We may not have a thriving arts scene in Dublin (yet), but there are myriad opportunities to experience theater, music, and art in the surrounding communities.  Here are just some of the highlights of the fall season.

Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers Records

THEATER
Berkeley Repertory Theatre has sent an unprecedented five locally produced shows to Broadway and even won a Tony Award in 1997 for Best Regional Theatre. Perhaps the most anticipated East Bay performance this fall is the company’s ambitious stage adaptation of Green Day’s multiplatinum album American Idiot (Sep. 4–Oct. 11 in Berkeley).

Theater and dance lovers will enjoy On The Town, a joint effort between Diablo Theatre Company and Company C Contemporary Ballet (Sep. 11–27 in Walnut Creek). The Leonard Bernstein comedy about sailors on leave in New York City is fun for all ages.

Other fall theater highlights include Center REP’s Elvis-centric musical All Shook Up (Sep. 3–Oct. 10 in Walnut Creek); Noël Coward’s Brief Encounter at A.C.T. (Sep. 11–Oct. 4 in San Francisco); San Francisco Opera’s performance of Verdi’s Il Travatore (Sep. 11–Oct. 6); Spamalot, the Monty Python musical, by Broadway San Jose (Sep. 15–20 in San Jose); the annual Eugene O’Neill Festival featuring The Designated Mourner (Sep. 24–27 in Danville); RENT, which returns with its original stars (Oct. 6–18 in San Francisco); Contra Costa Musical Theatre’s production of Oliver! (Oct. 9–Nov. 7 in Walnut Creek); Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci by Livermore Valley Opera (Oct. 10–18 in Livermore); and La Cenerentola, aka Cinderella, by Opera San José (Nov. 14–29 in San Jose).

MUSIC
Each fall, California Symphony presents the free Pops on the Plaza concert (Sep. 12 in Concord). It’s a great opportunity for families to get acquainted with the 60-member group that Reader’s Digest named the “Best of America,” before checking out the symphony’s season, which kicks off with Rossini’s “William Tell Overture” and Ravel’s “Mother Goose Suite” (Oct. 11 in Walnut Creek).

Photo courtesy of San Ramon Jazz

Libraries are typically quiet places—but not during the Jazz at the San Ramon Library series. Jazz saxophonist Anton Schwartz kicks off the season (Oct. 9), followed by pianist Dennis Edwards and bassist Steve Webber (Oct. 30), and Afro-Cuban jazz trombonist Wayne Wallace (Nov. 20). While you’re there, check out the library’s growing jazz collection, with more than 1,200 CDs, 125 videos, and 220 books.

Other fall music highlights include Guitar Player Live, a celebration of all things guitar (Sep. 11–13 in Livermore); swing dancing with The Glenn Miller Orchestra aboard the USS Hornet (Sep. 12 in Alameda); tween favorite Miley Cyrus at Oracle Arena (Sep. 18 in Oakland); Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Lenny White at Yoshi’s (Sep. 15–Sep. 18 in Oakland); jazz legend Wynton Marsalis (Sep. 22 in Berkeley); the Fremont Symphony Orchestra with Fremont opera stars (Sep. 26 in Fremont); Star Wars in Concert (Oct. 11 in San Jose); San Francisco Symphony with renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman (Oct. 14–18 in San Francisco); the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra season opener with new director Joana Carneiro (Oct. 15 in Berkeley); R&B recording artists Boyz II Men (Oct. 16 in San Ramon); the Livermore-Amador Symphony presents pops and sing-a-longs (Nov. 6–7 in Livermore); the Oakland-East Bay Symphony season opener (Nov. 13); and Billy Joel and Elton John together in concert (Nov. 14 in Oakland, Nov. 17 in San Jose).

DANCE
You’ve probably never seen anything like Axis Dance Company. Its unique mission is to integrate dancers with and without disabilities—creating stunningly beautiful imagery that pushes the boundaries of contemporary dance. The Oakland-based company kicks off its home season with a world premiere choreographed by David Dorfman (Nov. 6–8 in Oakland).

Photo courtesy of Scot Goodman

You will have just finished Thanksgiving dinner by the time San Francisco–based Smuin Ballet comes to the East Bay with their beloved “Christmas Ballet” (Nov. 27–28 in Walnut Creek). The first half is classical ballet, the second is cool, jazzy, and sexy—something for everyone.

Other fall dance highlights include the Ukranian National Dance Company in “Virsky” (Sep. 20 in San Ramon); Suzanne Farrel Ballet presents George Balanchine’s works (Oct. 24–25 in Berkeley); Moving Arts Dance in “Night Visions” (Oct. 24–25 in Concord); Diablo Ballet in “Apollo” and “Coppella the Magic Doll” (Nov. 19–21 in Walnut Creek); San Francisco Ballet presents the “Nutcracker” (Dec. 8–27 in San Francisco); and Mark Morris Dance Group’s hilarious “Nutcracker” spoof “The Hard Nut” (Dec. 11–20 in Berkeley).

ART
If you haven’t been to the De Young Museum since June, when Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs (through March 28 in San Francisco) went on display, well, go! The exhibition features more than 130 artifacts from the tomb of Egypt’s “boy king,” including art, jewelry, daggers, and funeral masks.

In another science-friendly art exhibit, the Saint Mary’s College astronomy and physics department partners with Hearst Art Gallery to present Out of This World: Real & Imagined Landscapes of our Solar System (Oct. 10–Dec. 13 in Moraga). The visually dazzling exhibition “brings together explorers and the artists who have illustrated their discoveries.”

Other fall art highlights include photography by Richard Avedon at SFMOMA (through Nov. 29 in San Francisco); the Harvest Craft Show (Sep. 11–13 in Pleasanton); the Lafayette Art & Wine Festival (Sep. 19–20 in Lafayette); the Fine Arts Festival (Sep. 25–27 in Walnut Creek); Art in the Park (Oct. 3–4 in Danville); ArtWalk Livermore (Oct. 10 in Livermore); Emerald Cities: Arts of Siam and Burma at the Asian Art Museum (Oct. 23–Jan. 10 in San Francisco); Bedford Gallery pottery exhibit Objects of Virtue (Dec. 1–Jan. 21 in Walnut Creek); and Cartier and America at the Legion of Honor (Dec. 19–April 18 in San Francisco).

LITERARY AND COMEDY

Photo courtesy of Brian Copeland

Brian Copeland, whose name you may recognize from KGO Radio, has the longest running solo show in San Francisco. Now you can catch “Not a Genuine Black Man” in the East Bay (Sep. 25–26 in Walnut Creek). The autobiographical monologue is about race relations in San Leandro, where he grew up.

Captain Chesley Sullenberger, the Danville pilot known to all Americans as the Hero of the Hudson, visits Rakestraw Books (Oct. 19 in Danville) to promote his brand-new memoir, Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters. He will share about his experience, answer questions, and sign autographs.

Other fall literary and comedy highlights include improv troupe Comedy Sportz at Ohlone College (Sep. 11 in Fremont); San Francisco Comedy Competition finalist Dave Burleigh at Bunjo’s (Sep. 12 in Dublin); writer and humorist Sarah Vowell (Sep. 17 in San Ramon); James Beard Award-winning food writer Michael Pollan (Sep. 30 in Berkeley); veteran comedian Carol Burnett at the Paramount Theatre (Oct. 1 in Oakland); political comedy troupe Capitol Steps (Oct. 15 in Livermore); Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Michael Chabon (Nov. 6 in Danville); Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell (Nov. 9 in Walnut Creek); Monty Python’s John Cleese (Nov. 11 in Yountville); and public radio personality Ira Glass (Dec. 5 in Berkeley).

***Be sure to check official websites to confirm schedule and ticket availability.***