14 Jul 2026

Countryside Community Theatre's “Mean Girls,” July 24 through August 2

By Reader Staff

Lauded by New York magazine as a show that "delivers with immense energy, a wicked sense of humor, and joyful inside-jokery," the Tony-nominated Broadway musical Mean Girls enjoys a Countryside Community Theatre staging, from July 24 through August 2, at Eldridge North Schott High School Fine Arts Auditorium, New York adding that this critically lauded smash based on the 2004 hit comedy is "hilarious, splashy, and unmistakably by Tina Fey."

14 Jul 2026

Genesius Guild's “Women's Festival,” July 25 through August 2

By Reader Staff

Wrapping up Genesius Guild's 2026 summer season with a freewheeling, cheekily updated Greek farce, Women's Festival (a.k.a. Thesmophoriazusae) enjoys a run in Rock Island's Lincoln Park July 25 through August 2, this Aristophanes comedy sure to deliver laughs, commentary, and, as per usual, a madcap, Mack Sennett chase around the Don Wooten Stage.

14 Jul 2026

“The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition,” July 25 and 26

By Reader Staff

At Maquoketa's Ohnward Fine Arts Center on July 25 and 26, audiences are invited on an unforgettable journey down the Yellow Brick Road with The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition, a delightful, one-act stage adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s beloved tale in which our plucky heroine must make friends, face her fears, and discover how good it is to go home.

13 Jul 2026

It's a Man, Man, Man, Man World: Genesius Guild’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” at Lincoln Park through July 19

By Madeline Dudziak

Rather than trying to explain discomfort away, director Cait Bodenbender embraced the play's history by simply casting as Shakespeare himself did: with an all-male cast.

13 Jul 2026

He Is an Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Tyke Who's from Bikini: Quad City Music Guild's “The SpongeBob Musical,” at the Prospect Park Auditorium through July 19

By Pamela Briggs

While many children attended on opening night, I hardly heard a peep from them during the show – it was the over-25 crowd who were clapping and screaming upon each first entrance of these beloved characters from the underwater city of Bikini Bottom.

13 Jul 2026

These Keds Are Made for Walkin': “Grandma Gatewood Took a Walk,” at the Black Box Theatre through July 18

By Kitty Hooker

Do I have any interest in hiking the Appalachian Trail? Absolutely not. Do I want to hear about the 67-year-old who was the first woman to hike the entire trail solo? Absolutely. And trust me, so do you.

13 Jul 2026

Bros Before Woes: “Heaven Help Me,” at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre through July 19

By Pamela Briggs

Though the show is billed as a comedy, I only laughed a few times. I was much more invested in its dramatic scenes.

13 Jul 2026

A Lion, a Witch, and Their Wardrobe: “The Wizard of Oz,” at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse through September 5

By Kitty Hooker

Nostalgia has a funny way of raising the stakes. A mediocre presentation wouldn’t just be disappointing; it would feel like someone had replaced my ruby slippers with muddy boots and then trounced all over my childhood memories. Thankfully, director Tony Parise’s production bursts to life with color, imagination, and obvious affection for the material.

07 Jul 2026

“Bonnie & Clyde,” July 23 through August 2

By Reader Staff

Lauded by The Mancunion as "a beautiful, sociopolitical musical that is finally getting the recognition it deserves," the Broadway-musical version of Bonnie & Clyde makes its area debut with a July 23 through August 2 run at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre, Curtain-Up adding to the show's raves by praising the "muscular rhythmic drive beneath the show's blend of folk, blues, and gospel."

07 Jul 2026

“Shrek: The Musical,” July 17 through August 2

By Reader Staff

An intimidating ogre, a feisty princess, a wisecracking donkey, a diminutive tyrant, an ambulatory gingerbread man, and other fantastical figures take over Mt. Carroll's Timber Lake Playhouse with the July 17 through August 2 run of Shrek: The Musical, the Tony-winning fairytale slapstick based on the Oscar-winning animated smash, and a show that Variety called a work of “irreverent charm” that “never stints on spectacle or laughs."

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