Our History
In the beginning...
Playcrafters history traces it's roots back to the office of Mel Hodges, Municipal Recreation Commission Superintendent Rock Island, Illinois in the 1920's, and a group known as Marshall Dramatics. Several theatre enthusiasts in the Quad Cities area of Western Illinois (Rock Island, Moline) and Eastern Iowa (Davenport, Bettendorf) had formed groups to quench their thirst for theatre by meeting to read plays.
In 1929 these enthusiasts banded together to stage their own shows under the name conceived by Hodges - Playcrafters.
Despite the onset of the depression, Playcrafters pioneers performed three shows a year in whatever facility they could get their hands on, often paying for locales and scripts with money out of their own pockets. Tickets were only 25 and 35 cents, and if people didn't have the money for tickets, Playcrafters let them in free.
For it's first 30 years Playcrafters we're reminiscent of a wandering band of minstrels, as venues varied from show to show. Performances were held on outdoor stages, in Audubon School, in the old Fort Theater (now Circa 21), at the old Pronger's Restaurant in Davenport, Iowa, in the Terrace Room of the old Plantation, and at the old Tower Restaurant in Moline, Illinois before the little theater of Rock Island High School became a semi-permanent home.
Sets or flats were constructed in Henry Carlson's Rock Island garage and in members basements, then carted along with lights, and props to wherever that nights production would be held.
A home of our own.
Three decades of wandering ended in 1958 when Dr. William Otis gave Playcrafters the dairy barn from the Deere Experimental Farm. The Barn, built in 1914, had sat unused for 25 years on the Otis property on the south side of Moline. He charged $1 a year for the land.
What was at first was considered a blessing soon turned to a feeling of bewilderment. Playcrafters had indeed inherited a "barn" in every sense of the word! Three feet of compacted manure lined the floor, and above in the loft where the theater is now located were several inches of pigeon droppings. Harvey the goat and Herman the horse, along with 350 cattle grazing the pastures surrounding the barn (now a flourishing residential neighborhood) bore witness to the determination of Playcrafters to turn this barn into one of the finest community theaters in the Midwest.
Undaunted, the thespians, led by long time General Manager Bob Sonneville, spent three months shovelling out manure to find the floor. By 1959 the barn was enclosed, and with the help of a $15,000 fund-raising drive Playcrafters new Barn Theatre was ready for it's first production - Born Yesterday - on October 5, 1960.
The seats were the armless, wooden folding chairs from the old Augustana College gym/auditorium. The sound system was a tape recorder and two rented speakers. The lights hung from a big wooden wheel and were strung along the hayloft track, wired up with 500 feet of lamp cords and controlled by 25 plywood mounted toggle switches. But Playcrafters had a home!
Significant improvements were made over the following decades including the addition of heating and air conditioning, dressing rooms, set building, costume and props storage areas. In 1965 when the Coronet Theater in Davenport was being remodelled, its upholstered theater seats replaced the original wooden chairs from Augustana College.
Bigger and better.
Playcrafters underwent its next major transformation in the early 1990's. As the City of Moline expanded around Playcrafters, the Barn Theater fell victim to modern building codes. A major renovation project was undertaken to bring the Barn "up to code," which included an addition to the building.
The renovation added new restrooms, heating & air conditioning and sprinkler systems, a new box office, and a silo containing an elevator. Various fund-raising initiatives generously supported by patrons and the community at large enabled Playcrafters to finance the cost of these improvements.
In the 21st century additional improvements continue to be made to keep our near 100 year-old Barn Theater in youthful shape. These have included new asphalt and landscaping; general repairs to the building exterior; a remodelled Lobby, Dressing Rooms and Green Room; a new lightboard and new security systems.
In April 2007, we replaced all our seating with new, contemporary chairs featuring improved accessibility for those facing mobility challenges.
In May 2017, we launched our Barn Owl series with our production of Constellations. The goal of the Barn Owl series was to creatre theatre new to the Quad Cities, and make it affordable for everyone.
In February 2018, we replaced our entire sound system. We purchased four new speakers, a sound board, and ten wireless mics to be used by the actors on stage.
Playcrafters remains a vibrant, volunteer-driven, not-for-profit community organization that continues to entertain area patrons with top notch theatre.
A new generation of thespians calls the Barn Theatre home, but we haven't forgotten our roots, nor the dedication of our founders, and Bob Sonneville - General Manager from 1950 till his passing in 1989 - whose love and hard work have given us a home in which to "trod the boards."
Our Past Seasons
Entire history of Playcrafters shows, coming soon!
1929-1958
A complete list of productions before we took up residence in the Barn is unknown, but here are some of the shows performed.Affairs of State
Payment Deferred
The Alarm Clock
Philadelphia Story
Anastasia
Pure as the Driven Snow
Blithe Spirit
Sabrina Fair
The Great Sebastians
Separate Tables
The Happy Time
The Show-Off
Kind Sir
Someone Waiting
Ladies in Retirement
Suppressed Desires
For Love or Money
Two Blind Mice
Love from a Stranger
The Women
The Man
1959
Oh, Men! Oh, Women - (The Plantation)
Ladies in Retirement - (Moline High School)
1960
Born Yesterday – First Barn Performance 10/5/60 – One production, no heat in the Barn!
1961 – 1962
The Girls in 509 (The Plantation)
Angel Street (Barn)
Witness for the Prosecution
Once More with Feeling
The Tender Trap
Disenchanted
He Done Her Wrong
If Men Played Cards Like Women
Summer ’61 Children’s Theatre
Wizard of Oz
Sleeping Beauty
Hansel and Gretel
Little Women
Cinderella of Loreland
Summer ’62 Children’s Theatre
Pinocchio
The Plain Princess
The Red Shoes
Heidi
Star Child
1962 – 1963
The Happy Time
The Glass Menagerie
Marriage Go Round
The Reclining Figure
Summer Night at the Barn
Hands Across the Sea
He Ain’t Done Right by Nell
Summer ’63 Children’s Theatre
Indian Captive
Many Moons
Rumpelstiltskin
1963 – 1964
See How They Run
The Curious Savage
The Gang’s All Here
The Pleasure of His Company
Summer Night at the Barn
Curse You, Jack Dalton
Dreams Can Come True (We Think)
Summer ’64 Children’s Theatre
Jack and the Beanstalk
Beauty and the Beast
Alice in Wonderland
1964 – 1965
The Devil’s Advocate
Janus
Therese
Bell, Book, and Candle
Summer ’65 Children’s Theatre
My Friend the Fox
The Land of the Dragons
Hansel and Gretel
1965 - 1966
Send Me No Flowers
A Case of Libel
The Visit
Point of No Return
1966 - 1967
Bus Stop
Darkness at Noon
Country Girl
You Can’t Take It With You
Absence of a Cello
1967 - 1968
Come Blow Your Horn
Dial “M” for Murder
The Public Eye – The Private Ear (one acts)
The Heiress
Barefoot in the Park
1968 - 1969
Harvey
The Typists – The Tiger (one acts)
Arms and the Man
A Streetcar Named Desire
Any Wednesday
1969 - 1970
The Seven Year Itch
A Delicate Balance
A Lion in Winter
Dark of the Moon
Critics Choice
1970-1971
Don’t Drink the Water
The Man Who Came to Dinner
The Grass Harp
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Third Best Sport
Summer Shows (Augustana Pitchfork Players)
Damn Yankees
Come Blow Your Horn
Pure as the Driven Snow
“Children’s Theatre”
1971-1972
A Thousand Clowns
A Far Country
Death of a Salesman
High Rise
George Washington Slept Here
Plaza Suite
1972-1973
You Know I Can’t Hear You
When the Water’s Running
I Never Sang for My Father
Uncle Harry
The Little Foxes
Butterflies are Free
Wait Until Dark
1973-1974
Generation
Sweet Bird of Youth
The School for Wives
A Hatful of Rain
Luv
Love in E Flat
1974-1975
6 Rms, Riv Vu
And Miss Reardon
Drinks a Little
The Women
The Price
Thurber Carnival
1975-1976
Prisoner of Second Avenue
The Night of the Iguana
Our Town
Desire Under the Elms
Teahouse of the August Moon
Play It Again, Sam
1976-1977
Finishing Touches
Twigs
Hogan’s Goat
Ready When You Are. C.B.
Another Part of the Forest
Cactus Flower
1977-1978
Forty Carats
The Effect of Gamma Rays on the Man-In-The-Moon-Marigolds
The Taming of the Shrew
The Apple Tree
Inherit the Wind
How the Other Half Loves
1978-1979
The Odd Couple
Anastasia
Round and Round the Gardens – Table Manners (one acts)
Born Yesterday
The Rainmaker
Company of Wayward Saints
1979-1980
The Miracle Worker
The Fantastics
Blithe Spirit
Twelfth Night
The Runner Stumbles
Same Time Next Year
1980-1981
The Diary of Anne Frank
Chapter Two
Never Too Late
The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild
The Match Maker
Tribute
1981-1982
MISSING
1982-1983
On Golden Pond
Deathtrap
I Ought to be in Pictures
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Desk Set
Come Blow Your Horn
1983-1984
Whose Life Is It Anyway
The Sunshine Boys
Aresenic and Old Lace
Close Ties
Second Time Around
Lunch Hour
1984-1985
An Almost Perfect Person
Summer and Smoke
Mary, Mary
Harvey
Foxfire
The Owl and the Pussycat
1985-1986
Lovers and Other Strangers
Crimes of the Heart
You Can’t Take It With You
The Middle Ages
To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday
Charley’s Aunt
1986-1987
Play it Again, Sam
7 Keys to Baldpate
Brighton Beach Memoirs
Alone Together
Murder on the Nile
Taking Steps
1987-1988
Black Comedy
God’s Favorite
Janus
Painting Churches
The Miser
Angel Street
1988-1989
The Nerd
The Good Doctor
Special Occasions
The Circle
Everybody Loves Opal
Social Security
1989-1990
Broadway Bound
Any Number Can Die
Mass Appeal
Funny Valentines
Murder at the Howard Johnson’s
Steel Magnolias
1990-1991
Any Wednesday
Catch Me If You Can
First Night
Breakfast With Les and Bess
Suite Hearts
Fools
1991-1992
Driving Miss Daisy
Trapped By A Treacherous Twin
The Orphans
Three Murders and It’s Only Monday
Lend Me a Tenor
The Boys Next Door
1992-1993
Rumors
Laura
The Gin Game
Lettuce and Lovage
The Cemetary Club
The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940
1993-1994
The Odd Couples
The Uninvited
Talley’s Folley
A Wind Between the Houses
I Hate Hamlet
Crossing Delaney
1994-1995
I’m Not Rappaport
Shadow Lands
Greater Tuna
Bleacher Bums
Barefoot in the Park
The Girl in the Freudian Slip
1995-1996
Not Now, Daring
Rashomon
Cliffhanger
The Crucible
Keep Your Spirits Up
Last of the Red Hot Lovers
1996-1997
If It’s Monday, It Must Be Murder
Witness for the Prosecution
Beau Jest
Noises Off!
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Bus Stop
Reprise
Late 1997
Tony and Tina’s Wedding (The Villa)
1998
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)
The Lion in Winter
Mixed Emotions
The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society Murder Mystery
Inherit the Wind
A Tuna Xmas
Fundraising Shows
Special Valentine’s Day “Reprise”
Tony and Tina’s Wedding (The Villa)
Lights, Camera, Die (The Abbey)
Frosty Follies (The Barn)
1999
Move Over, Mrs. Markham
Murder Among Friends
Moon Over Buffalo
Cheaper By the Dozen
The Foreigner
Done to Death
Fundraising Shows
Lights! Camera! Die! (The Abbey)
Tony and Tina’s Wedding (Lady Luck)
2000
Bedroom Farce
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Aresenic and Old Lace
Hail to the Chief
Jest a Second
A Dicken’s Christmas Carol – A Traveling Travesty in Two Acts
2001
Harvey
Cahoots
Death of a Salesman
A Thousand Clowns
Wait Until Dark
The Sisters Rosenweig
2002
Proposals
Ten Little Indians (Now known as ‘And Then There Were None’)
Harold and Maude
Funny Money
A Shot in the Dark
Miracle on 34th Street
2003
Love Letters
Amadeus
Communicating Doors
Sly Fox
Dracula
Best Christmas Pageant Ever
2004
Woman in Black
Born Yesterday
Kindertransport
The Hobbit
Laugher on the 23rd Floor
A Christmas Story
2005
Grace and Glorie
Murder in Green Meadows
Altar Call
Enchanted April
The Nerd
It’s a Wonderful Life
2006
Over the River and Through the Woods
Rounding Third
Sweet and Hot
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Out of Sight, Out of Murder
Our Town
2007
Strangers on a Train
Catfish Moon
Swinging on a Star
Flaming Idiots
Sylvia
Uh-Oh, Here Comes Christmas
2008 - Our Eightieth Season
The Trip to Bountiful
Anybody for Murder
Twelve Angry Men
Crimes of the Heart
Problems, Promises
Anne of Green Gables
Holiday Brass Band
2009
Mousetrap
Murder at Howard Johnsons
The Children’s Hour
A Raisin in the Sun
See How They Run
Papa’s Angels
Holiday Brass Band
2010
Moon Over Buffalo
The O’Connor Girls
Any Number Can Die
Fences
Hard to Believe
Treasure Island
2011
Lend Me a Tenor
Visiting Mr. Green
Rehearsal for Murder
Lesson Before Dying
Make Me a Cowboy
Leaving Iowa
2012
Anne of Avonlea
If it’s Monday this must be Murder
Titanic Aftermath
Moving
The 39 Steps
The Christmas Express
2013
Ghost of a Chance
Blues for an Alabama Sky
The Trouble with Cats
The Fox on the Fairway
Proof
The Miracle Worker
2014
Of Mice and Men
The Secret Garden
Dinner with Friends
Second Samuel
Marrying Terry
Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus
2015
Barely Heirs
The 13th of Paris
Driving Miss Daisy
The Red Velvet Cake Wars
Harvey
The Game’s Afoot
2016
Arsenic & Old Lace
Mama Won’t Fly
A Woman Called Truth
On Golden Pond
Deathtrap
Stocking Stuffer’s
2017
Steel Magnolias
Rumors
M*A*S*H
Constellations - Barn Owl Series (First Barn Owl production)
Dixie Swim Club
Good People - Barn Owl Series
And Then There Were None
Fat Pig - Barn Owl Series
Miracle on 34th Street
2018
The Woman in Black
Proposals
The Christians - Barn Owl Series
Bingo! The Musical!
Some Girl(s) - Barn Owl Series
Clybourne Park
A Number - Barn Owl Series
Tuesdays with Morrie
Speech and Debate - Barn Owl Series
The Laramie Project - Special Presentation (20th Anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s Death)
A Wrinkle in Time
2019 - Our Ninetieth Season
(a work in progress)
Stupid F*cking Bird - Barn Owl Series
The Crucible
Marie and Rosetta - Barn Owl Series
Avenue Q
Five Women Wearing the Same Dress - Barn Owl Series
Something Intangible
She Kills Monsters - Barn Owl Series
The Wolves
4000 Miles - Barn Owl Series
Prescription: Murder
2020 -
Boxcar Children
Their Town - Barn Owl Series
2021 -
Princeton's Rage - Barn Owl Series
The Piano Lesson
The Whistleblower's Delemma - Barn Owl Series
Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks
You Can't Take It With You
2022 -
The Odd Couple
Rabbit Hole - Barn Owl Series
A Murder Is Announced
Dog Sees God - Barn Owl Series
A Raisin in the Sun
The Christmas Letter Writing Club - Barn Owl Series
Sylvia
Twelve Angry Jurors
2023 -
Barefoot in the Park
Sense and Sensibility
Stop Kiss - Barn Owl Series
Little Women
Circle Mirror Transformation - Barn Owl Series
Witness To the Procecution
Skeleton Crew
Almost, Maine
