Stage listings are compiled by Laurie Koh and Cheryl Eddy. Performance times may change; call venues to confirm. Reviewers are Robert Avila, Rita Felciano, Deborah Giattina, Karen McKevitt, and Lara Shalson. See Picks for information on how to submit items to the listings.

THEATER

OPENING

"Bay One-Acts Festival" Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson; 776-7427, www.threewisemonkeys.org. $17-20. Opens Thurs/16, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through March 5. Three Wise Monkeys Theatre Company hosts their fifth annual BOA festival, showcasing 12 new works by Bay Area writers.

Los Big Names Unplugged Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 1-800-838-3006, www.themarsh.org. $10-15. Opens Mon/20, 8pm. Runs Mon-Wed, 8pm; Feb 25, 5pm. Through March 1. Marga Gomez performs a workshop version of her solo play, a tribute to her show-biz parents.

BAY AREA

Luna Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby, Berk; (415) 621-7978. $10-15 (Thurs, pay what you can.) Opens Thurs/16, 8pm. Runs Thurs-Sun, 8pm. Through Feb 26. (Also runs March 3-12, same show schedule and price, Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa, SF.) The Sun and Moon Ensemble performs a multimedia work that uses dance, drama, puppets, masks, and more to explore the tale of a man and a woman searching to free their spirits.

ONGOING

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Post Street Theatre, 450 Post, second floor; 771-6900, www.ticketmaster.com. $40-65. Previews Wed/15-Sat/18, Feb 21-25, and 28, 8pm (also Fri/17 and Feb 25, 2pm); Sun/19, 2 and 7pm. Opens March 1, 8pm. Runs Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through April 9. Spelling bees — and the awkward adolescents who compete in them — are the focus of this Tony Award–winning musical.

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

Burn This New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $20-38. Extended run: Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 26. New Conservatory Theatre Center presents Lanford Wilson's 1987 play about a 30-ish dancer, Anna (Megan Biolchini), who loses her best friend and mentor at a crucial stage in her career, only to find unexpected chaos and inspiration with the arrival of his disarmingly uncouth, violent, and overheated brother Pale (Benjamin Fritz). Although never mentioned, the AIDS crisis then decimating a generation of brilliant artistic talent hangs over the somber mood in Anna and roommate Larry's (Nate Levine) lower Manhattan loft (even if the plot has prodigy Robbie and his lover killed in a boating accident). At the same time the play's considerable romance and humor (especially from Larry, the play's foremost wit and gay enabler of the heterosexual coupling at the play's center) register a self-consciously hopeful, defiant ring agains that dread knell (polyphony in line with Edgar Allen Poe's poem, "The Bells," invoked at one point). Anna's lukewarm courtship with the handsome, rich, talented, but ultimately dull Burton (Daniel Lee), meanwhile, introduces our decentered authorial stand-in, who delivers the titular advice to "Make it personal, tell the truth, then write 'burn this' on it." Director Christopher Jenkins cast wisely and produces a good amount of heat here, in a production beautifully and atmospherically designed by Bruce Walters (set), John Kelly (lighting), Ted Crimy (sound), and Prem Lathi (costumes). (Avila)

D*Face New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $15-25. Extended run: Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 26. New Conservatory Theatre Center presents playwright and performer Michael Phillis's comedic look at awkward adolescence.

*The Dick 'n' Dubya Show: A Republican Outreach Cabaret Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 1-800-838-3006, www.themarsh.org. $5-22. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 25. Perhaps you're thinking the Republicans have been reaching out far too much as it is. What haven't they already grabbed? Nevertheless, the premise of Ed Holmes and Amos Glick's 70-minute cabaret is another kind of outreach, wherein Dick and Dubya sally into liberal enclaves, so-called blue country, to win over the hearts and minds and voting registration of some of the millions of people they've been screwing. Of course, it's an asinine idea that makes for an admirably funny show; but then that's hardly a surprise given the agitprop and improv chops of these Mime Troupe veterans. Holmes's cagey and uncanny VP has been a mainstay of Mime Troupe productions past, as has Glick's simpleton-in-chief, whom he masterfully reproduces in every gesture and inflection. Cleverly crafted, complete with a smattering of songs, a speech that writes itself (literally, being a string of real-life Bushisms), a hilarious video segment, and an impromptu town-hall style Q&A, only political satire this good could get us to laugh at the seriously unfunny catastrophes trailing behind (and ahead) of these donkeys. Or rather elephants. (Avila)

Family Alchemy: Stories by Malamud and Paley Traveling Jewish Theatre, 470 Florida; 522-0786, www.atjt.com. $12-35. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Feb 26. (Also runs March 2-12, same show schedule and price, Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby, Berk.) Traveling Jewish Theater performs word-for-word renderings of Bernard Malamud's The Magic Barrel and Grace Paley's The Story Hearer. See "Page Struck."

Gem of the Ocean Geary Theater, 415 Geary; 749-2228, www.act-sf.org. $12-76. Opens Wed/15, 8pm. Runs Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Wed and Sat, 2pm; no matinees Wed/15 or March 1; Feb 21, show at 7pm); Sun, 2pm (also Sun/19, 7pm). Through March 12. American Conservatory Theater performs the Bay Area premiere of August Wilson's 9th play in his 10-play cycle about the African American experience in the 20th century.

Happiness Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 1-800-838-3006, www.themarsh.org. $15-22. Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through March 12. Rick Reynolds (Only the Truth Is Funny) performs a workshop version of his new solo show.

"Hot House '06" Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 441-8822, www.magictheatre.org. $20-40 (festival pass, $72). Check Web site for complete repertory schedule. Through April 9. Magic Theatre performs full productions of three world-premiere plays: Steven Sater's Nero (Another Golden Rome); Courtney Baron's Morbidity and Mortality; and David Rambo's The Ice-Breaker.

*In on It Thick House, 1695 18th St; 821-4849, www.encoretheatrecompany.org. $20-25. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 26. Here's an account of the present moment and how to live in it. Here's also an account of a particular personal history and the attempt to be present in it, to account for it, or to settle accounts with it. Unfortunately, anything beyond that cryptic description of its theme would ruin the fun of watching Daniel MacIvor's In on It unfold. And this 70-minute two-hander is fun. A meditation on loneliness, passivity, depression, and loss has rarely been so zippy. Two ex-lovers, a playwright-actor (Glenn Peters) and another actor (Ian Scott McGregor) take to a practically bare stage to ostensibly work out the details of a new play the first man is writing. The characters seem intermittently aware they are onstage and discuss and sometimes argue over the details of the play, and the two stories intertwine further as the action progresses. Encore Theatre's presentation of Canadian playwright-director MacIvor's 2002 Obie Award–winner introduces a well-known and highly respected Canadian talent to Bay Area stages (though MacIvor may already be familiar to filmgoers; his Wilby Wonderful, for instance, screened at last year's Gay and Lesbian Film Festival). (Avila)

Luma Victoria Theatre, 2961 16th St; 863-7576, www.lumatheater.com. $15-30. Thurs/16-Sun/19, 8pm (also Fri/17, 11pm; Sat/18-Sun/19, 2pm). This performance art work mixes live performers with a three-dimensional light show, creating a unique "techno-circus."

miss-matches.com Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter; 820-1454, www.miss-matches.com, www.brownpapertickets.com. $20-25. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through March 25. Leslie Beam performs her new solo show about relationships formed through the internet.

*The Maids Exit Stage Left, 156 Eddy; 419-3584, www.cuttingball.com. $15-20. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 25. "Lean over further and behold your reflection in my shoes." And what better mirror for a servant, you might ask, than the spit-buffed patent leather encasing Madame's foot? With all the heightened, ritualistic flavor of an S&M fantasy, the command — spoken by a maid pretending to be her own mistress, to another maid pretending to be the first — is already rich with the ceaseless role-playing, doubled images, shifting power lines, and volatile desire pervading the world of The Maids. Of course, Jean Genet's first work for the stage is nearly 60 years old, and doubtless does less these days to épater le bourgeois, at least the theater-going kind. But if the loss of shock value means a more low-key embrace of Genet's theater of mirrors and criminal-saints, Cutting Ball Theater's crisp, elegantly staged production affirms its still-compelling style and darkly poetic force. And Adriana Baer's taut, intelligent direction makes the most of playwright Martin Crimp's bracing new translation. (Avila)

Menopause the Musical Theatre 39 at Pier 39, Two Beach St; 433-3939, www.menopausethemusical.com. $46.50. Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Wed, 2pm and Sat, 4pm); Sun, 1 and 4pm. Open-ended. Jeanie Linders's musical comedy celebrates women who are facing "the change."

The Mystery Plays SF Playhouse, 536 Sutter; 677-9596, www.ticketweb.com. $18-60. Extended run: Wed/15-Sat/18, 8pm (also Sat/18, 3pm). SF Playhouse presents the West Coast premiere of up-and-coming New York playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's mystery-feature double bill, a self-referential homage to classic TV chillers, as well as the likes of HP Lovecraft and Hitchcock, hosted by a Rod Serling-like master of mysteries (Rod Gnapp, who also does double duty as perfectly etched cop characters in both tales). In the first, The Filmmaker's Mystery, a young cineaste (T. Edward Webster) has a stranger-on-a-train encounter that just gets stranger, after a rail accident finds him stalked by the shade of his fellow passenger (Craig Neibaur). The second piece, Ghost Children, is a more realistic if creepy drama about a woman (Christina Anselmo) who returns home after many years still unsure if she can meet with the imprisoned brother (Chris Yule) who butchered their family when she was a girl. The playwright unfolds the mystery behind each story with skill, imagination, and humor -- though despite the heavy accent on faith and the unknowable here, the morals uncovered can seem straightforwardly mundane. A bit too much first-person narration, in the first episode especially, can hinder the creepiness or suspense of the piece at points too. But Aguirre-Sacasa spins a good yarn, and the fine cast in co-directors' Susi Damilano and Lauren English's well paced production -- boosted by Bill English's abstract yet evocative set, Steven Klems' forceful sound design, and Jon Retsky's haunted lighting -- certainly knows how to sell it. (Avila)

Night of the Iguana Actors Theatre of San Francisco, 533 Sutter; 296-9179, www.ticketweb.com, www.actorstheatresf.org. $10-30. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through March 18. Actors Theatre of San Francisco performs Tennessee Williams's emotional drama.

*Not a Genuine Black Man Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750. $15-22. Extended run: Thurs/16-Fri/17, 8:30pm; Sat/18, 5pm. 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 interlacing 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)

The Sarimanok Travels Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa; 1-800-838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.com. $15-20. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 25. Asian American Theater Company presents Francis Tanglao-Aguas in his solo show based on a traditional Pilipino folk tale.

Take Me for a Ride ... Cute Girl! Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St; 861-5079, www.therhino.org. $15-35. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through Feb 25. The only straight line here is the one playwright-performer Karole Langlois makes from Theatre Rhinoceros's box office (where she also works) to its main stage at about a minute before curtain. Otherwise this lesbian frolic (an expanded two-act version of last year's popular Rhino Studio show) prefers to make merry and crack wise with its original all-female cast (featuring Holly Chou, Natalia Miner, Heather O'Brien, and Kathy Rentschler) and an increasingly circuitous plotline — this time also detailing the intrigue and lust brewed backstage during the show's first incarnation. A self-described "medium-butch dyke" with a penchant for tattoos and a bright red mohawk, Langlois exudes stage-worthy charm as she recounts her sexual exploits with can-do candor and a laid-back style. But her natural sense of humor and timing come out best where the script is tightest (as when Langlois and costar suffer direction in a "making of" the make-out scene). Real director Melissa Ososke tends to let things happen, but the play (running nearly as long as the much ballyhooed Hitachi Magic Wand) would benefit less from first-person narration and more concentration on scene work. Still, if Ride doesn't get us as far as we'd like, it's hard not to revel in the giddy excitement with which it hugs all the curves on life's highway. (Avila)

Theater District New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness; 861-8972, www.nctcsf.org. $22-40. Extended run: Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through March 12. The New Conservatory Theatre Center's Pride Season Eleven continues with Richard Kramer's comic drama about a teenager who moves in with his father and his father's boyfriend.

A Tribute to the Spoken Word: from okra to greens/a different kinda love story Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, 620 Sutter; 474-8800, www.lhtsf.org. $16-32. Extended run: Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 26. The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre presents renowned poet-playwright Ntozake Shange's choreopoem, blending dance, music, and spoken word in a politically charged narrative of archetypal lovers Okra and Greens (played by a chorus of seven actors in rotation). Concerned with the context as well as content of African American experience, and set against scenic designer Erik Flatmo's altered inner-city landscape of marquees, neon signs, and poster bills (advertising "history," "poetry," lines of verse, declarations of loves, or simply "no sign"), the characters narrate their experiences to us and each other in words and movement (choreography by Danny Duncan) that ultimately reach out across the Atlantic and Caribbean. Codirected by Duncan and artistic director Stanley E. Williams, okra presents at times a powerful amalgam of words and images, but the results overall are mixed. Part of the reason is technical: The recorded music more than once makes it difficult to hear the actors, and not all of them have a consistently strong delivery. Nevertheless, Shange's coiled, earthy, streetwise verses — which don't shy away from the more troubled and troubling side of love and sex in a world straining toward both domination and liberation — expose political dimensions normally hidden behind Hallmark notions of the personal. (Avila)

The Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey, and Dean Marines Memorial Theatre, 609 Sutter; 771-6900, www.ticketmaster.com. $35-37. Tues-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm); Sun, 3pm. Open-ended. The popular Rat Pack tribute returns, with a new venue for its open-ended run.

Uncle Buzzy's Hometown Theater Show Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy; www.unclebuzzy.org. $17-20. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through March 4. Uncle Buzzy hosts a down-home variety show featuring "the world's greatest chicken impression."

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.

BAY AREA

9 Parts of Desire Berkeley Repertory Theatre's Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison, Berk; (510) 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org. $30-59. Tues, Thurs-Sat, 8pm (also Thurs/16, Feb 25, March 2, and 4, 2pm); Wed and Sun, 7pm (also Sun, 2pm). Through March 5. The title of Heather Raffo's one-woman play, 9 Parts of Desire, comes from an old Shiite maxim, "God created sexual desire in ten parts; then he gave nine parts to women and one to men." The characters are composites of women interviewed by Raffo, American-born daughter of an Iraqi father, over a 10-year period that started when she traveled to Baghdad in 1993 to visit her extended family. Their concerns, needs, hopes, frustrations, and fears thus span the years of tyrannical rule under Saddam Hussein, as well as the events and impact of the first Gulf War and the most recent US war and occupation. All are not equally convincing as flesh-and-blood persons; some have a more literary or poetical quality about them that, depending on your inclination, tips either toward a thematically productive use of artistic license or a reverent form of caricature. Mozhan Marnò, in the part originated by Raffo, proves a warm, capable performer under Joanna Settle's precise and fluid direction. (Avila)

Loveplay Old Oakland Theatre, 461 Ninth St, Oakl; (510) 436-5085, www.theatrefirst.com. $10-22. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through March 5. TheatreFIRST performs Moira Buffini's look at ten different romantic encounters at the same London spot over the course of 2,000 years.

The Master Builder Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; (510) 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org. $28-45. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through March 5. Aurora Theater marks Henrik Ibsen's centenary with a sturdy production of The Master Builder, in an accessible new translation by Paul Walsh. This late work (based loosely on Ibsen's own experiences, especially a late-life affair with a young Viennese woman 43 years his junior), concerns megalomaniac yet highly insecure architect Halvard Solness (James Carpenter), fending off a younger generation while fretting about the erosion of his powers until a brazen young woman (Lauren Grace) arrives to spur him to greater heights. Psycho-sexual symbolism colors Ibsen's realism with a dreamlike quality (heightened by much talk of trolls and castles in the sky), and it's not hard to see why it was Freud's favorite play, but it's heavy-handed stuff: young women pressing fearful older men to raise their towers and all, not to mention the Ayn Rand–ready theme of the creative super man versus the mundane imperatives of society. But if that's your cup of tea, director Barbara Oliver serves it with assurance and finesse. Carpenter's Solness is never dull: a nimble and charismatic compounding of delusions and ulterior motives such that you don't always know which is which (and suspect neither does Solness). Anne Darragh is affecting as Solness's lonely, spiritually collapsed wife, whose long-standing frigidity thaws just a bit with the spark of friendship. And Grace's Hilda, a tractor beam of preternatural will power, is a captivating surprise from her first entrance. (Avila)

The Piano Lesson Black Repertory Group, 3201 Adeline, Berk; (510) 652-2120, www.blackrepertorygroup.org. $7-15. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 25. Black Repertory Group performs August Wilson's family drama.

Strange Travel Suggestions Marsh Berkeley, Gaia Arts Center, 2118 Allston, Berk; 1-800-838-3006, www.themarsh.org. $15-22. Thurs-Fri and Sat/18, 7pm. Through March 3. Jeff Greenwald performs a solo show drawn from tales of his world travels.

The Taffetas Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High, Alameda; (510) 523-1553, www.altarena.org. $15-18. Fri/17-Sat/18, 8pm; Sun/19, 2pm. Altarena Playhouse presents this musical journey through the fifties.

Twelfth Night Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 649-5999, www.aeofberkeley.org. $12. Thurs/16-Sat/18, 8pm. Actors Ensemble of Berkeley performs Shakespeare's romantic comedy.

Walking the Dead Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant, Berk; (510) 326-8197, www.theatreq.org. $15-20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Oct 29. Theatre Q performs Keith Curran's drama set at a memorial service for a transgendered murder victim.

DANCE

Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; 345-7575, www.abhinaya.org. Sat, 7pm. $12-25. The Indian classical dance company performs Bharatanatyam: An Evolving Tradition.

*Chris Black and Ken James Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission; 863-9834, www.odctheater.org. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 25. $15. See Pick box.

Children of Uganda Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater, 700 Howard; 978-ARTS, www.ybca.org. Sat, 8pm. $18-35. Traditional African dance and music highlight this performance, a project of Uganda Children's Charity Foundation, which helps kids orphaned by AIDS.

"Choreographer's Ball" Studio Z, 314 11th St; 252-7666, www.studioz.tv. Fri, 9pm. $15-20. Choreographers who work in commercial concerts and music videos cut loose at this hip-hop showcase.

"The Flava" Palace of Fine Arts Theater, 3301 Lyon; 1-800-521-8311, www.shockfamily.org. Sun, 7:30pm. $20-25. Culture Shock Oakland presents this celebration of hip-hop dance companies from the Bay Area and beyond.

HudsonDance CounterPULSE, 1310 Mission; 626-2060, www.brownpapertickets.com. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. $15-20. Choreographer Melissa Hudson and her new company present Dessert First: dancing and eating the way we want..., featuring guests Bibliodance and hors d'oeuvres by Ghetto Gourmet.

*Robert Moses' Kin Kanbar Hall, Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California; 292-1233, www.jccsf.org/arts. Program One: Thurs/16-Sat/18, 8pm; Sun/19, 2 and 7pm. Program Two: Feb 23-25, 8pm; Feb 26, 2pm. $15-26. Program One includes a new version of Robert Moses' The President's Daughter, plus world premieres by Alex Ketley (The Marking of Apology) and Amy Seiwert (Return).

San Francisco Ballet War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness; 865-2000, www.sfballet.org. Program Two: Fri/17, Feb 23, and 25, 8pm; (also Feb 25, 1pm); Sun/19, 7:30pm. Program Three: Thurs/16, Sat/18, Tues/21, and Feb 24, 8pm (also Sat/18, 1pm); Feb 22, 7:30pm; Feb 26, 2pm. $8-199. Program Two includes George Balanchine's Apollo and two premieres: Helgi Tomasson's Blue Rose and Christopher Wheeldon's Quaternary. Program Three includes Paul Taylor's Spring Rounds; Yuri Possokhov's Magrittomania; and Agnes de Mille's Rodeo.

Yaelisa Y Caminos Flamencos ODC Theater, 3153 17th St; 863-9834. Sun, 7pm. $12-20. The company performs Café Flamenco: Los Hombres Cantan y Bailan.

BAY AREA

*"Black Choreographers Festival: Here and Now 2006" Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice, Oakl; (415) 863-9834, www.ticketweb.com, www.bcfhereandnow.com. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3 and 7pm. $10-20. Choreographers include Donald McKayle and Stephanie Powell, Jason Samuels Smith, Deborah Vaughan, Reginald Ray Savage, Mahea Uchiyama, Paco Gomes, and Susan Voyticky.

Noche Flamenca Zellerbach Hall, Bancroft at Telegraph, UC Berkeley, Berk; (510) 642-9988, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu. Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. $24-48. The Madrid-based ensemble performs.

Russian National Ballet Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium, Avenue of the Flags at Civic Center, San Rafael; (415) 499-6800, www.marincenter.org. Sat, 8pm. $25-60. The Moscow company performs Marius Petipa's La Bayadere.

PERFORMANCE

*BATS Improv Bayfront Theatre Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna; www.improv.org. Fri, 8pm: "Rock 'n" Roll Theatresports: Semi-Finals," $12-15. Sat, 8pm: "Rock 'n' Roll Theatresports: Semi-Final," $12-15. Sun, 7pm: "Micetro," "Theatresports," and "Specialty," $5.

Big City Improv Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter; (510) 595-5597, www.bigcityimprov.com. Fri, 10pm. Ongoing. $15. The improv troop performs.

"Circo Romani" CELLspace, 2050 Bryant; www.circoromani.com. Wed, 8pm. $45. Wanderlust Company performs a "gypsy dinner circus," which includes a four-course meal.

"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."

Kenward Elmslie and Steven Taylor San Francisco State University, Knuth Hall, 1600 Holloway; www.sfsu.edu. Sat, 7:30pm. $5-10. Poet Elmslie and musician Taylor collaborate on this performance.

Empire Plush Room York Hotel, 940 Sutter; www.empireplushroom.com. Wed-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 8pm and 10:30pm; Sun, 5pm. $32.50-39.50. This week: Paula West performs "Tenth Anniversary at the Empire Plush Room."

"First Look New Plays Festival" Zeum Theater, 221 Fourth St; 749-2228, www.act-sf.org. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $7-10 (festival pass, $40). American Conservatory Theater's First Look Series presents this festival of new works. This week: Waiting for the Flood by Judith Ivay.

"The Gong Show Live" Dark Room Theatre, 2263 Mission; www.darkroomsf.com. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $12-15. Chucky Baby hosts a show that pays tribute to the 1970s game show The Gong Show.

"How We First Met" Purple Onion, 140 Columbus; 348-6280, www.howwefirstmet.com. Fri-Sat, 8pm. $25. Through Feb 25. Actors improv sketches around audince members' love lives.

*"Impermanence" Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 700 Howard; 392-2545, www.performances.org. Wed, 8pm. Composer and choreographer Meredith Monk brings her multidisciplinary work to the stage with collaborators Theo Bleckmann, Ellen Fisher, Katie Geissinger, and others.

"Magic and More" Off-Market Theater, 965 Mission; www.comedyonthesquare.com. Sat, 8pm. $20. Through Feb 26. San Francisco magicians perform.

"Mallmart: The Musical" Brava Theater Center, 2781 24th Street; 647-2822, www.brava.org. Fri-Sat,8pm; Sun, 2pm. $7-10. Sf Mime Troupe, Beth Custer, and Rococo Risque team up to perform this work-in-progress musical about the founder of a larger retail chain.

*"The Perpetual Motion Roadshow" Dark Room, 2263 Mission; 401-7987, perpetualmotionroadshow.com. Wed, 9pm. Call for price. Nathaniel G. Moore, Jody Frankline, Melinda Adams, and other authors, rockers, and performers from the traveling show take the stage.

"Poetry as Opera" San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin; 503-0520, www.kearnystreet.org. Tues, 6:30pm. Free. Poet and performance artist Genny Lim is accompanied by Melody of China's Hong Wang.

"Power Up!" Dark Room Theater, 2263 Mission; www.darkroomsf.com. Sat, 10pm. $10. Sean Kelly performs his one-man show.

"The Purple Friday Show" Purple Onion, 140 Columbus; 217-8400, www.caffemacaroni.com. Fri, 10pm. $5-7. Geoff Foster and Guy J. Jackson host a variety show.

*"The Ringside View" San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway; 338-1341. Wed-Sat, 8pm and 9pm; Sun, 2pm and 3pm. Free. Director Mohammad Kowsar presents characters from Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House and August Strindberg's Miss Julie.

San Francisco Improv Cooperative Off-Market Gallery, 965 Mission; 368-9909, www.sfimprovcooperative.com. Mon, 8pm. Ongoing. $5. The improv collective hosts a "Monday Night Jam."

"Singing Jam-Improv Slam" Off-Market Theater, 965 Mission; 823-4779, www.sfimprov.com. Thurs, 8pm. Free. Through Feb 23. Compete in this improv singing contest.

BAY AREA

"June B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business" Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College, Berk; 798-1300, www.activeartstheatre.org. Sat, 11a and 1:30pm. $13-18. Through Feb 25. Active Arts Theatre for Young Audiences performs a musical adaptation of the children's book by Barbara Park.

*"Re:Figured" 21 Grand, 416 25th St, Oakl; 444-7263, www.21grand.org. Sat, 8pm. $5-10. Ian Winters curates music, performance, and dance by choreophers Paige Sorvillo, Mary Armentrout, and others.

COMEDY

Brainwash 1122 Folsom; 861-3663. Thurs, 7pm: "Brainwash Comedy Open Mic," with host Tony Sparks, free.

Café Royale 800 Post; 441-4099, www.caferoyale-sf.com. Thurs, 8:30pm: "Comedy Royale" with host Peter Bartlett, $5.

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

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight; 552-6949. Mon, 9pm: "Stand-Up 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-Sat, 8pm (also Fri-Sat, 10:15pm): Kevin Nealon, $20-25.

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

Niebaum-Coppola 916 Kearny; 291-1700, www.sfcomedycollege.com. Mon, 8:30pm: "Comedy Coppola Style," with host Kurtis Mathews, free.

Our Little Theater 287 Ellis; 928-4060, www.celebrateclitoris.com. Wed-Sat, 8pm: "Bay Area Comedy Showcase," $10-15.

Palace of Fine Arts 3301 Lyon; 392-4400, www.cityboxoffice.com. Thurs, 8pm: Aron Kader, $25-35.

Red Victorian Hotel 1665 Haight; (650) 346-4195. Sun, 7pm: "SF Sunday Comics," free.

San Francisco Comedy Club 50 Mason; 398-4129, www.laughalotproductions.com. Wed, 7:30pm: "Laugh Dammit!," $10. Fri, 8pm: "Friday Night Comedy," with host Eric Peterson, $10.

San Francisco Comedy College Clubhouse 414 Mason, Suite 705;

www.sfcomedycollege.com. All shows free. Fri, 6pm: "SFCC New Faces." Fri, 8pm: "The Arsenal." Fri, 10pm: "Head to Headline." Sat, 6pm: "Petri Dish." Sat, 8pm: "The Stand-Up Project." Sat, 10pm: "Daggermouth." Sun, 6pm: "Five Funny Femmes."

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 Gallery 1200 Ninth Ave, SF; (415) 504-0060, mike@westcoastvideo.net. "Open Mic Talent Showcase," 7:30pm, free. Magnet 4122 18th Street, SF; "Smack Dab," open mic with hosts Kirk Read and Larry-Bob Roberts and featured reader Jennifer Fox Bennett, 8pm, free. Modern Times Bookstore 888 Valencia, SF; 282-9246, www.mtbs.com. Writers Daphne Gottlieb, Stephen Elliot, and Matthue Roth read, 7:30pm, free.

THURSDAY: 16th Street and Mission BART plaza 16th Street at Mission, SF; (415) 255-9881. "CAI Street Arts Workshop," open mic, 9:30pm, free. EastSide Arts Alliance 2587 International Blvd, Oakl; (510) 533-6629. "Holla Back," open mic, 8:30-10:30pm, donations accepted. Mediterraneum Café 2475 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 526-5985, www.angelfire.com/poetry/wordbeat. "Word Beat Reading Series" with featured readers Tom Odegaard and The Poet Formerly Known As Mark States, 7pm, free. Oakland Metro 201 Broadway, Oakl; projectilepoetry@yahoo.com. "The Oakland Slam," with hosts Nazelah Jamison, Dahled, and DJ Agana, 8pm, $3-6.

FRIDAY: Pegasus Books and CDs Downtown 2349 Shattuck, Berk; 649-1320, pegdowntown@sbcglobal.net. Poets Joseph Massey and Graham Foust read, 8pm, free.

SATURDAY: Red Vic Peace Center 1665 Haight, SF; (415) 864-1978. "Open Mic and Hot Tamales," 5pm, free. Java Source 343 Clement, SF; (415) 387-8025. Open mic, 9pm, free.

SUNDAY: Cody's Books 2454 Telegraph, Berk; (510) 845-7852. "Poetry Flash" with Laynie Brown and Brian Teare, 7:30pm, $2. Café Prague 584 Pacific, SF; (415) 905-8837. "Café Prague Reading Series" with featured reader Charlie Getter, 4pm, free. Pegasus Books and CDs Downtown 2349 Shattuck, Berk; 649-1320, pegdowntown@sbcglobal.net. Poets Jane Rice and Carol Edelstein read, 4:30pm, free. Café Melt 700 Columbus, SF; (415) 392-9290. "A Literary Obsession" hosted by Raucous Rhetoric, 6pm, free.

MONDAY: Purple Onion 140 Columbus, SF; (415) 217-8400, www.caffemacaroni.com. "Live at the Purple Onion," open mic hosted by the Kitchenettes, 7-10pm, $5. Priya Indian Cuisine 2072 San Pablo, Berk; berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com. "Poetry Express" with featured reader Paradise, 7pm, free. Unity Café 1661 Fillmore; unitypoetry@gmail.com. "Unity Poetry," with host E.K. Keith, 7-9pm, free.

TUESDAY: Black Repertory Group Theatre 3201 Adeline, Berk; (510) 652-2120. "Twilight Tuesdays," open mic, 7-9pm, $5. Club Deluxe 1511 Haight, SF; www.thewordparty.com. "Poetry and Jazz Tuesdays," open mic hosted by Jennifer, Ingrid, and Daniel, 8pm, free. Berkeley High School 550 Second Street, Oakl; www.youthspeaks.org. "Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam: Preliminary Round #1" 7pm, $4-6. Bernal Heights Library 500 Cortland, SF; (415) 355-2810. Poets Nellie Wong, Marvin R. Hiemstra, Stephen Kopel, and Nance Wakeman read, 7pm, free. Ti Couz 3108 16th St, SF; attentionspantherapy@yahoo.com. "Attention Span Therapy," open mic, 8pm, free. *