The Second City Presents THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY SWEATER At The MAC

The Second City returns to the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) just in time for the holidays with "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Sweater" at 5 and 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7. BroadwayWorld calls "The Good, The Bad & the Ugly Sweater "a holiday must."

While the weather outside may be frightful, the laughter inside will be most delightful as comedy's best and brightest roast the chestnuts out of all the things we lovingly loathe about the holiday season - the office parties, spending too much time with relatives, drinking a bit too much and so forth. Audience suggestions are sure to add something unexpected but highly entertaining to each 90-minute performance.

The cast will feature Meghan Babbe, Kiley Fitzgerald, Evan Mills, George C. Owens, Jackie Southee, and Jordan Stafford - all who are also featured in The Second City's upcoming Nov. 22 touring performance at New York's Carnegie Hall. Sara Stock is the stage manager, and Jeff Strickland is the music director. (All actors and stage managers are members of Actors' Equity Association, the union of professional Actors and Stage Managers.)

"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Sweater" is directed by Chicago native Jen Ellison and produced by Joe Ruffner. The company's CEO and Executive Producer is Andrew Alexander.

The Second City has produced some of the most unforgettable satire and influential comedians of the last 60 years. The company continues to launch the careers of comedy superstars including Bill Murray, John and Jim Belushi, Mike Myers, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ryan Stiles, Horatio Sanz, Tim Meadows, Joan Rivers, John Candy, Chris Farley, and many more. Its pioneering methods have inspired mindsets and behaviors that lead to rapid innovation and incomparable content. Second City Works uses those same methods to create events, content and professional development programs that drive personal grown and organizational improvement.

"The Second City: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Sweater," comes to the McAninch Arts Center, located at 425 Fawell Blvd. on the campus of College of DuPage, Saturday, Dec. 7 at 5 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $32-$46. For tickets and more information, visit AtTheMAC.org or call 630.942.4000.

Additionally, VIP Suite Service, including a private, pre-show cocktail and hors d'oeuvres reception, with coffee and dessert at intermission, is available for purchase. This service is available for an additional $30.

Beginning Nov. 24 audience members are invited to bring one or two non-perishable food items to support the MAC's food drive for the People's Resource Center. The People's Resource Center food pantry serves more than 3,000 families from across DuPage County each month. For more information about the People's Resource Center visit peoplesrc.org.

This holiday season MAC is also once again is participating in a gift item collection for Metropolitan Family Services. Theatergoers are encouraged to donate a gift items Nov. 24-Dec.18 in Care Bins in the MAC lobby. Families in DuPage are in particular need of winter clothing such as gloves, hats and scarves, toiletries, pajamas and lap blankets. For more information about Metropolitan Family Services, visit metrofamily.org/community-centers/dupage.

The McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage is located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355. It houses three indoor performance spaces (the 780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; the 236-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and the versatile black box Studio Theatre), the outdoor Lakeside Pavilion, plus the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and classrooms for the college's academic programming. The MAC 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 100,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season.

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. Visit AtTheMAC.org or facebook.com/AtTheMAC for more information.