One of the absolute thrilling joys of theater is not only how it brings fictional characters to life, but illuminates the intimately human struggles and triumphs of well-known, real-life icons. The Quad-Cities premiere of “The Mountaintop” – an emotional, haunting reimagining of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s last night on earth – is an extraordinary example. The 90-minute, two-person Katori Hall play debuted Thursday night at the new Mockingbird on Main, a beautiful, 40-seat cabaret at 320 N. Main St., Davenport, created by Tristan Tapscott and Savannah Bay Strandin. The mood before... Read More

The economy is in shambles. The world is a mess. Young people feel as if they have little to no hope to achieve the American dream they’ve been promised. And so, for many young people struggling with this realization, escapism is paramount to balancing out their lives and getting them through. Sound familiar? It should, because it certainly describes the world today, particularly for the millenial and Gen Z generations, and, as Circa ’21’s great and gritty musical adaptation of “Saturday Night Fever” displays, there’s a fine line between the blinding dazzle of... Read More

Artists in Conversation is a weekly column running Wednesdays on QuadCities.com. It features a conversation with a local creator or creators going into their artistic process, projects and more. Get to know your local arts scene and local creators better on QuadCities.com with Artists In Conversation! If you’re a local creator and would like to be featured, please email us at Sean@QuadCities.com or Tristan@QuadCities.com! I close my eyes and I can see The world that’s waiting up for me That I call my own Through the dark, through the door Through where no one’s been before But it... Read More

It’s Sunday, and QuadCities.com proudly presents Fun10, a list of the top 10 things to do in the Quad Cities this week, and every week! Every Sunday, we drop a new Fun10, to give you a head start on your week and a heads up on what’s going on over the coming seven days. Check out Fun10 every Sunday for the details on ten awesome events happening around town. It’s a cool read, and a great way to get started planning your entertainment for the week. FUN10 — ten ways for you to have fun in the Quad-Cities, this week and every week, running every Sunday, only on your site for fun, free, local... Read More

Downtown Davenport’s The Mockingbird On Main will present their inaugural production – Katori Hall’s “The Mountaintop” July 29 through August 7. What happened inside room 306 of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis the night before the assignation of Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King, JR. is a mystery. In “The Mountaintop,” Hall imagines what may have transpired in the overnight hours between the legendary civil rights leader and a seemingly inconsequential motel maid. Hours after King’s famed final speech, punctuated by the immortal line “I’ve been to the mountaintop,”... 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! I close my eyes and I can see The world that’s waiting up for me That I call my own Through the dark, through the door Through where no one’s been before But it feels like home They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy They can say, they can say I’ve lost my mind I don’t care, I don’t care, so call me crazy We can live in a world that we... Read More

You feel something in the air? Something strange? Something not quite right? Something frightening? Quad Cities is a new horror miniseries that will air on YouTube starting October 2nd. Each week, one episode will air with the fifth and final episode airing on October 30th, just before Halloween. The series was shot in the Quad Cities (Iowa and Illinois) with mostly local talent. Each episode will run approx. 10-15 min. And when each episode drops, we’ll be running a short story and link to it on your fun, free, local QuadCities.com! A teaser trailer is also coming soon! For more info, see:... Read More

A Covid-inspired success from 2020 will return on Tuesday, Aug. 10, as Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse will be back on its marquee for an outdoor show, at 1828 3rd Ave., Rock Island. You can join the Circa ’21 Bootleggers, the cast of “Saturday Night Fever” and a few special guests as they entertain patrons in a live concert from atop the iconic marquee. Hosted by Circa veterans Brad Hauskins and Tristan Tapscott, the concert will celebrate Circa ’21, its history and feature tunes from the ‘70s disco era and beyond. It will also include a special 2022 announcement you won’t want to miss. Circa’s... Read More

In the past 24 hours, a review on this site of Countryside Community Theater’s “The Music Man” written by Tristan Tapscott has become embroiled in controversy. So much so that it prompted a guest column from local actor Lou Hare, and my invitation, still open, for any other interested parties to send me rebuttals to Tristan’s review. As always, we look forward to hearing from people and stimulating conversation about the local arts scene, whether the responses are pro or con, particularly in regard to a review, which is an opinion of the writer meant to prompt thought and... Read More

Author’s Note: The reactions noted below should not be attributed to the cast and crew of CCT’s production of “The Music Man.” These reactions existed mostly in the form of online responses from people not associated with the show. By Lou Hare Recently, a review of Countryside Community Theatre’s recent production of “The Music Man,” written by Tristan Tapscott, circulated online. Unlike your typical review of most Community Theatre productions, the review was pointed and, well, critical. And a lot of people lost their shit. The responses online range from the typical disagreement... Read More