Playcrafters Barn Theatre finishes their 2021 season with You Can’t Take It With You, a classic American comedy by Moss Hart and George Kaufman. The show will be presented Thursday, November 18th through November 21st at the Barn Theatre in Moline. At first, the Sycamores seem mad – between fireworks-making in the basement, ballet lessons, novel-writing, pamphlet-printing, and storing letters from the IRS in the freezer. But, before long, the audience realizes if they are mad, the rest of the world is madder. In contrast to these delightful people are the unhappy Kirbys. Tony Kirby,... Read More

Playcrafters Barn Theatre proudly presents “You Can’t Take It With You” November 18-21, Thursday, Friday & Saturday 7:30PM and Sunday 3PM at the Barn Theater, 4950 35th Ave., Moline. The comedy is rated PG. At first, the Sycamores seem mad, but it is not long before we realize that if they are mad, the rest of the world is madder. In contrast to these delightful people are the unhappy Kirbys. The plot shows how Tony, the attractive young son of the Kirbys, falls in love with Alice Sycamore and brings his parents to dine at the Sycamore home on the wrong evening. The shock... Read More

There’s a heartfelt, inspiring story both on the Playcrafters stage and off in the wacky, wonderful “You Can’t Take It With You,” a classic American comedy by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman. Due to factors beyond the control of director Vicki Deusinger and the great 18-member cast (I think the most I’ve seen in any one show at the Barn Theatre in Moline), the madcap production will be presented just one weekend — Thursday, Nov. 18th through Sunday, Nov. 21st. It should not be missed, for several reasons. Winner of the 1937 Pulitzer for drama, and adapted by Frank Capra for... Read More

Playcrafters Barn Theatre is proud to present “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks” written by Richard Alfieri. The show runs through TODAY, October 10, with a last show today at 3 p.m. Tickets are available at playcrafters.com/shows/lessons or you can make a reservation by calling 309-762-0330. The comedy is rated PG-13 for Adult Themes. It’s directed by Jennifer Kingry, and stars Stephanie Naab and Adam Cerny. Lily, an aging but formidable retiree, hires Michael, an acerbic dance instructor, to give her dance lessons in her condo in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida. Antagonism between a gay man... Read More

Saturday in the Arts is a weekly feature covering a trend, subject, event or personality of local interest. It runs every Saturday morning on your site for the best entertainment and arts coverage in the area, QuadCities.com! How do you solve a problem like diversity in live theater? From Broadway to the Quad-Cities, theatrical organizations of all kinds are wrestling with this thorny issue, now more than ever. Long before the widespread racial reckoning that’s taken place nationwide in the past 17 months (post-George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Black Lives Matter, which has only intensified),... Read More

Playcrafters Barn Theatre is proud to present “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks” written by Richard Alfieri. The show runs October 8-10, Friday & Saturday 7:30PM and Sunday 3PM. Tickets are available at playcrafters.com/shows/lessons or you can make a reservation by calling 309-762-0330. The comedy is rated PG-13 for Adult Themes. It’s directed by Jennifer Kingry, and stars Stephanie Naab and Adam Cerny. Lily, an aging but formidable retiree, hires Michael, an acerbic dance instructor, to give her dance lessons in her condo in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida. Antagonism between a gay man... Read More

The outstanding “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks” at Playcrafters shows us the essence of excellent live theater. Just two actors – with lots of costume changes, a varied musical soundtrack and dance styles – responsible for drawing and holding our attention for an entire story of two very different, colorful, strong-willed characters. With Playcrafters veterans Stephanie Naab and Adam Cerny playing (respectively) Lily, an aging but formidable retiree, and Michael, an acerbic and blunt dance instructor, we’re in the best possible hands. And with the meticulous, energetic dances choreographed... Read More

Playcrafters Barn Theatre (4950 35th Ave., Moline) has some well-known titles planned for both its Mainstage and Barn Owl season for 2022. The Mainstage season is as follows: “The Odd Couple” by Neil Simon, performing in February. “Agatha Christie’s A Murder is Announced” by Leslie Darbon, performing in May. “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, performing in July (pending approval from Concord Theatricals). “Sylvia” by A.R. Gurney, performing in October. “12 Angry Jurors” by Sherman Sergel, performing in November. The 2022 Barn Owl season (emphasizing more alternative,... Read More

Embezzlement, fraud investigation, and misuse of state research and development reimbursements wouldn’t seem at first glance to make fertile ground for comedy and romantic sparks. But they say write what you know, right? Jim Sederquist, a 39-year-old accountant who lives in Bettendorf and loves to write, adds up his years of number-crunching in supremely suspenseful, entertaining fashion in his first full-length play, “The Whistleblower’s Dilemma,” given a top-notch production at Playcrafters Barn Theatre as part of its original Barn Owl season. “New work is an incredibly important part... Read More

Playcrafters Barn Theatre continues its Barn Owl season with The Whistleblower’s Dilemma, an original dramedy written by Jim Sederquist, Bettendorf. The show will be presented Aug. 13th through Aug. 22nd at the Barn Theatre, 4950 35th Ave., Moline. Joe loves his community and the factory that his grandfather helped build from scratch. When Joe discovers the factory’s current owner is embezzling millions of dollars from the state, and setting Joe up to take the blame, Joe decides to take an unusual route: he makes the fraud bigger. Jackie is a star fraud investigator but frustrated with... Read More