Directed by acclaimed Broadway veteran Philip Wm. McKinley and written by gifted local playwright Aaron Randolph III, the intense and moving drama A Green River, running July 5 through 14, serves as the second production in the Mississippi Bend Players' military-themed summer season, an exhilarating work described by the River Cities' Reader's Thom White as “not to be missed – not only for being exceptional theatre, but for carrying an important and timely message.”

The talents of a uniquely gifted Quad Cities photographer will bring dazzling life, of all kinds, to the walls of the Figge Art Museum July 6 through January 5, with the venue's Lewis Gallery showcasing astounding natural beauty in Randy Richmond: Verisimilitude, a local exhibition of modern works steeped in centuries of artistic tradition.

The formidable talents of Ronnie Baker Brooks, Samantha Fish, Victor Wainwright, Tab Benoit, and many others will be showcased when the Mississippi Valley Blues Society hosts the 2019 Mississippi Valley Blues Festival in East Moline venue Murphy Park at The Bend, the hotly anticipated July 5 and 6 event boasting exhilarating sets with national, regional, and local blues artists on two outdoor stages, plus interactive presentations for kids in the Blues Society's popular BlueSKool program.

A classic Greek tragedy making its first return to the Quad Cities in more than 15 years, Euripides' arresting tale of The Bacchae will be staged by Genesius Guild June 28 through July 7, the outdoor Lincoln Park presentations boasting a cast of 17 and its central characters performing in period-appropriate Greek masks.