Shelley Cooper came full circle last week at the prestigious Orlando Fringe Festival in Florida, and came home Tuesday with an unexpected award. The multi-talented, 35-year-old Augustana assistant professor of theatre arts earned the Fringe Critic’s Choice for Best Individual Performance, Drama, for her one-woman show, “La Divina: The Last Interview of Maria Callas.” “I was completely shocked that I won,” Cooper said Wednesday. “I mean like to the point that I was waiting, maybe I would be nominated for solo show or this or that, and then when those got announced, I started walking... Read More

Black Box Theater in Moline is back with  “La Divina: The Last Interview of Maria Callas,” starring Shelley Cooper, for just three performances — March 26-28. The show, inspired by the life and work of the dramatic 20th-century opera singer Maria Callas (1923-1977), contains stories of Callas’ life and famous iconic arias that she was known for singing. Cooper – an assistant professor of theatre arts at Augustana College — “La Divina: The Last Interview of Maria Callas” at Augustana and at the Retzhof Castle near Graz, Austria, as a part of the International Global Theatre Experience. That... Read More

Shelley Cooper is a great admirer of legendary opera singer Maria Callas (1923-1977), who truly had an epic, operatic life. The multi-talented, 35-year-old Augustana assistant professor of theatre arts is bringing her one-woman, one-hour tribute to Callas this weekend to Moline’s Black Box Theatre. “La Divina: The Last Interview of Maria Callas” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, at 1623 5th Ave., Moline. Audiences will be limited to 30 patrons; temperatures checked at the door, and Cooper will wear a clear plastic face shield while performing. She credited... Read More

It’s been a while, but the Black Box Theatre in downtown Moline will be back with live theater starting Thursday, with a new production of “Dick Tracy: A Live Radio Play,” starring James Driscoll, Matt Walsh, Doug Kutzli, Mark Ruebling, Jenny Winn, Sara Nicole Wegener and Tom Vaccaro in the “Case of The Big Top Murders.” “Dick Tracy and The Case of the Big Top Murders” is a whodunnit focusing on the renowned sleuth’s investigation of murder and mayhem in a traveling circus company. ho killed the clown, and why? Theater veteran Jim Driscoll is Dick Tracy. Lora Adams, BBT co-founder... Read More