The Quad Cities’ Genesius Guild theater opens its 69th season of free outdoor productions with the classic Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex this weekend. Performances are June 7, 8, 14, and 15 at 7 p.m. in Lincoln Park, 1120 40^th St., Rock Island. Admission to all Genesius Guild performances is free.

Oedipus Rex is perhaps the best-known surviving ancient Greek drama, according to a Genesius Guild release. The show tells the story of Oedipus, the king of Thebes, who is trying to rid his city of a plague. Oedipus consults the Oracle at Delphi, who tells him that the plague will only end once the murderer of the former king, Laius, has been brought to justice.

Over the course of the play, Oedipus unravels a horrifying truth, calling into question whether humans’ free will is enough to overcome their individual fates.

Genesuis Guild founder Don Wooten wrote for program notes: “From earliest times, ‘Oedipus Rex’ has been regarded as one of the greatest tragedies ever written. The plot is engrossing, artfully developed; the characters are fully drawn and believable; and the problem at its center – Is Oedipus guilty or not? – has given us something to debate ever since.”

Prior to the start of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus has become the king of Thebes while unwittingly fulfilling a prophecy that he would kill his father, Laius (the previous king), and marry his mother, Jocasta (whom Oedipus took as his queen after solving the riddle of the Sphinx), according to a plot summary. The action of Sophocles’s play concerns Oedipus’s search for the murderer of Laius in order to end a plague ravaging Thebes, unaware that the killer he is looking for is none other than himself

This production continues the Genesius Guild’s long tradition as the only theater in the United States that regularly performs Greek tragedy in mask, bringing life to classic plays that still resonate in our modern world.

More information about Oedipus Rex is available through the Genesius Guild’s library of play resources at https://www.genesius.org/greek/oedipus-rex.php.

Genesius Guild is a community theatre organization specializing in free classical drama. Founded in 1956, the group performs Greek drama, Greek comedy, the works of Shakespeare, and other classical authors for eight weekends each summer. For more information about the Guild, visit www.genesius.org.

The Greek tragedy “Oedipus Rex” was last performed by Genesius Guild in 2015.

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Jonathan Turner

Jonathan Turner -- who has called the Quad Cities home since 1995 -- has decades of experience as a professional journalist and pianist. His experience writing for daily newspapers, public radio and local TV encompasses a wide range of subjects, including the arts, politics, education, economic development, historic preservation, business, and tourism.

Jonathan most loves writing about music and the arts (which he now does as a freelancer for the River Cities Reader and Visit Quad Cities). He has a passion for accompanying musicals, singers, choirs and instrumentalists, including playing for QC Music Guild's 2023 productions of RENT and SWEENEY TODD. He is assistant music director and accompanist for the spring 2025 Music Guild show, ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE. He wrote an original musical based on The Book of Job, which premiered at Playcrafters in 2010. Jonathan penned a 175-page history book about downtown Davenport, that was published by The History Press in 2016, and a travel guide about the QC published by Reedy Press in 2022.