At Tuesday night’s board meeting for Quad City Music Guild, it was decided to cancel the theater’s winter production, “Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn,” to continue to protect the safety of participants and patrons, and to comply with Phase Four of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s reopening plan. “While we were initially hopeful we would be able to bring this holiday classic to our audiences, we remain committed to respecting the guidance set forth by our government and public health officials,” according to a statement at qcmusicguild.com/covid-19-response/. The show was scheduled for Dec.... Read More

Saturday in the Arts is a comprehensive, in-depth feature on a topic, trend or personality impacting the Quad-Cities, posted every Saturday morning on QuadCities.com. Nathan and Whitney Meyer are a bit like the plucky, cute orphans who are often protagonists of a Disney adventure. Nathan, a 34-year-old graduate of North Scott High School, Eldridge, and his wife (like most of us, isolated and home-bound) actually work for Walt Disney World and are accomplished, blazingly talented singers and actors. Despite the four theme parks in Orlando, Fla., reopening this past week, the Meyers remain out of... Read More

During this unprecedented, scary time of Covid-19, it seems apropos that the first indoor live theater in the Quad-Cities since the shutdown will be the spooky ghost story, “The Turn of the Screw,” next month at Moline’s Black Box Theatre. The 60-seat theater (1623 5th Ave.) will open at half capacity on July 16 and close the 19th. “It is a short run,” said director Lora Adams, “but the set was almost completed and the actors’ schedules have changed since March, so we are only able to do the four-day weekend.” Actor Matt Walsh and Kayla Jo Pulliam will bring the creepy tale to life... Read More

Mark McGinn’s love of the theater is literally in his blood. His father Jack (who died in 2000) started performing at Quad City Music Guild in Moline within two years of its founding in 1949, and was in dozens of shows. Mark, a 67-year-old Bettendorf resident, started with Guild at Prospect Park in 1972, playing clarinet for “Fiddler on the Roof,” and his first stage role was in 1976’s “Jesus Christ Superstar” (as one of the apostles). McGinn has since been involved in more than 70 other shows (including last summer as John Wilkes Booth in Black Box’s “Assassins” in Moline), mostly... Read More

Well, you can forget about spring sports and concerts, and a whole bunch of other things you enjoy, unless you enjoy wearing masks, in which case YOU’RE IN LUCK! Illinois’ stay-at-home order has been extended to May 30, keeping a myriad of Quad-Cities businesses and activities closed through at least early June. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker made the announcement this afternoon in an online press conference. Pritzker is also requiring residents to wear masks in public. The current stay-at-home order was through April 30th. “On our current trajectory, the state is projected to see a peak... Read More

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

Even in the midst of this terrible time, there’s always some good news, always people rising above the depressing and dark news out there and trying their best to do good works and be positive in this world. And every month, I, in conjunction with our media partners at KWQC-TV6’s “Paula Sands Live” bring you some of the positive and uplifting events, actions and individuals in the area. Here are some of the great things going on during this challenging time in the Quad-Cities: Mask Makers Stepping Up In the face of a shortage of masks and a greater need than ever for people... Read More

T.S. Eliot had it all wrong. In “The Waste Land,” the poet wrote “April is the cruelest month.” Well, five days before we can kick it into the dustbin of history, it’s safe to say that dishonor now belongs to March. At least March 2020, which has seen one bone-crushing loss after another for many around the world, me especially. Just one of the latest is from our beloved Quad-Cities theater community – of which I’ve been honored to share as longtime arts reporter for the Dispatch/Argus (and later Quad City Times), as well as piano accompanist and occasional stage performer. The singular... Read More

Jonathan Turner lives in Bettendorf and was a longtime reporter for The Dispatch and Rock Island Argus. He holds degrees in music from Oberlin College and Indiana University, and served as assistant music director for Music Guild’s production of “The Secret Garden.” Jonathan recently joined the QuadCities.com team and will review theater and performance and offer commentary and reporting on the local arts scene. His first story for our site details his experience with “The Secret Garden,” which was among the many local arts offerings devastated by the cancellations due to the... Read More

QuadCities.com, your top-ranked website for fun, free, local entertainment and features, is happy to announce Jonathan Turner has joined our team! Jonathan has been covering the local arts scene for 25 years, for the Dispatch/Argus and Times, and we’re very pleased to have him as part of the premier entertainment media spot in the Quad-Cities. Jonathan will cover local theater, review area concerts and theater, and offer commentary and reporting on the local arts scene. Jonathan joins an awesome squad of creators including Tess Mahalla Abney, Tristan Tapscott, Connie Corcoran Wilson, yours... Read More