stage

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

theater
Opening

Les liaisons dangereuses 415 Geary; 749-2228, www.act-sf.org. $11-68. Previews Thurs/11-Sat/13, Tues/16, 8pm (also Sat/13, 2pm). Opens Sept 17, 8pm. Runs Sept 18-20, 24-27, Sept 30-Oct 4, and Oct 7-11, 8pm (also Sept 20, 24, 27, Oct 4, 8, and 11, 2pm); Sept 21, 28, Oct 5, 12, 2pm (also Sept 21, 7pm); Sept 23, 7pm. Through Oct 12. American Conservatory Theater performs director Giles Havergal's adaptation of Laclos's novel.

Performing Objects Stationed in the Sub World Lab, 2948 16th St; 864-8855. $10-20. Opens Wed/10, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Fri, 8pm (also Sept 20, 27, 8pm; no show Thurs/11). Through Sept 27. The Lab kicks off its 20th anniversary season with Carla Harryman's new experimental play.

Bay Area

Much Ado about Nothing Bruns Memorial Amphitheater, off Hwy 24 at Shakespeare Festival Wy/Gateway Exit, Orinda; (510) 548-9666, www.calshakes.org. $13-49. Previews Wed/10-Fri/12, 8pm. Opens Sat/13, 8pm. Runs Tues-Thurs, 7:30pm; Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 4pm. Through Oct 5. California Shakespeare Theater performs the romantic battle of the sexes.

The Old Neighborhood Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; (510) 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org. $28-40. Previews Fri/12-Sat/13 and Sept 17, 8pm; Sun/14, 2 and 7pm. Opens Sept 18, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Oct 19. Aurora Theatre Company performs David Mamet's three linked playlets about a man who returns to his childhood Chicago neighborhood.

Ongoing

Ain't It So and The Hundred Years War Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 364-3073. $20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through Sept 27. CJ Productions presents two one-acts: the first the tale of a friendship between two elderly African American couples, the second about a black man encouraged to vote for the first time in 1965.

Are We Almost There? Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 345-7575. $20-22. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Open-ended. Travel is the theme of this musical comedy revue.

Barriers Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa; www.asianamericantheater.org. $20. Thurs/11-Sun/14, 8pm (also Sat/13-Sun/14, 2pm). Asian American Theater Company and Despina Productions present Rehana Mirza's play about a South Asian family who experience backlash after Sept. 11.

'Comedy on the Square' Shelton Theatre, 533 Sutter; 522-8900. $15. Performances include "A Celebration of Silliness!," with Fred Anderson (Sun, 3 and 7pm; through Sept 28); Oakland Playhouse Improv Troupe (Sept 19-20 and 26-27, 10pm).

The Complete Condensed History of the Bay Area: Seafarers to Silicon Valley Aboard the Balclutha, Fisherman's Wharf, Hyde St. Pier; 561-6662, ext 11. $10-15. Sat, 8pm. Through Sept 20. Michael and Renee Oakes of Live Oakes Educational Theatre lead a fast-paced historical journey "from Ohlone to dot commers."

Daughter of the Floods Embarcadero Auto Showroom, Sansome at Broadway; 263-0414. $20-28. Sat/13, 8pm; Sun/14, 2 and 7pm. Tearany Theatre performs Marilee Talkington's site-specific play about a woman's journey toward enlightenment.

Devil in the Deck Climate Theater, 285 Ninth St; 364-1411. $15-25. Extended run: Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through Sept 27. Paul Nathan stars in his one-person show about a con artist named Jack Swindle who travels the world performing magic and cheating at cards. Combining card tricks with stories, Nathan weaves the tale of a life that begins with an inauspicious tarot reading, an experience that instills in its protagonist an obsession with cards and the determination to cheat them (and life) at every turn. The fusion of mysticism, magic, and straight-up duplicity is pleasing, and when Nathan shows us exactly how his mesmerizing tricks are done, we are reminded that just because it's artful deception, doesn't mean it's not magic. However, Nathan's storytelling is less beguiling than his card manipulations and Swindle's character remains as two-dimensional as the Jack of Spades that slips between his fingers, while his studied smarminess turns the women who fill his stories into little more than paper dolls. (Shalson)

42nd Street Golden Gate Theatre, One Taylor; 512-7770. $34-77. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Wed, Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. Through Sept 28. Best of Broadway presents the classic musical.

Kilt New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $18-38. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Oct 12. Jonathan Wilson's romantic comedy reconciles a mother and son through their mutual acceptance of the past. Esther (Cheryl Smith), a stern Scottish dance instructor and Canadian immigrant, drags her culturally Canadian son, Tom (Colin Stuart), away from his job as a kilt-clad table dancer at a gay nightclub, to the Glasgow funeral of his grandfather, a war hero he never knew. There are few real surprises under Kilt's colorful but predictable patterns. Moreover, the relationships don't always feel credible, and the second act sprawls a bit. But director Stephen Rupsch gets a lot from the snappy dialogue thanks to five sharp, sympathetic performances, especially Smith's proud but well-meaning Esther. (Avila)

Love's Labour's Lost Golden Gate Park, West of the Conservatory of Flowers; www.sfshakes.org. Free. Sat-Sun, 1:30pm. Through Sept 21. Show continues at various Bay Area parks through Oct 5. Unique among Shakespeare's comedies in that it doesn't end with a single marriage, Love's Labour's Lost is nonetheless a romantic romp in which skillful wooing is the name of the game. Winning requires surpassing the bounds of language: whether it's circumventing vows of celibacy or cleverly employing double entendres that communicate more than they say. Yet Lost isn't Shakespeare's wittiest or most intriguing work. Its "battle of the sexes" framework feels tired and doesn't translate well for a contemporary audience, and director Kenneth Kelleher's decision to transport the work to 1960s Italy doesn't help. One can only feel perplexed during the opening scene as to why this group of men in expensive suits (16th-century nobility turned 20th-century Mafia?) would give up drinking, food, and sex in order to devote themselves to scholarship. With many pelvic thrusts to accentuate suggestive lines, this production certainly goes for the easy laughs, but the cast succeeds in winning our affection, and for what it is, it's an enjoyable enough afternoon in the park. (Shalson)

'Pandemonium! An Evening in Hell with David Mamet and Gertrude Stein' Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079. $12-15. Thurs/11-Sat/13, 8:30pm; Sun/14, 7:30pm. Custom Made Theatre presents two rare one-acts pondering purgatory in the distinctive manner of two American wordsmiths. David Mamet's Bobby Gould in Hell revisits the rapacious Hollywood exec from Speed the Plow, Gould (Jason Nagel), answering for past sins in an underworld interrogation by a folksy, I'd-rather-be-fishing version of the devil (Richard Wenzel) and his benign assistant (Keith Madden). The ensuing game of cat and mouse sparks a pleasing barrage of insults and prevarications, marred only by some uneven acting. Things pick up, however, with the tetchy testimony of Gould's ex-girlfriend (Jennifer Dean), which has even the devil playing defense. Strong ensemble work and vivid staging make for an even more worthwhile rendering of Gertrude Stein's Dr. Faustus Lights the Lights, a minitragedy bathed in Stein's idiosyncratic nursery-rhymed drollery that suggests a bad dream by Dr. Seuss. Director Brian Katz updates the 1938 work slightly, casting Jeff Bredt's sympathetic Faust for the atomic age in shades of Einstein and Oppenheimer. A fine cast successfully puts across the drama in Stein's enigmatic repetitions, making a night in hell a lot sounder than it sounds. (Avila)

'San Francisco Fringe Festival' Various venues; (415) 673-3847, www.sffringe.org. $8 or less per show (10-show pass, $55). Wed/10-Fri/12, 7, 8:30, and 10pm (also Fri/12, 11:30pm); Sat/14, shows run 1-11:30pm. See "The Fringe x 12," page 49.

Scabaret! (Scab in the Family) Xenodrome, 1320 Potrero; 285-9366. $10-15. Wed/10-Sat/13, Sept 19-20, 26-27, 9pm. Through Sept 27. The performance troupe presents their eponymous "shock-rock opera," an exploration of the dark side of America.

Sleeping with Straight Men Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079. $20-30. Extended run: Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm (also Sun, 3pm). Through Oct 4. Dan Renzi (of MTV's The Real World) stars in Ronnie Larsen's comedy.

Spanked! New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $15-20. Fri/12-Sat/13, 8pm (also Sat/13, 10pm); Sun/14, 2pm (also Sun/14, 4pm). New Conservatory Theatre presents Los Angeles-based writer-performers, and real-life couple, Aaron Hartzler and Ian MacKinnon in an intimate autobiographical mélange of stories, confessions, and songs tracing similar memories of traumatic childhood spankings that became the basis of transformative sexual play in the twentysomething adults. With steady direction by Jacob Titus, Hartzler and MacKinnon candidly delve into their ambivalent relationships with their abusive fathers – one a detached academic, the other a Christian fundamentalist minister, both highly educated and charismatic men – while exploring in their own romance the ambiguous impulses toward affirmation, escape, mutual refuge, and an inevitable recapitulation of family history with its attendant shame and doubt. Sometimes messy, ingenuous, even trivial – a moment of stark vulnerability can too easily fly to the dizzy heights of mutual light-rock nostalgia, albeit solidly banged out on piano and guitar with effortless harmony – Spanked! is also bold, brash, and deeply felt. (Avila)

Thirst Thick House, 1695 18th St; 401-8081, www.thickdescription.org. $15-25. Thurs-Sun, 8pm. Through Sept 21. Thick Description presents the world premiere of Neena Beber's time-traveling story of unrequited love. Woven through with strands of literary romanticism from the early Henry James to Sleeping Beauty, the play takes the intimate but conflicted relationship between the historical James (Stephen Jacob) and his beautiful but frail cousin Mary Temple (Dena Martinez) and transposes it onto their reincarnated 21st-century counterparts Stuart and Caroline, an art collector and model respectively. The world of high art thus becomes the context for a many-sided competition between Stuart, Caroline, and an ambitious sculptor named Hans (Gabe Marin) – a love triangle overlaid with a volatile hierarchy of patron, artist, and muse that offers Beber the opportunity to explore countervailing impulses toward possession and freedom in both love and art. Skirting this arrangement is Stuart's secretly lovelorn friend Evelyn (Deborah Fink), herself a model of quiet desperation and hard-won insight. Director Tony Kelly and his capable cast nicely capture the play's spectral mood, its mix of listless entitlement, desperation, and an unquenchable thirst for connection and meaning. Moreover, Marin's winning performance as the boisterous artist acts as the perfect counterpoint to what would otherwise be a too stifling tendency toward preciosity in the generally excellent dialogue. (Avila)

*3 For All Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, Bldg B, third fl, Marina at Laguna; 474-8935. $12-20. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through Sept 27. The thought of finding yourself onstage before a sold-out house on opening night, without the least idea of what you will be doing for the next two hours, is normally the stuff of nightmares for actors. For improv champs Rafe Chase, Stephen Kearin, and Tim Orr, better known as 3 for All, it's just another gig. And if working without a script or rehearsal or an idea sounds like mere laziness, watching this trio – formed in 1996 to pursue a variety of improvisational comedy that pushes the limits of the form – rather brings to mind a masterful band of jazz musicians, sustained by quick wits, mutual chemistry, and some fancy footwork. The evening, which begins with short scenes prompted by audience suggestions and climaxes with a fully improvised "movie," also features improvised accompaniment by Joshua Raoul Brody on keyboard and Gerri Lawlor on lights. With serious chops and exceptional charisma, these etch-a-sketch artists are truly something else. And that means every night. (Avila)

A Thunderbird Night of Terror Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason, Ste 601; 289-6766, www.ticketweb.com. $17. Thurs-Mon, 8pm. Through Sept 20. Thunderbird Theatre Company's Night of Terror lives up to its name. During six shorts, the cast machetes its way through a variety of gory themes that would make any B-Movie aficionado foam at the mouth. By staging – with liberal dashings of fake blood and fright masks – the ritual sacrifice of virgins, drill-wielding homicidal maniacs running amok, and Satan sodomizing unsuspecting Satanists, very little is left to the imagination. The actors, as if obeying a constant stage direction to "ham it up and shout a lot," rush madly around, yelling their over-labored lines as if performing before an audience of 500 rather than 50. About as subtle as a severed ear swimming about in a vat of blood (and considerably less amusing), the performance, though misguided and ill-conceived, makes plain the violent strain in our hysterical, gore-mongering society. (Veltman)

Yohen Zeum Theater, Fourth St at Howard; 749-2228, www.act-sfbay.org. $11-24. Previews Wed/10-Thurs/11, 8pm. Opens Fri/12, 8pm. Runs Wed-Thurs, 7pm (also Sept 17, 1pm); Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2pm (also Sun/14, 7pm). Through Sept 27. ACT performs Philip Kan Gotanda's new play about a couple – an African American World War II veteran and his Japanese wife – who reevaluate their marriage after 30 years.

Bay Area

'Impact Briefs 6: Shock and Awe' La Val's Subterranean, 1834 Euclid, Berk; (510) 464-4468. $10-15. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through Sept 27. Impact Theatre presents an evening of ultrashort comedic plays.

Love and Taxes Berkeley Rep's Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949, www.zspace.org. $25-40. Wed/10-Sat/13, 8pm; Sun/14, 2:30 and 7pm. Bay Area "outsider" Josh Kornbluth premieres his latest monologue, recounting the famed nonconformist's "detour into the system" through the U.S. tax code. In his familiar conversational style, replete with acute observations, Spaulding Gray-like epiphanies, and visual aids, Kornbluth revisits his relationship with his beloved father, the eccentric communist celebrated in Red Diaper Baby. Unfortunately, in measuring the distance he must travel from his father's ideals to cope with a new relationship and new responsibilities, the show ends up dwelling on a less interesting cast of characters. (Avila)

Me and My Girl Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller, Mill Valley; (415) 388-5208. $28-45 (Tues, except opening night, pay what you can). Tues, Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Sept 18, 1pm; Sat/13 and Oct 4, 2pm); Wed, 7:30pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Oct 5. Marin Theatre Company and Allegro Theatre Company perform the musical about a Cockney lad who unexpectedly becomes an earl.

The Miser Shakespeare at Stinson, Hwy One at Calle del Mar, Stinson Beach; (415) 868-1115, www.shakespeareatstinson.org. $16-23. Fri, 7pm; Sat-Sun, 6pm. Through Oct 12. Shakespeare at Stinson performs an outdoor version of Molière's farce.

*Mother Courage and Her Children Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College, Berk; (510) 704-8210, www.shotgunplayers.org. Free. Sat/13, 4pm. (Also Sun/14, 4pm, John Hinkel Park, Southampton between San Diego and Somerset, Berk.) Judging by Shotgun Players' terrific production, Bertold Brecht's antiwar masterpiece Mother Courage and Her Children remains as fresh and vital to our day as it was to the war-wracked 1940s. The play, set in the wasting decades of the 17th century's Thirty Years War, focuses on Anna Fierling (a witty and commanding Trish Mulholland), a merchant woman known as "Mother Courage" because she once raced her canteen wagon across a battlefield to rescue her perishable inventory. Offering Mother Courage as its annual free performance, Shotgun Players knows what it's doing with Brecht, both politically and aesthetically. Under the astute care of artistic director Patrick Dooley, Mother Courage resists the maudlin and, for all of the genuine sadness the play evokes, conveys a stirring wit. (Avila)

My Gypsy Mills College, 5000 MacArthur, Oakl; (650) 960-3536. $20-25. Opens Wed/10, 8pm. Runs Fri/12-Sat/13, 8pm (also Fri/12, 2:30pm); Sun/14, 2pm. (Also Sept 19 and 27, 8pm; Sept 20-21 and 26, 2pm, Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna, S.F.) Continues at various Bay Area venues through Oct 26. A young Roma woman struggles with accepting her upcoming arranged marriage.

Nickel and Dimed Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro, Mtn View; (650) 903-6000, www.theatreworks.org. $20-48. Tues, 7:30pm; Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Sept 28. (Also, Brava Theater Center, 2789 24th St, SF; 415-647-2822. $18-32. Previews Oct 8-10, 8pm. Opens Oct 11, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through Nov 9.) Brava! for Women in the Arts and TheatreWorks present Joan Holden's adaptation of Barbara Ehrenreich's book about a woman working undercover in low-wage America.

The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci Berkeley Rep's Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org. $10-55. Opens Wed/10, 8pm. Runs Tues, Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Sat/13, 20, 27, and Oct 11, 2pm); Wed and Sun, 7pm (also Sun, 2pm). Through Oct 19. Berkeley Rep performs director Mary Zimmerman's adaptation of the Renaissance genius' notes on mathematics, philosophy, and other topics.

dance

Facing East Dance and Music McKenna Theater, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway; 338-2467. Fri/12 and Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through Sept 21. $18-22. See 8 Days a Week, page 58.

FatChanceBellyDance Magic Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; www.fcbd.com. Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2:30pm). $15-20. The company performs "Musette Arabe," a program of premiere and repertory works with live music by Helm.

Huckabay McAllister Dance Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 345-7575, www.hmdance.org. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $16-20. The company performs "Tending to Mortal Needs," a program including four premieres and three repertory works.

Mary Carbonara Dances Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St; 273-4633. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. $15-18. The company performs "Children's Stories," an evening of works choreographed by Carbonara and guest Heidi Schweiker.

Purple Moon Dance Project Yerba Buena Gardens, Mission between Third and Fourth Sts; 543-1718. Sat, noon-4pm. Free. The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival presents a free performance by the company, which, under the direction of Jill Togawa, "celebrates women living with life-threatening illnesses, women in recovery from abuse, and women as our elders."

Bay Area

Mark Morris Dance Group Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph, Berk; (510) 642-9988. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. $32-56. The company performs a repertory program that includes a world premiere set to Bartók.

Oakland Ballet Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakl; (510) 625-8497. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. $10-55. See Critic's Choice.

performance

'Amorales vs. Amorales (Challenge 2003)' Haas Atrium, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third St; 357-4000. Wed, 8 p.m. Free. See 8 Days a Week, page 58.

'Bay Area Hip Hop Theater Festival Preview' Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission; 978-ARTS. Fri-Sun, 8pm. $15-20. See 8 Days a Week, page 58.

'Being on the Outside' Jon Sims Center for the Arts, 1519 Mission; 776-7427. Sat-Sun, 8pm. Through Sept 28. $12-15. Director and choreographer Alice Shikina presents her new show, a collection of stories about "being on the outside looking in" written by a diverse group of playwrights.

Sandra Bernhard Brava Theater, 2789 24th St; 1-866-468-3399. Sept 16-21, 8:30pm. $25-30. The irrepressible comedian performs her latest "cabaret-eque" show.

'Fauxgirls!' Marlena's, 488 Hayes; 864-6672. Sat, 10pm. Free. Victoria Secret and Alexandria host a drag cabaret.

'Graham Norton: Red-Handed' Alcazar Theater, 650 Geary; 441-4042, www.tickets.com, www.cityboxoffice.com. Sept 16-20, 8pm. $40. The star of BBC America's So Graham Norton performs his solo comedy.

'Urban Momentum Dance Week' Somarts, 934 Brannan; flavorgroup.com/urbanmomentum. Sat, 5pm-midnight; Sun, 3-10pm. $15-50. This event features dance classes (check Web site for schedule) as well as two competitions (Sat, individual female dance contest; Sun, team dance contest).

'Women's Work' Venue 9, 252 Ninth St; 289-2000, www.venue9.com. Tues, 8pm. Through Sept 30. $8-10. This week in the ongoing multimedia performance series: Sara Sass' wallflowers, a dance work; Dattner's short film, "The Other Black Gold;" Eleanor Scott's solo play, Date Me; and Joani Rose and Friends performing the musical satire Under the Counter Culture.

Bay Area

Lucky Dog Theatre K of C Hall, 167 Tunstead, San Anselmo; (415) 564-4115, www.joyacory.com. Sun, 4pm. $15. The improvisational group performs unrehearsed tales based on audience suggestions; proceeds benefit Pine Street Medical Education and Research group.

Pan Theater 21 Grand, 449B 23rd St, Oakl; (510) 444-7263, www.pantheater.com. Fri, 8:30pm. $5-10. The improv troupe performs scenes based on audience suggestions.

comedy

Bazaar Cafe 5927 California; 831-5620. Tues, 8pm: "Doug Ferrari and Friends," stand-up comedy, free.

'Blue Blanket Improv' Check Web site for times and locations. www.blueblanketimprov.com. Blue Blanket Improv presents a free workshop and improv show. Ongoing.

BrainWash Café 1122 Folsom; 861-3663. Thurs, 8pm: Comedy open mic hosted by Tony Sparks, free.

Java Source 343 Clement; 387-8025. Fri, 10:30pm, and Sat, 10pm: Comedy open mic hosted by Tony Sparks, free.

Luggage Store Gallery 1007 Market; 255-5971. Tues, 8pm: Comedy workshop with Tony Sparks, $3.

San Francisco LGBT Community Center 1800 Market; 865-5633. Mon, 8pm: "Monday Night Gay Comedy," with host Stephanie Howard, $8-15 (sliding scale).

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 spoken word events and featured readers:

Wednesday: BrainWash Café 1122 Folsom; 440-5530. "Spoken Word Salon," with host Diamond Dave Whitaker, 8pm, free. Canvas Cafe 1200 Ninth Ave; 504-0060, mike@westcoastvideo.net. "Open Mic Talent Showcase," 7:30pm, free. Savoy Tivoli 1434 Grant; 905-8837. "Savoy Tivoli Reading Series," with host Mark Schwartz and featured reader Blake More, 8pm, free. California Historical Society 678 Mission; 338-3401, www.sfsu.edu/~poetry. "At Work: Writers on Labor," with Tillie Olsen, Reg Theriault, Sarah Menefee, and others, sponsored by the Poetry Center, 6pm, free.

Thursday: Coppa D'Oro Cafe 3166 24th St; 826-8003. "Poetry on the Patio," spoken word and acoustic music open mic with host Charlie Getter, 6:30pm, free. Dalva 3121 16th St; 753-8091. "Poetry Mission," with featured reader Don Brennan and host Elz, 7pm, free. Mediterranean Cafe 2475 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 549-1128. "Word Beat Reading Series," with featured readers Susan Birkeland and Lucy Day, 7pm, free.

Saturday: Caffe Sempione 641 Vallejo; 362-6317. "Caffe Sempione Reading Series," with featured reader Diamond Dave Whitaker, followed by open mic, 7pm, free.

Sunday: Cody's Books 2454 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 845-7852. Diane di Prima and Maria Mazziotti Gillan read poetry, 7:30pm, $2. Studio Z 314 11th St; 255-9035, ext 14, www.youthspeaks.org. "Second Sundays: The San Francisco Poetry Slam," with featured performer Danny Hoch, 8pm, $7-12.

Monday: Cafe du Nord 2170 Market; aklatte@sbcglobal.net. "Porch Light, A Storytelling Series," this month's theme is "www.whatthehellhappened.com," 6:30pm, $10. Priya Restaurant 2072 San Pablo, Berk; berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com. "Poetry Express," open mic hosted by Mark States and featured reader Selene Steese, 7pm, free.