Brent Tubbs is a seriously talented improv comedy veteran. A graduate of The Second City Conservatory in Los Angeles, he was a member of multiple improv and sketch comedy groups throughout L.A., has done improv in the Quad-Cities and was a member of Reduced Shakespeare Company, performing around the world. So needless to say, Brent and his seriously talented wife Sara (a musical theater veteran) know how to improvise and get creative. The co-owners of The Spotlight Theatre, 1800n 7th Ave., Moline, continue to come up with ways to entertain, enlighten and educate the Quad-Cities community – even... Read More

Bishop Hill hosted a unique live Chautauqua festival on Aug. 22, but due to state rules, they limited attendance to 50 people and quickly sold out. So the Bishop Hill Heritage Association is working with the Butterworth Center and Deere-Wiman House to present a virtual Chautauqua this week. “History in Person: A Virtual Chautauqua Festival” will be available free on Tuesday through Thursday, featuring three nights of historic portrayals, music and conversations with noted living history scholars and performers. The event is hosted online but pre-registration is required at historyinperson.org. “Imagine... Read More

The professional dance company Ballet Quad Cities is starting its new season outdoors with two performances at Davenport’s Outing Club on Sunday. Aug. 30. The 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. shows, at 2109 Brady St., will be on a temporary stage on the lawn at the 125-year-old, member–owned, private club. Audience members should bring their own chairs and blankets – there will be plenty of room to spread out on the lawn. Tickets will not be sold on site, but should be purchased for $20 at balletquadcities.com. “They’ve been very easy to work with,” Joedy Cook, the company executive director, said... 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 28 at 7 p.m. Submissions are due Sunday, August 23 by 7 p.m. Use WeTransfer... Read More

The Black Box Theatre once again presents a 1940’s style radio play with “The 39 Steps: A Live Radio Play” by Joe Landry. The show is scheduled for August 20 to 30. Tickets on Thursdays are $13 and $16 all other performances. According to Playscripts the piece is “Inspired by Hitchcock’s classic tale and performed as a live period radio play, this romantic thriller is a fast-paced ride through the signature world of the Master of Suspense. Richard Hannay is visiting 1930s London when he meets Annabella Smith, who is on the run from foreign agents, after a disturbance at a music hall.... Read More

Many people have gotten used to working from home during the seemingly endless period of quarantine. Anthony Natarelli is even bringing theater and improv comedy to his home. The irrepressible 26-year-old Rock Islander, who lives in an apartment above the Circa ’21 Speakeasy, 1818 3rd Ave., livestreamed an improv show there June 27, and later this month will act in a two-man play to be shown online as part of his $1 Producer Project. “We’re keeping it small casts,” Natarelli said recently. “The highest number of people that will ever be in here will be five people in the entire apartment.... Read More

Ballet Quad Cities is presenting Ballet On The Lawn at 2 and 6 p.m. August 30 at the Outing Club, 2109 Brady St., Davenport. Enjoy the atmosphere of the 125 year old, member–owned, private club for a unique and beautiful dance production by Ballet Quad Cities. Professional dancers will transform the lawn at The Outing Club into a magical setting! Find your picnic spot with friends and family and connect through the arts. Bring your chairs and blankets – there is plenty of room to spread out on the lawn Purchase your tickets ahead, they won’t be available at the door Charcuterie... Read More

As many theaters and musicians nationwide have moved performances online, the Mississippi Bend Players at Augustana College is salvaging part of its canceled summer season, by offering a virtual reading Friday, Aug. 21, of playwright Sarah Ruhl’s deeply personal “For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday.” (The performance originally was scheduled for Aug. 14, but was postponed after power outages this week. Tickets for the original date will be honored on Aug. 21. Patrons who are unable to attend on the new date, and who would like a refund, should contact the Ticket Office.) Filled with Quad-Cities... Read More

The Black Box Theatre once again presents a 1940’s style radio play with “The 39 Steps: A Live Radio Play” by Joe Landry. The show is scheduled for August 20 to 30. Tickets on Thursdays are $13 and $16 all other performances. According to Playscripts the piece is “Inspired by Hitchcock’s classic tale and performed as a live period radio play, this romantic thriller is a fast-paced ride through the signature world of the Master of Suspense. Richard Hannay is visiting 1930s London when he meets Annabella Smith, who is on the run from foreign agents, after a disturbance at a music hall.... Read More

Several Quad-Cities artists were honored this past weekend with awards at the 29th-annual Iowa Motion Picture Association (IMPA) award ceremony. Due to Covid-19, the Aug. 8 event was held online this year. The IMPA recognized outstanding creative and technical achievement in Iowa’s moving image production industry, in all its forms. “Sons & Daughters of Thunder,” a docudrama produced by Moline-based Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, received seven awards, out of eight IMPA nominations. It won five top Awards of Excellence: Best Live Action Entertainment — Long Form... Read More