One of the most famous and beloved comedies in the history of world theatre will enjoy a rousing comeback when Rock Island Augustana College stages Molière's 1664 classic Tartuffe, its October 13 through 16 bringing the French playwright's vision to life in a delightful, rhyme-scheme adaptation by Richard Wilbur that previously starred such acting legends as John Gielgud, Derek Jacobi, and Joan Plowright.

With her professional recognition including an Emmy Award, two Peabody Awards, and 2009 citation as the National Association of Black Journalists' Journalist of the Year, Washington Post columnist and NPR host Michele Norris will speak at an October 19 Davenport RiverCenter event sponsored by public-radio station WVIK and the Joyce and Tony Singh Family Foundation, with Norris giving a keynote address on Intelligent Conversations: The Power of Words.

The talents of one of the area's most respected and educators will be on display at Rozz-Tox from October 7 through 30 when the Rock Island venue houses Peter Xiao's Thingamajigs & Right-Facing Nudes, a collection of new works by the gifted painter who has also taught drawing and painting at Rock Island's Augustana College since 1989.

In a special October 13 presentation at Davenport's Figge Art Museum, Augustana College professor and longtime Quad City Symphony Orchestra musician Tony Oliver will perform the world premiere of composer James Romig's SPACES, an 80-minute composition for solo vibraphone – a ringing keyboard percussion instrument capable of conjuring a dreamy, contemplative atmosphere of gentle harmony and intriguing timbre.