Imagine rehearsing for a musical you won’t get to perform for another year. That’s what the 10 members of the cast of “Winter Wonderland” did last week for Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse, at their scene shop, even days after the venerable Rock Island venue announced it would close for the rest of November and December to comply with Illinois’ indoor dining ban, which took effect Nov. 4. “It was so very strange,” actress Savannah Bay Strandin said Monday of rehearsing through Nov. 6, including recording a video of the show for Circa to have for late 2021 when they reunite. “It was... Read More

DON’T MISS THE DIVAS!! The Speakeasy (1818 3rd Ave Rock Island) is thrilled to welcome back the areas premiere drag show VIVA LA DIVAS this Friday Nov 6 from 8 – 10 p.m. Seating will be limited due to social distancing so order early or you won’t get in! Parties cannot be mixed at tables and reservations can only be made for parties of 4 or 6 people. All attending are required to wear face masks. November’s special guest performer will be Quad City favorite, Nikki Turner! Now in its ninth year, Viva La Divas is the longest running drag show in the Quad Cities bringing you some... Read More

Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse was denied by the state of Illinois to be re-classified as a restaurant, and the 43-year-old local institution will petition the state a second time, to help it stay in business. On Monday, because of new dining restrictions put into place by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Circa is being forced to close its doors Saturday after the final performance of “Savannah Sipping Society,” and will stay closed until January. “It was such a difficult decision,” Brett Hitchcock, director of audience development, said Monday night. “You pour your heart and soul and life savings... Read More

Circa ’21 owner Denny Hitchcock sent out the following letter tonight to Circa ’21 subscribers and patrons. It’s a sad farewell to the holiday show and the rest of the shows throughout 2020. Here’s hoping Circa is back better than ever and we’ll have a healthy country and season in 2021! Here’s the letter from Denny in its entirety: Dear Loyal Guest, With the closure of Rock Island County by Governor Pritzker at midnight Tuesday, we have made the difficult decision to close our doors for the holiday season. The holiday productions of “Winter Wonderland”... Read More

With the closure of indoor dining throughout the state, by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse has made the difficult decision to close its doors for the holiday season. The Rock Island theater’s planned productions of “Winter Wonderland” and “Seussical” will be moved to the end of the 2021 season instead. Circa has, however, received special permission from Springfield to remain open until this Saturday to finish the current run of “The Savannah Sipping Society.” “This was a terribly difficult decision,” Brett Hitchcock, director of audience development,... Read More

We at QuadCities.com are ALWAYS looking for cool new ways to bring you the best in local entertainment coverage in the Quad-Cities. And so we’re once again giving you our NEW feature — The Month In Events! It’s our way of giving you even MORE great coverage here on your site for the best arts and entertainment reporting in the area — your free, fun, local, award-winning QuadCities.com! QuadCities.com proudly presents Month in Events, a list of events happening in the Quad Cities this month, and every month! On the first of every month we will give you an exciting glimpse into the entertainment... Read More

EXCLUSIVE — Illinois Quad-Cities businesses have been notified by the state to begin preparing for a shutdown and covid mitigation procedures beginning Wednesday, multiple sources who asked not to be identified told QuadCities.com today. The sources are all local small business owners, and were notified last night so they could begin preparing. An official announcement from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker will be forthcoming Monday. According to the sources, there will be a number of mitigation actions put in place, including no indoor dining, limits to the number of people gathered in any... Read More

November is already here! Can you believe it? Even though the weather may begin to force us indoors, that doesn’t mean there’s any shortage of FUN and exciting events going on in the Quad Cities! QuadCities.com proudly presents FUN10, a list of the top 10 things to do in the Quad Cities this week, and every week! Every Sunday, we drop a new FUN10, to give you a head start on your week and a heads up on what’s going on over the coming seven days. Check out FUN10 every Sunday for the details on ten awesome events happening around town. It’s a cool read, and a great way to get started planning... Read More

The Speakeasy in downtown Rock Island is thrilled to welcome back, for the fifth consecutive year, the 1970’s cult classic, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW. The Speakeasy will be presenting THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW on Oct. 23,24,25,30 and 31. Filled with outrageous humor, dynamic musical numbers, unconventional romance, ghoulish delights and plenty of audience participation, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW will be directed by longtime Circa ’21 veteran, Brad Hauskins.  This will be Hauskins third time directing the show for The Speakeasy. “We are thrilled to be presenting Rocky Horror in The Speakeasy... Read More

This weekend, YouTube and the National Independent Venue Association are doing an awesome thing for local music venues nationwide, and I’m sure many of you have heard about the star-studded Save Our Stages Fest. It’s the kind of huge, publicity-grabbing event that gets a ton of attention with people in markets across the country. Which is a good thing, because it’s for a good cause, and it needs to get in front of a large group of people to make that positive impact. I do not begrudge that at all, and I wholeheartedly encourage people to check it out, and any other event of that... Read More