• “With You I Am Myself / Mit Dir bin ich ich,” through April 6

    On display through April 6 at Davenport's German American Heritage Center, the sensitive and touching exhibit With You I Am Myself / Mit Dir bin ich ich finds Israeli artist and photographer Oranit Ben Zimra portraying 12 pairs of friends from Norderstedt, Germany, in words and pictures, the collection forming a beautiful mosaic of German-Israeli friendships.

  • Dave Markward Book Talk: “From Dubuque to Selma & Beyond,” April 7

    An Augustana College graduate, former Moline teacher/coach, and Superintendent of Rock Island-Milan Public Schools takes part in a conversation about his recent memoir in From Dubuque to Selma & Beyond, an April 7 book talk with Dave Markward that finds the author, at the Rock Island Public Library Watts-Midtown Branch, sharing his personal journey of understanding racism in America.

  • Virtual Illinois Libraries Present: “The Act of Foraging with Alexis Nikole Nelson,” April 10

    A wildly popular presence on TikTok and Instagram, and the 2022 winner of the inaugural James Beard Award for Best Social Media Account. Alexis Nikole Nelson serves as the latest virtual guest in the Illinois Libraries Present series, her April 10 program The Act of Foraging, co-presented by the Rock Island and Silvis Public Libraries, designed to celebrate all the edible plants hiding in plain sight.

  • Ballet Quad Cities' “The Firebird” and “La Création du monde,” April 12

    Even if you've previously seen Lyon's takes on The Firebird and La Création du monde, which will enjoy two stagings at Davenport's Adler Theatre on April 12, you won't have seen them quite the way you soon will.

  • Stavros Halkias, April 12

    Having made Vulture’s 2023 list of “Comedians You Should and Will Know,” and having been identified by GQ as “at the front of a new wave of comedians," Stavros Halkias brings his tour to Davenport's Capitol Theatre on April 12, the funnyman also noted for being a founding member of the popular podcast Cum Town and appearing in Steven Soderbergh’s sci-fi series Command Z.

  • “The Tell-Tale Farce,” April 3 through 13

    The 19th-century author of some of history's creepiest stories will serve as the inspiration for mistaken-identity hilarity when Geneseo's Richmond Barn Theatre opens its 2025 season with The Tell-Tale Farce, playwright Don Zolidis' witty and wacky comedy slapstick that enjoys an area engagement April 3 through 13.

  • Quad City Music Guild's “Escape to Margaritaville,” April 4 through 13

    With its delightful assemblage of songs including “Fins,” “Volcano,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” and the iconic "Margaritaville," the Jimmy Buffett celebration Escape to Margaritaville enjoys an April 4 through 13 run at Moline's Prospect Park Auditorium, Quad City Music Guild's 2025 season-opener lauded by the Hollywood Reporter as "the theatrical equivalent of sipping on a frozen drink while lying on a beach chair in the blazing sun."

  • A Truly Titanic Production Sets Sail in Moline: "Titanic: The Musical," at the Spotlight Theatre April 4 through 13

    One hundred and 13 years (minus six days) after making its infamous maiden voyage, a new production of Titanic: The Musical will set sail at Moline's Spotlight Theatre.

  • “Exit, Pursued by a Bear,” April 10 through 13

    Lauded by American Theatre Magazine as "raw and hilarious," the wickedly funny revenge comedy Exit, Pursued by a Bear enjoys an April 10 through 13 run at Augustana College's Honkamp Myhre Black Box Theatre, its playwright Lauren Gunderson also famed for multiple shows that have recently played on Quad Cities stages, among them Silent Sky, The Revolutionists, and Natural Shocks.

  • The University of Iowa School of Music's “Rita” and “La colombe,” April 11 through 13

    Closing the University of Iowa School of Music's 2024-25 opera season with a trio of ravishing performances April 11 through 13, the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts will house a pair of obscure yet treasured pieces that have enjoyed a recent resurgence: Gaetano Donizetti’s Rita, a darkly comic look at power dynamics in relationships, and La Colombe, in which Charles Gounod’s sparkling score accompanies a farcical tale of seduction.

  • Black Violin, April 4

    With their concert events praised by Austin 101 Magazine as "a sonic and visual feast," the Florida-based duo of Black Violin -- with Kev Marcus plays the violin, and Wil B. on viola -- performs an April 4 headlining engagement at Davenport's Capitol Theatre, the pair lauded for their unique melding of jazz, hip-hop, funk, and classical music.

  • Ben Sollee, April 4

    Touring in support of his 2024 release Long Haul, which No Depression lauded as "the most positively alive and vivacious album of [the artist's] recording career," acclaimed cellist, singer/songwriter, and composer Ben Sollee performs a special headlining engagement at Davenport's Raccoon Motel on April 4, his music blending folk, bluegrass, jazz, and R&B elements while employing banjo, guitar, mandolin, percussion, and unusual cello techniques.

  • Mark Tester, Landon Caldwell, and Nick Yeck-Stauffer, April 4

    Presented by OUTLETProgramme, a nonprofit (501c3) arts and culture community-interest project that focuses on presenting sound artists, DJs, experimental, avant-garde, electronic, and international artist, the April 4 concert event at Rock Island's Rozz-Tox will boast the varies talents of three independent favorites: Indiana natives Mark Tester and Landon Caldwell, and the Illinois-bred Nick Yeck-Stauffer.

  • Quad City Symphony Orchestra Masterworks VI: “Rhapsody in Blue,” April 5 and 6

    Hailed by the New York Times for her “impeccable phrase-shaping (and) crystalline sound,” noted pianist Lorraine Min will be the special guest in the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's sixth and final Masterworks presentations of the ensemble's 2024-25 season.

  • Midland, April 5

    Touring in support of their September release Barely Blue, an album that Rolling Stone said "evokes images and sentiments of wonderment and playfulness," the country artists of Midland headline an April 5 concert at Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center, Rolling Stone adding that "the Texas-based band blend their voices to produce country music that recalls a mix of George Strait, Urban Cowboy, and Seventies yacht rock."

  • Myth Adventure: “Death of a Unicorn,” “The Woman in the Yard,” and “A Working Man”

    Yes, a horned, magical creature does perish – at least twice. But forget its demise(s): Nothing that happens to the apparently not-mythical beast is quite as grisly as what happens to most of the movie's humans, our collection of potential victims including a Big Pharma titan and a grown man who seemingly doesn't own a pair of long pants. So, you know … it's okay to laugh if they die.

  • Snow White and the Seven 'Graphs: “Snow White,” “The Alto Knights,” and “No Other Land”

    Garsh … so many thoughts on a live-action Disney reboot that, in all honesty, is barely worth a single thought. In honor of the support staff whose collective moniker has been dumped from the original Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs title, here are a septet of paragraphs on director Marc Webb's and screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson's Snow White, accordingly themed to each individual Dwarf.

  • Mike Schulz with Dave & Darren on Planet 93.9 FM

    Going to the cineplex or staying in and streaming this weekend? Every Thursday morning at 8:15 a.m. you can listen to Mike Schulz dish on recent movie releases & talk smack about Hollywood celebs on Planet 93.9 FM with the fabulous Dave & Darren in the Morning team of Dave Levora and Darren Pitra. The morning crew previews upcoming releases, too.

    Or you can check the Reader Web site and listen to their latest conversation by the warm glow of your electronic device. Never miss a pithy comment from these three scintillating pundits again.

    Thursday, March 27: Discussion of Snow White, The Alto Knights, No Other Land, and Locked, previews of Death of a Unicorn, A Working Man, and The Woman in the Yard, and Dave revealing to Mike the star of the forthcoming Mummy reboot ... just to ruin his day, apparently.

  • All These Features, Yet Evidently No Air Bags: “Locked”

    For roughly two-thirds of its length, director David Yarovesky's largely stationary thriller Locked is like 127 Hours if the boulder were played by Anthony Hopkins.

  • Now Playing: Friday, April 4 through Thursday, April 10

    Now playing at area theaters.

Art

  • “Louise Kames: I Don't See Anything That's Not Beautiful” Celebration and Artist Talk, April 3

    With the gifted artist on hand to introduce her exhibition, artistic practice, and techniques, an exhibit celebration and artist talk for Louise Kames: I Don’t See Anything That’s Not Beautiful will take place at Davenport's Figge Art Museum on April 3. Focused on creating works that explore the beauty of natural decay, the line between life and death, and what remains after, Kames will reflect on both her career and her current Figge showcase, which boasts large woodcut prints and charcoal and pastel drawings of a dying willow tree from her yard in Dubuque,

  • “Priscilla Steele: Fresh Steele,” April 4 through May 31

    Delivering intimate explorations of the human condition through drawing and printmaking, the exhibition Fresh Steele, by area talent Priscilla Steele, enjoys a showcase at Dubuque's Voices Studios April 4 through May 31, with the artist present for an opening celebration on April 4.

  • “Fatherless Print Posse: Delusion of Choice,” April 4 through May 31

    Offering a bold, provocative critique of societal structures through collaborative, resistance-driven prints, the exhibition Delusion of Choice, by the art collective Fatherless Print Posse, enjoys a showcase at Dubuque's Voices Studios April 4 through May 31, with the artists present for an opening celebration on April 4.

  • “New & Improved,” through April 4

    A fascinating and absorbing collection of abstract art is currently on view in the Black Hawk College ArtSpace Gallery, as gifted Midwestern artist Kent Broadbent showcases recent works in New & Improved, the fascinating pieces on display through April 4.

  • “The Edge Show,” through April 9

    An annual fine-art showcase involving students in the Department of Digital Art and Design at the University of Dubuque, The Edge Show is the latest exhibition at the institution's Bisignano Art Gallery, this celebration of dazzling young talent on display through April 9.