The theatrical production “Port Chicago 50,” a dramatization of the events that unfolded in 1944 is returning by popular demand for two weekends at the Berkeley Black Repertory Theater.
The tragic events of July 17, 1944, in Port Chicago and the equally tragic and prolonged aftermath are dramatized in the play written by David Shackelford and Dennis Rowe, and directed by
Rowe.
“Port Chicago 50” is the story of the massive evening explosion at the U.S. Navy munitions depot in Contra Costa, “told through the eyes of one of the survivors, Freddie Meeks.”
The explosion, felt as far away as Boulder City, Nevada, killed 320 men and critically injured hundreds more.
“Not one of these men has been properly trained to handle munitions, yet they are given orders and expected to load huge amounts of the highly dangerous cargo as quickly as possible. At approximately 10:17 p.m., something went terribly wrong. Explosion after explosion … So fierce, it shook the ground with the force of an earthquake.”
What follows is “chaos, anger, blame, finger pointing, and more importantly guilt. None of these officers in the higher ranks were willing to take the responsibility for this tragedy. What happened that cool summer night? How did it happen? Why?”
The production will look at those questions as it introduces the audience to the Port Chicago 50, the sailors convicted of mutiny.
The cast includes JD Hall, Oren Williams, Walter Fauntleroy, Harry Fowler, David Shackelford, Darrell Philip, Howard Lockie, CJ Dickinson, Izzy Dixon, Matt Jennings, Brandon Raines and Vanessa Lovice.
Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday February 2 and 9; at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Feb. 3 and 10; and at 4 p.m. Feb. 4 and 11 at the Berkeley Black Repertory Theater, 3201 Adeline St.
Tickets are $20 and $25, or $30 for VIP seating, available at the theater box office, online at www.brownpapertickets.com/evebt/3170066 or by calling 800-838-3006. Seating is limited.
Korematsu commemoration
The life of civil rights activist Fred Korematsu, who challenged the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, will be commemorated at a special program at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 27 at the Rosie the Riveter Visitor Education Center, 1414 Harbour Way South.
The program will feature Karen Korematsu, founder and executive director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute dedicated to her father, and a presentation of the two-time Emmy Award winning short documentary, “Of Civil Wrongs and Rights: The Fred Korematsu Story.”
“The event will honor the legacy of Fred Korematsu, and discuss the importance of American civil liberties and our constitutional rights.”
Korematsu challenged Executive Order 9066, enacted in February 1942 leading to the forced removal and mass incarceration of 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry, then was the focus of a 40-year legal battle for vindication.
“This event celebrates the official Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution, a day created on January 30th, 2010 by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to remember the life of Fred Korematsu and recognize the importance of preserving civil liberties.”
Space for the program is limited and reservations are required. To reserve seats call 510-232-5050, ext. 0 and leave a message with your name and phone number, and specify the date of the program you would like to attend.
Forgotten cities talk
The East Bay shoreline between Richmond and Port Costa was once dotted with industrial sites served by ship and railroad access and accompanied by settlements where workers and their families lived.
While company town settlements such as Tormey, Oleum, Eckley and Selby were once thriving concerns and still appear on some maps, most are gone and largely forgotten.
Author John Robinson will discussion on these and other “Lost Cities of the East Bay” at a free presentation hosted by the Pinole Historical Society at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 2 in conference rooms 2A and 2B of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Office Building,1301 Pinole Valley Road.
The public is invited to the free event and refreshments will be served.
“The title of my talk is ‘Lost Cities of the East Bay,’ but the focus is south side of the Carquinez Strait from the Port Costa Brick Works in the east to Point Pinole in the west,” Robinson says. “I use the word ‘cities’ for brevity; these places were never cities, nor even towns. At best they were villages, a collection of ferry and train stops, hotels, stores, company houses, and, mostly, saloons, that sprang up around the factories and plants of the early 20th century.”
Industry was attracted by the abundance of open land in West Contra Costa for operations that were often too dangerous for heavily populated areas, particularly the powder works, the scene of deadly explosions.
Robinson’s illustrated talk will cover the Port Costa Brick Works; waterfront Port Costa during the age of the ferries; Eckley as a brick works, a fishing resort, and now a regional park; Vallejo Junction, a ferry terminal west of Crockett that brought people to South Vallejo and was mentioned in a Robert Louis Stevenson story; the famed smelting plant at Selby; Tormey; the refinery town at Oleum; the Hercules Powder Works; and the Atlas Powder Works at Giant.
“Most of these places are long gone, or absorbed into larger communities,” Robinson says. “ But, they all are interesting footnotes to our local history.”
Crab feed corner
El Cerrito: Tickets are now available for the third annual Ultimate Crab Feed, hosted by the El Cerrito High School/Korematsu Middle School Ultimate Frisbee Club from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the El Cerrito Community Center, 7007 Moeser Lane.
Menu includes unlimited crab with salad, pasta and bread, and beer and wine for sale. Tickets are $50 each, available at eccrabfeed2018.eventbrite.com. For more details email eccrabfeed2018@gmail.com.
Masquers Playhouse: The Masquers Playhouse theater company will provide the entertainment at its crab feed fundraiser from 5 to 9 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Riggers Loft Wine Company-R&B Cellars, 1325 Canal Blvd. in Richmond.
Doors open at 5 p.m. for social time, with dinner at 6:30 p.m. Bring your nutcracker or other crab-opening implement.
Along with live entertainment all evening, there will be a cash wine bar, a 50/50 game, a raffle and a silent auction.
Proceeds benefit the community theater group as it raises funds to retrofit and reopen its stage. Tickets are $55 each, available at http://bit.ly/2rvrbtF. For more details call 510-232-4031 or email masquersreservations@gmail.com.