A beloved biblical musical boasting seven Tony Award nominations and a chart-topping U.K. single in “Any Dream Will Do,” the Broadway smash Joseph & the Amazing Technical Dreamcoat, from June 24 through July 3, serves as the summertime spectacular being presented by Eldridge's Countryside Community Theatre, with this theatrical classic the first-ever publicly staged work by the legendary stage team of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Time Rice.

Praised by Broadway World as "a true celebration of female friendship and empowerment," as well as "a joyful and spirited production with a moving backdrop of loss," the empowering musical dramedy Calendar Girls makes its area debut with a June 22 through 26 run at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre, this enchanting stage piece based on true events and a beloved 2003 film a work that, according to The Guardian, "suggests the story has now achieved its ideal form."

For the venerated classical-theatre company's latest season of performances in Rock Island's Lincoln Park, Genesius Guild is opening its 2022 lineup with perhaps the most beloved – and certainly the most famous – tragic romance of all time, with William Shakespeare's timeless Romeo & Juliet being performed June 18 through 26 by a gifted cast almost wholly composed of actors who are also high-schoolers.

After a rough few weeks, I wanted a diversion. So even though I hadn't read the Natalie Babbitt novel on which it's based, I was happy to attend Thursday's final dress and tech rehearsal for Tuck Everlasting at the Spotlight Theatre. I left feeling both impressed and refreshed.