The MAC to Stream Holiday Programming with Christmas On Demand this Season
McAninch Arts Center (MAC) is giving Santa a little competition this year by bringing Christmas on Demand into homes with a variety of streamed festive shows curated specially for MAC audiences. Ticket buyers will have the opportunity to purchase their ticket, then view their show from the premiere date through January 3, 2021 (Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker through January 1, 2021).
“We are thrilled to offer a full selection of holiday favorites to keep family Christmas traditions alive in this crazy time of COVID-19. When we began planning for the holidays this past fall, we knew we were going to have to think differently so we set about the task to make that happen,” says MAC director Diana Martinez. “In October we recorded New Philharmonic’s new ‘Holiday Sing-Along with the Symphony’ and new New Year’s Eve concerts outdoors at the Lakeside Pavilion under strict guidelines and protocols to keep the music playing. We also reached out to the Presley, Perkins, Lewis & Cash team to see if they would do a performance of A Million Dollar Christmas to live stream of from our Belushi Performance Hall stage and they said ‘yes’ and generously agreed to make the performance viewable through Jan. 3 on demand. COD’s College Theater Department also rolled up their creative sleeves and came up with a A Christmas Carol production with direction and performances inspired by our combined experiences in 2020 and staging reimagined to be viewed on Zoom. For many it’s just not Christmas without The Nutcracker at the MAC, so we went searching to find the next best thing and found it in Moscow Ballet’s ‘Great Russian Nutcracker’ presented by Talmi Entertainment, Inc. This pre-recorded digital performance of the ‘Great Russian Nutcracker’ delivers America’s favorite family Christmas tradition replete with magical toys, falling snow and growing Christmas trees.”
The MAC ‘s Christmas On Demand programming includes COD College Theater’s A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, adapted by William J. Norris (beginning November 27); New Philharmonic’s “Holiday Sing-Along with the Symphony” (beginning December 12); Presley, Perkins, Lewis & Cash: A Million Dollar Christmas and Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker (beginning December 19) and New Philharmonic’s New Year’s Eve Concert (beginning December 31). Visitors to AtTheMAC.org can also purchase tickets to award-winning magician Dennis Watkins’ hit, The Magic Parlour At Home, available now through Dec. 23.
For the art lover on everyone’s list, the Cleve Carney Museum of Art (CCMA), in association with the MAC is pleased to offer a free exhibition tote with purchase of an exhibition gift certificate from November 20 – December 23 for the upcoming Frida Kahlo: Timeless exhibition coming summer 2021. The exhibition will be the largest Frida Kahlo exhibition in the Chicago area in more than 40 years. It will feature a 26-piece collection on loan from the Museo Dolores Olmedo as well as a multimedia timeline, 100+ photographic images from the artist’s life, a children’s area and a Frida Kahlo inspired garden designed by Ball Horticultural Company, enabling museum-goers of all ages to grasp an understanding of Kahlo’s life and work through a variety of contexts. More information is available at Frida2021.org.
The MAC also encourages everyone enjoying the Christmas on Demand 2020 programming to consider making a donation to support the MAC’s ongoing ability to continue to provide fun, creative and thought-provoking programming. Supporters can learn more information visit AtTheMAC.org or call 630-942-4000.
