The arts
Theater and dance
The Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies offers courses in acting, dance, stagecraft, design, playwriting, directing, and performance studies for all levels of experience. Berkeley students, faculty, and staff are eligible to audition and be cast in Department productions in Zellerbach Playhouse, Durham Studio Theater, Bancroft Studio, or The Black Box Theater. Working backstage on productions also allows students to earn course credit in such areas as costume, set, sound, lighting design, and stage management. Department auditions are usually held during the first and last weeks of each semester. Whether performer or audience member, an entire season of very affordable theater, dance, and performance awaits you. Send an email to ugprograms@theater.berkeley.edu to receive the weekly Department newsletter, The Spotlight (theater.berkeley.edu; 101 Dwinelle Annex; ugprograms@theater.berkeley.edu; 510/642-1677).
Physical Education offers a variety of dance classes (without audition). Consult the Schedule of Classes for more information (pe.berkeley.edu; 200 Hearst Gymnasium; peucb@berkeley.edu; 510/642-3288).
Dances sponsored by student groups, residential housing units, and the Bear’s Lair (MLK Jr. Student Union) happen all the time. Check The Daily Cal, campus housing bulletin boards, or student group flyers for events such as fraternity and sorority formals and the Queer Dance each semester.
Other student theater groups produce their own shows, including Theatre Rice (www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~thrice) and the BareStage Productions (ucchoral.berkeley.edu/ucchoral/barestage). More student theater groups can be found here.
Music
The Department of Music
A variety of performance courses may be taken for academic credit:
African Music Ensemble
Baroque Ensemble
Gospel Chorus
Javanese Gamelan
Jazz Ensemble
University Chamber Chorus
University Chorus
University Symphony Orchestra
University Wind Ensemble
Some of these groups require a good deal of musical experience, but others do not. If you are interested in participating, check the Morrison Hall bulletin board or department website (music.
berkeley.edu/performance.html) to see if you need to audition. Auditions are held the week before classes begin.
Practice rooms with pianos are available without charge to all students, although some hours are reserved for students in certain music courses (music.berkeley.edu/practice.html).
Music rooms are also available in some University residence halls (Units 1, 2, and 3) on a first-come, first-served basis and are accessible via residents’ room keys.
Concerts
The department runs three concert series during the academic year.
Noon Concerts are held on Wednesdays and some Fridays, 12:15pm to 1pm in Hertz Hall. They feature the best student and faculty performers. There is no admission charge, but it’s best to show up early so you get a good seat. Don’t try to sneak in food because no eating is allowed!
Evening Concerts take place throughout the year, featuring a wide range of genres. The schedule is available at music.berkeley.edu; there is a small admission charge.
Morrison Hall Noon Concerts are informal music presentations by undergraduates in 125 Morrison Hall on selected Mondays. Flyers with information about these concerts are posted in Morrison Hall or you can check out the schedule online at music.berkeley.edu/morrison.
Contact the Department of Music for information about any of these programs (music.berkeley.edu; 104 Morrison Hall; music@berkeley.edu; 510/642-4864).
Publications include:
Concert Season brochure
Noon Concert Series posters
Student Musical Activities (SMA)
SMA is home to UC Choral Ensembles, UC Jazz Ensembles, and the University of California Marching Band. In addition to offering an excellent educational musical experience, members are given the opportunity to develop skills in arts administration through student officer and group management positions (sma.berkeley.edu; 72 Cesar Chavez Student Center; 510/643-1347).
UC Choral Ensembles offers exciting opportunities for singers to develop musical and vocal skills, explore a wide variety of musical styles (e.g., classical, musical theater, jazz, pop, and madrigal), and participate in performances on campus, at festivals, sporting events, and arts events around the Bay Area. UC Choral Ensembles groups include:
BareStage (musical theater)
Cal Jazz Choir
California Golden Overtones
Noteworthy
Perfect Fifth
UC Alumni Chorus
UC Men’s Chorale
UC Men’s Octet
UC Women’s Chorale
Auditions for most groups are held each semester the week before instruction begins and continue through the first week of classes (ucchoral.berkeley.edu; 72 Cesar Chavez Student Center; join-ucce@berkeley.edu; 510/642-3880).
UC Men's Octet
The UC Men's Octet performs at Sather Gate every Wednesday at 1pm, and The Golden Overtones perform there every Friday at 1pm.
UC Jazz Ensembles’ dynamic and innovative jazz programs include:
Big Band
Composition and arranging
Eight combos (quartets to octets)
Improvisation workshop
Instrumental Master classes
Studio lessons
Vocal jazz with combo
Auditions take place in a group setting. They are held during rehearsals the first three weeks of classes each semester. UC Jazz provides staff instruction to students on all the major jazz instruments. UC Jazz Ensembles regularly performs on campus and in the local community—including Yoshi’s Jazz Club—and sponsors clinics with guest artists from the jazz community (ucjazz.berkeley.edu; 72 Cesar Chavez Student Center; 510/642-5062).
The University of California Marching Band performs at home football games. A subgroup of the marching unit, the Straw Hat Band, entertains at all away football games, all men’s and women’s home basketball games, various other Cal sporting events, and University and Bay Area functions. Members are eligible to live in Tellefsen Hall, a coed boarding house.
Musical auditions are held in the spring and summer; eligibility to march with the band during the fall is determined at the band’s fall training program, traditionally held the week before school begins. Previous marching experience is not required, and everyone is encouraged to try out. Contact the Cal Band for further information (www.calband.berkeley.edu; 72 Cesar Chavez Student Center; prd@calband.berkeley.edu; 510/642-3436 or 510/642-6704).
Tuna and Bonnie
At men's basketball games, the Cal Straw Hat Band picks a player from the other team to be that night's Tuna. For instance, they'll say, "Hey 21, you're our Tuna for tonight!" Then, whenever that player has or even touches the ball, Cal fans go wild and scream "Tuna!" and make a lot of noise. The second he no longer has the ball, the noise stops. The band does the same thing at the women's basketball games, except that they pick a Bonnie, instead of a Tuna.
Media
KALX-FM, the campus radio station at 90.7 FM, is your UC information station. It features music of all kinds, news, sports, and information from the campus, community, and beyond. More than 200 student and community volunteers work at the station (kalx.berkeley.edu; 26 Barrows Hall; 510/642-1111).
Note: a list of Bay Area radio stations runs here.
Student publications include the yearbook, humor magazines, a science journal, daily newspapers, literary and law reviews, and several academic and critical journals. Most publications are registered as student organizations (Campus Life & Leadership; cll.berkeley.edu; 102 Sproul Hall; 510/642-5171). Last year’s publications are listed in the Student Organizations section.
The ASUC Publications Adviser assists students in starting up and maintaining publications. Support services are provided to approximately 50 student publications. Submissions to any of these media may be dropped off in their respective mailboxes (ASUC Student Publications Center,
asuc-aux.berkeley.edu/publications.html; 10 Eshleman Hall; 510/643-2981).
The Blue and Gold Yearbook has covered campus events, people, and issues annually since 1875. The all-student staff works in an energetic environment, gaining hands-on experience in writing, designing, editing, and photography. The book covers a 10-month period—from August to May—and is delivered the following fall semester (www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~bluegold/index.php; 10D Eshleman Hall; 510/642-8247).
The Daily Californian is the independently run, major student newspaper with a circulation of 23,000. It publishes weekdays and covers campus and city news. The Daily Cal always seeks new writers, design and online interns, and photographers (www.dailycal.org; 600 Eshleman Hall; dailycalifornian@dailycal.org; 510/548-8300).
The CalTV Project is Berkeley’s student-run online television station (thecaltvproject.com).
Research Journals, see here.
Visual art
The ASUC Art Studio offers an affordable and welcoming place for Berkeley students to discover new passions and hone established skills. Quality art instruction is available for all stages of artistic development, and classes are offered in several disciplines (www.asucartstudio.org; Lower Level MLK Student Union; 510/642-3065).
The Department of Art Practice offers a free Monday “Intervention” lecture series in the evenings, held intermittently throughout the academic year in 116 Kroeber Hall. Please call the department or check the website for lecture dates and times (art.berkeley.edu; 510/642-2582).
The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive Student Committee is dedicated to getting Cal students involved with BAM/PFA. The committee presents special student-only events, promotes exhibitions and film series of particular interest to students, and provides student input on future plans for the museum. Students of any major are invited to join (bampfastudents.org/Homepage.html; bampfasc@berkeley.edu).
The Department of Architecture sponsors a lecture series on Wednesday evenings (arch.ced.berkeley.edu/events/calendar; 510/642-4942).
The Pacific Film Archive presents cinema from every film-producing country in one of the largest and most varied film exhibition programs in the world. Screenings include almost every genre and era of film, from early silents to experimental film and video, and often feature in-person conversations with filmmakers, critics, and scholars. Each year PFA presents about 500 screenings and hosts a range of local and international film festivals including Filmmakers at Cal and the Women of Color Film Festival. The archive is also actively engaged in film study and preservation, and is home to the PFA Library and Film Study Center—an invaluable resource for any budding film aficionado. Pick up a schedule at the Berkeley Art Museum, at the Pacific Film Archive Theater, or the MLK Jr. Student Union. Admission for Cal students is just $5.50 (www.bampfa.berkeley.edu; 2575 Bancroft Way; 510/642-1412 or 24-hour taped information, 510/642-1124).