With the latest touring production at the University of Dubuque's Heritage Center described by the Boston Globe as “uproariously entertaining,” musical-theatre fans will definitely want to be in “the room where it happens” on April 19 when the venue hosts the area premiere of Spamilton: An American Parody, the latest stage satire by the comic mastermind behind the long-running hit Forbidden Broadway.

The Spotlight Theatre's Peter & the Starcatcher, directed by Whitney Fahner with music direction by Katie Griswold, is yet another of the venue's slick and stylish productions of a lively libretto, this one loaded with big on- and off-stage talent and clever staging.

Lauded by Chicago Critic as “a finely crafted suspense mystery that will leave you on the edge of your seat,” Veronica's Room – written by acclaimed Deathtrap playwright Ira Levin – enjoys an April 7 through 16 run at the Black Box Theatre in Moline, this crafty entertainment also praised by the Oklahoman as “a disturbing psychological thriller” that “takes the audience on a demented road trip.”

A modern adaptation of one of the most notorious-for-its-time works in theatre history – and one boasting music and choreography created specifically for its area debut – the student-produced The Captive will enjoy an April 7 through 10 run at Augustana College, this 1926 Édouard Bourdel melodrama a critically acclaimed work whose original New York run prompted the adoption of a state law dealing with obscenity.