Lauded by DC Theater Arts as the "definitive whodunit ... rife with scandal, suspicion, deceit, and, of course, murder," Agatha Christie's Murder on the Nile, the stage version of the legendary novelist's Death on the Nile, enjoys a September 12 through 21 run at Moline's Playcrafters Barn Theatre, DC Theater Arts adding that the theatrical mystery showcases "Christie’s inarguable genius for plot twists and tangled webs of deception."

Adapted from the literary phenomenon and Clint Eastwood's Oscar-nominated movie, the musical version of The Bridges of Madison County makes its Mt. Carroll debut at the Timber Lake Playhouse September 12 through 21, this Tony Award winner's Broadway production praised by the Associated Press for its “superb, thrilling score,” and by Time Out NY for being “a new work that plays like a classic.”

A legendary theatrical work that won both the 1963 Tony Award for Best Play and the 1962–1963 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opens the 2025-26 season at Iowa City's Riverside Theatre, this savagely funny and painfully emotional drama helmed by Riverside's artistic director Adam Knight and featuring venue favorites Tim Budd and Kristy Hartsgrove Mooers.

Lauded by the New York Times as a "big bearhug of a musical" in which "even the most stalwart cynics may have trouble staying dry-eyed," the Tony Award-winning Come from Away makes its debut at Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse with its September 10 through November 1 run, this deeply moving 2017 entertainment also hailed by Broadway World as "inspiring, funny, and kick-ass beautiful.”

A 1957 film classic currently ranked by Internet Movie Database voters as the fifth-greatest movie of all time, Sidney Lumet's riveting 12 Angry Men will, from September 5 through 14, be given a fresh spin via Circle's Edge, an offshoot of City Circle Theatre Company.

Kitty: Full disclosure: We once dressed as Mary Poppins and Bert for Halloween. We’re very serious about our Poppins lore.

Mischa: But we promise to be absolutely objective in our reactions to this show.

Local Theatre Auditions/Calls for Entry

Updated: Monday, August 25

Reviews by Rochelle Arnold, Jeff Ashcraft, Patricia Baugh-Riechers, Audra Beals, Pamela Briggs, Dee Canfield, Madeline Dudziak, Kim Eastland, Emily Heninger, Heather Herkelman, Kitty (née Israel) Hooker, Mischa Hooker, Paula Jolly, Victoria Navarro, Roger Pavey Jr., Alexander Richardson, Mark Ruebling, Mike Schulz, Joy Thompson, Oz Torres, Brent Tubbs, Jill Pearson Walsh, and Thom White.

The Timber Lake Playhouse tries something new with its world-premiere musical Glü. Directed by Tommy Ranieri, and with a book and lyrics by Jake Lockwood and music and lyrics by Alexander Sage Oyen, this heartwarming tale gives audiences a chance to see something local, and possibly even familiar.

Treating audiences to a number of enthralling, one-person performances over the course of Labor Day Weekend, Moline's Black Box Theatre will host its inaugural Solo Fringe Fest from August 29 through 31, this celebration of music, drama, comedy, dance, and storytelling boasting stellar talents whose work has taken them throughout the Midwest, across the country, and overseas.

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