Web site: http://www.atthemac.org

Located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355, the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) at College of DuPage is a state-of-the-art facility, housing three performance spaces, an art gallery and classrooms for the college’s academic programming. This unique facility has presented theater, music, dance and visual arts to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and last year welcomed more than 75,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances. The center offers free parking and group discounts and is home to Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, the New Philharmonic and DuPage Opera Theatre. The result is a collection of touring, and resident and student groups that foster enlightened education and performance opportunities to encourage artistic expression, promote a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. The MAC’s extensive community outreach program includes pre-performance lectures, classes with visiting artists and the SchoolStage program, which provides area K-12 students with an interactive, educational arts experience. Those and other efforts to increase community access to arts earned the MAC the Illinois Arts Council’s Partners in Excellence designation, which recognizes 40 of the most significant cultural institutions in the state. Since its opening in October 1986, the MAC has left lasting memories with more than 1.5 million audience members. The MAC houses three theaters: the 793-seat Mainstage, where no seat is more than 16 rows, or 75 feet, from the stage; Theatre 2, a 195-seat hall featuring a "soft thrust" stage; and the Studio Theatre, a versatile, black-box performance space. Adjacent to the Mainstage lobby is the Gahlberg Gallery, a 90-by-25 foot space for visual art exhibition. The MAC also houses nine instructional programs. Go to the Academic Programs page for more information. Planning for the MAC began in 1981. The final budget for the facility totaled $14.4 million, and was funded through public support and private contributions. The programs seen on stage are funded entirely through box office revenue, student activities fees, grants, endowments, donations and income generated through rentals, concession sales and program advertising. In an average week the MAC hosts 5.1 public performances of 1.6 arts programs, 2.2 rental events, 10.25 rehearsals and one non-art college department use — or 2.5 scheduled events per day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. The current 2008–2009 season includes more than 200 performances of plays, concerts and lectures, as well as numerous art exhibits in both the Gahlberg Gallery and MAC lobby area. Educational theater, music and dance programs, as well as rentals to community groups, complete the performance schedule.