McAninch Arts Center

The mission of the McAninch Arts Center is to foster enlightened educational and entertaining performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression and engagement, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community.

To achieve this mission the McAninch Arts Center will:

• Educate and develop both artists and audiences for the future through instructional, produced and presented programs;
• Provide a cultural center, recognized and loyally supported by the community, in which people can participate in, interact with, and view all the arts; and
• Create new audiences and sustain established audiences through a wide variety of programs ranging from the purely entertaining to the artistically challenging, designed to foster lifelong appreciation of the arts, sensitivity to cultural diversity, and the willingness to experience new artistry.

At the MAC, a performing arts experience is so much more than just sitting down to watch a show. Since opening our doors in October 1986, the McAninch Arts Center has been focused on enriching our community with world-class entertainment opportunities that go beyond the stage. Along with offering the most diverse range of programming in the area, we pride ourselves on providing unique outreach & engagement programs before or after performances to enlighten and educate our audiences.

Over the last few decades, the McAninch Arts Center has remained a conveniently accessible cultural arts and gathering place in DuPage County offering exceptional entertainment and enriching programs. When you visit the MAC, you’ll always enjoy free parking, an inviting ambiance, and exciting experiences that leave lasting memories. We are proud to have welcomed more than 1.5 million audience members through our doors so far…and we look forward to meeting millions more in the future.

The story starts back in 1981, when planning for the McAninich Arts Center first began, with a budget totaling $14.4 million that was funded through public support and private contributions. Since day one, the programs seen on our stages have been funded entirely through box office revenue, student activities fees, grants, endowments, donations and income generated through rentals, concession sales and program advertising.

Today, after completing our $35 million renovation, our facilities and funding allow us to host, on average, 5.1 public performances, 1.6 arts programs, 2.2 rental events, 10.25 rehearsals and one non-art college department use each week. Or, quite simply, the new MAC presents 2.5 scheduled events per day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.

Each season includes more than 200 performances of plays, concerts and lectures in our theatres and on our stages, as well as numerous art exhibits in both the Cleve Carney Art Gallery and MAC lobby area. Our schedule is filled in with educational theater, music and dance programs, comedy shows, exclusive special events and rentals to community groups. And we continue to add even more variety to our show schedule every year. Our expanded line-up this year even includes family-oriented programming, FREE outdoor concerts, and pop music. Learn more and see our entire season schedule here.