• Pimprov, October 4

    With the Chicago Tribune calling their performances “politically incorrect and funny” and the Charleston City Paper adding that the cast “has funny going on before they even open their mouths,” the Chicago-based comedians of Pimprov bring their sketch-comedy skills, acting talent, and significant bling to the Circa '21 Speakeasy on October 4, demonstrating why the Los Angeles Times calls their set “not your traditional improv.”

  • Becky Robinson, October 5

    Lauded by The Spokesman-Review as a "throwback who is silly, sassy, and smart" as well as "inventive, unpredictable, and uncompromising," touring comedian and TikTok favorite Becky Robinson brings her "The Entitled Housewife" tour to Davenport's Capitol Theatre on October 5, the Spokesman-Review adding that "no punches are pulled at Robinson’s shows, which are spirited and obscene."

  • Quad City Arts Visiting Artist Series starts its 51st Season

    Last February, in the 50th-anniversary season of Quad City Arts’ Visiting Artist Series, hip-hop dancing and beatboxing illustrated how elusive world peace may be possible.

  • Lowland VII: An Autumn Block Party, October 6

    Quad Citians of all ages are invited to celebrate the arrival of fall when Rock Island venue Rozz-Tox and Laborspace host an expansive neighborhood gathering in Lowland VII: An Autumn Block Party, the October 6 outdoor event boasting art vendors, a flea market, a farmer's market, poetry readings, food and beverages, and plenty of fun for the entire family.

  • “An Evening with Shelby van Pelt,” October 9

    With her bestseller Remarkably Bright Creatures lauded by Book Marks as “a truly tender masterpiece” that is “whimsical, immersive, and vibrantly written,” acclaimed author Shelby Van Pelt will take part in the Moline Public Library's in-person, October 9 author visit at Moline's Bartlett Performing Arts Center, van Pelt's debut novel noted for selling more than 1.4 million copies and reappearing on the New York Times bestseller list a year-and-a-half after its initial release.

  • “Evita,” October 4 through 13

    Winner of seven 1980 Tony Awards including Best Musical and one of the most legendary titles on the estimable resumes of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice, the Broadway smash Evita enjoys an October 4 through 13 run at Moline's Spotlight Theatre, the original New York production of this iconic musical having finally closed after five-and-a-half years and 1,567 performances.

  • “POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive,” October 4 through 20

    A three-time Tony Award nominee also cited among the 2022 Drama League Award contenders for Outstanding Production of a Play, author Selina Fillinger's uproarious satire POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive enjoys its area debut at Iowa City's Riverside Theatre, its October 4 through 20 run sure to demonstrate why the New York Times' Jesse Green said the work "lets us experience the double-bind of exceptional women unmediated by the men who depend on their complicity."

  • “Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella,” October 4 through 6

    One of the most beloved stage musicals in American history and a Tony Award winner that has entertained family audiences for generations, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella serves as this year's fundraising performance by Muscatine's New Era Dinner Theatre, its October 4 through run finding its proceeds benefiting Lutheran World Relief, the Muscatine Center for Social Action, and New Era Lutheran Church.

  • “Of Mice & Men,” October 3 through 13

    The funny, moving, and profound stage version of one of literature's all-time classics enjoys an October 3 through 13 run at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre when the Geneseo venue stages Of Mice & Men, John Steinbeck's adaptation of his revered 1937 novel included as one of Amazon's list of “The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written.”

  • Davenport Junior Theatre Seeks New Leader and Location

    The city of Davenport needs a new performing arts supervisor and a new location for Davenport Junior Theatre, fast.

  • Songwriter Sessions w/ David G. Smith, Jeni Grouws, Kevin Gordon, & Eva Kendall, October 4

    Held as part of the unique concert series held in Davenport's intimate and cozy Redstone Room, the October 4 Songwriter Sessions event will find guests treat to a seated evening of tunes hosted by David G. Smith, with additionally winning performances delivered by Jeni Grouws, Kevin Gordon, and featured guest Eva Kendall.

  • “Matthieu Bergheau Presents Rachmaninoff & Scriabin,” October 4

    Inviting classical-music lovers to immerse themselves in the haunting beauty and virtuosity of two iconic composers, Moline's Sound Conservatory, on October 4, will host Matthieu Bergheau Presents Rachmaninoff & Scriabin, an evening with the French pianist praised by Interlude's Doug Thomas as an artist whose playing "shines with a sense of natural, an absence of artefacts, and a focus on the narrative of the musical journey."

  • Quad City Symphony Orchestra Masterworks I: “Bruckner at 200,” October 5 and 6

    Held in celebration of Austrian composer Joseph Anton Bruckner's 1824 birth, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's Bruckner at 2000 will open the ensemble's 2024-25 season with performances at Davenport's Adler Theatre on October 5 and Augustana College's Centennial Hall on October 6, the thrilling repertoire also boasting a special showcase for the QCSO's principal oboe player Dr. Andrew Parker.

  • Brigitte Calls Me Baby, October 5

    Touring in support of their August release The Future Is Our Way Out that NME called "a debut album that seamlessly cherry-picks the best of bygone eras," the Chicago-based, five-piece ensemble Brigitte Calls Me Baby headlines an October 5 engagement at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the band also lauded by Spin magazine as a group whose "music offers a feast of multi-generational cultural cues."

  • "The Piano Men: Simply Billy & Simply Elton," October 5

    With smash pop and rock hits performed by the intensely gifted tribute artist Brian Harris and his five-piece ensemble The Mad Hatters Band, the repertoires of two iconic artists will be celebrated at Mt. Carroll's Timber Lake Playhouse on October 5, with the stage event The Piano Men: Simply Billy & Simply Elton delivering a night of incredible music and showmanship by two of history's most venerable and beloved talents.

  • Flyin' Gosling: “The Wild Robot,” “Lee,” “Will & Harper,” “My Old Ass,” and “Megalopolis”

    Upon leaving our screening of The Wild Robot, I asked my favorite 10-year-old what she thought of the film, and she answered that it was one of the best movies she'd seen in her life. If I ever choose or am forced to retire from weekly reviewing, I hope this smart kid becomes my replacement, because as family-friendly adventures go, writer/director Chris Sanders' animated outing is one of the best I've seen in my life, too.

  • “Fact vs Fiction and 'Road to Perdition,'” October 6

    In an October 6 event presented by the Quad Cities' Truth First Film Alliance, the life of Rock Island's most notorious gangster will be explored when Davenport's Putnam Museum & Science Center hosts Fact vs Fiction and 'Road to Perdition,' an afternoon-long deep dive into the history of John Looney complete with period music, historical artifacts, and a screening of Sam Mendes' Oscar-winning film.

  • Mike Schulz with Dave & Darren on Planet 93.9 FM

    Going to the cineplex or staying in and streaming this weekend? Every Thursday morning at 8:15 a.m. you can listen to Mike Schulz dish on recent movie releases & talk smack about Hollywood celebs on Planet 93.9 FM with the fabulous Dave & Darren in the Morning team of Dave Levora and Darren Pitra. The morning crew previews upcoming releases, too.

    Or you can check the Reader Web site and listen to their latest conversation by the warm glow of your electronic device. Never miss a pithy comment from these three scintillating pundits again.

    Thursday, October 3: Previews of Joker: Folie à Deux, White Bird, Sam & Colby: The Legends of the Paranormal, and Monster Summer, and discussion of The Wild Robot, Lee, Will & Harper, My Old Ass, and Megalopolis, those latter two films constituting an Aubrey Plaza double-feature. Helps make up for one of those movies being absolutely nuts, and not in a fun way.

  • Anything You Can Be I Can Be Better: “The Substance,” “Never Let Go,” “His Three Daughters,” and “Transformers One”

    No matter the season, we can always stand to have more movies like writer/director Coralie Fargeat's The Substance in area release.

  • Now Playing: Friday, October 4, through Thursday, October 10

    Now playing at area theaters.

Art

  • Ellen Wagener and Greg Gossel Exhibits, October 4 through November 30

    From October 4 through November, Dubuque's Voices Studio will host a new and compelling dual exhibition featuring the works of renowned artists Ellen Wagener and Greg Gossel, whose works displayed in separate galleries will deliver a full visual experience that juxtaposes the serene, ethereal landscapes of Wagener with the bold, provocative explorations of pop culture by Gossel.

  • “Crawford & Sage,” through October 4

    With the first day of the exhibition and its August 15 opening reception held in conjunction with this year's Alternating Currents festival, Rock Island's Quad City Arts Center will be housing, through October 4, a two-fer of evocative works by a pair of disparate artists, the Crawford & Sage exhibit showcasing woodcut prints by Cathie Crawford and ink and watercolor drawings by Whitney Sage.

  • Día de los Muertos Family Day Fiesta, October 13

    With the event held in partnership with Hola America and LULAC and sponsored by MidAmerican Energy Company, Davenport's Figge Art Museum will house a delightful Day of the Dead celebration in the October 13 Día de los Muertos Family Day Fiesta, an afternoon-long tribute honoring the memories of passed loved ones through music, dance, food, and community.

  • Artist Celebration: David Alfaro Siqueiros, October 17

    Held in conjunction with the venue's current exhibition Revolutionary Artist: The Prison Fantasies of David Alfaro Siqueiros, Davenport's Figge Art Museum will host a special Artist Celebration in honor of the exhibit's creator, the October 18 event inviting guests to participate in mural-making activities while learning about Siqueiros from Figge curators.

  • “Prayers of Steel,” September 6 through October 18

    Inspired by Carl Sandburg’s poem of the same name, Lisa Nelson Raabe's Prayers of Steel serves as the first art exhibition of the 2024-25 academic year at Galesburg's Carl Sandburg College, its display in the Lonnie Eugene Stewart Art Gallery treating patrons to the talents of the Peoria-based artist who has enjoyed solo exhibitions in locales including San Antonio, Chicago, Peoria, Decatur, and Quincy.