The Golden Globes are on January 7, the Emmys on January 15, Oscar nominations will be announced January 23 … . But no need to be patient, awards obsessives – my fellow theatre lovers and I are gonna get the season started early by welcoming you to the unveiling of the Eighth-Annual Reader Tony Awards!

Because seven is a lucky number and we've run out of things to write about this year … welcome, friends, to the announcement of the Seventh Annual Reader Tony Awards!

A world-premiere production shepherded by area stage talents Daniel Haughey and Michael Callahan, Aaron Power! The Musical running March 17 through 20 at the Center for Living Arts' East Studio in Rock Island – boasts a perfectly timely premise for a show opening on St. Patrick's Day, as its narrative concerns a young man who travels abroad to uncover the secrets of his Irish ancestry. Complicating matters for our protagonist, and likely to make them even more fascinating for the musical's patrons, is that the young man in question is Native American.

With the fruits of our non-laborious labors landing in your laps (or on your laptops) just in time for gift-giving week, your intrepid theatre correspondents Rochelle Arnold, Pamela Briggs, Madeline Dudziak, and I officially welcome you to the sixth-annual Reader Tony Awards! Now returned to full fighting strength after 2020's truncated-by-necessity ceremony!

Taking the Antoinette Perrys as our inspiration, we theatre lovers at the Reader have decided that Our Show Must Go On, too. So even though we've been given far fewer titles to choose from than usual, with our own categories and the excellent work within abbreviated out of necessity, we happily welcome you, ladies and gentlemen, to the Fifth-Annual Reader Tony Awards!

Dan Danielowski, executive director of the Timber Lake Playhouse in Mt. Carroll, discusses the theatre's operations during this period of social distancing. We spoke on Wednesday, May 20.

Brett Hitchcock, director of audience development at the Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse in Rock Island, discusses the venue's operations during this period of social distancing. We spoke on Thursday, May 7.

Daniel DP Sheridan, Artistic Director and Performing Arts Supervisor for Davenport Junior Theatre (DJT), discusses the organization's operations during this period of social distancing. We spoke on Tuesday, April 14.

Brent Tubbs, co-founder and -owner of The Spotlight Theatre in Moline, discusses the venue's operations during this period of social distancing. We spoke on Wednesday, March 25.

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