Due to the abridged past summer season, there’s a good chance you may have missed the small, stellar offerings of Mississippi Bend Players, the professional regional theater at Augustana College, Rock Island. Well, you are in luck, as one of the three shows in the 2021 season (which only ran for one weekend apiece) will have a virtual encore, “Mary and Ethel: How I Learned to Sing.” “Mary and Ethel: How I Learned to Sing” will stream through Aug. 8. Conceived and performed by Shelly Cooper with musical arrangements by Mason Moss, the show pays homage to two of the great muses... Read More

Due to the abridged past summer season, there’s a good chance you may have missed the small, stellar offerings of Mississippi Bend Players, the professional regional theater at Augustana College, Rock Island. Well, you are in luck, as two of the three shows in the 2021 season (which only ran for one weekend apiece) will have virtual encores, with online screenings of “Mary and Ethel: How I Learned to Sing” and “No Child…” “Mary and Ethel: How I Learned to Sing” will stream through Aug. 8. Conceived and performed by Shelly Cooper with musical arrangements by Mason Moss, the show... Read More

Just a week after its first 2021 production, the Mississippi Bend Players, with Shelley Cooper, will be back this week with her original one-woman show, Mary and Ethel: How I Learned to Sing. The show, which debuted at the Circa ‘21 Speakeasy in September 2020, contains musical numbers from musical theater Golden Age icons Mary Martin (1913-1990) and Ethel Merman (1908-1984). With musical arrangements and piano accompaniment by Quad-City music director Mason Moss, Cooper sings multiple medleys from Golden Age classics like Anything Goes!, Hello, Dolly!, The Sound of Music, South Pacific, Annie... Read More

As Circa ’21 awaits word from the Illinois Governor’s office on when it can reopen, the theater is not sitting back and waiting!  Circa ’21 is set to debut three new shows in the secondary theater, The Speakeasy. Tickets for all three shows must be reserved online at thecirca21speakeasy.com or circa21.com.  Phone reservations are not accepted for the shows.  The theater requires the use of face coverings to all shows and will be taking everyone’s temperature upon arrival. Because of COVID, seating capacity is limited to 50 people per show so reserve early! Since COVID... Read More