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The excitement is building at the Bankhead Theater.
Not long after this column goes to press, I’ll be on my way downtown for Livermore Valley Arts’ announcement party where the arts nonprofit will unveil and celebrate the lineup for its 2026-27 year of programming.
LVA already revealed that Grammy Award winner Lyle Lovett will usher in the start of its 20th season at the newly rebranded “Opening Night at the Bankhead” fundraising event Aug. 29, but the rest of the shows on the bill from September to May 2027 have remained under wraps. Look for coverage in an upcoming edition.
The Bankhead will also soon be spotlighting its summer slate, usually an eclectic mix of performances and activities inside the theater and outside in the plaza.
Not to be missed in these forward-looking announcements is a crowded catalog for the heart of spring to put a bow on 2025-26 for LVA and its resident theater companies. Since we won’t be able to have individual stories on all of the interesting shows, let’s do a quick rundown.
The final weekend of April stomps out of the gates Friday night with Dinosaur World Live, dubbed “an interactive show for the whole family” featuring animatronic dinos. “Grab your compass and join our intrepid explorer across uncharted territories to discover a pre-historic world of astonishing (and remarkably life-like) dinosaurs,” LVA reps said of the unique presentation.
The music then moves in, with Texas Guitar Quartet in concert for Del Valle Fine Arts’ final show of the season at 3 p.m. Saturday and pianist Jon Nakamatsu joining Pacific Chamber Orchestra on the stage Sunday at 3 p.m.
PCO will be back at the Bankhead next weekend for its third annual Tri-Valley Craft Cocktail Competition on the plaza from 4:30-6:30 p.m. next Saturday (May 2). I’ll be there too, returning as one of the judges like I did for the inaugural event in 2024.
Next weekend also marks the arrival (and the departure) of SPARC Theater’s production of the Tennessee Williams classic “The Glass Menagerie” performed in the Bankhead’s alternative Stage Door Lounge setup to get the audience among the action of the play. Five shows are set from May 1-3 for its one-weekend run in Livermore.
LVA’s other venue, the Bothwell Arts Center, will be among the stops for the Tri-Valley Artist Studio Tour next Saturday and Sunday (May 2-3). Creatives across the Valley will open their studios for viewers to see where the artistic magic happens.
Still art is as much a part of LVA’s programming as the live entertainment. Just look at that first full week of May, with ongoing art classes on subjects like “Children’s Creative Lab”, “The Dynamics of Comic Book Making” (both May 4) and “Adult Beginning Painting” (May 7).
The Bothwell will also host the Livermore-based Encore Players for two weekends worth of performances of its production of “Expecting Isabel” May 2-10.
Back at the Bankhead for Mother’s Day weekend, comedian Mike Delamont helms his one-man show, “God Is a Scottish Drag Queen 2” on May 8.
Singer Glen Phillips will take the stage the next night, known best for fronting the rock band Toad the Wet Sprocket, which had hits in the 1990s with “All I Want” and “Walk on the Ocean” (which are repeating in my headphones as I write at this very moment). Singer Garrison Starr is opening for Phillips on May 9.
The all-female ensemble Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea will headline mom’s special day on May 10.
East Bay Jazz High School All-Stars are performing the group’s 10th anniversary concert at the Bankhead on May 15.
CYT Tri-Valley has five shows in two days of its production of “Junie B. Jones Jr. The Musical” (May 19-20, including three school-day matinees geared toward student field trips), and Valley Dance Theatre has two performances in two days of its “Spring Rep” (May 23-24).
And rounding out the month will be “Come Together” The Beatles Concert Experience” on the evening of May 30.
On the Bankhead calendar for what are technically the final weeks of spring are the brand-new culinary creativity showcase “Palate: The Art of Cuisine” (June 6), Livermore-Amador Symphony’s “Dramatic Voices” concert (also June 6) and CYT Tri-Valley’s production of “Newsies” (June 12-20).
Now is certainly the time of year to catch a show, as the weather is still up and down, as a distraction from election season and (inter)national news, and as a final ticket before the busyness of summer kicks in. The Bankhead offers plenty – and don’t sleep on the Firehouse in Pleasanton, Village Theatre in Danville, and Front Row and Dougherty Valley in San Ramon either. That trip to the theater awaits locally.
Editor’s note: Jeremy Walsh is the associate publisher and editorial director for the Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. His “What a Week” column is a recurring feature in the Pleasanton Weekly, Livermore Vine and DanvilleSanRamon.com.
