Lauded by CurtainUp as "a masterful study of the human soul," Sholem Asch's acclaimed and incendiary 1906 drama God of Vengeance enjoys a student-produced run at Augustana College from April 27 through 30, this Jewish masterwork described by Broadway World as "full of complex characters whose motives invite debate."

The editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle, author/editor of more than 500 puzzle books, and world’s only academically accredited puzzle master will discuss his fill-in-the-blanks career in the insightful and delightful presentation Secrets of a Puzzle Master: A Virtual Conversation with Will Shortz, an April 25 event offered by Illinois Libraries Present and co-hosted by the Rock Island and Moline Public Libraries.

The beloved journey down the Yellow Brick Road will be given a sprightly new stage twist when the University of Dubuque's Heritage Center, on April 22 and 23, hosts American Midwest Ballet's touring production of The Wizard of Oz, a timeless tale known to everyone, except that the characters here are live on stage, in full color, and everyone dances the whole time.

Touring in support of their acclaimed Common Ground – a recording in which, according to Americana UK, the musicians "traverse a musical landscape that finds them crisscrossing the terrain of American roots music" – the bluegrass and Americana artists of The Sweet Lillies headline an April 26 concert at Davenport's Redstone Room, their latest album lauded by The Grateful Web as one that "moves seamlessly from the horn-driven title-track 'Common Ground' to the gentle 'Breath to the Birds.'"