Opening

Back of the Throat Thick House, 1695 18th St; 401-8081, www.thickdescription.org. $15-25 (previews, audience members are paid $1 to attend). Previews Sat/16, 8pm; Sun/17, 5pm. Opens Mon/18, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Through May 15. Thick Description and Golden Thread Productions present the world premiere of Yussef El Guindi's play about a Department of Homeland Security investigation gone awry.

Confessions of a Mormon Boy New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $25-30 (preview, $20; opening night, $35). Previews Wed/13, 8pm. Opens Thurs/14, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through April 24. Steven Fales's autobiographical solo show examines his unusual life as a gay Mormon.

Kimberly Akimbo SF Playhouse, 536 Sutter; 677-9596, www.ticketweb.com. $30 (opening night, $50). Previews Thurs/14-Sat/15, 8pm. Opens Sat/16, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm). Through May 21. SF Playhouse performs David Lindsay-Abaire's drama about a girl who is 16 going on 60, thanks to a rare condition that causes her to age rapidly.

Matty and Lenny at the Edge of a Sunday Dawn Next Stage, 1620 Gough; 508-1808. $10-15. Previews Thurs/14, 8pm. Opens Fri/15, 8pm. Runs Sat/16 and April 22, 8pm; Sun/17 and April 23, 2pm. Through April 23. RubberMatchSeriez presents Rey Carolino's dark romantic comedy.

Bay Area

Bubbling Brown Sugar Black Repertory Group, 3201 Adeline, Berk; (510) 652-2120. $12-15. Opens Fri/15, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2:30pm). Through May 14. Black Repertory Group performs Loften Mitchell's exploration of Harlem's golden age, featuring famous songs from the era ("Ain't Misbehavin'," "God Bless the Child," etc.).

The People's Temple Berkeley Rep's Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org. $10-55. Previews Fri/15-Sat/16 and Tues/19, 8pm; Sun/17, 7pm. Opens April 20, 8pm. Runs Tues, Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Thurs and Sat, 2pm; no 2pm shows April 21, 30, May 5, 14, and 19; no show May 27); Wed and Sun, 7pm (also Sun, 2pm). Through May 29. See "Whose Story?"

Ongoing

As You Like It Curran Theatre, 445 Geary; 512-7770, www.ticketmaster.com. $40-72. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Wed and Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. Through May 1. Sir Peter Hall's production of the Shakespeare comedy comes to San Francisco as part of the Best of Broadway series.

Beautiful Child Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079, www.therhino.org. $15-28. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3 and 7pm. Through April 24. See "Family Portrait."

Beyond Therapy Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter; 433-1226, www.jeanshelton.com. $20-25. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Open-ended. The Shelton Theater brings back Christopher Durang's comedy about therapists and their patients.

*Blood Relative Traveling Jewish Theatre, 470 Florida; 285-8080, www.atjt.com. $12-35. Thurs/14-Sat/16, 8pm; Sun/17, 2 and 7pm. Also runs at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College, Berk. Same price and phone. Opens April 21, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Fri, 8pm; April 24 and 30, 2 and 7pm; May 1, 2pm. Through May 1. A young man (Ibrahim Miari), the child of a Jewish father and an Arab mother, retreats into his apartment following a violent incident on his way home. There, after trashing the room in a fit of rage, he retreats even further into a makeshift camp around his bed (reminiscent of a child's living-room "fort") as his Arab grandmother (Nora El Samahy) and Jewish grandfather (Eric Rhys Miller) visit his dreams to lay claim to his heart and allegiance. Meanwhile, in waking life, his scraggily alcohol-and-drug-addled uncle (Corey Fischer), a former war hero, comes around looking for money and ends up camping out too; and a chipper, slightly zany housekeeper (Meirav Kupperberg) tries repeatedly to clean up despite the young man's open hostility to the idea and desperation to be left alone. The fruition of nearly three years' collaboration between Traveling Jewish Theatre and Israeli and Palestinian theater artists, Blood Relative explores, in a rich and compelling blend of drama and physical theater, the contested common ground between opposing national narratives of identity and place. Many things at once (drama, allegory, dream, dance, satire, love story), the play remains a remarkably integrated and fluid work, whose numerous strong attributes – from the excellent acting and physical ensemble work to Georges Lammam's hauntingly lovely musical accompaniment, and a breathtaking production design – reach deep into an otherwise simple premise. Artistic director and cocreator Aaron Davidman, who directs this seamless world premiere, hints in his program notes at the internal challenges such a venture presented, but one would never suspect it given the outstanding result. (Avila)

*Blue Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, 620 Sutter; 474-8800, www.lhtsf.com. $25-32. Thurs/14-Sat/16, 8pm; Sun/17, 2pm. "We're going to have culture and art if it kills us," Peggy Clark (Anise Ritchie) says in Charles Randolph-Wright's Blue, directed by Buddy Butler. Spanning the late 1970s through the '90s, Wright's drama-comedy shows the evolution of the multifaceted characters who make up a quirky black family living in Kent, S.C. Owner of a prosperous funeral home, Samuel Clark III (Pierre Johnson Jr.) puts up with his wife's obsession with shopping, her past as an Ebony magazine fashion model, and musician Blue Williams (Shadee Rashada). Eldest son Samuel Clark Jr. (Michael Leroy Brown) shakes things up in the mansion by bringing home an unconventional country girl named La Tonya (Natasha Noel) whom Peggy takes on as "one of her projects." Youngest son Reuben, shown as a child (Christopher McNulty and Alexander Jones) and as an adult (David Stewart), struggles with the complexity of his relationship with his mother and his life as a musician and grapples to know the truth of his past. A stellar performance by Andrea Brembry, as mother-in-law Tillie Clark, and music by Nona Hendryx and Wright add to the strong production that gives new meaning to the phrase "family values." (Mantzaris)

The Blue Dress New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $15-20. Thurs/14-Sat/16, 8pm; Sun/17, 2pm. Bruce Bierman performs his autobiographical solo comedy about his unwitting childhood participation in a government-funded study on "sissyboys" in the 1970s.

Crash Course: Cooking, Juggling, and Getting Hurt Climate Theater, 285 Ninth St; 871-9699, www.crashcourseshow.com. $15. Fri-Sun, 8pm. Through June 26. Juggler Scot Nery hosts a comedy cooking show, with weekly themes, recipes, and guests.

*Crimes of the Heart Actors Theatre of San Francisco, 533 Sutter; 296-9179, www.ticketweb.com, www.actorstheatresf.org. $10-40. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through April 23. Actors Theatre presents a wonderfully focused, thoroughly engaging production of Beth Henley's 1981 Pulitzer Prize-winner about three sisters in a small Mississippi town who reunite amid crisis and personal transitions. The reunion happens on the 30th birthday of eldest sister Lenny (Elisa Jones) but, tellingly, only by coincidence (the other two having forgotten the date). Meg (Niki Yapo) returns from a stillborn singing career on crutches, a sign of the determinedly tough-minded middle sister's own hobbling psyche. And carefree Babe (Carole Swann) is out on bail after shooting her husband for "not liking his looks." Henley's inspired dialogue and situations receive graceful treatment from director Michael Medici and a fine cast led by the remarkable sisterly trio (characters and performances that make three acts over all too soon). (Avila)

Falsettos Phoenix Theater, 414 Mason, Ste 601; (650) 755-2336, red-dragon-productions@hotmail.com. $17-22. Thurs/14-Sat/16, 8pm; Sun/17, 2 and 7pm. Red Dragon Productions performs William Finn's musical about a 1980s family dealing with AIDS.

*Guantanamo: Bound to Defend Freedom Brava Theater Center, 2789 24th St; 647-2822, www.brava.org. $20-65. Wed/13-Sun/17, 8pm (also Sun/17, 3pm). On the assumption that those who wish to change the world must first honestly represent it, British journalist Victoria Brittain and South African-born British novelist Gillian Slovo have taken action. The West Coast premiere of their documentary drama, which comes courtesy of Brava Theater Center and on the heels of successful London and New York runs, cobbles together the verbatim testimonies of four British detainees at the infamous island base, their family members and attorneys, and key public officials (including the egregious Donald Rumsfeld), all in a steadily absorbing face-to-face with the audience. The play's deliberately measured unfolding (in interwoven monologues delivered by an expert San Francisco-New York cast) contrasts starkly with the sensationalist tone of most corporate media; the stories also patiently convey the devastating personal and social consequences of unchecked power. Guantanamo's material is slightly uneven and not as well-rounded as it could be, but its implicit strength and justification are straightforward: what the administration and media would obscure, Guantanamo puts starkly onstage; what the former demonizes, the latter restores to human dimensions. (Avila)

I Look Like an Egg, but I Identify As a Cookie Hotel Rex, 552 Sutter; 1-800-838-3006, www.subvert.com. $10-50. Extended run: Sun-Mon, 8pm. Through April 25. Heather Gold revives her solo show, an "interactive baking comedy."

Menopause the Musical Theatre 39 at Pier 39, Two Beach St; 433-3939, www.menopausethemusical.com. $46.50. Previews Wed/13-Fri/15, April 19-22, and 26-27, 8pm. Opens April 28, 8pm. Runs Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Wed, 2pm and Sat, 4pm); Sun, 2pm. Open-ended. Jeanie Linders's musical comedy celebrates women who are facing "the change."

*Minnie's Boys Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson; 978-2787, www.42ndStMoon.org. $17-30. Wed/13, 7pm; Thurs/14-Fri/15, 8pm; Sat/16, 6pm; Sun/17, 3pm. Harpo Marx's 1961 autobiography originally inspired this charming musical comedy, charting the rise of the Marx brothers from teenage malcontents to ageless icons of anarchic comedy under the plucky guidance of the Marx mother, Minnie (Darlene Popovic). Sporting a book by Arthur Marx (son of Groucho, who consulted on the project) and Robert Fisher, as well as a clever, agreeable score by Hal Hackady (lyrics) and Larry Grossman (music), the 1970 production starred Shelley Winters in the dramatic actress's much-discussed debut fronting a Broadway musical. 42nd Street Moon's staged concert revival of this since rarely seen work proves it an underrated gem. Artistic director Greg MacKellan's excellent cast, headed by Popovic's radiant Minnie, captures the rebel spirit of the Marx brothers perfectly, especially in the smooth performances of the showbiz siblings, whose exuberance comes tinged with the outsider's agnosticism. (Avila)

*Not a Genuine Black Man Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750. $15-22. Extended run: Thurs-Fri, 8:30pm; Sat, 5pm. Through April 30. What, the unapologetically middle-class Brian Copeland asks, is the real meaning behind the phrase "a genuine black man"? By way of an answer, the stand-up comic and KGO radio host offers up a simultaneously funny and disarmingly frank story about growing up African American in the racist suburb that was San Leandro in the early 1970s. Letting his narrative bounce back and forth between his boyhood memories and a period of depression that overtook him as a parent in 1999 – and interlarding the autobiography with verbatim utterances from both sides of the fight his family joined to desegregate the city – Copeland brings admirable chops as a comedian to bear on some difficult and disturbing, if ultimately hopeful, material. (Avila)

One Big Lie Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy; 675-5995, www.crowdedfire.org. $15-25. Thurs/14-Sat/16, 8pm. A cleverly satirical if occasionally sluggish take on the idealization and reverence for power in the minds of its victims, this word-dazzled, politically savvy new musical by Liz Duffy Adams and composer David Rhodes is a deadly serious frolic with a wary eye on the immediate future. Adroitly helmed by Rebecca Novick, artistic director of Crowded Fire (the play's coproducer with Playwrights Foundation), One Big Lie traverses three time periods, opening on a mythical pastoral age where two sisters and their brother toil in their field and romp in the nearby woods, making ideal game for sporting gods. The gods take various forms over time, but their actions remain the same: they take, invade, destroy. As the succinctly named Pow (Paul Lancour) pulls his human quarry around on a leash, a brutal image of rape and conquest shatters the whimsy of the surrounding scenes. As a theatrical transposition, it is as literal and symbolic as the image it replaces: Pfc. Lynndie England's leashing of a naked Iraqi man in the dungeons of Abu Ghraib, a now iconic photo that starkly if inadvertently revealed the true meaning of Bush's war. (Avila)

*Rush Limbaugh in Night School Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, www.themarsh.org. $15-22. Extended run: Sat/16, 8pm; Sun/17, 7pm. Picture this: it's 1998, President Bill Clinton's facing impeachment for horsing around without the consent of Congress, and Rush Limbaugh is on top of the world, as well as on top of the ratings charts, at the very peak of his celebrity. All of a sudden a Cuban American with a righter-than-thou radio slot in Miami gets Rush nervous enough to enroll incognito in an evening Spanish class at the New School for Social Research. In that classroom, Limbaugh (alias Russell Lindbergh) will fall in love with a baby-boomer massage therapist with a secret of her own. First birthed at the Marsh in 1994 to great multiple run-extending applause, Rush Limbaugh in Night School is back, and it's still some of the sharpest satire around. (Avila)

The Shooting Stage New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $20-40. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through May 8. The New Conservatory Theatre Center's Pride Season Ten continues with Michael Lewis MacLennan's drama about an artist's obscenity trial.

Temptation Off-Market Theater, 965 Mission; 262-0477, www.custommade.org. $10-30. Thurs/14-Sat/16, 8pm; Sun/17, 3pm. Custom Made Theater presents Vaclav Havel's Faustian tale set in a bureaucratic world with totalitarian implications (which director Brian Katz has readily transplanted to the offices of Homeland Security), where colleagues and superiors have seemingly little real work to do between office socials. When the department's Dr. Foustka (David Diggs), who's been experimenting with black magic on his own time, gets offered help by a mysterious and unsavory cripple named Fistula (Dawn Scott), Foustka heads down a primrose path to power that intersects dangerously with other sexually charged power plays underway at the office. Katz and his cast have their collective finger on the quirky, garrulous humor in Havel's Kafkaesque satire of bureaucratic collectivism – his hyper-articulate characters are at pains to make themselves understood even when evading the truth – but the acting is uneven. The comedy's sinister overtones come out most forcefully in the domestic sphere, ironically, where Foustka and his colleague-companion Vilma (a strong Leah S. Abrams) act out jealous scenarios that threaten to spill over into sheer sadism. The rest, despite the overtly political setting, reads like a Halloween spin on Office Space. That wouldn't be half bad, except Havel's tortuous language also cloys after a while, making certain scenes pointlessly long. (Avila)

V the Ultimate Variety Show V Theater, Pier 39; 39-VSHOW, www.vtheshow.com. $24-44. Nightly, 6 and 8pm. Ongoing. A revolving array of variety acts highlight this family-friendly show originally produced in Las Vegas.

*The Voysey Inheritance Geary Theater, 415 Geary; 749-2228, www.act-sf.org. $11-68. Wed/13-Sat/16, 8pm (also Wed/13 and Sat/16, 2pm); Sun/17, 7pm. Grandfather's portrait beams approvingly from the wall over the mantelpiece as solicitor-patriarch Mr. Voysey (Ken Ruta) explains to his incredulous son and business partner Edward (Anthony Fusco) that the family's posh lifestyle has been built entirely on the systematic defrauding of the family firm's trusting clientele. In fact, it's something of a tradition at this point, and the lump of Edward's problematic "inheritance" in David Mamet's trim reworking of Harley Granville-Barker's 1905 comedy of middle-class hypocrisy, receiving its lavish world premiere in an American Conservatory Theater-Kansas City Repertory Theater coproduction gracefully helmed by ACT artistic director Carey Perloff. Edward's attempt to right the family's wrongs and bring it into honorable standing after his father's death occupies the rest of the play, his plan inevitably ruffling the feathers of an amusing houseful of siblings and associates, while pointing up the thornier contradictions in his situation. (Avila)

Bay Area

Ariel Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant, Berk; (510) 644-9940, www.wildeirish.org. $18-25. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through May 1. Wilde Irish Productions performs the U.S. premiere of Marina Carr's drama, which sets the Greek myth of Iphigenia in modern-day Ireland.

Blue/Orange Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; (510) 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org. $28-45. Previews Wed/13, 8pm. Opens Thurs/14, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through May 15. Aurora Theatre Company performs Joe Penhall's comedy about a pair of London psychiatrists fighting over who gets to treat a man claiming to be the son of Idi Amin.

Crowns Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro, Mtn View; (650) 903-6000, www.theatreworks.org. $20-50. Tues, 7:30pm (no show April 26); Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm; no 2pm show April 30); Sun, 2 and 7pm (no 7pm shows Sun/17 or May 1). Through May 1. Theatreworks performs Regina Taylor's uplifting gospel musical, adapted from the book Crowns: Portaits of Black Women in Church Hats.

For Better or Worse Berkeley Repertory Theatre's Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org. $20-55. Tues, Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Sat and Thurs, 2pm; but no 2pm show Thurs/14); Wed and Sun, 7pm (also Sun, 2pm). Through April 24. "He's one of the funniest men in the world," I overheard a woman say pre-show about Geoff Hoyle, a former clown who trained with Marcel Marceau's teacher. Hoyle's For Better or Worse, culled from comedic plays by Georges Feydeau and directed by David Ira Goldstein, is a slapstick romp set in Paris before the Great War. It delves into the absurd marital life of Bastien Follavoine (Hoyle) and Julie Follavoine (Sharon Lockwood), beginning with the impending birth of their son Toto. Bastien, who makes chamber pots for a living, is more of a hindrance than a help to Julie, who's eager for the arrival of their baby, whom we later see as a petulant seven-year-old who refuses to take his medicine. Interspersed with the domestic scenes, Hoyle takes to the stage posing as a university professor, hamming it up with audience participation and faux theater donor stories, putting his loyal fans in stitches. (Mantzaris)

Working Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 649-5999, www.aeofberkeley.org. $15. Fri-Sat and May 5, 8pm. Through May 7. Actors Ensemble of Berkeley performs Nina Faso and Stephen Schwartz's musical, inspired by Studs Terkel's portraits of America's working people.

dance

Alma Esperanza Cunningham Movement Jon Sims Center for the Arts, 1519 Mission; 554-0402. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through April 23. $15-20 (no one turned away for lack of funds). The company presents the world premiere of Shesheheshe.

Alonzo King's Lines Ballet Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater, 700 Howard; 978-ARTS, www.linesballet.org. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. $20-50. The company's spring season includes the world premiere of Satoh, featuring a score by Japanese composer Somei Satoh, plus repertory work Three Stops on the Way Home.

'Cuba Caribe Festival' Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St; 273-4633. Various dates and prices. Through May 1. The second week of this first annual festival celebrating the Afro-Caribbean diaspora features Arenas Dance Company performing Yo soy Cuba, an evening of traditional folkloric and popular dance (Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm, $18-20).

Erika Shuch Performance Project Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia; 626-3311, www.theintersection.org. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through May 7. $9-15 (Thurs, pay what you can; April 23 benefit show, $25-50). Intersection and the ESP Project present the world premiere of One Window, a collaboratively created work about human confinement directed by Erika Shuch.

San Francisco Ballet War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness; 865-2000, www.sfballet.org. Program Six: Thurs and Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 1pm). Program Seven: Wed, 7:30pm; Fri, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. $8-165. Program Six includes works by Sir Frederick Ashton, Jerome Robbins, and Val Caniparoli; Program Seven includes works by Christopher Wheeldon, Robbins, and Helgi Tomasson.

Bay Area

'Living Legends of Kathakali' Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School Auditorium, 1781 Rose, Berk; (925) 784-6718, www.kathakalibythebay.com. Sat, 6pm. $12-25. See Critic's Choice.

The Movement Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College, Berk; www.juliamorgan.org. Thurs, 8pm. $7. The company performs its spring showcase, highlighting a variety of dance styles including hip-hop, jazz, swing, ballet, tap, ballroom, and more.

performance

BATS Improv Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, Bldg B, Marina at Laguna; 474-8935, www.improv.org. Fri, 8pm: "Time Machine Theatresports," $12. Sat, 8pm: "Improvised Shakespeare, $12-15. Sun, 8pm: "Sunday Players," $8.

'The Buddy Club' Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way; www.thebuddyclub.com. 11am-noon, $7. Tye the Magic Guy performs a show for kids.

C.A.F.E. Off-Market Theater and Studio, 965 Mission; www.cafearts.com. Thurs, 8pm: "Improv Revolution All-star Jam," $5-10. Fri, 10pm: "Submergency," $5-10.

Christian Cagigal Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy; (650) 737-8278. Fri-Sat, 8:30pm. $10. The magician performs.

Climate Theater 285 Ninth St; 863-1076. Ongoing. $5. Mon, 8pm: "Monday Night Improv Jam," presented by the San Francisco Improv Co-Operative. Tues, 8pm: "Tuesday Night Improv Special: Night of 1,000 Games," short-form improv jam.

'Comedy on the Square' Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter; 522-8900. Ongoing. $15. Fri, 10pm: "Big City Improv."

'Dirty Little Secret' Empire Plush Room, 940 Sutter; 885-2800, www.empireplushroom.com. Ongoing. Fri-Sat, 11pm. $25. This evening of performance is a "Roaring Twenties revue."

'Dramedy and Comma' Blue Bear School of Music, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Marina at Laguna; 261-1641, www.pantheater.com. Sat, 8pm. $8-10. Pan Theater performs short- and long-form improv.

'Flash Family' Blue Bear Performance Hall, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Marina at Laguna; 863-9500, www.improvworks.org. Fri, 8:30pm. $12-14. April Fools improv troupe performs.

'Monday Night Marsh' Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, www.themarsh.org. Mon, 8pm. $7. Members of Charlie Varon's Solo Performance Class take to the stage.

'Mrs. Carroll's Alice' Randall Museum Theater, 199 Museum Way; (408) 358-2283, www.music-hall.net. Sat-Sun, 2:30pm, $7-25. This "multimedia mini chamber opera" by composer Robert Arnold Hall is based on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

'Pharmasupial: Violating HR Policy' SF Playhouse, 536 Sutter; (510) 645-1223. Sat, 10pm. $15. Improv performers base sketches on the working lives of the audience.

'Sizzle' Femina Potens, 465 S Van Ness; 217-9340, www.feminapotens.com. Fri, 8pm. $3-5. This queer cabaret and open mic returns with a screening of Annie Sprinkle's film Sluts and Goddess and performances by Lady Monster, Thea Hillman, and others.

'SpitKiss' Jon Sims Center for the Arts, 1519 Mission; 554-0402, www.jonsimsctr.org. Sun, 6pm. $10-15. Terre Unite Parker, Corrie Baumgardner, and Mica Phalen perform a queer retelling of the myth of Cassandra.

'Words and Music' Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, www.themarsh.org. Wed, 8pm. $25-50. Performance artists Merle "Ian Shoales" Kessler and Joshua Raoul Brody bring new and old pieces to the stage as part of the Marsh's San Francisco Treasures series.

Bay Area

'The Buddy Club' Berkeley Jewish Community Center Theater, 1414 Walnut, Berk; www.thebuddyclub.com. Sun, 1-2pm, $6-7. Derique the "classy clown" performs a show for kids.

The Yes Men Mills College, Lisser Theater, 5000 MacArthur Blvd, Oakl; www.mills.edu. Thurs, 7pm. free. The subversive multimedia artists discuss their radical projects against corporate America.

comedy

Canvas Gallery 1200 Ninth Ave; 504-0010. Tues, 8pm: "Comedy Open Mic Night," with host Susan Alexander, free.

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight; 552-6949. Mon, 9pm: "StandUp Showcase," with rotating hosts Leah Eva and Sam Arno, free.

Cobb's Comedy Club 915 Columbus; www.cobbscomedyclub.com or www.ticketweb.com. Wed, 8pm: "All-Pro Comedy Showcase," $10. Thurs-Sun, 8pm (also Fri-Sat, 10:15pm): Bill Bellamy with Diane Amos, $20-25. Sat, 4-5:30pm: "The Best of San Francisco Comedy College," $5.

Dark Room 2263 Mission; (916) 442-1982, www.notcomedy.com. Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 10pm): I Can't Believe It's Not Comedy performs "... And Then There Were Five," $10.

50 Mason Lounge 50 Mason; 398-4129, www.50masonlounge.com. Wed, Fri-Sat, 8pm: "San Francisco Comedy Club Showcase," $10. Thurs, 8pm: "Blue Blanket Bust-Up," $10.

Luggage Store 1007 Market; www.luggagetuesdays.blogspot.com. Tues, 8pm: Comedy open mic, free.

Mock Cafe 1074 Valencia; 826-5750, ext 5, www.themarsh.org. Sat, 9:30 and 11pm: Stand-up comedy, $7.

Purple Onion 140 Columbus; 956-1635. Thurs, 9pm: "Purple Onion Comedy Night," with Will Franken, Jasper Redd, and Brent Weinbech, $10. Sun, 8pm: Greg Proops, $15.

San Francisco State University Adams Hall, 19th at Holloway; 1-800-594-8499, www.aspa-sfsu.org/events/torry.htm. Thurs, 7:30pm: Guy Torry, $6-12.

SFCC Club House 414 Mason, Ste 705; www.sfcomedycollege.com. Sat, 8pm: "The Stand-up Project," free.

Uptown 200 Capp; 206-9997. Wed, 8:30pm: "Uptown Comedy Open Mic," hosted by Eric Peterson, free.

Bay Area

Black Repertory Group Theatre 3201 Adeline, Berk; (510) 652-2120. Sat, 10pm: "Night Owl Comedy," hosted by Miracle Malone, $5.

Montclair Women's Cultural Arts Club 1650 Mountain Blvd, Oakl; (510) 339-1832, www.eastbayvoice.org. Sat, 7:30pm: Suzanne Westenhoefer, $25-28.

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: Canvas Cafe 1200 Ninth Ave, SF; (415) 504-0060, mike@westcoastvideo.net. "Open Mic Talent Showcase," 7:30pm, free. Lost and Found Saloon 1353 Grant, SF; (415) 981-9557. Open mic with host Chris Brown, 8:30pm, free.

Thursday: 16th Street and Mission BART plaza 16th St at Mission, SF; (415) 255-9881. "CAI Street Arts Workshop," open mic, 9:30pm, free. Mediterraneum Cafe 2475 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 526-5985. "Word Beat Reading Series," with featured readers Garrett Murphey and Mark States, 7pm, free. EastSide Arts Alliance 2587 International Blvd, Oakl; (510) 533-6629. "Holla Back," open mic, 8:30-10:30pm, donations accepted. Bindlestiff Studio 505 Natoma, SF; (415) 503-0520, www.kearneystreet.org. Poet Andres Saito reads, 7-9pm, donations accepted. Dalva 3121 16th St, SF; "Poetry Mission Thursdays," with featured reader Kirk Lumpkin and open mic hosted by Elz, 7-9pm, free. Live Worms 1345 Grant, SF; (415) 905-8837. Open mic with hosts Kristine Brown, Armour Garland, and Mark Schwartz, 8pm, free. StartSoma Gallery 672 S Van Ness, SF; 518-1654. "Ecstatic Thursdays," with featured reader Paul Hoover, 7:30pm, free. Railroad Expresso 705 Monterey, SF; (415) 333-4009. Open mic, 7pm, free.

Friday: Change Makers 6536 Telegraph, Oakl; (510) 655-2405, www.changemakersforwomen.com. "By the Light of the Moon," open mic, 7:30-9:30pm, $3-7.

Saturday: Red Vic Peace Center 1665 Haight, SF; (415) 864-1978. "Open Mic and Hot Tamales," 5-9pm, free. Edinburgh Castle Pub 950 Geary, SF; Beverly Dahlen, Joyce Jenkins, and Mark Linenthal read, 7:30-9pm, $5-10.

Sunday: Cafe Prague 584 Pacific, SF; (415) 905-8837. Justin Hager reads, plus open mic, 4-5:30pm, free. Cody's Books 2454 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 845-7852. "Poetry Flash," with featured reader Lorna Dee Cervantes, 7:30pm, $2. Sweetie's 475 Francisco, SF; (415) 433-2343. Charselle hosts an open mic with featured readers Joanne Kyger and Don Guravich, 7:30pm, free. Long Haul Infoshop 3124 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 540-0751. Tommi Avicolli Mecca, Priya Kandaswamy, and others read from the new anthology That's Revolting! Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation, 7:30pm, free.

Monday: Purple Onion 140 Columbus, SF; (415) 217-8400, www.caffemacaroni.com. Open mic hosted by the Kitchenettes, 7pm, $5. Priya Indian Cuisine 2072 San Pablo, Berk; berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com. "Poetry Express," with featured reader Stephen Kopel, 7pm, free.

Tuesday: Black Repertory Group Theatre 3201 Adeline, Berk; (510) 652-2120. "Twilight Tuesdays," open mic, 7-9pm, $5. City Lights 261 Columbus, SF; 362-8193. Poet Mathew Shenoda reads from his book Somewhere Else, 7pm, free. World Ground Cafe 3726 MacArthur Blvd, Oakl; (510) 482-2933. "Poetry Diversified," open mic with featured reader Avotcja, 7:30-9pm, free.