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.'"

With his most recent album Reggae Film Star lauded by Pitchfork for its "prismatic harmonies and piano flourishes" and by Americana UK for its "painfully sweet melodies," indie-rocker Damien Jurado headlines an April 27 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the singer/songwriter praised by Exclaim.ca for "his ability to express emotions, truths and transcendent moments through brief character studies."

For their final concert events of the 2022-23 season, Galesburg's professional vocal ensemble the Nova Singers will present an entire repertoire of works by women composers in A Voice of Her Own, boasting pieces by Medieval wonder Hildegard of Bingen, 17th-century prodigy Vittoria Aleotti, 19th-century geniuses Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel and Clara Schumann, and modern-day talents Abbie Betinis, Joan Szymko, and Hyo-Won Woo.

Held in conjunction with the Davenport's venue's popular and fascinating springtime exhibition, curators Kevin Jones and Christina M. Johnson will participate in an April 20 Curator Talk at the Figge Art Museum as they discuss Sporting Fashion: Outdoor Girls 1800 to 1960, a groundbreaking survey of the history of women's sportswear.

Over the past quarter-century, there have been periods of time – runs of entire years, even – in which I couldn't have fathomed writing the sentence “I wish Ben Affleck made more movies.” Yet as I was driving home from the phenomenally enjoyable Air Jordan origin story Air, which Affleck directed from a stellar Alex Convery script, that was my primary thought, and I'm not embarrassed to admit it. Well … maybe just a little. The guy still has plenty of turkeys to live down.

A timeless Broadway sensation whose film version won six Academy Awards including Best Picture, the Charles Dickens adaptation Oliver! enjoys an April 14 through 23 run at Moline's Spotlight Theatre, this Tony-winning family spectacle noted for playing in New York for more than two years and its original London run lasting a then-record-breaking 2,618 performances.