Moline’s Spotlight Theatre Continues to Get Creative in Offerings
Brent Tubbs is a seriously talented improv comedy veteran. A graduate of The Second City Conservatory in Los Angeles, he was a member of multiple improv and sketch comedy groups throughout L.A., has done improv in the Quad-Cities and was a member of Reduced Shakespeare Company, performing around the world.
So needless to say, Brent and his seriously talented wife Sara (a musical theater veteran) know how to improvise and get creative. The co-owners of The Spotlight Theatre, 1800n 7th Ave., Moline, continue to come up with ways to entertain, enlighten and educate the Quad-Cities community – even in the midst of a pandemic that has closed their theater for nearly six months.
Brent and Sara Tubbs at the Spotlight, before their 2018 opening.
Since early August, Sara has coordinated and acted in a 40-minute “pop-up” version of “Alice in Wonderland” that they perform in private yards and public parks. They are booking shows through Oct. 30, for a suggested minimum amount of $200.
“We have some friends in California that we worked together with when we lived in California, and they have a theater company doing a similar thing, and it’s been going so well,” she said Monday. “They’ve been having to come up with creative things to do, and we’re trying to help each other out.”
So far, Sara (as the Queen of Hearts) and her young cast (including 11-year-old daughter Taylor as Alice, and 9-year-old son Cooper) have done a half-dozen fully costumed performances and people invite their neighbors over to watch.
“She loves it, she’s having a blast,” Sara said of Taylor, adding the other kids are all super dependable and reliable. Patrons have been very generous with tips, knowing the precarious financial situation the Spotlight is in.
“Like other theaters in the area, we have to come up with creative ways of keeping things together,” she said. “There’s no end in sight. We’re trying to get creative.”
Cooper Tubbs, left, Luke Woodruff, Hennrick Senne, Sara Tubbs, and Taylor Tubbs.
“We’re exhausted, wracking our brains on what to do,” Brent said, noting state of Illinois rules require indoor theaters limit seating capacity to no more than 50, regardless of the size of the theater. The Spotlight (in the former Scottish Rite Cathedral, opening in 2018) has over 500 seats.
“Something is better than nothing right now,” he said. That’s why they’re having their first public event since “The Wedding Singer” in February this weekend, with a cabaret of Disney songs. It will be Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., with $20 tickets available online, for just 50 people each night.
The Spotlight pop-up “Alice in Wonderland” features (back row): Liam Knobloch, Sara Tubbs, Hennrick Senne and front row: Chloe Knobloch, Luke Woodruff, Taylor Tubbs, Brennan Hampton, and Cooper Tubbs.
Using pre-recorded accompaniment, the cabaret will feature many Spotlight favorites —
Amelia Fischer, Adam Sanders, Bethany Sanders, Luke Woodruff, Ian Sodawasser, Megan Warren, Chase Austin, Sara Tubbs, Brent Tubbs, Taylor Tubbs, Taylor Bley, Liam Knobloch, Lily Blouin, and Chloe Knobloch.
“It’s going to be awesome,” Sara Tubbs said. The doors will open an hour before start, to allow audiences to be socially distant. They will take temperatures at the door and will not have an intermission. Masks are also required.
The Spotlight will host its first Trivia Night, as a theater fundraiser, on Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m., outside in the parking lot. The night will feature musical theater trivia, and all proceeds from the tables will go directly back to The Spotlight to ensure continued operations through the pandemic. Costumes are encouraged (musical themed).
Doors will open at 5:45 p.m., and admission is $80 per table, 8 seats per table / $100 per table after Sept. 4th.
The Spotlight is also greatly expanding its class offerings, with a new Virtual Academy starting the week of Sept. 14. Classes will be available in theater, voice, dance, and magic. In addition to Brent and Sara, the teachers are professional actor Joey Boos, resident costumer Alexis Lotspeich, choreographer Steph DeLacy, magician David Casas, and music director/vocal coach Megan Warren.
For more information on classes and upcoming Spotlight programs, visit thespotlighttheatreqc.com. For reservations or questions, call 309-912-7647 or email info@thespotlighttheatreqc.com.
