Sun, 8pm: "Sunday Players Present: The Ring Tournament," team improv competition, $6.

Davies Symphony Hall 201 Van Ness; 421-TIXS, www.ticketmaster.com. Tues/4-Wed/5, 8pm: "An Evening with Ellen Degeneres," $29.25-39.25.

Great American Music Hall 859 O'Farrell; 1-866-468-3399, www.ticketweb.com. Tues, 9pm: Comedian David Cross performs with bands Ultrababyfat and Arlo, $15. See 8 Days a Week, page 52.

Java Source 343 Clement; 387-8025. Fri, 10:30pm: Comedy open mic with hosts Greg Jones and Tony Sparks, free.

New Pisa 550 Green; 207-0285, www.northbeachimprov.com. Fri, 9pm: "North Beach Improv," with host Uncle Vinny Rizzo, $10.

Rasselas 1534 Fillmore; 921-2051. Mon, 9pm: "All Black Comedy Showcase," with Yayne Abeba, Tony Sparks, and others, free.
Bay Area

Black Box 1928 Telegraph, Oakl; (510) 595-5597. Thurs, 8pm: The Oakland Playhouse improv troupe performs improv comedy, $5. Sat, 8pm: The Oakland Playhouse presents a special evening-length comedy show, $10.

spoken word

Open mics take place almost every night in cafés throughout the Bay Area. If you want to perform, show up about half an hour before start time to put your name on the list. A day-by-day guide to word events and featured readers:

Wednesday: Cody's Books 2454 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 845-7852. "Poetry Flash," with Gerald Nicosia and Ted Sexauer, 7:30pm, $2. La Peña Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 849-2572. "Cafe Poetry," hosted by Rain, 7:30pm, donations accepted. Mama Bears Women's Bookstore 6536 Telegraph, Oakl; (510) 506-3717. "SheSpeaks," open mic night for women 18 and over, 7:30pm, $5. Starry Plough 3101 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 841-2082. "The Berkeley Slam!," with hosts Charles Ellik and dani eurynome, 8pm, $7. BrainWash Cafe 1122 Folsom; 864-3842. "Spoken Word Salon," open mic with host Diamond Dave Whitaker, 8pm, free.

Thursday: Café 1428 1428 Alice, Oakl; (510) 239-2239, ext 2899. "Poet Skool," open mic with host Paradise Freejahlove, 7pm, donations accepted. Pond 214 Valencia; pondpeople@mucketymuck.org. "Siege Machines: Readings by Experimental Women Writers," with Mary Burger, Laura Moriarty, and Camille Roy, 8pm, free.

Friday: Yakety Yak Coffee House 679 Sutter; 285-2951. Open mic with Victor Damian, 7:30pm, free. Boadecia's Books 398 Colusa, Kensington; (831) 423-3064. Ellen Bass reads poetry, 7:30pm, free.

Saturday: Public Library West Branch, 1125 University, Berk; (510) 527-9905. The Bay Area Poets Coalition hosts an open reading, 3pm, free.

Sunday: Bird and Beckett Books and Records 2788 Diamond; 586-3733. Poetry with C.B. Follett, 4:30pm, followed by open mic until 6pm, then a jazz jam till 8pm, free. The Black Box 1928 Telegraph, Oakl; (510) 451-1932. "Birth of Verse," poetry slam and discussion featuring Clare Lewis, 8pm, $5.

Monday: Berkeley Bakery and Café 1561 Solano, Berk; dreamboogie@yahoo.com. "Poetry Express," open mic (this week's theme is "love and marriage") with host Mark States, 7pm, free. Notes from Underground Café 2399 Van Ness; 928-8904. "Celebration of the Word," with host Jeanne Powell, 7pm, free. Rasselas Jazz 1534 Fillmore; 346-8696. Open mic for instrumentalists, singers, and poets, featuring the Dee Spencer Trio, 8pm, free.