Arts & Events

FIREHOUSE ARTS CENTER -more-

AUDIUM -more-

ZELLERBACH HALL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY -more-

BERKELEY PUBLIC LIBRARY, CENTRAL BRANCH -more-

ASHBY STAGE -more-

"CIRQUE DU SOLEIL'S OVO," -- through Jan. 24. A lively rush into a world of insects and acrobatics. Written and directed by Deborah Colker. See website for times, dates and complete details. Performances take place under the "Grand Chapiteau'' at AT&T Park. -more-

924 GILMAN ST. All ages welcome. -more-

Looking back on a year of theater, a few moments spring to mind, more than a view of the whole of what took place ... The last scene, especially, in Central Works' Penelope's Odyssey, with Terry Lamb's outrageous portrait of the wily Odysseus as a raucous drunk, retailing war stories, capper to a collaborative show that displayed, once again, what makes that little company unique—and plucky. Jan Zvaifler, Leontyne Mbele-Mbong, Matt Lai all played at the top of their game—as did director John Patrick Moore, playwright-lighting designer Gary Graves, soundman Greg Scharpen and costumer Tammy Berlin. In the same room at the City Club, Just Theater produced a very contemporary rendering of the Arabian Nights, Jason Grote's '1001', which also showed the theatricality a small company could create onstage with limited means, in many ways more artistically successful than more lavish stagings locally of the same material. -more-

CARMEN FLORES RECREATION CENTER -more-

"SUN SPHERES," -- ongoing. "Sun Spheres'' is a trio of mosaic sculptures by artist Laurel True at the intersection of Ocean and Granada Avenues in the OMI District of San Francisco. -more-

"MONARCHS -- BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING," -- Jan. 8. Join a Hayward Area Recreation and Park District Monarch Butterfly expert to learn about the animal's amazing life cycles. Adults only; meet at the Mulford Marina Branch Library entrance, 13699 Aurora, San Leandro. -more-

"MONARCHS -- BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING," -- Jan. 8. Join a Hayward Area Recreation and Park District Monarch Butterfly expert to learn about the animal's amazing life cycles. Adults only; meet at the Mulford Marina Branch Library entrance, 13699 Aurora, San Leandro. -more-

ARDENWOOD HISTORIC FARM Ardenwood farm is a working farm that dates back to the time of the Patterson Ranch, a 19th-century estate with a mansion and Victorian Gardens. Today, the farm still practices farming techniques from the 1870s. Unless otherwise noted, programs are free with regular admission. -more-

AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM AND LIBRARY AT OAKLAND ongoing. The Oakland Public Library's museum is designed to discover, preserve, interpret and share the cultural and historical experiences of African Americans in California and the West. In addition, a three-panel mural is on permanent display. -more-

ASIAN ART MUSEUM OF SAN FRANCISCO The Asian Art Museum-Chon-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture recently unveiled its new building in San Francisco's Civic Center. The building, the former San Francisco Public Library, has been completely retrofitted and rebuilt to house San Francisco's significant collection of Asian treasures. The museum offers complimentary audio tours of the museum's collection galleries. "In a New Light," ongoing. There are some 2,500 works displayed in the museum's new galleries. They cover all the major cultures of Asia and include Indian stone sculptures, intricately carved Chinese jades, Korean paintings, Tibetan thanksgas, Cambodian Buddhas, Islamic manuscripts and Japanese basketry and kimonos. -more-

"MONARCHS -- BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING," -- Jan. 8. Join a Hayward Area Recreation and Park District Monarch Butterfly expert to learn about the animal's amazing life cycles. Adults only; meet at the Mulford Marina Branch Library entrance, 13699 Aurora, San Leandro. -more-

ASHKENAZ -more-