IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Livermore Valley Arts
Contact: Ruth Egherman (925) 583-2306
Livermore Valley Arts Announces Exciting 2025 Summer Season,
Full of Returning Favorites and Thrilling Debuts, at The Bankhead
Livermore, CA – (February 5, 2025) – Livermore Valley Arts is thrilled to announce its bustling 2025 summer season in Downtown Livermore, full of favorites making patron-requested return visits as well as some exciting Tri-Valley debuts. The summer starts out on Juneteenth weekend
with Bankhead favorite, the triumphant and moving Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, on Saturday, June 21, followed next by a return visit from “the funniest woman in the world” (Judd Apatow) Maria Bamford on Friday, June 27. Summer Saturdays in August will kick off paying tribute to Taylor Swift’s Iconic Eras Tour at Are You Ready For It? A Taylor Experience on August 2, followed up by “The World’s Most Unique 2-Person Circus Show,” perfect for families to enjoy together while the kids are still out of school, The Great Dubois: Masters of Variety on August 9, culminating in welcoming back a comedy legend at not one but two shows on August 16 with Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show. All of these exciting evening performances will be at the beautiful Bankhead Theater in Downtown Livermore. Tickets to the full 2025 Summer Season will be on sale to members only beginning February 8 and on sale to the general public beginning February 15, 2025.
Back to cap off our Juneteenth Celebration once again, The Bankhead is overjoyed to present the acclaimed Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir (OIGC), making a triumphant return this June. Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir will celebrate Juneteenth with experience and music that brings and shares the African-American community’s resiliency, joy, and strength. Under the direction of Terrance Kelly, this diverse, inclusive group takes us through a gospel music journey – introducing different styles of Black gospel music and connecting it to the Freedom Songs of the Civil Rights movement and music today. Founded in 1986 by Kelly, the mission of OIGC is to inspire joy and unity among all people through Black gospel and spiritual music traditions,
weaving together more than 300 singers across multiple choirs from a wide range of faiths, races, and cultures. Under Artistic Director Kelly, the Choir performs 25-30 times a year. It is inclusive of an ensemble of nine to fifteen singers representing OIGC at additional events, with performance highlights including jazz festival tours, the CA Governor’s Tree Lighting, inauguration ceremonies, and annual performances with the Oakland and San Francisco Symphonies. Returning for the third year in a row, Tri-Valley audiences can once again get ready to stand up, clap, and even sing along with a joyful sound with OIGC on June 21. As proven over the past two years, this will be a moving and inclusive performance, perfect for the entire community.
A week later, The Bankhead will be presenting the return of a true force in female comedy, Maria Bamford, who Stephen Colbert called his “favorite comedian on earth” and Judd Apatow said is “the funniest woman in the world.” Maria is the first female comic to have two half-hour “Comedy Central Presents” specials, as well as two well-received specials on Netflix called The Special Special Special and Old Baby. Awarded Best Club Comic at the American Comedy Awards and Breakout Comedy Star at the Montreal Comedy Festival, her critically acclaimed work includes her web series “The Maria Bamford Show” (featured at MOMA NY), “Ask My Mom” (recommended by The New Yorker), and her Netflix series Lady Dynamite (2 seasons). Beyond the screen, Maria’s writing has been featured in The New York Times, LA Weekly, and The Onion. She has 5 hours of stand-up available on iTunes including her latest recording “20%.” Maria has contributed comedic voiceovers for such animations as Netflix’s Big Mouth and BoJack Horseman, Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time, PBS’s Emmy-winning series Word Girl, Nickelodeon’s Kung Fu Panda and Legend of Korra, and the international hit Talking Tom and Friends. For her mental health advocacy, she’s been presented with The OCD Foundation Illumination Award and featured at the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium, The Chautauqua Institution, and the Saks Institute for Mental Health Law, Policy, and Ethics Symposium. The Bankhead is on cloud nine to be able to bring this modern comic icon back to the Tri-Valley on June 27.
Calling all Swifties! Are You Ready For It? A Taylor Experience, paying tribute to Taylor Swift’s Iconic Eras Tour is coming to The Bankhead. Taylor Swift has been ranked by Billboard
as one of the greatest artists of all time, alongside other legends like The Beatles, Michael Jackon, and Madonna, to name a few. Swift has deservedly earned this spot, and is undoubtedly loved and adored by her fans, known to the world as “Swifties.” After close to 20 years in the music industry, Swift has proven herself as a music icon, being the first and only artist to win a Grammy for Album of the Year 4 years in a row. In 2023, Taylor Swift began her iconic Eras Tour in the US. Since then, the Eras Tour has become a billion-dollar global phenomenon and the highest-grossing tour in history. Are You Ready For It? A Taylor Experience recreates the magic of the Eras Tour in a spectacular, unforgettable show starring Traci Marie as Taylor. Traci’s attention to detail will not go unnoticed by Swifties. Her authentic costumes, mannerisms, and voice embody the essence of Taylor Swift. This theatrical-style show is filled with everything you’d expect to see from the Eras Tour: choreography, stunning multimedia visuals, costume changes, and audience participation. Traci, a small-town theater girl from the suburbs of Chicago, grew up surrounded by musical talent. Throughout her career, she has opened for national touring artists like Tony Orlando, The Righteous Brothers, Chubby Checker, and others. She’s performed with Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals, and Dennis Tufano of The Buckinghams fame. This former “Miss Congeniality” winner is also currently nominated for Tribute Artist of the Year (2024), for the Josie Music Awards. Are You Ready For It? A Taylor Experience features a live band tribute to the most successful tour in music history. Whether you’re a Swiftie or new to Taylor’s music, this fast-paced, energetic, captivating show is a must-see event in Downtown Livermore on August 2.
A week later, The Great DuBois: Masters of Variety will mystify the Tri-Valley, a fast-paced, high-energy circus show for all ages, showcasing incredible feats of juggling, hula hoops, unicycle, aerial, circus stunts, contortion, magic, and audience interaction all wrapped up in a blanket of comedy. Simply put, this spectacle is the most unique 2-person circus show you will ever see! Recently featured in Hugh Jackman’s hit movie The Greatest Showman, The Great DuBois has amassed an impressive list of credits, including appearances in the Tony Award-winning Pippin on Broadway, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with David Letterman, Britney Spears’ World Circus Tour, and the movie Burlesque, to highlight just a few. The award-winning combination of Michael DuBois and Viktoria Grimmy have five generations of circus performing between them and have wowed crowds at countless shows at theatres,
universities, cruise ships, fairs, and festivals all over the world. The Bankhead looks forward to welcoming these incredible talents in Downtown Livermore on August 9.
Closing out the summer season, in a star return to the Tri-Valley, Emmy Award-winning comedienne Vicki Lawrence, one of the most beloved television personalities of her generation, returns to bring comedy gold with Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show. Plucked out of total obscurity as a high school senior, Vicki went on to become part of the now-legendary cast of The Carol Burnett Show. “I went to the Harvard School of Comedy in front of America,” says Lawrence of her Burnett Show training. In the seventh season, and hundreds of hilarious sketches later, at the ripe, old age of 24, Vicki created her most endearing character to date, Thelma Harper, or “Mama” as she is better known to her fans. After the Burnett Show, Vicki went on to star in Mama’s Family, which consistently topped the ratings for its entire six-year run of original shows. “Mama” has attained almost a cult status among her legions of loyal television viewers, who still enjoy her in reruns twice daily throughout most of the country and the world. No stranger to television, Vicki perfected her hosting skills on her own daytime talk show Vicki! from 1992 to 1994. She received critical acclaim when she was the only talk show host since Oprah to be nominated for a Daytime Emmy in her freshman year. Through the years Lawrence has made appearances on other television programs, such as Laverne & Shirley, Major Dad, Roseanne, Hannah Montana (Hannah’s Grandma Stewart), and Yes, Dear. Lawrence has also appeared with Burnett, Korman, and Tim Conway in the Burnett show retrospectives. Lawrence most recently co-starred in the popular FOX-TV 2018 comedy series The Cool Kids. The unprecedented ratings for the “Carol Burnett Showstopper Special,” which delighted more than 50 million viewers, convinced Ms. Lawrence that the time is right to take Mama out of the closet, dust off her sensible shoes, and hit the road with her new touring production, Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show. Vicki will take the stage first. “My show is not a retrospective,” she explains. “The show is a mixture of stand-up comedy, music, and my observations about real life.” The multi-talented entertainer is mostly known for her acting and comedic talents, but she also earned a gold record for the 1973 hit, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia.” “I think people will get a kick out of the things Mama has an opinion about. We’re creating new material with a more modern and cutting edge. Where Mama is concerned, expect the unexpected. There’s really nothing she can’t do,” she says. “I hope
people will be pleasantly surprised by a side of Vicki they may never have seen…I know they will be looking forward to Mama, and for her part, that crazy old gal will be up to the challenge.” This is not Vicki’s first foray into theater. She has appeared in numerous productions, including Carousel, Send Me No Flowers, No, No, Nanette, My Fat Friend, Chapter Two, Twigs, Hello Dolly!, Special Occasions, I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It On The Road, Annie Get Your Gun, and live from the Grand Ole Opry, Nunsense 3: The Jamboree which aired on TNN. Having last delighted Tri-Valley audiences in 2018, Livermore Valley Arts is ecstatic to present this comedy great once again on August 16, back at The Bankhead.
Tickets for all shows in the 2024-2025 and 2025 Summer Bankhead Presents season are available online, by calling 925-373-6800, or at the box office windows. For a complete list of events, visit LivermoreArts.org.
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Livermore Valley Arts is an independent 501(c)3 non-profit offering wide-ranging programs that provide access to the arts for the Tri-Valley community and beyond. The Bankhead Theater and Bothwell Arts Center are home to eight resident performing arts companies, over 40 studio artists, and cultural arts instructors. LivermoreArts.org
Show: Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir
Date/Time: Saturday, June 21, 2025, at 8:00pm
Tickets: $25—$35 ($25 student/military personnel) / Groups of 10 or more save 20%
Show: Maria Bamford
Date/Time: Friday, June 27, 2025, at 8:00pm
Tickets: $25—$70 ($25 student/military personnel) / Groups of 10 or more save 20%
Show: Are You Ready For It? A Taylor Experience
Date/Time: Saturday, August 2, 2025, at 8:00pm
Tickets: $25—$70 ($25 student/military personnel) / Groups of 10 or more save 20%
Show: The Great Dubois: Masters of Variety
Date/Time: Saturday, August 9, 2025, at 8:00pm
Tickets: $25—$70 ($25 student/military personnel) / Groups of 10 or more save 20%
Show: Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show
Date/Time: Saturday, August 16, 2025, at 3:00pm and 8:00pm
Tickets: $25—$90 ($25 student/military personnel) / Groups of 10 or more save 20% Dates, times, and ticket prices for other events available at www.LivermoreArts.org
