30 Jan 2019

“Stupid F---ing Bird,” February 8 through 10

By Reader Staff

Lauded by L.A. Weekly as “the best Chekhov adaptation in two decades,” author Aaron Posner transforms the Russian playwright's classic The Seagull into a modern comedy/drama masterpiece in Stupid F---ing Bird, whose February 8 through 10 run at Moline's Playcrafters Barn Theatre will demonstrate why the New York Times deemed it a “bitingly funny, bruisingly sad” work “that shows in crisp detail what is new about unhappiness today, and what is timeless.”

30 Jan 2019

“The Vagina Monologues” and “The Why,” February 8 and 9

By Reader Staff

Patrons of Augustana College's Brunner Theatre Center will have the rare opportunity to see two stage presentations on one weekend – or even, if they choose, one day – when the department's students present a pair of productions on February 8 and 9: author Eve Ensler's acclaimed The Vagina Monologues in the Brunner mainstage theatre, and playwright Victor Kaufold's tragicomedy The Why in Brunner's Honkamp Myhre Black Box Theatre.

30 Jan 2019

“Speech & Debate,” February 14 through 16

By Reader Staff

With Variety magazine calling it a work in which “conflicts explode in consistently intriguing ways,” the comedic drama Speech & Debate will be presented as the latest student-directed production in St. Ambrose University's Studio Theatre, its February 14 through 16 run demonstrating why the Washington Post deemed it a “suspenseful tale that fuses keen-eyed civic critique with riotous and even campy humor.”

28 Jan 2019

2019 Susan Glaspell Playwriting Festival, February 1 and 2

By Reader Staff

After receiving dozens of national and local entries for its third-annual contest, Davenport's QC Theatre Workshop will present the winners and finalists in the company's 2019 Susan Glaspell Playwriting Festival on February 1 and 2, with readings of four 10- to 15-minute plays performed by area actors both new to the company and boasting previous Workshop credits.

28 Jan 2019

Swording It Out: “The Three Musketeers,” at Augustana College through February 3

By Rochelle Arnold

"All for one and one for all!" This is the heartfelt cry and motto of the famously swashbuckling musketeers that echoed throughout the Brunner Theatre Center auditorium in January 25's opening-night performance. Swordplay abounded as Augustana College's company of actors and stage crew presented the adventurous tales of playwright Ken Ludwig's The Three Musketeers, and the sword fights choreographed by director Jeff Coussens were superbly done, making for quite a lively evening.

28 Jan 2019

Holiday Road: “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill,” at the Black Box Theatre through February 9

By Madeline Dudziak

The heartbreak was palpable at the Black Box Theatre's Saturday-night opening of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill. Transformed into a quaint cabaret, the space featured a small stage with a single stool and microphone, with a bar (dutifully tended by server LuAnne Sisk), a three-piece band, and two tables rounding out the experience. And from the moment the lights went down, audience members were treated as patrons of Emerson’s establishment, whisked away from the Quad Cities, and transported to 1959 Philadelphia – for Billie Holiday’s last concert.

21 Jan 2019

Great Scots: The Prenzie Players’ “Macbeth,” at the QC Theatre Workshop through January 26

By Madeline Dudziak

Here’s the thing: Any show that opens with a warning of “Please don’t shift your chair to avoid being trampled” is bound to be thrilling, even if, I admit, I was initially pretty hesitant about the idea of seeing the Prenzie Players’ Friday-night opening of Macbeth amidst the snow. But damn was this an exciting, emotional two hours in Scotland care of director Catherine Bodenbender.

21 Jan 2019

All the Newsies That's Fit to Print: "Newsies: The Musical," at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse through February 23

By Rochelle Arnold

Extra! Extra! Read all about it: The Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse is currently presenting Disney’s popular Broadway adaptation Newsies: The Musical! A high-energy entertainment loaded with incredible dancing and brilliant singing that packs a solid punch, the January 17 preview performance was already polished and didn't disappoint, and felt more like an opening-night performance as the cast delivered an exceptionally enjoyable show.

16 Jan 2019

“Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill,” January 26 through February 9

By Reader Staff

Described by The London Times as “original and riveting” and by New York magazine as a play that “hurts and exhilarates in just the right proportions,” the Tony-winning drama Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill makes its area debut at Moline's Black Box Theatre January 26 through February 9, this stage biography of jazz legend Billie Holiday lauded by OnStage as “a searing portrait of a woman whose art was triumphant.”

16 Jan 2019

“The Three Musketeers,” January 25 through February 3

By Reader Staff

Praised by the Bristol Evening Post as “a real winner” that earns “four stars out of four,” and by The Guardian for being a “slick, swashbuckling romp that cleverly updates the Dumas novel,” the literary classic The Three Musketeers enjoys a thrilling new stage presentation at Augustana College January 25 through February 3, with Tony Award nominee Ken Ludwig's 2007 adaptation delivering, according to The California Aggie, “two hours of pure awesomeness.”

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