Black Box Theatre in downtown Moline is bringing the penny dreadful “The Mystery of Irma Vep” by Charles Ludlam to their stage April 13-22. Shows are Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 7:30 pm and the first Sunday at 2:00 pm. “The Mystery of Irma Vep” is set in the English country estate of Lord Edgar Hillcrest. He’s a widower, having lost his beloved wife, Irma Vep. He’s recently remarried Lady Enid, an actress not quite settled into her new role as Lady of the manor. Indeed, her maid, Jane, doesn’t think she’ll ever measure up to Lady Irma. Meanwhile, Lord Edgar is disturbed by strange... Read More

The downtown Moline Black Box Theatre presents Lauren Gunderson’s play “Natural Shocks.” Based on Hamlet’s “To be or not to be,” Natural Shocks is one act, tour-de-force that bursts to life when we meet a woman waiting out an imminent tornado in her basement. Angela, our fast-talking heroine, overflows with quirks, stories, and a final secret that puts the reality of guns in America in your very lap. The play is part confessional, part stand up, and part reckoning. The play deals with a difficult topic, and is not recommended for young children. The play’s production team includes:... Read More

The Black Box Theatre is producing My Brother’s Gift as a part of the Out of Darkness: Holocaust Messages for Today  (outofdarknessqc.com) Designed and directed by Black Box co-founder Lora Adams. The production features Patti Flaherty as Adult Eva. Wrigley Mancha as young Eva, Charles Thomas Budan as Heinz, Jennifer Cook Gregory as Mutti, Mischa Hooker as Pappy, Ben Bergthold as Herman, Paige Jackson as Sanna and Lily Critchfield as Mrs. Jansen. This production will be taped and air on WQPT in November 2023. “One of the challenges in directing this play for stage knowing that it... Read More

The latest production at Moline’s intimate Black Box Theatre isn’t one necessarily to be enjoyed, but is a terrifying thriller – tailor-made for fans of suspense, mystery and horror. The whiplash-inducing, psychological roller-coaster “Veronica’s Room” (1973) truly puts the “black” in Black Box. Director and co-founder Lora Adams warns as much in her brief introduction to the exhilarating, hard-to-watch four-actor play by the demented genius Ira Levin (1929-2007) — author of “Rosemary’s Baby,” “Deathtrap,” “The Stepford Wives” and “The Boys From Brazil.” “I... Read More