Announcing the 2014 Grand Opening Performance Series!

After months of renovation, we are so excited to share with you our 2014 Grand Opening Performance Series! Read on for the full schedule and details about each performance.

“This is an exciting time for lovers of the performing arts,” says MAC Interim Director Diana Martinez. “The MAC has always had a strong reputation, but with updated performance spaces, public areas, and a new art gallery, the MAC promises to be ‘the’ destination to experience the visual and performing arts in the western suburbs.”

The MAC’s 2014 Grand Opening Season’s Performance Series officially opens on Feb. 8 with a performance by Grammy Award-winner ‘Keb Mo’.The MAC will hold its Grand Opening Celebration and MAC Madness Benefit, Saturday, March 8 at 6 p.m. The event, headlined by College of DuPage and Second City alum Jim Belushi and The Chicago Board of Comedy, will be an exciting evening of improvisational comedy with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and more.

The exciting selection of music, literary, comedy and dance events for the MAC’s 2014 Grand Opening Season’s Performance Series is as follows. All events take place in the Performance Hall unless otherwise noted.

Keb' Mo'

Saturday, February 8

8 PM

$50 adult / $48 senior / $40 youth

The MAC’s 2014 Grand Opening Season’s Performance Series opens Saturday, Feb. 8 at

8 p.m. with three-time Grammy Award-winning musician Keb’ Mo’, known for his genre-blending artfulness, intuitive lyrics, unique guitar style, and magnetic onstage charisma.

Secret Concert for Your Valentine

Cleve Carney Art Gallery Dedication and Concert

Sunday, February 16

4 PM

$44 Adult / $42 Senior / $34 Youth

To mark the dedication of the new Cleve Carney Art Gallery, a surprise Grammy Award-winning jazz artist will share his rich vocal flights, edgy lyrics and original compositions in this unforgettable concert. Performer to be announced in January. Dedication at 3 p.m.

College of DuPage Foundation Proudly Presents

MAC Madness - Official MAC Grand Opening Night

Featuring Jim Belushi

Saturday, March 8

6 PM

$250 per Person

An evening of cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and laughs with College of DuPage alumnus and friend Jim Belushi and the Chicago Board of Comedy to benefit and celebrate the programs at the newly renovated McAninch Arts Center. For more information about MAC Madness, call the College of DuPage Foundation
at 630.942.2462 or foundation@cod.edu.

Jim Belushi

Saturday, March 8

9:30 PM

$44 adult / $42 senior / $34 youth

The Grand Opening evening of non-stop improv continues with a second late night show with Jim Belushi and the Chicago Board of Comedy.  Saturday, March 8 at 9:30 p.m.

David Sedaris

Sunday, March 16

7 PM
$60 adult / $58 senior / $50 youth

David Sedaris, known for his sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, performs readings of his newest work in “An Evening with David Sedaris,” Sunday, March 16 at 7 p.m. “Sedaris’ droll assessment of the mundane and the eccentrics who inhabit the world’s crevices make him one of the greatest humorists writing today,” says the Chicago Tribune.

Leftover Cuties

Club MAC - Playhouse Theatre

Friday and Saturday, March 21 and 22

8 PM

$36 adult / $34 senior / $26 youth

Hot off the heels of their new full-length album, “The Spark & The Fire,” the LA-based, critically acclaimed indie pop quartet Leftover Cuties opens Club MAC with their irresistible combination of sultry vocals, pop-perfect songwriting and old-school musicianship in two MAC debut concerts Friday, March 21 and Saturday, March 22 at 8 p.m.

Chicago Jazz Philharmonic

Saturday, March 22

8 PM

$38 adult / $36 senior / $28 youth

Orbert Davis’ Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, renowned for their rich, accessible, multi-cultural music experiences share their uniquely Chicago jazz vibes at the MAC on Saturday, March 22 at 8 p.m.

Cherish the Ladies

Friday, March 28

8 PM

$44 adult / $42 senior / $34 youth

The explosively entertaining Celtic ensemble Cherish the Ladies brings their enchanting wit and music back to the MAC stage on Friday, March 28 at 8 p.m.

Hot Club of Cowtown

Club MAC - Playhouse Theatre

Friday and Saturday, March 28 and 29

8 PM

$36 adult / $34 senior / $26 youth

By popular demand, the Austin-based western swing band Hot Club of Cowtown returns to Club MAC with performances Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29 at 8 p.m.

Classic Albums Live:

Abbey Road

Saturday, April 5

8 PM

$45 adult / $43 senior / $35 youth

In April, Classic Albums Live, who performed their crowd-pleasing version of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” this past summer at Ravinia Festival, performs music from The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” note for note - cut for cut, Saturday, April 5 at 8 p.m.

Madeleine Peyroux

Sunday, April 6

7 PM

$48 adult / $46 senior / $38 youth

French-American jazz singer Madeleine Peyroux wraps up that weekend with her intensely distinctive renditions of old classics and modern tunes by Leonard Cohen and The Beatles, among others, Sunday, April 6, at 7 p.m.

Isabel Wilkerson

Tuesday, April 15

7:30 PM

$10 adult/$8 senior/$6 youth

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson comes to the MAC’s Performance Hall for a talk, Q&A and book signing Tuesday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. Wilkerson is the author of “The Warmth of Other Suns,” one of the New York Times “Top Ten Book of the Year” and also chosen as the 2013-2014 “One Book, One Chicago” selection.

Pilobolus

Thursday, April 17

8 PM

$48 adult / $46 senior / $38 youth

The internationally acclaimed Pilobolus Dance Theatre returns to the MAC for an evening of mixed repertoire, Thursday, April 17 at 8 p.m. NYC Newsday hails Pilobolus as “a mind-blowing troupe of wildly creative and physically daring dancers who leap, fly, intertwine and break all the rules… Audiences should expect the unexpected.”

Capitol Steps

Saturday, May 3

8 PM

$42 adult / $40 senior / $32 youth

The indomitable Capitol Steps bring their nationally renowned brand of gut-busting, funny political satire to the MAC’s Performance Hall for one evening only, Saturday, May 3 at 8 p.m. “I cannot remember the last time I laughed so hard or have been so wonderfully entertained during a live show,” says Splash Magazine.

Tickets

To order tickets or for more information, call 630-942-4000 or visit AtTheMAC.org.

MAC Pack - The more you attend, the more you save.

Pick two events - SAVE 10%

Pick three or more events - SAVE 15%

Limited Time Offer – Order a MAC Pack by December 17

Purchase a 2014 MAC Pack by December 17 and receive:

•   two complimentary concessions vouchers

•   two complimentary passes to an exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the New MAC (date TBA)

Offer valid for any MAC Pack purchase. Voucher may not be used for alcohol, and is applicable only during the 2013-2014 season at the MAC.

Want to be among the first to experience the new MAC? 

Make your plans to attend New Philharmonic’s popular New Year’s Eve Concerts at 4 & 9 pm on Tues., Dec. 31! 
This year’s concert is “Viennese Pops with an International Twist” and features an evening of waltzes, polkas and other traditional selections as well as Soprano Emily Birsan from Lyric Opera’s Ryan Opera Center singing Adele’s Laughing Song from Die Fledermaus and much more.

It’s a must-see event and tickets are selling quickly! Call the MAC Box Office today at 630.942.4000.

Plus – Save the date for New Philharmonic’s April 12-13 concerts – The Ultimate Rebel - Ludwig Van!

The April concerts feature Beethoven’s groundbreaking Fifth and Seventh symphonies in one program. For more information or tickets visit www.AtTheMAC.org

Board Presentation - MAC 2014

Recently I presented to our Board of Trustees an overview of the McAninch Arts Center. This was intended to be a short and concise view of the MAC: its history, operation and our plans for the future when we come out of our present reorganization. As much as I vainly dislike how I appear on video (remember the camera and the 10 pound rule), I think these 15 minutes are of value if you wish to better understand the MAC. If you have a question or comment - please let us know.

be well
Stephen

Re-Conceptualization

A friend recently gave me a book by Nello McDaniel and George Thorn, Towards a New Arts Order. The authors place the era into our moment in time,

Expanding our perspective, we see that the current state of the economy is not an aberration – virtually every aspect of the country’s social, political and cultural makeup is undergoing a major transformation. For better or for worse, the arts are inextricably linked to the shifting plates of the economy, culture, society, and politics. The burden of debt and the dysfunction that the arts are experiencing is mirrored in every other sector of society.

Sounds about right; however, they wrote this in 1993. The country was in recession, the savings and loan crisis had claimed many large institutions and the federal government had stepped in, the exploding deficit was on everyone’s mind and a young Democrat had defeated a sitting Republican President on the mantra, “It’s the economy, stupid.”

Fast forward a generation to 2012 and it appears we have not learned much. Our country is slowly coming out of the worst recession in many generations in which the arts and culture sector has certainly borne its burden during the down economy. Many in Higher Education once thought we were immune from the tempests in the marketplace; however, this crisis has proved them wrong. So an arts organization on a college campus finds itself doubly challenged. During the best of times arts organizations are understaffed, underfunded, and over committed. If we can just sell a 100 more tickets, or add another community service because the grant funders will take notice, or suddenly tap the under 35 audience - we’ll be okay. Arts organizations have always understood bottom-lines and dead-lines. The show opens Saturday at 8pm and if we don’t have 500 in the house we don’t make the nut.

I bristle when people say we should operate our arts organization more like a business. So I was happy when Jim Collins, Good to Great (2005) affirmed my belief.

We must reject the idea – well intentioned, but dead wrong – that the primary path to greatness in the social sectors is to become ‘more like a business’. Most businesses – like most anything else in life - fall somewhere between mediocre and good. Few are great.

Bless you, Jim Collins. Why would we want to be mediocre? Not that we presently reside on Great Lane. The arts have always focused on the patron experience, which to me is more than saying we are customer friendly. A customer is a transaction - a patron can be a life-long relationship.

So we are about creating cultural experiences and cultivating patron relationships with the arts that will last a lifetime. Then if the MAC is in a time that Mello and Thorne would call re-conceptualization – a time when we must redesign, reconstruct, and reposition our organizations – we must ask ourselves these questions.

     Why should we exist?

     What are our values?

     What are our priorities and what are someone else’s priorities?

     How do we best serve our community, our art form, students, and artists?

Once we ask and answer these questions and begin the process of re-conceptualizing our organization we must face the question whether we have the resources, human and financial, to do the work. To be continued…

Best

Stephen

Sweet Baby Ray's and Two Brothers Announce Menu

The best purveyors of barbecue in Chicagoland have announced their menu for the MAC's 25th birthday bash. After being treated to some of these dishes I can assure you that Chef Dylan is a barbecue artist.

Sweet Baby Ray's Sandwiches accompanied by a side of creamy coleslaw
Pulled Pork
seasoned with our special rub, smoked low & slow for up to 12 hours hand pulled and tossed with sweet baby ray's barbecue sauce
Pulled Chicken
seasoned and smoked then hand pulled tossed with sweet baby ray's barbecue sauce
Sliced Texas Brisket
seasoned with our Texas rub, smoked for up to 14 hours sliced and served with our Texas inspired barbecue sauce

Sweet Baby Ray's Martinis
Classic Barbecue Martini
layers of our signature creamy coleslaw & our housemade barbecue baked beans garnished with a single bone of our award winning sweet baby ray's ribs
Green Chile Mac Martini
our housemade signature green chile mac & cheese garnished with honey kissed cornbread

Dessert
Housemade Caramel Chocolate Bread Pudding

Sweet Baby Ray's Signature Housemade Side Shots
Sweet Baby Ray's Signature Barbecue Baked Beans
Creamy Coleslaw
Green Chile Mac & Cheese

The guys at Two Brother's Brewing Company are also artists in the craft of making amazing beer. They will feature three fine artisan brews this weekend.

Domaine Dupage
A french country ale with a toasty and sweet caramel start with a light hoppy finish

Bitter End
An American pale ale with a subtle malty character that combines three classic American hop varieties

Pararie Path Ale
A crip and drinkable golden ale with a complex malt character paired with Saaz and Golding hops

We look forward to seeing lots of our friends this Saturday for good food, good beer and good Blues.

be well
Stephen

Next Season - Already?

Folks have been coming up to me and asking about the 2011-12 season. I'm thrilled people are so eager to learn what is coming next year. Although we still have many great events left in this season - NYG&S Pirates of Penzance, John Pizzarelli, Capitol Steps..., everyone at the MAC has been working hard to button down our plans for next year.

New Philharmonic is considering a big Beethoven and a concert featuring a Van Cliburn finalist. Kirk will announce their season at the April 15 and 16 Brahms concert.

Buffalo Theatre Ensemble has another great slate of dramas and a side splitting farce in store for theatre patrons and will announce their season this May during the run of Noel Coward's Private Lives.

The MAC hopes to kick off its season with a Blues Bash celebrating homegrown Chicago Blues. I can tell you that the season will be full of Taiko drumming from Japan, American roots music from a legend, passionate Flamenco from Spain, Afro-Latin Jazz, Grammy winners in Country, Bluegrass, Jazz and Pop, and much, much more.

Sorry to be coy, but we are finalizing our deals and hope to have more information out in late May.

be well
Stephen