Synopsis

The Bankhead Theater is a 507 seat Performing Arts theater in Livermore California.  It is owned and operated by the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center (LVPAC), which also operates the Bothwell Center, and is in the planning stages of a 2000 seat Regional Theater.

The theater serves as the home for several Resident Organizations, and also hosts performances by touring acts from the bay area, the US, and around the world.

Fact sheet

Resident Organizations

The Bankhead Theater is home to a variety of Tri-Valley performing arts organizations which have used a variety of venues for performances in the past, including churches and schools.

Construction

The theater is part of the Golden Triangle site, which also included the construction of a 13 screen movie theater and restaurant, office, & retail buildings.  The movie theater opened December 15, 2006, about 9 months before the performing arts theater.  Some of the  restaurants and shops began to open in that time frame also.  A number of buildings were torn down in September 2004 to make room for the redevelopment, including the historic Dutcher's Hardware building, which was most recently Livermore Cyclery (which moved to the old Kamp's furniture building on Old First St).  Other buildings removed included the old Valley Garage building, as well as several other buildings along First St.  Much of the block was already vacant.  The old wooden warehouse buildings on Railroad Ave were being removed as they fell apart.  The area where the performing arts theater now sits was most recently a temporary parking lot for the Ace Train station, used while the parking garage was being built.    The entire Golden Triangle area retained only three buildings: The historic Bank of Italy Building (now home of the Independent Newspaper), the Main Street Design Christmas store (open Oct, Nov, and Dec), and an automotive tune-up shop.  The tune-up shop is by far the newest of the three, but its site has been suggested for a future hotel.

The groundbreaking occurred in October 2005, with initial construction beginning in the spring of 2006.  The construction of the theater is chronicled in photos here on eLivermore.com starting on this web page.

Once the construction had progressed to a level where it was safe, and there was something to see, tours were given of the construction site.  The first (to my knowledge) was December 10, 2006.  eLivermore.com was present for this and several others, which normally occurred on the 3rd Thursday of the month.  See photos from December 2006,  May 2007,  June 2007,  August 2007.

Naming

The theater name comes with a large donation from the Bankhead family.

The Bankheads are a third-generation Livermore family who, over the years, have raised both sheep and cattle on several ranches within the city. From five sons and one daughter, the family has grown to include twenty-one grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. In addition to the family matriarch, Evelyn, two of the original children, Nancy and Malcolm, both born at St. Paul’s Hospital, still reside in Livermore. The family’s interest and involvement in the arts can be traced to Evelyn’s arrival in the Valley from San Francisco to teach at the 5th Street School. She was an officer of the Livermore Valley Concert Society and a founder of the Livermore Cultural Arts Council an association of educational and cultural organizations in 1966. “We believe in the Performing Arts Center. It’s a great thing for Livermore and the Tri-Valley,” said Nancy Bankhead, who carries on her mother’s arts and cultural interests by serving as Vice President of LCAC. “The activities that will be supported in the new theater are things that my mom has always enjoyed. We are thrilled to help provide the funding to realize this long-time community dream.”

The above is directly from an LVPAC press release.

Opening Gala

The theater opened with a two week gala featuring national and international talent as well as local performances from many of the resident organizations.  The headlining performance was a concert by Bernadette Peters.

Ribbon Cutting and Open House

The gala began on September 29 with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11:00am, held in front of the theater.  Speakers included Len Alexander (LVPAC executive director),  Scott Haggerty (Alameda County Supervisor), Joan Seppala (publisher of the Independent Newspaper and President of LVPAC), and Marshall Kamena (Livermore Mayor).  Performances included the Livermore High School band, the Livermore - Granada Chamber Chorale.  Connie Post, Livermore's poet laureate, read the poem written for the event, titled "After the Ground Has Been Broken (see below).

The actual ribbon cutting was done in front of the theater, featuring the Bankhead family, for whom the theater is named, the LVPAC board of directors, local officials, and others.

An Open House followed the Ribbon Cutting, from 12:00 to 4:00pm.  The entire theater was open, including backstage, the dressing rooms, and the orchestra pit.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was videotaped by eLivermore.com (the video is not online).  DVD copies have been provided to LVPAC, and it will become part of the Livermore Heritage Guild's video archives.

 
Additional Photos of the ribbon cutting.

Connie Post Livermore Poet Laureate www.poetrypost.com

AFTER THE GROUND HAS BEEN BROKEN (Dedicated to the Opening of the Livermore Performing Arts Center September 29, 2007) After each wall Has been elevated By the quiet strength of familiar hands After the concrete has found its way Deep into the earth After the rain has dried From near by roads When even the wind stops To feel the texture of stone You find a place Where a town will gather Open its arms And sing in an octave Never before heard

Even when the ground Was first broken Voices could be heard Dances remembered Symphonies played But no one could have known How the sky would change How even the clouds would silently nod To a concerto –Lean forward to hear each note No one could have known How a structure can call our name Know our story Tell us to step across The threshold And find a seat Where we know We have always belonged By Connie Post Livermore Poet Laureate

Initial Performances

Hardhat Performance
The first performance at the theater was the Hardhat Performance on Sunday, September 30, at 2:00pm.  This performance was a Thank You to the construction workers who built the theater and their families.  Tickets were free.  As there were a lot of tickets remaining, free tickets were given to anyone who requested them at the box office in the days before the performance.  This was not generally publicized, however.  The theater was about one third full, unlike the many full houses that would follow.  Only about three construction workers actually attended, as evidenced by a show of hands when asked.

The performances were excellent, beginning with the Cantabella Children's Chorus, who performed a variety of music.  They were followed by the Pleasanton Playhouse Broadway Chorus, who invited the audience to sing along on a number of show tunes.   After an intermission, the concert concluded with a Latin band.

 
Additional Photos

The Four Freshmen
The first paid performance was by The Four Freshmen on October 1, 2007.  They said that they had never opened a theater before but joked that they had closed a few down.  In fact they were the last performance in a few theaters that were then closed (not due to their performance).  They played to a sold out house as can be seen in the photo below.  It was a great performance, and a perfect theater opening. 

 
Additional Photos.

The 2 week Gala consisted of the following performances and events:

Bernadette Peters
The Gala Opening was headlined by a concert by Bernadette Peters, accompanied by an approximately 30 piece orchestra.  Tickets sold for $175, $500, and $750.  The upper two price ranges included a dinner in the plaza with entertainment.  All tickets included a champagne and dessert reception in front of the theater following the performance.

The performance was incredible, thrilling the audience.  The play list was as follows:

When she mentioned that she was staying in Pleasanton, the hushed reaction caused her to joke "Oh, is there a bit of a rivalry going on here between the cities"

At the end of the performance, Len Alexander, the Executive Director of LVPAC, presented her with a bouquet of roses.

 
Additional Photos

Links