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Traci Marie will lead the “Are You Ready For It? A Taylor Experience” tribute concert on Aug. 2, 2025 at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore. (Photo courtesy LVA) 
Vicki Lawrence has two shows at the Bankhead Theater on Aug. 16, appearing as both herself (right) and her iconic character Thelma “Mama” Harper. (Image courtesy LVA) 
Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir will help Livermore celebrate Juneteenth at the Bankhead Theater on June 21, 2025. (Photo courtesy LVA) 
Comedian Maria Bamford is performing standup at the Bankhead on June 27, 2025. (Photo by Robyn Von Swank / Courtesy LVA) 
The Great DuBois: Masters of Variety two-person circus show will be at the Bankhead on Aug. 9, 2025. (Photo courtesy LVA)
The Bankhead Theater’s summer season is shaping up to be a mix of local debuts and returning favorites, headlined by another Livermore appearance by legendary television comedian Vicki Lawrence.
Also back in the Tri-Valley will be the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir and standup comedian Maria Bamford in June, along with first-time local performances of The Great DuBois: Masters of Variety two-person circus show and a tribute to Taylor Swift’s famous Eras Tour, “Are You Ready For It? A Taylor Experience” in August.
Jumping out on the bill that Livermore Valley Arts announced last week is the final performer, Lawrence, known for her long career on television that started on “The Carol Burnett Show” and the spinoff show centered on her character Thelma Harper, “Mama’s Family”. She previously graced the Bankhead stage in 2018.
“Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show” is being presented twice on Aug. 16, with a 3 p.m. matinee and 8 p.m. evening show.
“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,” Lawrence said of the production in an LVA press release.
“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,” she added.
Laughs will be in the air on June 27 as well, with Bamford returning to the Bankhead. The standup comedian, also known for her voiceover acting work and mental health advocacy, appeared at the downtown theater two years ago.
The summer series will start six days earlier with a familiar group, the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir.
“Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir will celebrate Juneteenth with experience and music that brings and shares the African-American community’s resiliency, joy and strength,” LVA reps said of the June 21 concert. “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.”
The other concert on the schedule is inspired by, well, another concert.
“Are You Ready For It? A Taylor Experience” starring Traci Marie as Taylor Swift pays tribute to the singer-songwriter’s billion-dollar worldwide Eras Tour (2023 to 2024) at the Bankhead on Aug. 2.
High-energy will also be the theme in the theater one week later as the two-person The Great DuBois: Masters of Variety circus show arrives on Aug. 9, “showcasing incredible feats of juggling, hula hoops, unicycle, aerial, circus stunts, contortion, magic and audience interaction all wrapped up in a blanket of comedy”, LVA reps said.
