The Genesius Guild will present “The Merchant of Venice,” opening on Saturday, July 14 at 8 p.m. in Lincoln Park, Rock Island, IL. The production will also be performed Sunday, July 15 and the following weekend, July 21 and July 22 at 8 p.m. All performances are free and open to the public. “The Merchant of Venice” is a play often studied in high school and college, but rarely performed onstage in the United States. The script includes some challenging content, but its powerful message about how humans treat people from different backgrounds remains highly relevant today. While... Read More

It’s not summer without Genesius Guild, and the venerable local theater company begins its latest round of theater in the park shows this weekend after debuting its performance schedule with Ballet Quad Cities’ Ballet Under the Stars in Rock Island’s Lincoln Park last weekend. The 2018 summer series includes nineteen performances of five productions, including ballet, Shakespeare, and classic Greek drama. All performances are offered free of charge in Lincoln Park, Rock Island. It is the only community program of its kind in the country (www.genesius.org). Shows always begin at 8 p.m. This... Read More

The summer is passing quickly and the Genesius guild finishes their summer schedule with “the Birds” by Aristophanes. This play was written 2430 years ago in Athens. In this play, two protagonists are fed up with the media-driven ways of human life and society. They tire of politics. They grow weary of the rules and struggles for power. They desire a whole entire new life. As as result of this want, the two men decide that they are finished with the ground and shall forever live among the birds. Ironically, they introduce these very human behaviors and beliefs to the sky. The play has... Read More