Writing a new play is murder. Well, it certainly was for busy Q-C actor, director, and theater owner Tristan Tapscott, whose latest original work – “Murder at Mistwell Manor” – is a breezy blast. Known in part — before he opened The Mockingbird on Main theater last summer — for penning a new musical adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” (with composer Danny White), Tapscott now has three original plays under his belt in the new cabaret-style space that welcomes new works. In December, the Mockingbird opened the silly holiday show “Deck the Halls,” and in March, it staged... Read More

The Mockingbird on Main will present the premiere of the murder mystery, Murder at Mistwell Manor opening April 8! What seems like an ordinary paint by numbers murder mystery becomes much more with each new revelation! The doctor. The Hollywood starlet. The manor’s caretaker. The detective. And two dead bodies. Suspicions run wild as Detective Walters hurries to solve the case before another drops dead. This fast paced original work reveals a twist or 3 before racing to a conclusion the audience never sees coming. Directed by Tristan Tapscott, Murder at Mistwell Manor features Eric Teeter as... Read More

The Mockingbird on Main will present the premiere of the murder mystery, Murder at Mistwell Manor opening April 8! What seems like an ordinary paint by numbers murder mystery becomes much more with each new revelation! The doctor. The Hollywood starlet. The manor’s caretaker. The detective. And two dead bodies. Suspicions run wild as Detective Walters hurries to solve the case before another drops dead. This fast paced original work reveals a twist or 3 before racing to a conclusion the audience never sees coming. Directed by Tristan Tapscott, Murder at Mistwell Manor features Eric Teeter as... Read More

The Mockingbird on Main is back with another new show – Murder at Mistwell Manor – in Downtown Davenport! 2 dead bodies. 3 suspects. 1 detective. And everyone has a motive. What seems like an ordinary paint by numbers murder mystery becomes much more with each new revelation. Directed by Tristan Tapscott, this new murder mystery features Doug Kutzli (Clinton Showboat’s Bridges of Madison County) Eric Teeter (Playcrafters’ Princeton’s Rage), Savanna Bay Strandin (Circa ‘21’s Beehive) and Jeremy Littlejohn (Circa ‘21’s Elf). Murder at Mistwell Manor will play the Downtown... Read More

The Mockingbird On Main’s AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS plays its final performance tonight in Downtown Davenport! Based on the travel adventure novel by French author Jules Verne, this two person mad-cap comedic version by Tristan Tapscott tells the story of the unflappable duo Phileas Fogg and Jean Passepartout and their crazy trip around the world. AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS features real life power couple Sydney Dexter (as Phileas Fogg, et al) and Alex Richardson (as Passepartout, et al) and directed by Tristan Tapscott and Douglas Kutzli and designed by Savannah Bay Strandin.  Creator and... Read More

For the final production of the venue’s sensational 44th season, Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse will proudly stage the area debut of one of the funniest slapstick comedies of modern times: THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG. Running at the Rock Island dinner theatre through March 12, this Tony Award-winning riot was described by the New York Times as “a knockabout farce” and is being brought to life by a spectacular team of professional talents. THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG will be presented on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:45 p.m., Sundays at 5:45 p.m. and beginning Feb. 16, Wednesday matinées... Read More

For your late night viewing pleasure…   Quad Cities is a web series that was shot in the Quad Cities in the summer of 2021 and debuted in the fall of 2021.   The series was created by Kurt Oberhaus (This Is Us) and Justin Marxen (Haunt) and features both local and National talent.   Quad Cities follows a series of gruesome murders that plague the Quad Cities and an unlikely duo must work together to restore peace to the area.   All 5 episodes of Quad Cities – Mini Series now available for free on YouTube! EPISODE 1: https://youtu.be/zi3-dWq7zYE EPISODE 2: https://youtu.be/Cxq8wd3oanc EPISODE... Read More

The Mockingbird On Main will present AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS March 4-12 in Downtown Davenport! Based on the travel adventure novel by French author Jules Verne, this two person mad-cap comedic version by Tristan Tapscott tells the story of the unflappable duo Phileas Fogg and Jean Passepartout and their crazy trip around the world. AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS features real life power couple Sydney Dexter (as Phileas Fogg, et al) and Alex Richardson (as Passepartout, et al) and directed by Tristan Tapscott and Douglas Kutzli and designed by Savannah Bay Strandin.  “Creator and Producer Tristan... Read More

It’s Oscar Nomination Eve! Yay! Despite my two favorite films of the year – Nightmare Alley & In the Heights – being left out of the Best Picture conversation, it was a rock star year for movies. It is definitely a year to celebrate! With an ever changing precursor season, however, it is getting more and more difficult to read the Oscar tea leaves. Luckily, I follow it all close enough that to still determine what’s out front and what’s been forgotten. So here we go! And the nominees for the 94th Academy Awards might be… BEST PICTURE Belfast The Power of the Dog King... Read More

The Mockingbird on Main Auditions Slated for February 5 The Mockingbird on Main will hold auditions for Around the World in 80 Days and Murder at Mistwell Manor on Saturday, February 5 at 1pm. ———————— AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS Based on the travel adventure novel by French author Jules Verne, this two person mad-cap comedy tells the story of the unflappable duo Phileas Fogg and Jean Passepartout and their trip around the world to solve a crime and most importantly, to win a bet. CASTING: Phileas Fogg, et al – Any Actor of any age Jean Passepartout, et al – Any Actor... Read More