Joining the chorus of Covid-related theater closings, Rock Island-based Genesius Guild on Tuesday afternoon announced it is canceling its planned 2020 season.  “This is a decision that none of us took lightly – we have not canceled a season since the Genesius Guild started in 1956 – but we feel that it is the right call,” the nonprofit posted on Facebook.  “This decision protects the health of our audience, our cast who would begin rehearsing together in the next month, and our crew, who would have needed to begin working in the upcoming weeks to get the stage ready for the season to... Read More

As many musical artists and other performers are sharing their talents online during the coronavirus crisis, some Q-C music and theater groups are also finding new ways to be creative. The Spotlight Theatre in Moline was to open its latest musical, “Oliver,” last weekend. But during the closing, co-owners Brent and Sara Tubbs have used some of the time to record video interviews with friends and colleagues who’ve gone onto big things. Since late March, the husband-and-wife team have individually done six Facebook Live talks (inviting visitors to post questions), including actors who have... Read More

Inspired by similar artistic re-creations around the world, the Figge Art Museum is inviting area residents to offer their own brush with fame during the current Covid quarantine. The closed museum (at 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport) on Monday announced the “Getting Figge With It” challenge, for community members of all ages. Participants are asked to re-create artworks from the museum’s permanent collection using everyday items, people, or pets in their home. To participate, choose a favorite work from the permanent collection list of works and then re-create it at home using ordinary objects.... Read More

In the face of invisible, insidious diseases that impact hundreds of thousands of people, Living Proof Exhibit (LPE) uses the arts to offer hope and inspiration. Since it was founded 10 years ago, the Quad-Cities nonprofit has provided therapeutic benefits of the arts to people affected by cancer, in a wide variety of settings and media. One of its latest projects is being postponed by the current coronavirus pandemic. In a partnership with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra (QCSO) and Augustana-based composer Jacob Bancks, Living Proof is rescheduling the world premiere of the commissioned opera... Read More

Theaters in the Quad-Cities and nationwide are canceling spring and summer shows, due to Covid-19. The latest response to the global pandemic is the Augustana College-based Mississippi Bend Players (MBP), which is shelving its 2020 season. Jackie McCall is in her first year as MBP producing artistic director, and this was to be the fourth season for the professional summer-stock company. It planned to start rehearsals for Neil Simon’s “Broadway Bound” June 7, with performances June 19-28 at Brunner Theatre Center, Rock Island. “When we just looked at ahead at what could happen,... Read More

Like many musicians, artists, theaters and other arts organizations in this surreal time, Quad-Cities museums are putting their collections and programs online. Forced by the coronavirus crisis to close down March 17, Davenport’s Figge Art Museum, German American Heritage Center & Museum, and Putnam Museum & Science Center have significantly boosted their websites and social-media presence. The “virtual museum” has become reality for museums worldwide. “The challenge is with reaching our audience during this time of closure, really has brought this new opportunity... Read More

ROCK ISLAND – Yenework Munson has come a long way in her short life so far. Just shy of 7, the Rock Island girl was adopted by Tony and Lindsey Munson from the African nation of Ethiopia in 2013. But she’s made an even bigger journey – within herself – in the past 18 months. Lindsey feels that difference in Yene’s life has been provided mostly by the Center for Living Arts, at 220 19th St., and its owners, Dino and Tina Hayz. Yene (along with dozens of other area kids) were looking forward to putting on “High School Musical, Jr.,” with three separate casts, but the spring show has... Read More

DAVENPORT — Several nonprofits and donors in the area are banding together to help many in the Quad-Cities hurt by the coronavirus crisis. Last month, the Regional Development Authority canceled its spring grant cycle and instead is supporting a Quad Cities Community Foundation disaster relief fund and local nonprofits that serve the most vulnerable. Matt Mendenhall, president/CEO of RDA, said applications are normally due at the end of March for the spring; the board would approve grants in mid-May, and checks sent by late May or early June. “When we looked at what was going on, we realized... Read More

DAVENPORT — Like many of his fellow musicians who are airing videos on Facebook and working to raise money during the Covid-19 pandemic, Don Gustafson is using the social-media platform for good. The 49-year-old Davenport man makes his living as a full-time musician – as bassist in the Q-C band Funktastic Five, assistant music director at Davenport’s St. Paul Lutheran Church, and adjunct music teacher at Black Hawk College, offering private piano, guitar and bass lessons. In response to the coronavirus, which has closed bars and restaurants, and put musicians out of work, Gustofson... Read More

T.S. Eliot had it all wrong. In “The Waste Land,” the poet wrote “April is the cruelest month.” Well, five days before we can kick it into the dustbin of history, it’s safe to say that dishonor now belongs to March. At least March 2020, which has seen one bone-crushing loss after another for many around the world, me especially. Just one of the latest is from our beloved Quad-Cities theater community – of which I’ve been honored to share as longtime arts reporter for the Dispatch/Argus (and later Quad City Times), as well as piano accompanist and occasional stage performer. The singular... Read More