Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky.
Links to on-line and streaming local theater & book events
Bookwaves
Richard A. Lupoff, Dick Lupoff, former co-host of “Probabilities” and “Cover to Cover” died on October 22, 2020 at the age of 85. This half-hour is dedicated to his memory and features a live radio program recorded in July, 1992 in which he, Richard Wolinsky and mystery author Shelley Singer review various books they’d read in the previous month.
Richard A. Lupoff began his career as a writer creating a science fiction fanzine, Xero, which won a Hugo Award in 1963. He began his official writing career with a biography of Edgar Rice Burroughs and a first novel, One Million Centuries, in the early 1960s. Over the course of a very long writing career, eventually, over sixty books carried his byline, many of them science fiction novels, short story collections, and mystery novels. He also edited a still unsurpassed history of early comic books, All in Color for a Dime. Other novels include Space War Blues, Into the Aether, Sword of the Demon and The Comic Book Killer. His short story, 12:01, became a Showtime short film and was later expanded into a full-length television movie (and was most likely the inspiration for the classic film, Groundhog Day).
Starting in 1977 on KPFA, he helped create a large body of work that included most of the best-known science fiction and mystery writers of the last quarter of the twentieth century, and his work digging up interviews with old pulp writers and editors remains, to a large extent, the only body of work of its kind.
Probabilities began with a one-off one-hour program called Probabilities Unlimited, with Lawrence Davidson in the first show hosting Richard Lupoff and Michael Kurland, with Richard Wolinsky at the controls. After several months, and after Richard Wolinsky became co-host, it became a regular weekly, half-hour program called simply Probabilities, which aired until 1995. Richard A. Lupoff joined the show as co-host in 1979. Lawrence Davidson left in the mid-1980s. In 1995, the show relaunched as part of the Cover to Cover series of strip programs. By that time, it was known informally as the Richard and Richard Show. Richard Lupoff departed in 2001 to focus on his writing career. Among the notable authors interviewed by the two Richards were such luminaries as Ray Bradbury, Octavia Butler, Gore Vidal, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Kurt Vonnegut.
Artwaves
Walter Tevis, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, Richard A. Lupoff and Lawrence Davidson, recorded for the Probabilities KPFA radio program.
Walter Tevis, who died in 1984 at the age of 56, only wrote six novels. The first was The Hustler, which was adapted into a classic film with Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason. The second, The Man Who Fell to Earth, was adapted into another classic movie starring David Bowie. Later came two science fiction novels, Mockingbird in 1980 and Steps of the Sun in 1983. Also in 1983 was The Queens Gambit, which is now a Netflix miniseries, and his final novel, The Color of Money, a sequel to the Hustler with a different plot than the Scorcese film, came out the year of his death 1984. This interview was recorded in the stairwell of Codys Bookstore in Berkeley in October 1981 on the publication of his only short story collection, Far From Home.
:Transcript of this interview. Complete 32 minute podcast.
Announcement Links
Book Passage. Conversations with authors, all at 4 pm Pacific: Lee and Andrew Child, with Michael Connolly, Thursday Oct. 29; Matthew McConaughey with Reese Witherspoon, Friday October 30; Anthony Lee Head and Peter Coyote, Sat. Nov. 7, Elizabeth Strout Sun. Oct. 25.
The Booksmith An evening with with Desirée Alvarez, Anthony Cody, Jennifer Hasegawa & Kimberly Reyes Thursday October 29, 2020 – 6:00pm.
Books Inc Halloween Horror Panel, Thursday October 29, 5 pm.
Bay Area Book Festival Unbound events continue. Podcasts of October 3-4 Unbound: All 22 interviews and discussions are now available on demand.
Kepler’s Books presents Refresh the Page, on line interviews and talks. Registration required.
San Francisco Playhouse. 2020-21 Virtual Season: Art by Yasmina Reza, now streaming through November 7; The Jewelry Box, written and performed by Brian Copeland, streaming November 28 – December 25, 2020; From Blues to Broadway Revue, streaming December 12 – 31, 2020.
Custom Made Theatre Upcoming events TBA.
Theatre Rhino Live Thursday performance conceived and performed by John Fisher on Facebook Live and Zoom at 8 pm Thursdays is The Big Island. Blood at the Root by Dominique Morriseau, directed by Darryl V. Jones, live Nov. 6 at 7:30 pm and streaming through November 15; Overlooked Latinas, written and performed by Tina D’Elia, streaming Nov. 13-22, 2020.
American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca, live Oct 29 – 30, on demand Nov. 6 -13. Pam McKinnon talks with Annette Bening, Nov. 20 live; Dec. 4 – June 30, on demand. A Christmas Carol, radio adaptation of Carey Perloff’s adaptation, streams Dec. 5-31, 2020.
42nd Street Moon. Moonbeams Streaming Series: Broadway Flipped, Oct. 29 – Nov. 8; A Distant Dinner Party with Jess and Jaron, Nov. 12-22 8 pm; Home (literally) for the Holidays, Nov. 26- Dec. 6. Tuesdays: Tuesday Talks Over the Moon. Every other Friday at 8 pm: Full Moon Fridays Cabaret. Sundays at 8 pm: Quiz Me Kate: Musical Theatre Trivia.
Magic Theatre. Escaped Alone by Caryl Churchill, directed by Loretta Greco. A radio play, through Nov. 15.
Shotgun Players. Josh Kornbluth’s Citizen Brain, live streamed through November 8.
Berkeley Rep It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis, adapted by Tony Taccone, a radio play, On demand through November 8. Free with no registration. Here is the link.
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. Hold These Truths by Jeanne Sakata, video of 2018 TheatreWorks production, streaming through November 3, 2020. Two live shows with Hershey Felder from Florence for the Holidays: Claude Debussy, Nov. 22; Tchaikovsky, December 20, both at 5 pm Pacific.
California Shakespeare Theatre (Cal Shakes) The Direct Address series continues with Resisting Shakespeare: Or, How to Fall In and Out and In and Out of Love. Shakespeare in Depth, class with Philippa Kelly, registration required.
Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts new on-line programming series featuring classes, concerts, poetry sessions and more. Day of the Dead virtual ritual, Nov.2, live event.
SFBATCO Live with Rod and Marce on Twitch TV, every Thursday at 6 pm.
Aurora Theatre’s A new ticketed audio drama, The Flats, written by Lauren Gunderson, Cleaven Smith and Jonathan Spector, with Lauren English, Anthony Fusco and Khary L. Moye, directed by Josh Costello, streaming now. Aurora Connects conversations every Friday, 4 pm.
Marin Theatre Company Lauren Gunderson’s play Natural Shocks streams through Soundcloud on the Marin Theatre website. American Dreams, created and developed by Leila Buck and Tamilla Woodard, streaming Nov. 10-15, tickets go on sale October 27.
Central Works Bystanders by Patricia Milton, an audio play, currently streaming. The Human Ounce by Nicole Parizeau, audio play, streams beginning Nov. 26, 2020
New Conservatory Theatre Center The Law of Attraction by Patricia Milton, a world premiere radio play, streams through November 18, 2020.
The Marsh: International Solo Fest, archived streaming. Josh Kornbluth hosts bingo every Friday at 7:30 pm
Brava Theatre Center: Special Dia de los Muertos events November 1-2.
Pear Theater. Lysistrata, streamed through November 9, filmed live outdoors.
Contra Costa Civic Theatre It’s a Wonderful Life, a radio play by Joe Landry, streams Nov. 27-Dec. 20.
The Breath Project. 24 curated works of 8 minutes 46 seconds streams Saturday October 24, 2 pm and 5 pm and Sunday October 25, 5 pm. Complete collection streaming on demand.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival: On-demand audio recordings of early plays; videos of Indigenous Peoples Day 2020, etc. This Is Who I Am by Amir Nizar Zuabi, directed by Evren Odcikin, a co-production with Woolly Mammoth, Nov. 29 – Dec. 27.
Playbill List of Streaming Theatre: Updated weekly, this is probably the best list you’ll find of national and international streaming plays and musicals. Each week has its own webpage, so scroll down.
If you’d like to add your bookstore or theater venue to this list, please write Richard@kpfa.org