New Season at Moline’s Black Box Theatre to Feature Many Quad-Cities Premieres
In 2026, for its 10th season, the Black Box Theatre (1623 5th Ave., Moline) will again present a multitude of Quad Cities premieres. In fact, all but two productions of its year-long lineup will be local debuts for the shows.
Co-founder and artistic director Lora Adams said Thursday: “It’s hard to believe it has been 10 years since David Miller and I opened the doors to The Black Box Theatre, but here we are.”
The schedule will feature:
- “The Adventures of Sam Steele: A Radio Play” by Jeff Adamson: It’s 1947. The world is trying to pull itself together after the war, but Steele’s world is unraveling as he tries to solve his toughest case, “A Murder in McClellan Heights” Join the Tri Cities’ most popular radio program as Sam Steele is up against mobsters, con men, and femme fatales. Directed by Jeff Adamson, March 24-April 4.
- “Master Class” by Terrence McNally is a poignant play that explores the life and artistry of opera legendry Maria Callas as she conducts master classes for aspiring singers, revealing her complex personality and the demands of her craft. This play is produced in partnership with Opera Quad Cities. Directed by Ron May, May 11- May 24.
Black Box artistic director Lora Adams and Jeremy Mahr in the BBT production of “The Lion in Winter,” in November 2025.
- “The Shark is Broken” by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon is a comedic play that explores the behind-the scenes drama during the 1974 filming of the iconic movie “Jaws,” focusing on the interactions of its lead actors as they deal with the broken mechanical shark. Ian Shaw is the son of original co-star Robert Shaw. Directed by Jeremy Littlejohn, June 12 – 27.
- “Grandma Gatewood Took a Walk” by Catherine Bush: In 1955, sixty-seven-year-old Emma “Grandma” Gatewood called her son and told him she was “going for a walk.” What she forgot to mention was that the walk would encompass all 2,050 miles of the Appalachian Trail. As we join Emma on her adventure, we relive with her the hills and valleys, obstacles and detours of her Life that led her to make history as the first woman to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. Directed by Lora Adams, July 10 -18.
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Ballet Quad Cities will present “Dorothy Goes to Oz” at BBT for one performance Jan. 24.
- “Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic,” written by Matt Cox, is a humorous take on the well-known “boy who lived,” told from the perspective of the often overlooked Hufflepuff house. “Puffs” was done in August 2023 at Moline’s Spotlight Theatre. Directed by Kailey Ackerman, August 7 – 15.
- “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” by Joe DiPietro and Jimmy Roberts is a witty musical revue that tackles modern love in all its forms: from the perils and pitfalls of the first date to marriage, children, and the twilight years of life. Set in the modern world and told in a series of vignettes and songs. It was performed in Davenport by the former Harrison Hilltop Theatre in January 2011. Directed by David Miller, October 9 – 24.
- “The Minutes” by Tracy Letts: At the Big Cherry town council meeting, full of backstabbing, personal agendas, and pet peeves. The play explores small town politics and the real-world effects of trying to rewrite history. Directed by Jeremy Mahr, November 13 – 22.
- “The Long Christmas Dinner” by Thorton Wilder spans nine decades–showcasing the lives of several generations of the Bayard family, and some of their Christmas dinners. Wilder breaks the boundaries of time as we measure it, and invites us to partake of “one long, happy Christmas dinner” — past, present and future. As generations appear, have children, wither and depart, only the audience appreciates what changes and what remains the same. Directed by Lora Adams, December 4 – 19.
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Ballet Quad Cities will present “Dorothy Goes to Oz” at BBT for one performance Jan. 24.
Auditions for the shows will take place in March, with the dates to be determined. Also, in March, The Black Box will begin a series of theatre workshops for performers of all ages, according to a Thursday release. Plus, GIT Improv will be back for a show each month starting with a special show on Valentine’s Day.
“We have a few tricks up our sleeve for 2026, so stay tuned,” said Adams. She and Miller founded the 60-seat Black Box Theatre, in a renovated former retail space, presenting its first show in January 2017 with a Westbrook Singers concert.
Holiday Hop outside the Black Box Theatre Nov. 15, 2025.
Black Box to host Ballet Quad Cities
With Ballet Quad Cities, you can join Dorothy and her companions on an adventure-filled journey to Oz at a special performance at the Black Box on Jan. 24 at 1 p.m.
With a little help from Glinda, the Good Witch, they’ll dance down the yellow-brick road and uncover the smarts, heart, and courage they need to defeat the Wicked Witch of the West. These four unlikely friends embrace their differences and use their personal strengths to support one another and work toward a common goal—to get to Oz!
Through their struggle to overcome the Wicked Witch’s unkind behavior, they discover that the qualities they wished for were inside each of them all along.
This 30-minute performance, for kids of all ages, is followed by a meet-and-greet with the BQC dancers. Children in attendance will receive a gift bag containing treats, stickers, coupons, and take-home activities!
The ballet is a part of Ballet Quad Cities’ Family Day at the Ballet initiative with choreography by Emily Kate Long who serves as the ballet company’s Artistic Associate and Associate Outreach Director. “I’m delighted to begin my eighth season creating witty and musically sophisticated choreography for the professional company and developing and presenting community outreach programs for youth and adults throughout the Quad Cities region,” Long says.
The show features Kira Roberts as Dorothy, Sarah Pfeiffer, Caitlin Sendlenski as the Tornado, Dagny Ingle as Glinda, the Good Witch, Jillian Van Cura as the Scarecrow, Eleanor Ambler as the Tin Person, Emerald Pease as the Lion, Sarah Pfeiffer, Caitlin Sendlenski as Poppies, Sierra DeYoung as the Wicked Witch of the West and Marcus Pei as the Witch’s Sidekick.
Tickets for the show are $15 and available at theblackboxtheatre.com.
Ballet Quad Cities’ “Dance Me a Story” was performed in conjunction with Black Box.
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