Though a story of redemption, new life, and surviving an infectious pandemic would have made an ideal return this spring, Quad City Music Guild for the second time on Tuesday announced it would again cancel a planned production of the beloved musical, “The Secret Garden.” While the board of directors informed the original 2020 cast and crew last month that it decided to scrap live performances at Prospect Park Auditorium, Moline, it waited to publicly announce until after its January board meeting Tuesday night. Due to ongoing Covid safety protocols and continuing limitations on audience size,... Read More

Due to ongoing Covid safety protocols and continuing limitations on audience size, the Quad City Music Guild board announced Tuesday it is again canceling the planned Spring 2021 show, “The Secret Garden,” which was originally postponed from last spring. “While these decisions remain difficult, we know how important it is to keep the safety of our participants, patrons, and community at the forefront of everything we do,” Music Guild said Tuesday night on Facebook. They have elected to replace The Secret Garden with a streamed performance, On With the Show: A QCMG Cabaret.... Read More

Saturday In The Arts is a comprehensive weekly feature looking at a trend, personality, or major subject involving the Quad-Cities arts and entertainment scene. No doubt, the last year was a crushing one for the arts and entertainment scene — both locally and nationally. But while it’s been an excruciating time in the short term, it could end up being a good thing, in the long run. Entertainment needed to die a little so it could be reinvented, and in forcing it to adapt, it’s creating something new and exciting. I’m not saying I’m thankful for this horrific pandemic but... Read More

It’s time for our look back at the year that was in arts and entertainment, 2020. Every day between now and New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, we’ll be posting a story painting the big picture on the year, a couple months each day. We hope you enjoy the look back, and let’s all hope for a happy new year and a much, much, much, much better 2021! Here’s today’s installment, where we look at the longest month of the year, and probably the decade, that being MARCH OF 2020. I think if there’s a time during the year that encapsulates 2020, it’s this time. March was complete and... Read More

Saturday In The Arts is a comprehensive weekly feature looking at a trend, personality, or major subject involving the Quad-Cities arts and entertainment scene. Making it through nearly five months of a paralyzing pandemic was bad enough, but for those of us in Iowa and the Quad-Cities, Aug. 10, 2020 and the days that followed seemed especially cruel. I’ll never forget that Monday afternoon, working on my laptop in the basement, a prisoner in my home trying not to go insane during a crazy year. The power suddenly went out, as a freak inland hurricane (or “derecho” – duh-RAY-cho – as everyone... Read More

Emma Benson spent two consecutive Christmas Eves hospitalized in Iowa City for anorexia. Now, the 29-year-old Sherrard native is preparing for her first holiday without her father and the baby boy he never got to meet. The former Emma Williams is one of three daughters of Bob Williams, the beloved Quad City Music Guild director who died suddenly Oct. 4, 2020 at 61, from a heart attack. Thirteen days later, Emma gave birth to her second child, Zeke, and she’s dealing with a lot of bittersweet emotions now. Benson recently posted on Facebook that between Covid and missing her dad, she felt like... Read More

Starting a new business is always a risky, challenging proposition. Starting one during a pandemic and a holiday season adds another level of worry. But best friends Steph DeLacy and Megan Warren are fearless and super enthused. Seven months after launching their weekly “Double Threat” podcast about musical theater, DeLacy (a 33-year-old choreographer/dance teacher) and Warren (a 26-year-old music director/vocal coach) are extending their brand to the new Double Threat Studios. The performing arts studio at 882 Middle Rd., Duck Creek Plaza, in Bettendorf, will open in early January, aiming... Read More

Saturday In The Arts is a weekly look at a personality, place, trend or topic of interest to the Quad-Cities. It runs every Saturday morning on your site for fun, free, local entertainment and features, QuadCities.com. If there was any doubt that Steph DeLacy and Megan Warren freaking love musical theater, just listen to one episode of their passionate, dishy “Double Threat: The Podcast.” You can immediately tell that DeLacy (a 33-year-old choreographer) and Warren (a 26-year-old vocal coach and music director) are best buds; have a sweeping, deep knowledge of Broadway history, and definite... Read More

Saturday In The Arts is a weekly look at a personality, place, trend or topic of interest to the Quad-Cities. It runs every Saturday morning on your site for fun, free, local entertainment and features, QuadCities.com. Tom Vaccaro is seven years older than the beloved TV/film actor Michael J. Fox, but it was just a year ago that the Davenporter was diagnosed with the disease that’s long affected Fox – Parkinson’s. The veteran actor-musician-illustrator (who was featured in the Black Box Theatre’s radio play in August) thinks he had symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) before he was diagnosed... Read More

Are you a local performer, theatrical actor, theater, or arts organization? We’re looking to provide you a virtual stage on the QuadCities.com site and social media! With covid rampaging, we know it’s a crazy time and we want to showcase your organization. No one can come to you but that doesn’t mean you can’t come to them. Along those lines, we’re producing a Virtual Cabaret called The Show Must Go On(line) and we want you to be part of it! The “live” event will air on our Facebook page on Friday, August 14 at 7 p.m. Submissions are due Friday, August 7 by 7 p.m. Use WeTransfer... Read More