MOLINE, Ill — The Quad City Music Guild is in the middle of performing "Mamma Mia," it's first performance in front of a live audience since December 2019.
The show started on July 9, and runs through July 18.
Anthony Greer is the board secretary at the QC Music Guild. He said audiences returned right away once COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted by the state of Illinois on June 11, 2021.
Two shows, the performances on July 11 and July 15, sold out of tickets.
The theater in Prospect Park is still following IDPH guidance when it comes to masking and vaccinations. A sign on the front door to the theater asks anyone not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to wear a mask inside the theater.
Even with following those guidelines, the theater is still allowed to fill all 564 seats for each performance.
Greer said seeing audiences return so quickly shows how much the community values local theater.
"We went from, you know, having large houses to nothing as every other theater did," said Greer. "And now that we're able to come back, it hasn't changed. We're lucky that our patrons stayed with us and wanted to support not only our organization but theater in the community."
Even on the days last week when "Mamma Mia" first opened, the QC Music Guild still sold about 500 tickets for each of those shows.
"We understand that community theater is a part of the fabric of a community," Greer said. "It's not just people coming together to make money. We are all volunteers. We don't make anything off of this. We do it because we love theater and what it provides to a community, and we're seeing that when people come to watch our shows."
There are still tickets available to see the "Mamma Mia" performance on July 16, July 17 and July 18. You can get tickets online or by calling the box office between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday at (309) 762 - 6610.
The QC Music Guild will also perform "Matilda" in August and "Holiday Inn" in December.
The QC Music Guild also announced the 2022 show season schedule on July 6. That lineup includes "Cinderella," "Disaster" and "Elf."