MONROE — The Monroe Arts Center is announcing plans for the long-awaited reopening of the Gunderson Stiles Concert Hall after nineteen months of closure. The facility will reopen Oct. 29 with a weekend filled with events. The 2021-2022 Season will include ten performances on MAC’s mainstage, four Sunday Concert Series performances, three Family and Kids Series shows, and the opening of MAC’s new Comedy Club series.
“It brings me great joy to announce that MAC is Back,” said Monroe Arts Center’s Executive Director, Kathy Hennessy. “We are mindfully preparing to bring our stage back to life while keeping the health and safety of our patrons, performers, and staff our top priority. While our doors have been closed, we have been making building improvements with our reopening in mind, including the installation of four NuCalgon I-Wave-R air purifiers in the Concert Hall. We are moving forward under the guidance of the Green County Public Health Department and will be requiring masks and proof of vaccination to attend performances at this time.”
The MAC mainstage will reopen at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 29 with a performance by Madison favorite Gin, Chocolate, and Bottle Rockets. GC&B combines the musical styles of three solo-artists-turned-bandmates into a rich blend of tight 3-part harmonies and clever pop-rock songwriting, ranging from edgy to fun.
The reopening weekend continues at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30 with Broadway legend, radio host, Emmy award-winning writer and accompanist to the stars, Seth Rudetsky, bringing his traveling one-man show, Seth’s Big Fat Broadway Show to MAC. With perfect comedic timing, Rudetsky, who has been a pianist and performer on dozens of Broadway shows and concerts, takes the audience on a journey to mock and deconstruct Broadway musicals, splattered with insider insights into vocalists like Cher, Madonna, Bea Arthur and Patti LuPone, all with a little history and trivia thrown in for fun.
The opening weekend will wrap up with the Avanti Piano Trio performing at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 31, bringing MAC’s Sunday Concert Series back to the stage. The Madison group is composed of professional musicians dedicated to performing stimulating and varied piano trio repertoire.
Other 2021-2022 MAC mainstage performances include The Everly Set, a concert celebration of the legendary Everly Brothers; Javier Colon, singer-songwriter and the winner of the inaugural season of NBC’s The Voice, The Hillbenders — WhoGrass, an explosive concert where Bluegrass meets rock-n-roll band The Who; and The Four C Notes recreating the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, and other great shows throughout the season.
“After nineteen months of closure, there is a lot of work to be done to bring MAC back to life and rebuild our organization,” Hennessy said. “We are incredibly grateful for the support shown to MAC by so many in our Community and we are thankful for the opportunity to be able to create wonderful shared experiences for everyone again.”
Package and single tickets for all shows are now on sale and can be purchased online at monroeartscenter.com, by phone at 608-325-5700, or in person at the MAC box office located at 1315 11th Street, Monroe, Wisconsin. Watch for the 2021-2022 season brochure soon to be delivered to your mailbox.
