The pandemic has suppressed live theater performances and movie theaters alike, but it hasn’t brought down Leslie LaCorte’s spirits. LaCorte, a Language Arts/Theater instructor at North High School in Davenport, IA, is working to keep her students excited about acting by turning it into a virtual experience. Back in early 2020, LaCorte’s theater students were working to stage a production of the musical, Into The Woods. but then the COVID-19 virus began to spread. The resulting national pandemic made it necessary to cancel the production. “We kept up rehearsals online,” she said, “we... Read More

Leslie LaCorte, drama director at Davenport North High School, and her students are itching to get back to live performances. That will happen March 5-7, with their first live play since the pandemic started –  a comedic mystery, “The 39 Steps” – and the month will also be special for 10 North students who will be part of a first-ever virtual Iowa Thespian Festival. “The 39 Steps” will be performed at Paul J. Holzworth Performing Arts Center (limited to 25-percent capacity), 626 W. 53rd St., Davenport. Adapted by Patrick Barlow (from the novel by John Buchan and classic movie by Alfred... Read More