The year 2020 may not be remembered fondly by most people, but it’s an important year for Royal Neighbors of America, Living Proof Exhibit, and anyone who cares about women’s rights. It’s the 125th anniversary of Royal Neighbors (the nationwide, Rock-Island based fraternal benefit society), the 10th anniversary of Living Proof (a Q-C nonprofit that uses the therapeutic nature of arts to help people touched by cancer), and the 100th of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote (honored in a current Putnam Museum exhibit). All three area... Read More

During this extraordinary and difficult time, the Met hopes to brighten the lives of their audience members even while their stage is dark. Each day, a different encore presentation from the company’s Live in HD series is being made available for free streaming on the Met website, with each performance available for a period of 23 hours, from 6:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. the following day. The schedule will include outstanding complete performances from the past 14 years of cinema transmissions, starring all of opera’s greatest singers. The streams are also available through the Met Opera on Demand... Read More

It’s not in a dancer’s nature to sit still. So it makes sense that even though Ballet Quad Cities (BQC) had to cancel the rest of its season because of the Covid-19 crisis, the professional company keeps moving forward. Students in the BQC School of Dance are continuing their lessons online, through Zoom, and students have submitted their own videos for a new collage. Artistic director Courtney Lyon (who recently received an Iowa Arts Council emergency relief grant) has choreographed, taught, and edited a new piece with three dancers on Zoom. And executive director Joedy Cook and artistic associate... Read More

Rock Island’s Circa ’21 Dinner Theater has been hit hard by the covid-19 closures, but is looking forward to opening and is working diligently to make sure that when they do open, they’ll be providing the best and safest environment for their customers. To that direction, owner Denny Hitchcock released a letter to patrons of the venerable entertainment spot today. The missive addressed a number of questions and concerns of patrons. The letter read as follows: Dear Circa ’21 Valued Guests, I hope this email continues to find you safe & healthy. Although we still do not have... Read More

Are you ready for some live theater… online? Rock Island’s Circa ’21 Dinner Theater will be hosting a virtual cabaret on their Facebook page this Sunday night at 7 p.m. The cabaret will feature performances from a variety of Circa favorites, the bootleggers, cast members of “Saturday Night Fever,” and more! Check it out here, and mark your calendars!  Read More

The curtain isn’t closing at Rock Island’s Circa ’21 Dinner  Theater, it’s only temporarily shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and, according to Brett Hitchcock, director of audience development, the show WILL go on! “Circa ‘21 will absolutely be reopening!” Hitchcock said in an e-mail. “We have no plans to close for the remainder of the 2020 season.  At this point we have no idea when we will reopen because, like every business in Illinois, we are waiting for the Governor to give us the ok to open. Sometime in the middle of June would be the earliest... Read More

As part of their commitment to small businesses, Lillie & Pine  are donating 10 percent of proceeds of sales through May 1 to Rock Island’s Ballet Quad Cities. Lillie & Pine sells naturally handcrafted bath items, which would be a great idea for Mother’s Day. An even better idea would be to purchase them this week to help out the only local professional dance company, but, ya know, just an idea. Ballet Quad Cities CEO Joedy Cook is stoked about being selected. “Be sure to visit their online store for locally made Mother’s Day, Graduation, and Birthday gifts and... Read More

Are you truly ready to experience “Saturday Night Cribs?” Oh, I know you might THINK you’re ready, but are you? Ok, ok, you’ve been warned. Circa ’21’s cast for the Rock Island theater’s “Saturday Night Fever” is going live on Facebook at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the first episode of CRIBS: Circa ‘21 Quarantine Edition. Some members of the cast are still in town and ready to give you a tour of the cast house, discuss life in quarantine, and take your questions. They hope to see you right here on the Circa Facebook on Wednesday night!  Read More

Like most others during this crazy Covid crisis, arts organizations locally and nationally are struggling to find financial help. Though four individual artists recently got some funding, no Quad-Cities arts groups – all reeling from the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic — were helped in the first round of $191,000 from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs (IDCA). The first relief grants this month were limited to artists and very small nonprofits, including Q-C artists Courtney Lyon (dance), Lojo Russo (music), Matthew Terry (visual art) and Pat Bereskin (art and art education). In... Read More

The Iowa Film group on Facebook, a collection of film fans and filmmakers in and around Iowa, will be scheduling a special Iowa Film Zoom round table with Alex Holdridge writer, producer, director, of “Meet Me In Montenegro” and “In Search of a Midnight Kiss” next week. Holdridge is a recipient of the Independent Spirit Cassavetes Award and various other critical acclaim. Look for more information on how you can participate in the discussion on Iowa Film.  Read More