The Pokeballs are about to get Harry. And if you want to get your wand atwitter, don’t Hermione your own business, use your sorting hat to make sure your plans for Saturday night include you slytherin over to the Speakeasy, 1828 3rd Ave., Rock Island, because I dumble-dare you to ravenclaw your way to Show Us Your Pokeballs new Harry Potter-themed show at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door and you can make them magically appear ahead of time by calling 786-7733, ext. 2. So what made the idea of a Harry Potter-themed show magically appear in the heads of Pokeballs organizers,... Read More

May 2015 “Hey, that’s me!”  I say it aloud while staring at my phone in the coffee shop.  The people at the next table look at me as if I spilled soup down my shirt.  After cleaning myself up (I have, in fact, spilled soup down my shirt), I read the Facebook status again.  Josh Kahn (The Ghost of Vaudeville, Bottoms-Up Burlesque, Blacklist) is asking his Facebook friends if anyone knows of anyone with screenwriting experience. “Hey, that’s me!” is a slight exaggeration.  I had one co-written play produced and have various unproduced ventures – four episodes of a co-written 1930s... Read More

Some of the most interesting and funny conversations any of us have had are those that have been in that crooked hour of the night when the liquor has kicked in and the inhibitions have kicked out. Heather Nobiling is hoping to recreate that loose, hilarious feel in the new show she’s put together, Chics with Bics, Just Having Beer In New Jammies: Comedy For a Girls’ Night Out. The gig takes place this Saturday, at the Speakeasy in Rock Island. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8. The cost is $10 in advance, $12 at the door. All female comics are onstage, but boys are allowed (and even encouraged!)... Read More

Every year around mid-May, thousands of geek-culture lovers make the pilgrimage to Rosemont, Illinois to take part in Anime Central (ACen), the largest and longest-running anime convention in the Midwest. Anime, or Japanese animation, is widely popular in Western pop culture, particularly among teens and young adults, though anyone of any age can enjoy it as there are a multitude of different genres and storylines. These conventions are a gathering place for fans of comics, anime, science fiction, and even table top gaming, and people from all walks of life and fandom can be found in attendance. Anime... Read More

Getting your laughs on for a good cause is a win for everyone involved, and Cyndi Hartley is hoping to bring those positive vibes to Muscatine Saturday night as the Muscatine Society of Freethinkers will present a comedy and music show entitled Passing Notes: a Benefit for Flickinger Learning Center. The event will be upstairs at Boonies on Iowa Avenue. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Comedy starts at 7 p.m. and music starts at 9 p.m. Comics on the bill include Chris Schlichting, Nikki Gillette, Austin Black, Taylor Williams and James Draper. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door and can be purchased... Read More

The Show Us Your Pokeballs crew is going back, and forth, in time for their latest show, an homage to everyone’s favorite Gallifreyan time lord, Dr. Who. “I’m really excited for this one, it’s not just Dr. Who, there are lot of geek culture references, but fans of Dr. Who will especially love it,” said writer, director and actor Josh Kahn. “These shows are always so much fun. They’re geek humor done by geeks for geeks, and I say that with all love possible. There are jokes for all different kinds of fandoms in here, and if you are passionate about anything related to geek culture,... Read More

Bad dates. Horrible relationships. Awkward moments in online dating. We’ve all been through them, and known others who have as well. Now, Sean Leary and My Verona Productions is offering you the chance to laugh your way through others’ romantic miseries – and on the perfect day to shoot an arrow at Cupid, Valentine’s Day. “Shots 2 The Heart: Terrible Tales of Dating Disasters,” a new, original show, will debut Feb. 14 at Rock Island’s Establishment Theater, 201 19th St., Rock Island. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., show starts at 7. Tickets ($10 in advance, $12 at the door) are available... Read More