Bankhead Presents Program | June 2024
More Than A Song by Faith Alpher
SAT JUN 1 @ 1 PM
A native of Teaneck, New Jersey, Faith Alpher has been delighting audiences for years. A trained actress, comedian, radio personality, wife, mother, and dog-lover, Faith has a remarkable gift for connecting with people of every background. On stage, her larger-than-life personality and willingness to share her life’s experiences openly and honestly, connects audiences not just to her but to each other.
A versatile entertainer with a quick-wit, lively humor, and vibrant style, Faith has become a sought-after mistress of ceremonies for events such as the 60th Anniversary of Hasbro’s beloved Candy Land board game on San Francisco’s Lombard Street and more.
She appeared on one of the original Oprah Winfrey Network shows “Searching For…” where, instead of a family member, she searched for an elementary school teacher who had changed her life.
A familiar voice on local radio, Faith has been an on-air presence at KKIQ (101.7) and KKDV (92.1) for more than a dozen years.
Her engaging stand-up has kept audiences laughing at the Gotham Comedy Club (NYC), as well as Comedy Uncorked and Tommy T’s Comedy Club in the Bay Area and comedy clubs around the world.
Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir
FRI JUN 21 @ 8 PM
The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir is an audition-only, semi-professional Black gospel music choir that performs 25-30 times per year. It includes the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Ensemble made up of 9 to 15 singers who are tasked with performing an additional 10-20 times per year. The most intensive of the choirs, OIGC rehearses weekly and an 80% performance attendance is required.
Recent performance highlights include the CA Governor’s Tree Lighting Ceremony, Super Bowl 50, Chase Center’s opening ceremony, and the launch of the National LGBTQ Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
OIGC has also toured the world, including Canada, Isreal, Australia, and more recently, the Lavender Pen Tour in October 2017 (5-state tour with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus) and the European Tour in 2015.
Auditions to join the Gospel Choir are generally held in February/March of each year. To be notified of future audition opportunities, be sure to follow OIGC on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, and join our email list!
To learn more about our non-audition Community Choir that rehearses generally once a month, and performs 4 to 5 times a year, visit: www.oigc.org/oicc.
Stage Door Lounge Storytelling with Bil Lepp
WED JUN 26 @ 7:30 PM
Bil Lepp is an award-winning storyteller, author, and recording artist.
He’s the host of the History Channel’s Man Vs History series, the occasional host of NPR’s internationally syndicated Mountain Stage, and a contributing columnist to the West Virginia Gazette-Mail.
Bil’s humorous, family friendly tall-tales and stories have earned the appreciation of listeners of all ages and from all walks of life. Though a five time champion of the WV Liars’s Contest, Lepp’s stories often contain morsels of truth which present universal themes in clever and witty ways. Audiences all across the country, from grade schools to corporate execs to the Comedy Central’s Hudson stage, have been delighted by Bil’s hilarious tales and delightful insights into everyday life.
Bil’s 28 books and audio collections have won awards including the PEN Steven Kroll Award for Children’s Book Writing, Parents’ Choice Gold awards, and awards from the National Parenting Publications Assoc., and the Public Library Assoc.
He is also the recipient of the Vandalia Award, West Virginia’s highest folk honor.
“Just as New Jersey has Bruce Springsteen, West Virginia has…Bil Lepp.” – Goldenseal Magazine
“…Lepp, a cross between Dr. Seuss and…film noir….” -Charleston Gazette
His first children’s book, The King of Little Things, won the PEN Steven Kroll Award for Picture Book Writing, received a Kirkus Starred review, and favorable reviews from The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, The School Library Journal and other publications. It also won the Zena Sutherland Award, the Parent’s Choice Gold Award, was a finalist for the Irma Black Award, and was chosen to be West Virginia’s book at the National Book Festival.
Lepp’s works have received awards and recognition from The Parents’ Choice Foundation, The National Parenting Publications Assoc., and the Public Library Assoc. In 2011, Bil was awarded the National Storytelling Network’s Circle of Excellence Award. Lepp has been featured 19 times at the National Storytelling Festival, and performed at major storytelling festivals around the county, at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and at corporate events and functions. Lepp has been featured on, and hosted NPR’s internationally syndicated Mountain Stage.
He is the recipient of the Vandalia Award, West Virginia’s highest folk honor.
Regina Stoops was born and raised in a town called Normal, though her humor is anything but. Regina has her own unique perspective on what most might consider the mundane details of ordinary life: raising three boys, being married (or not), aging parents, health care, navigating the world of special education, mini-van motoring and the grocery store.
Regina’s comedic ramblings take a look at an ordinary life and redefine what it is to be normal. The journey of a “Catholic, Democratic, lesbian, stay-at home soccer mom with an Autistic son” living in the suburbs provides endless entertainment along the way.
Featuring: JP Frary & Claire Hennessy
Jake Shimabukuro
Tradewinds & Rainbows Tour
with Very Special Guest Henry Kapano
& Featuring Jeff Peterson
FRI JUN 28 @ 8 PM
Over the past two decades, Jake Shimabukuro has proved that there isn’t a style of music that he can’t play. While versatility for any musician is impressive, Jake showcases his transcendent skills as he explores his seemingly limitless vocabulary – whether it’s jazz, rock, blues, bluegrass, folk, or even classical – on perhaps the unlikeliest of instruments: the ‘ukulele. Called “one of the hottest axemen of the past few years [who] doesn’t actually play guitar” (Rolling Stone), Jake Shimabukuro has become one of the most exceptional and innovative ‘ukulele players in the history of the instrument—an artist who has drawn comparisons to musical titans such as Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis.
Award-winning legend, Henry Kapono is the most prolific and profound island entertainer of his era. Kapono has been at the creative forefront of contemporary Hawaiian music throughout his career, with the popular duo Cecilio & Kapono, whose music is as relevant today as in the 70s & 80s, to launching a solo career resulting in a Grammy Nomination and 21 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards (Hawai`i’s version of the Grammys) and fans worldwide. Bestselling solo albums such as Tropics, Home in the Islands, Dukes on Sunday, Henry’s house, and Wild Hawaiian continue to break new ground with multi-genre contemporary music and his collaborations in Henry Kapono & Friends celebrating the music that represents the soundtrack of Hawai`i, and the Songs of C&K, an ingenious concept of a collection of reimagined C&K songs featuring Kapono with Hawai`i’s emerging entertainers.
Recognized as one of Hawaii’s most versatile musicians, Slack Key Master, Jeff Peterson, is at the heart of the Hawaiian music scene today. His focus on Slack Key guitar, classical, and jazz music has allowed him to develop a unique and transcendent voice on the guitar while being deeply rooted in the traditions of his Hawaiian heritage. He has contributed to two Grammy Award-winning recordings and has been honored with thirteen Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards.
LVA Sponsor
LVA Sponsor
UNCLE Credit Union Art Gallery at the Bankhead Theater
Bath Time, Credit Valley Humane Society
Faces of Our Community:
Tri-Valley Non-profits through Photography
May 23 — August 4, 2024
Thursdays — Sundays, 1 pm — 5 pm
FREE & OPEN to the Public
Faces of Our Community: Tri-Valley Non-profits through Photography is a ‘home-bred’ exhibition coming to the UNCLE Credit Union Art Gallery May 23 through August 4, 2024.
This exhibit unveils the impactful endeavors and personal narratives of numerous Tri-Valley non-profits that enrich and strengthen our community. Talented photographers capture the breadth of non-profit initiatives, showcasing the collaborative spirit that binds communities together and illustrating the impact of collective action on transforming lives.
