Popular TV and film actor Jim Belushi, who is also a Second City and College of DuPage alumnus, returns to the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) at College of DuPage (425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn) with his improv group the Board of Comedy to mark the MAC's Grand Opening Celebration with a late night performance Saturday, March 8 at 9:30 p.m. The late night performance follows the 6 p.m. "MAC Madness" benefit performance and party hosted by the College of DuPage Foundation. The performances are part of the MAC's 2014 Grand Opening Season that marks the completion of a 14-month, $35 million renovation. For tickets and more information, call 630.942.4000 or visit AtTheMac.org.
Jim Belushi and the Board of Comedy are known for their hilarious improvised sketch show that engages and excites the audience. "We are not stand-up comedians. Our show is not a passive, sit-back-and-watch experience. Most of the fun we have on stage comes from our inclusion of the audience - we get suggestions from them to begin each scene we perform, and in certain instances, bring them on-stage with us to add to our performance. It's less a 'show' and more a party," says Belushi.
The Board of Comedy features Megan Grano, Brad Morris,
Larry Joe Campbell (who starred as Andy on the long running ABC series "According to Jim") and Joshua Funk. The skilled professional improvisers are all Second City veterans and have impressive resumes with a wide range of experience including TV, film, writing, directing viral videos and producing credits.
For more than 30 years,
Jim Belushi has entertained audiences with his versatility and talent. In addition to two seasons on "Saturday Night Live'" and his eight-season ABC comedy "According to Jim," Belushi has performed in numerous comedies and dramas on stage and screen under notable directors such as
Oliver Stone,
Roman Polanski and
Michael Mann.
Born and raised in Wheaton, Ill.,
Jim Belushi graduated with an associate's degree from COD in 1974, and credits the college for having a major impact on his life. In 1983, to honor the name and memory of his brother and fellow COD alum John, Jim, in association with The Second City, created The
John Belushi Scholarship Fund. This memorial scholarship provides recipients with full tuition and fees at College of DuPage, and is available to both acting and technical theater students as well as music students.
"By receiving the
John Belushi Scholarship, I was able to afford my classes and books to receive my Associate of Fine Arts-Music," says COD alum Beth Malouf. "I worked with some fantastic musicians and faculty that guided my career path to music therapy." Malouf currently works full-time as a music therapist with children and adults with developmental disabilities.
Belushi has helped raise more than $300,000 for the fund and to date, more than 30 students have benefited from the fund since its inception. He has also established the Belushi Artist-in-Residence Fund which provides funds to pay for artists' extended stays on campus to teach and work with students.
Jim Belushi and the Board of Comedy perform a late night show at the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) at 425 Fawell Blvd. in Glen Ellyn, Ill. Saturday, March 8 at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $44 and up. For tickets or more information, call
630.942.4000 or visit AtTheMAC.org.
Preceding the late night show, Belushi and the Board of Comedy headline a special MAC Madness Benefit performance and party, complete with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, at the MAC beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets for MAC Madness are available to the public and are $250. Proceeds from the benefit support the College of DuPage Foundation and The
John Belushi Scholarship Fund, The Cleve Carney Art Gallery and Endowed Art Fund, the New Philharmonic Fund and the MAC General Fund. For tickets or more information call
630.942.2462 or visit
cod.edu/foundation.
McAninch Arts Center (MAC) on the campus of College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, Ill. is located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355 and houses three performance spaces (the 800-seat proscenium Performance Hall, previously known as the Mainstage; the 184-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre, formerly called Theatre 2; and the versatile 70-seat black box
Studio Theatre), plus the new Cleve Carney Art Gallery, classrooms for the college's academic programming and the 1,200 capacity outdoor Patio Stage. This unique facility has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 75,000 patrons annually from the greater Chicago area.
The MAC began a 14-month, $35 million renovation in fall 2012 to update its three performance spaces, construct a new art gallery and outdoor patio stage, and make improvements to the infrastructure, teaching and learning spaces and patron service areas. The MAC completed its renovation in December 2013 and officially opens its doors to the public with a series of 2014 Grand Opening Events, culminating with the MAC Madness Celebration on March 8. The MAC renovation was funded as part of the $168 million referendum that voters of District 502 passed in November 2010.
The mission of the MAC is to foster enlightened educational and performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. For more information about the MAC, visit
AtTheMAC.org. You can also learn more about the MAC on Facebook at facebook.com/AtTheMAC or on twitter at
twitter.com/AtTheMAC.
McAninch Arts Center (MAC) is supported in part by the College of DuPage Foundation. Established as a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit charitable organization in 1967, the College of DuPage Foundation raises monetary and in-kind gifts to increase access to education and to enhance cultural opportunities for the surrounding community. For more information about the College of DuPage Foundation, visit
cod.edu/foundation or call
630.9422462.
Programs at the MAC are partially supported through funding from the Illinois
Arts Council, a state agency.
