Here’s a word you don’t often hear – free. But that’s exactly what Circus Bella offers this summer at venues throughout the Bay Area. The frolicking group of entertainers performs in the East Bay June 3 (5:30 p.m.) at DeFremery Park on 1651 Adeline St. in West Oakland and July 9 (6 p.m.) at Lincoln Square Park on 261 11th St. in Oakland.
Complete with live music by the Circus Bella All Star Band, Circus Bella presents its joyful high-flying romp “Ah Ha.” The fast-paced, 60-minute performance puts a fresh spin on the classic one-ring circus blending daring feats with playful mischief as the company’s troupe of acrobats, aerialists, jugglers and clowns celebrate the fun of circus for everyone.
Thanks to the Gerbode Foundation, San Francisco Grants for the Arts and the Svane Family Foundation the circus in the park remains free.
Performers include Chloe Somers Wailer, an international award-winning acrobat, vaudevillian, vocalist and hula hoop artist, while Garrett Allen takes a break from his Las Vegas gig at Cesar’s Palace to bring his gravity-defying chair stacking number to Circus Bella.
While the circus is free, reservations are recommended. Audience members are also encouraged to bring small folding chairs. To reserve space, call 415-480-4239 or go to circusbella.org.
Carole Klyce’s true story of abandonment, foster care hell and escape unfolds in “Flight Risk,” performing at The Marsh Berkeley from Friday through June 20. (Photo by Matt Klyce)
Berkeley: A harrowing, true story comes to life with Carole Klyce’s “Flight Risk” performing at The Marsh Berkeley on 2120 Allston Way from May 30 through June 20 on Saturdays at 5 p.m.
Abandoned by her father at the age of 12, Klyce found herself expelled from the foster care system and managed to escape detention as she made her way through New Jersey and Pennsylvania working odd jobs. Along the way, an ex-con chef and Vegas showgirl became family figures.
Now, a martial arts educator, artist and mother, Klyce shares her story of survival.
For tickets, call 415-282-3055 or go to themarsh.org.
Oakland: On a more somber note, Oakland Theater Project presents Chay Yew’s adaptation of “The House of Bernarda Alba” beginning Friday through June 7. Yew’s adaptation features a large ensemble and a dance-theater aesthetic to produce a fresh and electric version of Federico Garcia Lorca’s tragic tale.
Given how I struggled through the Spanish-language version of Lorca’s novel in my fourth-year language class, this new adaptation sounds wonderful!
The tale follows Bernarda Alba’s iron grip on her family as she, following the death of her husband, imposes an eight-year mourning period on all five of her daughters.
OTP Executive Artistic Director Michael Socrates Moran directs with OTP Co-Artistic Director Lisa Ramirez as Bernarda Alba.
“Lorca wrote this play just before the breakout of the Spanish Civil War,” said Moran. “This production sets the story in a contemporary world where female oppression and repression continue in the name of theocracy. As democracy continues its downward spiral across the world, Lorca’s work reveals a future we are heading toward if we do not change course. At the same time, the depth of the work and the form of the tragedy itself also point toward a humanism that can lead us out.”
The show will be presented at the newly renovated, historic 4,000 square foot ballroom at Omni Commons on 4799 Shattuck Ave. in Oakland.
For tickets, call 510-646-1126 or go to oaklandtheaterproject.org/house.
Also in Berkeley: With our planet heating up and many species endangered or already extinct, climate change is no longer a future possibility but rather something that needs to be dealt with now.
Playwright Bess Wohl attacks the problem with her fast-paced climate change comedy “Continuity,” running Saturday through June 27 at Shotgun Players Ashby Stage on 1901 Ashby Ave. in Berkeley.
Wohl sets her satiric commentary on the set of a major motion picture where the chaotic soundstage mimics the real-world climate crisis. Egos clash, secrets spill and hard truths are faced as the crew attempts to fix the climate crisis with movie magic.
“‘Continuity’ is zany, ambitious, and full-throated,” says Director Emilie Whelan. “Bess Wohl understands that the climate crisis is a human crisis and that humans standing in front of the climate crisis are actually like clowns. It is so big, and we are slack-jawed before it.”
The cast includes Rezan Asfaw, Regina Morones, Nicholas René Rodriguez, Ije Success, Benoît Monin, Malcolm Rodgers, Matt Standley and Adam Mendez Jr.
For tickets, go to shotgunplayers.org.
Walnut Creek: Center Rep announces its 59th season entitled “Dreamers and Daredevils.” It begins with Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” (Sept. 6-27) followed by “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors” (Oct. 25 through Nov. 15). The new year features “You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World” (Feb. 14 through March 7). with “Batboy: The Musical” (June 6 through July 4) concluding the season.
“Center Rep’s 59th season is full of characters demonstrating the kind of radical bravery I think we can all use a bit of right now,” said Artistic Director Matt M. Morrow.
For complete information, go to centerrep.org.
Reach Sally Hogarty at sallyhogarty@gmail.com, and read more of her reviews online at eastbaytimes.com/author/sally-hogarty.