Livermore Valley Arts
Contact: Andrew Kracht (925) 583-2314
Livermore Valley Arts Announces Bankhead Presents Spring 2027 Season Glowing Line-Up Includes Stars of Comedy, Family Shows, Theatre Offerings, and More
LIVERMORE, CA – (September 9, 2026) – Livermore Valley Arts has picked up announcing its 2026—2027 Bankhead Presents line-up, announcing spring shows through June of 2027, after the sensational season kick off just a week and a half ago on August 29, 2026, with the Opening Night at The Bankhead fundraiser starring Grammy® Award-Winner Lyle Lovett. The dozen additional events in the spring include live performances, from international stars to local Tri-Valley favorites. The mélange of performers being announced for spring 2027 in the Bankhead Presents series are Bankhead comedy debuts #IMOMSOHARD: The Crashing Out Tour and Piff the Magic Dragon, family treasures Crowned: Broadway’s Enchanted Voices and Gravity & Other Myths: Ten Thousand Hours, global thrills YAMATO – The Drummers of Japan and Los Ricos, theatre delight The Broadway Boys, musical feasts The Queen’s Cartoonists, Sue Foley, and BritBeat The Multimedia Beatles Experience, and returning Bankhead comedy favorites Rita Rudner and Best of San Francisco Comedy Competition. Livermore Valley Arts Members have exclusive presale access to the new season from September 9 through September 16 at noon, with general public on-sale set for Wednesday, September 16 at 12 pm. The 2026—2027 Bankhead Presents series will be at the beautiful Bankhead Theater in Downtown Livermore.
“While we are so proud of all the great programming we already have announced for now through February, I still saw opportunities for a number of spring shows that will beautifully round out our great 20th season,” said LVA Chief Executive Officer Chris Carter. “For example, we often hear that we need more family and magic shows. We’ve got them, this spring. We also do not want to leave our theatre and Broadway loving patrons without something to catch. We’ve got them, this spring. The end of the season, with the warmer months returning, are just a wonderful pairing for a night of laughs and comedy. We’ve got plenty of those, this spring. Add in some nostalgic heartwarmers, some global treats, and some one-of-a-kind experiences, and we have a season where you can enjoy and discover something exciting and new at The Bankhead.” From familiar ‘comfort food’ artists who are returning to Livermore to sensational Tri-Valley debuts, this season is continuing to offer something for every appetite, to encourage discovery for the highest-quality Arts programming in the Tri-Valley at The Bankhead in LVA’s 2026—2027 Season. Carter and the entire staff at The Bankhead are thrilled to finally be able to share these dozen starry shows that will round out the season with Livermore and the greater Bay Area, on a journey to continue bringing only the greatest star artists and performers up close and personal right here to the beautiful Bankhead.
The range of events for the latter part of the season is truly varied, covering a broad range of musical genres, plus comedy, Broadway, family shows, and more—there is something for everyone. As always, music will continue to be front and center. Kicking things off on the list of new shows, pulling from over 100 years of animation from around the world, The Queen’s Cartoonists perform music from cartoons, bringing animated films to life, perfectly synchronizing their performances with the films projected on stage in this musical circus. Breathing new life into two uniquely American forms of art, jazz and animation, the band matches the energy of the cartoons, leading the audience through a world of virtuosic musicianship, multi-instrumental mayhem, and comedy. A few weeks later, GRAMMY®-nominated, multi-award-winning blues guitarist and singer/songwriter Sue Foley, known for her fiery Texas blues style and refined acoustic touch, will stop by The Bankhead. A five-time consecutive Blues Music Award winner for Traditional Female Artist, and a JUNO recipient, she’s toured with legends like B.B. King and Buddy Guy and recently released One Guitar Woman–A Tribute to The Female Pioneers of Guitar, which will continue the music at LVA. An oft-requested ‘bring-back’ show since their sold out Tri-Valley debut a few years ago, audiences are invited once again to step inside the world’s most iconic soundscape with The BEATLES at BritBeat The Multimedia Beatles Experience. Now celebrating 25 years of global acclaim, BritBeat is the definitive leader in live Beatles-themed concert production. This is more than a show; it is a meticulously crafted fusion of live musical artistry and powerful performances with award-winning video technology and spectacular visual projections that transcend the traditional concert experience, bringing the best in music and nostalgia to The Bankhead. Don’t just watch the history of The Beatles—become part of it.
Global fare will also transport audiences in sensational ways: YAMATO – The Drummers of Japan will bring their latest production, Tamayura: Echoes of the Soul, to Livermore as part of an all-new 2027 North American Tour in a performance perfect for audiences of all ages. For more than three decades, YAMATO has captivated audiences around the globe with their extraordinary 2026—2027 fusion of rhythm, athleticism, and theatrical storytelling. With over 5,000 performances across 55 countries, YAMATO transcends traditional concert experiences; blending music, movement, and emotion into what they describe as “physical music.” Moving West, Los Ricos is the thrilling vision of dancer Sonia Olla and singer Ismael Fernández. Currently, they are the only artists in North America offering classes on the concept of Flamenco dance with singing at their own studio, The House of Flamenco. With their extensive career, they have established themselves as ambassadors of flamenco in the United States, spreading its essence and cultural richness across the country, and they will be stopping by The Bankhead during the spring.
Family fare and Broadway offerings also take center stage in the newly announced shows. Bringing the magic and comedy you loved on America’s Got Talent, and fresh off the extension of his widely popular Las Vegas residency, Piff the Magic Dragon will be making stops across the U.S., including The Bankhead this spring. This marks the first national tour for Mr Piffles 2.0, the equally magical successor and clone of Mr Piffles, the World’s Only Magic Performing Chihuahua™. Fans across the country will now have the chance to witness the magic of this dynamic duo live. This tour promises an evening of unparalleled entertainment with award-winning comedy, awe-inspiring magic, and the debut of new tricks performed by Mr Piffles 2.0. Continuing the all-ages magic, Crowned: Broadway’s Enchanted Voices is a magical concert for dreamers of all ages, bringing together former Broadway princesses to celebrate everyone’s favorite fairy-tale musicals. From snow-sparkled anthems to spell-casting showstoppers, audiences are transported into the fairy-tale worlds of Frozen, Wicked, Cinderella, Into the Woods, The Little Mermaid, Anastasia, and more. With delightful surprises and sing-along moments, Crowned creates a world of courage, kindness, and happily-ever-afters—where Broadway magic is shared, not just performed. Also on the lineup for spring 2027, The Broadway Boys is a collection of diverse male voices from the New York stage. Representing shows such as Hamilton, Wicked, Jersey Boys, The Lion King, The Book Of Mormon, MJ The Musical, Les Misérables, Mamma Mia!, Hadestown, and many more, The Boys rearrange traditional musical theatre tunes with elements of pop, funk, gospel, and rock for an exciting new take on Broadway’s greatest hits. The Broadway Boys are the first group of its kind, standing alone as the only touring group singing exclusively showtunes. Created in a workshop directed by Tony/Emmy/Grammy/Golden Globe-winning Billy Porter, music directed by Oscar/Tony/Grammy-winning Justin Paul, and produced by Broadway’s Jesse Nager, The Broadway Boys live show features explosive musical arrangements, biographical stories, and behind-the-scenes Broadway insight that only seasoned Broadway performers can deliver. One more on-stage triumph from the newly announced shows, Gravity & Other Myths: Ten Thousand Hours is a performance of circus & physical theatre. Eight world class acrobats investigate physical skill; how we obtain it, how we perfect it, and how it can transform our lives. Through highlighting the nuance of high-level acrobatics, audiences experience a heightened appreciation of the countless hours required to master the skills they are witnessing. This is a do-not-miss love letter to our bodies and the amazing things they let us do every day, great for all ages.
For when parents are able to leave the little ones at home, comedy offerings in spring include the always-favorite Best of San Francisco Comedy Competition, as well as #IMOMSOHARD: The Crashing Out Tour. #IMOMSOHARD began as a popular web series by real-life best friends, comedians, and moms Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley. What started as an online smash hit and confirmation that moms and women everywhere need to laugh and be heard, their videos have received nearly 300 million views worldwide in just five years, which has led to over 3 million followers, four sold-out national tours, branded deals, a podcast, a New York Times bestseller, and a TV deal. They’re coming to The Bankhead on their fifth original nation-wide tour. Finally, the 2026—2027 season will close out with the acclaimed Rita Rudner, a house-filling favorite in Las Vegas since she opened as one of the hottest tickets in town in 2000. Known for her epigrammatic one-liners, over the course of a multi-year run, she sold almost two million tickets, grossed over a hundred million dollars, and became the longest-running solo female comedy show in the history of Las Vegas. She was named Las Vegas’s Comedian of The Year nine years in a row and in 2006 received The Nevada Ballet’s Woman of The Year Award, and in 2017 was given the Casino Entertainment Legend Award. Returning after countless sold-out performances at The Bankhead, LVA is elated to present once again the incomparable Rita Rudner in June of 2027 in a much-anticipated return to Downtown Livermore.
Additionally, in a special save-the-date-for-tickets event, Livermore Valley Arts is excited to once again partner with SPARC (Shakespeare & Performing Arts Regional Company), as LVA presents SPARC at The Bankhead with a full weekend of performances of David Auburn’s Pulitzer and Tony-winning play Proof. Centering on Catherine, the daughter of a brilliant, though mentally unstable mathematician father, this exhilarating and assured play explores loss, guilt, genius, family, and the elusive nature of truth, and will run May 7 through 9.
The 2027 spring season follows a star-studded, previously announced 2026—2027 Bankhead Presents season, which includes thrilling favorites and exciting Tri-Valley debuts such as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Menopause The Musical®, Branford Marsalis & Dianne Reeves, Gabriel Rutledge, Al Jardine and The Pet Sounds Band, Charo, B.J. Novak, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and The Wailin’ Jennys.
In addition to Bankhead Presents shows, the Resident Companies of The Bankhead — CYT Tri-Valley, Del Valle Fine Arts, Livermore-Amador Symphony, Livermore Valley Opera, Pacific Chamber Orchestra, Tri-Valley Theatre Company, and Valley Dance Theatre — will offer dozens of events of their own during the season.
Members of Livermore Valley Arts have exclusive priority ticket presale access now and receive a discount on Bankhead Presents shows year-round, in addition to other benefits. To become a Member, contact 925-373-2305 or visit LivermoreArts.org. Tickets for all shows in the 2026—2027 Bankhead Presents season are available online, by calling 925-373-6800, or at the Box Office windows Wednesday through Saturday from 12 pm noon to 6 pm at 2400 First Street in Downtown Livermore. For a complete list of events, visit LivermoreArts.org.
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Livermore Valley Arts is an independent 501(c)3 non-profit of ering 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 seven resident performing arts companies and over 40 studio artists and cultural arts instructors. LivermoreArts.org
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SEPTEMBER
LIVERMORE VALLEY ARTS
2026—2027 BANKHEAD PRESENTS SEASON JANUARY
10 RDSS: Albert Lin: Exploring Human Frontiers
11 Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
12 Neon Nostalgic Presents 80s Music Television Hosted by Original MTV VJs Mark Goodman and Alan Hunter
17 Matthew Morrison Presents Show Up
18 San Francisco Comedy Competition
19 Forever Motown
23 Menopause The Musical®
OCTOBER
2 Branford Marsalis & Dianne Reeves Celebrate John Coltrane
17 Gabriel Rutledge: Don’t Read the Comments
24 Al Jardine & The Pet Sounds Band
25 Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Carlos Moreno Dia de Los Muertos
30 Club Bankhead: Laura Anglade
NOVEMBER
19 RDSS: The Ghosts of Pompeii
with Caitie Barrett
20 Club Bankhead: Gabrielle Cavassa
21 Sounds of Laurel Canyon: A Back To The Garden Story Concert
22 Canadian Brass
28 Jeff Bordes: A New Orleans Christmas
DECEMBER
4 Charo in Concert: A Music Sensation
6 RDSS: A Conversation with B.J. Novak
7 Mostly Kosher
16 Kat Edmonson Have Your Merry Christmas With Me
21 An Evening with Peter Billingsley and A Christmas Story
22 Campana Sobre Campana:
Christmas in México
2 Club Bankhead: Mads Tolling & John R. Burr Ramblin’ and Matt Finders & Friends
8 A Night with the Cast of The Sopranos
9 The Carole King Tribute: Home Again
21 RDSS: Anand Varma: Exploring Nature’s Hidden Worlds
22 Five For Fighting With Strings
29 Revisiting Creedence
30 Kings Return
FEBRUARY
4 Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo 6 Club Bankhead: LP And The Vinyl
12 Ladysmith Black Mambazo
19 International Guitar Night
26 The Wailin’ Jennys
MARCH
5 The Queen’s Cartoonists
18 RDSS: A Conversation with Tara Lipinski
19 #IMOMSOHARD: The Crashing Out Tour
20 Sue Foley: One Guitar Woman
21 Piff the Magic Dragon
APRIL
2 Club Bankhead: Skylar Tang
3 The Broadway Boys
14 YAMATO – The Drummers of Japan
16 Best of San Francisco Comedy Competition
18 Crowned: Broadway’s Enchanted Voices
23 BritBeat • The Multimedia Beatles Experience
MAY
1 Gravity & Other Myths: Ten Thousand Hours
14 Club Bankhead: Ethan Lipton & His Orchestra
16 Los Ricos
JUNE
4 Rita Rudner
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BUY TICKETS
Online: LivermoreArts.org or Call: 925-373-6800
