With Riverside Theatre's producing artistic director Adam Knight raving that “Emily Bohannon’s writing is one of the real pleasures of theatre today,” the playwright's stage piece The Fiancé enjoys a world-premiere April 16 through May 3 run at the Iowa City venue, Knight adding that Bohannon’s work "sheds light on characters seldom seen onstage, driven by a search for meaning in a vastness beyond the confines of New York, or even America.”

Guests of the Muscatine Art Center are invited, through May 30, to explore powerful local stories of sacrifice in the exhibition Muscatine & the Civil War, with an April 18 event enabling patrons to experience special Civil War programs featuring a portrayal of Abraham Lincoln, a presentation on Iowa’s first soldiers, a book signing with Dr. Randee Fieselmann, and a live-music performance by Bob and Kristie Blake.

Hailed by A Closer Listen as "an incredibly versatile performer whose music straddles the categories of ambient, electronic and modern composition," lauded pianist Kelly Moran of Warp Records headlines an April 4 concert at Rock Island's Rozz-Tox, this special event supported by the Illinois Arts Council and featuring an additional set by lauded guest musician Randall Hall.

A beloved area native who plays keyboard with local band Fair Warning and sings with 10 of Soul, 24-year-old music phenomenon CJ Parker headlines an April 3 concert at Rock Island's RIBCO in support of his forthcoming album MOVE, the night also boasting a live recording session and performance by rising Illinois singer/songwriter Charlotte Blu.