Based on the 1943 Vera Caspary novel and the 1944 movie classic that the American Film Institute named one of the 10 best mystery films of all time, Caspary's and George Sklar's stage thriller Laura enjoys a run at Geneseo's Richmond Hill Barn Theatre from May 30 through June 9, the play a faithful adaptation of the Oscar-winning entertainment that Roger Ebert's cited in his famed "Great Movies" series.

Hailed by Variety as a slapstick in which "the audience almost never stops laughing," with "handkerchiefs wiping away tears of merriment," Larry Shue's screwball stage classic The Nerd opens the 2024 mainstage theatre season at Mt. Carroll's Timber Lake Playhouse, its May 30 through June 9 run sure to demonstrate why the Milwaukee Journal raved that "Shue delivers a neatly crafted package that uses some classic comic forms to bring the audience to its knees laughing."

A four-time Tony Award-winning smash that enjoyed Broadway runs with talents such as Ben Stiller, Edie Falco, Christopher Walken, and Stockard Channing, author John Guare's masterful dark comedy The House of Blue Leaves enjoys a May 17 through 26 run at Moline's Playcrafters Barn Theatre, this wild theatrical ride also lauded by Variety magazine as a stage work that "still sets the bar for smart comic lunacy."

A supremely enjoyable night out on the town, the full experience of the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse's latest presentation includes some great food, a blast of a pre-show, and an amazing musical – Jersey Boys to cap things off. With the production helmed by Michael Ingersoll, this is an evening of theatre not to be missed.

One of only few musicals in history to win Tonys, a Grammy, and the Academy Award for Best Picture, the legendary Chicago enjoys a tour stop of Davenport's Adler Theatre in May 15, this second-longest-running show in Broadway history a smash with both audiences and critics, with the New York Times stating, "It has theatrical muscle, the characters are vivid, and its issues are ongoing in our public discourse."

Nearly a year after the tragic collapse of the downtown-Davenport building that housed theatre venue The Mockingbird on Main, the company will fly again with an appropriate title for its return to Moline's Black Box Theatre:To Kill a Mockingbird, playwright Christopher Sergel's adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Harper Lee novel, running May 16 through 26.

Just a few performances in and I think it’s safe to say that the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse has a hit on its hands.

Local Theatre Auditions/Calls for Entry

Updated: Tuesday, May 14

Reviews by Rochelle Arnold, Jeff Ashcraft, Patricia Baugh-Riechers, Audra Beals, Pamela Briggs, Dee Canfield, Madeline Dudziak, Kim Eastland, Emily Heninger, Heather Herkelman, Paula Jolly, Victoria Navarro, Roger Pavey Jr., Alexander Richardson, Mark Ruebling, Mike Schulz, Joy Thompson, Oz Torres, Brent Tubbs, Jill Pearson Walsh, and Thom White.

Murder in the Studio, the Black Box Theatre’s latest production, helmed by co-owner Lora Adams, is a charming trip into yesteryear. Three radio plays, written by renowned novelist Agatha Christie, are staged as if they were being performed in a live broadcast, with strong actors backing up 90 minutes of gripping theatre.

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