For the first time since 1949, the sweet sound of music will not play in Prospect Park. Quad City Music Guild became the latest arts organization to cancel its summer 2020 season, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it announced Wednesday. Following a March 13 decision to cancel the planned spring show, “The Secret Garden,” at Music Guild’s April 21 board meeting, they decided to cancel the three summer productions (all already cast) – “Spamalot,” “Mamma Mia!,” and “Matilda.” “Our hope is to bring you these three shows, along with our previously canceled spring production, ‘The... Read More

The dance has ended, for this year, at least. Ballet Quad-Cities, the only professional dance company in the area, has canceled its season. Ballet Quad-Cities CEO Joedy Cook released the following statement this evening: Greetings and good wishes for health and safety to all of you in this difficult time. For the safety of our community, dancers, staff and other team members we are cancelling the rest of our season, which includes The Sleeping Beauty and Ballet Under the Stars*. This was a heart-breaking decision, but have no fear – Ballet Quad Cities is made up of people that are resilient,... Read More

Joining the chorus of Covid-related theater closings, Rock Island-based Genesius Guild on Tuesday afternoon announced it is canceling its planned 2020 season.  “This is a decision that none of us took lightly – we have not canceled a season since the Genesius Guild started in 1956 – but we feel that it is the right call,” the nonprofit posted on Facebook.  “This decision protects the health of our audience, our cast who would begin rehearsing together in the next month, and our crew, who would have needed to begin working in the upcoming weeks to get the stage ready for the season to... Read More

As many musical artists and other performers are sharing their talents online during the coronavirus crisis, some Q-C music and theater groups are also finding new ways to be creative. The Spotlight Theatre in Moline was to open its latest musical, “Oliver,” last weekend. But during the closing, co-owners Brent and Sara Tubbs have used some of the time to record video interviews with friends and colleagues who’ve gone onto big things. Since late March, the husband-and-wife team have individually done six Facebook Live talks (inviting visitors to post questions), including actors who have... Read More

Theaters in the Quad-Cities and nationwide are canceling spring and summer shows, due to Covid-19. The latest response to the global pandemic is the Augustana College-based Mississippi Bend Players (MBP), which is shelving its 2020 season. Jackie McCall is in her first year as MBP producing artistic director, and this was to be the fourth season for the professional summer-stock company. It planned to start rehearsals for Neil Simon’s “Broadway Bound” June 7, with performances June 19-28 at Brunner Theatre Center, Rock Island. “When we just looked at ahead at what could happen,... Read More

The Adler Theatre and Nederlander National Markets are thrilled to announce a replacement date for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, previously scheduled to play the Adler Theatre on Monday, April 20, 2020.  The new date for Beautiful has been rescheduled for Tuesday, May 11, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.  No action is required at this time. Your tickets will be honored for the rescheduled date on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. For questions concerning tickets, please contact the Adler Theatre Box Office by phone at 563-326-8522 or email at boxoffice@riverctr.com. Reserved seat tickets are available online at... Read More

DAVENPORT, IOWA — In one of the most incendiary, perverse, and controversial masterpieces of performance art over at least the past eight days on the Quad-Cities social isolation scene, Khalil Hacker, a.k.a. Khalil Antonio, a.k.a. “you know, Khalil, from Circa,” ate donuts live on Facebook Monday night. The provocative and unsettling live feed began at 7 p.m. when Hacker, dressed mysteriously in a rakish black fedora, black suitcoat, white shirt and gray tie, but wearing no pants, stared into the camera in defiant fashion, brandished an unnamed silver sleeve, dispensed what appeared... Read More

Moline’s Spotlight Theatre is putting the spotlight on a live online chat with Mara Davi today! At noon Friday, April 3rd, Artistic Director Sara Tubbs sits down (virtually) With Mara Davi and takes your questions live on the Spotlight Facebook page! Mara played the role of Maggie in the Broadway revival of A Chorus Line, in 2006. She joined The Drowsy Chaperone on Broadway in 2007 succeeding Sutton Foster in the lead role of Janet van de Graaff. In 2008, she was featured in the premiere of the musical stage version of The Band Wagon at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. She was in New York’s... Read More

Circa ’21 is returning! Well, online at least. The Rock Island dinner theater will return at 7 p.m. Sunday with a virtual cabaret on the Circa ’21 Facebook page. Circa posted the following today: Who’s missed us?! We’ve certainly missed you! We know you can’t go anywhere but that doesn’t mean the entertainment has to stop! Tune in on Sunday to see some of the super talented Bootleggers and other performers belting out some show tunes, playing some classic rock and everything in between in our virtual cabaret! It’s all going to be right here on Facebook! See you Sunday night... Read More

Another area theater has been sunk by the coronavirus. The 2020 season for the Clinton Area Showboat Theater 2020 season has been completely cancelled, theater officials announced Sunday in an e-mail. The theater’s season included “Big River, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,”  “The Addams Family,” “Barefoot in the Park,” “Always… Patsy Cline” and “Greater Tuna.” “The decision was made Saturday morning, March 28, 2020, after a lengthy discussion about shortening the season or canceling it totally,” said Showboat President Neil Luker. “The... Read More