The Sit List: 5 artistic and activist events for the spring
This week, learn about police reform; buy plants from a garden club; read a novel about the 1906 quake; get to know flowers and their pollinator friends; or watch ‘The Waste Land.’
Arts
Top Stories
Reviewed: ‘I’m Fine (Thanks For Asking)’
The often harsh realities of pandemic life balanced with a bracing shot of old-fashioned California ‘can-do’ optimism result in a prize-worthy movie. Screen it before Sunday.
To survive the pandemic, this band performed at the Oakland zoo and at a nudist resort
Dirty Cello performs Saturday as part of the Back Room’s mostly outdoor spring concert series.
Books
Book review: Walter Isaacson’s ‘The Code Breaker’ looks at how CRISPR may change the world
UC Berkeley Professor Jennifer Doudna won the Nobel Prize for her part in unlocking the secrets of CRISPR.
Book review: Annalee Newitz’s latest book ventures into urban history through the lens of archaeology
This book, ‘Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age,’ is, above all, a wide-angle portrait of archaeologists at work.
Music
Plunging in with Zoe FitzGerald Carter’s ‘Waterlines’
On Friday, the Berkeley musician celebrates the release of her second album, a beguiling set of songs exploring stylistic territory beyond her Americana comfort zone.
Berkeley rapper Clyde Shankle: Support systems are more important than ever during pandemic
The South Berkeley rapper talks about the local music scene, his influences and what he’s working on next.
TonaLaura hasn’t seen the inside of a venue in months, but that hasn’t stopped their music
Pianist Laura Klein and guitarist Tony Corman’s repertoire encompasses bossa nova standards, American songbook gems, bebop anthems and original compositions.
Movies
‘Never in our wildest dreams’: The documentary ‘Crip Camp’ nominated for an Oscar
‘Crip Camp’ shows how a summer camp in upstate New York galvanized a generation of activists and influenced Berkeley’s disability rights movement.
Reviewed: Highlights from the San Francisco International Film Festival
A well-deserved and clear-eyed tribute to a one-of-a-kind punk rock pioneer, a journey back to the ‘video nasty’ era and an impressive debut feature with a nod to Aki Kaurismäki.
Reviewed: Oscar-nominated short films 2021
There are eight animated and five live-action shorts vying for an Academy award this year. Which one will win?
Small Screen Berkeley: ‘The Father’ and ‘The Mole Agent’
83-year-old Anthony Hopkins delivers one of the best performances of the year in ‘The Father,’ while another octogenarian, Sergio Chamy, shines in ‘The Mole Agent’ documentary.
Recent stories
Four creative and exciting local theater productions to check out in April
Aurora Theatre Company, Those Women Productions, Oakland Theatre Project and TheatreFirst are working hard to stimulate and educate us, despite the challenges of the pandemic.
Aurora Theatre’s audio play is a powerful adaptation of Toni Morrison’s ‘The Bluest Eye’
Set in 1940 in Morrison’s hometown of Lorain, Ohio, the story revolves around Pecola Breedlove, a lonely 11-year-old-Black girl who is shamed by what she is told is her ugliness.
Berkeley Art Museum will reopen 3 days a week in May with reduced admission
Visitors will be able to view the spectacular retrospective of the quilts of Rosie Lee Tompkins, an exhibit once scheduled to close in December.
Sponsored
The UC Theatre celebrates its fifth anniversary
The UC Theatre is gearing up to reopen with 40+ live concerts this fall. Until then, it continues to depend solely on community and government support to sustain its operations.
Engaging new play, ‘Feel the Spirit,’ soars at Shotgun Players
In this inventive production, written by Noelle Viñas for Zoom, a young gay Latina pastor tries to hold her congregation together through the coronavirus and a racial uprising.
The Sit List: 5 ways to appreciate the arts
This week, hear from the African American Quilt Guild of Oakland; shop edible plants; listen to rad women composers; watch filmmaker Steve McQueen talk about his work; and more.
The Sit List: 5 ways to tell your story
Here are our suggestions for what to do in the next few days. All involve listening to stories and being inspired to tell yours.
Small Screen Berkeley: ‘Wojnarowicz’ and ‘FTA’
Reviewed: A fantastic documentary and worthy tribute to the artist David Wojnarowicz; and the story of Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland and others touring US military bases in 1971.
‘God of Vengeance’ is a 115-year-old Yiddish play with 21st-century American themes
Catch this remarkable and lively Yiddish Theatre Ensemble presentation, which touches on issues like freedom of expression and respect for sex workers, Saturday through Tuesday.
After move to Oakland, artist Mildred Howard will install first public artwork in her Berkeley hometown
Howard said she is excited for what this sculpture will represent for her old Lorin District neighborhood.
