Varieties Nightclub St. Patrick’s Day Bash will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, 822 W 2nd St, Davenport! Drink specials, a drag show, live entertainment and more!    Read More

Applications are being accepted for the Western Illinois University Martin Dupuis/Mukti Fund Leadership Award in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Communities. The $1,400 award recognizes a student who has provided leadership either for a GLBT group and/or for GLBT issues. Applicants who meet the leadership criteria must be undergraduate students who will return to WIU for the 2022-2023 academic year. To be considered, students must complete an application, write a short essay and provide a resume and two letters of reference. The recipient of the award will be selected by the University... Read More

During the past year, the Iowa Legislature proposed and even codified into law bills that attempt to normalize discrimination, reduce voting access and hurt many citizens of this state. Legislators are proposing more of the same during this year’s session of the General Assembly. To call out these efforts and stand up for the rights of all Iowa citizens, particularly the most vulnerable, One Human Family of the QCA, along with the American Association of University Women (AAUW) of Iowa, the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa & Action Fund and Progress Iowa, is sponsoring a free statewide “Iowa... Read More

Friday, December 3, The Speakeasy located in downtown Rock Island is thrilled to welcome back the areas premiere drag show VIVA LA DIVAS with their annual Holiday Spectacular!  This special show will feature many of your favorite holiday hits performed like you’ve never seen before! The Speakeasy show cast features multiple title holders Dementia Jaide, Milange Cavalli and Justine Thyme! This outstanding show cast is the kind you would expect to see in a large market like Chicago, New York and even Las Vegas! This month’s special guest emcee is local stand-up comedian Leslie Mitchell. “Leslie... Read More

The West Davenport Arts Council, in conjunction with Metropolitan Community Church of the Quad Cities (MCC QC), is hosting a wine and cheese art exhibition for local artists Sara Meyer, Karene Nagel, Wendy “Bingo” Fellenzer, Cathy Bolkcom, Cyndi Peterson, Sarah Robb, Jen Hansen and Mona Ritemon on the evening of Wednesday, December 1st, from 6-8pm. These artists work in various mediums and styles and what unites them is their connection to Metropolitan Community Church of the Quad Cities (MCC QC). Exhibit features oil painting, watercolors, photography, woodworking and wreaths and most are... Read More

The LGBT*QA Resource Center will commemorate Trans* Week of Awareness on campus Monday Nov. 15-Friday. Nov. 19. The LGBT*QA Resource Center is one of the four centers housed within the Western Illinois University Multicultural Center. The schedule of events for this week include: • Monday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m., Multicultural Multipurpose Room – Trans* Day of Support – There will be a mobile Qloset clothing swap – The Qloset which is located inside the LGBT*QA Resource Center on the second floor of the MCC will be moved to the Multipurpose room for this event – Binder fittings –... Read More

There’s a common phrase used in social justice circles: Pass the mic. Pass the mic means, metaphorically, to let others talk, and it’s usually used in regard to people of color. It’s a reminder that we need to listen to those people of color because their experience is different from ours if we’re white. While, yes, we certainly may share many commonalities, particularly in regard to economic situations if we’re among the same economic strata, there is also an intrinsic bias many in society hold based upon appearance, notably skin color, and regardless of commonalities... Read More

Diversity in the arts is the latest hot topic on the Quad-Cities arts scene, and it’s certainly a welcome one, as the discussion has long been overdue. There is a definite shortage of minority voices across the arts spectrum, and that needs to be corrected. The only way it will be corrected is by it being acknowledged and addressed. Some groups have certainly been doing so, and deserve credit for it. Tristan Tapscott’s The Mockingbird On Main has been one of the most forward thinking theaters on the subject, with casts and shows that have distinctly featured minority performers and... Read More

Three of the buzziest buzzwords nationwide now are diversity, equity and inclusion. Everyone it seems wants to do better in those key areas (be it in their workplace, nonprofit or volunteer organization), and that includes the Quad-Cities theater community. Thanks to a Quad City Arts grant and two professional facilitators, the 73-year-old Quad City Music Guild hosted a 90-minute discussion on these issues Saturday at the Prospect Park theater in Moline – led by the quote: “The beauty of the world lies in the diversity of its people.” It was attended by about 45 people (fewer than 10 of whom... Read More

Saturday in the Arts is a weekly feature covering a trend, subject, event or personality of local interest. It runs every Saturday morning on your site for the best entertainment and arts coverage in the area, QuadCities.com! How do you solve a problem like diversity in live theater? From Broadway to the Quad-Cities, theatrical organizations of all kinds are wrestling with this thorny issue, now more than ever. Long before the widespread racial reckoning that’s taken place nationwide in the past 17 months (post-George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Black Lives Matter, which has only intensified),... Read More