As Circa ’21 awaits word from the Illinois Governor’s office on when it can reopen, the theater is not sitting back and waiting!  Circa ’21 is set to debut three new shows in the secondary theater, The Speakeasy. Tickets for all three shows must be reserved online at thecirca21speakeasy.com or circa21.com.  Phone reservations are not accepted for the shows.  The theater requires the use of face coverings to all shows and will be taking everyone’s temperature upon arrival. Because of COVID, seating capacity is limited to 50 people per show so reserve early! Since COVID... Read More

If Lora Adams’ name is on something there’s one guarantee: it’s going to look AMAZING. And Black Box’s Turn of the Screw is no exception to that rule. The latest offering from the intimate Black Box – and ONLY live theatre event in the Quad Cities this summer – looks and feels as eerie as it should. This particular production has that Disney detail thing going on. It’s like a bunch of Imagineers flew in from Anaheim and rocked a stellar set, lighting and costume design. It looks THAT good. The “Imagineers” in the case are set designer (and director) Lora Adams,... Read More

Matt Walsh and Kayla Jo Pulliam are pioneers in this brave new world of indoor Q-C theater, presenting the first full-length play locally since coronavirus shut life down in March. Walsh, a 43-year-old who works in insurance, and Pulliam, a 30-year-old preschool teacher, both have a passion for theater, and will present a two-person adaptation of the spooky “Turn of the Screw” Thursday through Sunday at Moline’s Black Box Theatre, 1623 5th Ave. Lora Adams, Black Box co-founder, directs the duo and did the set design and costuming. The theater is abiding by Illinois phase 4 restrictions –... Read More

The latest masterpiece to the hit The Black Box Theatre stage will surely leave you with a few turned screws. The Turn of the Screw, by Jeffrey Hatcher, comes to The Black Box Theatre (1623 5th Avenue Moline) this Thursday Jul 16 through Saturday Jul 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday Jul 20 at 2 p.m. Genuine chills are provided in this tale of a governess, left in charge of a boy and a girl at a lonely estate, who begins to suspect that the ghosts of two former servants have hideous designs upon the children. But the governess is the only one who can see the ghosts—and to complicate matters further,... Read More

Saturday in the Arts is a comprehensive, in-depth feature on a topic, trend or personality impacting the Quad-Cities, posted every Saturday morning on QuadCities.com. This week we look at the various downtown businesses of the Illinois and Iowa Quad-Cities and how they’ve been impacted by, and have adapted to, the covid-19 pandemic.   The popular Rock Island Brewing Company (RIBCO), in the middle of The District at 1815 2nd Ave., has been through a lot since it opened in 1979. Hailed as a leader in Q-C live entertainment (its starry roster of guest acts includes Bo Diddley, The Wallflowers,... Read More

Richmond Hill Barn Theater has canceled the rest of their shows for the remainder of 2020. The Geneseo theater released the following statement just minutes ago: After careful deliberation, Richmond Hill Players regretfully announce the cancellation of the remaining shows of our 2020 season. With the unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent upsurge in cases in many parts of the country, our board has chosen to exercise caution, since nothing is more important than the health and safety of our patrons, our volunteers, our performers, and, indeed, our community as a whole. Please... Read More

The Black Box Theatre was in rehearsal for the Jeffrey Hatcher adaptation of The Turn of The Screw when Covid-19 shut everything down. As Illinois enters Phase 4 of re-opening the actors are once again rehearsing and looking forward to performing. The theatre will open the show on July 16 and close the 19th. “It is a short run,” said director Lora Adams “but the set was almost completed and the actors’ schedules have changed since March, so we are only able to do the four day weekend.” Actor Matt Walsh and Kayla Jo Pulliam bring the creepy tale to life with Walsh playing four different... Read More

Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828 3rd Ave., Rock Island, will remain closed until this fall, since it can’t financially absorb losses due to the latest Illinois reopening guidelines, owner/producer Denny Hitchcock announced Wednesday. On Friday, June 26, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the new guidelines for indoor theaters would allow for reopening at a 50-percent capacity, or 50 guests, whichever is lesser. “In working with several state officials over the previous weeks, we had been very optimistic that the Phase 4 guidelines for the state of Illinois would put our dinner theatre in the same... Read More

While Ballet Quad Cities isn’t on the stage right now, they are creating new choreography and partnering with other organizations to present the award winning program “Dance Me a Story; Exploring Literature through Ballet” virtually. They’re also excited to share a couple of projects they’ve been working on! Recently, Emily Kate Long joined The Davenport Public Library to present excerpts from Vampirina Ballerina as part of their virtual visit from illustrator, LeUyen Pham. This interactive program is fun for people of all ages. “Zoom” is Courtney Lyon’s... Read More

During this unprecedented, scary time of Covid-19, it seems apropos that the first indoor live theater in the Quad-Cities since the shutdown will be the spooky ghost story, “The Turn of the Screw,” next month at Moline’s Black Box Theatre. The 60-seat theater (1623 5th Ave.) will open at half capacity on July 16 and close the 19th. “It is a short run,” said director Lora Adams, “but the set was almost completed and the actors’ schedules have changed since March, so we are only able to do the four-day weekend.” Actor Matt Walsh and Kayla Jo Pulliam will bring the creepy tale to life... Read More