The Black Box Theatre

Black Box Theatre 12-Hour Play Competition, May 3

Sign Up Deadline: April 27

The popular Black Box Theatre 12-Hour Play Competition is back at MCC this spring. The Competition challenges groups of 2-6 people to write, rehearse, and perform a ten-minute play within 12 hours. Groups will arrive at 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 3, and work through the day until performances begin at 7 p.m. that evening.

There is a cash prize awarded for the winning play. Food and beverages will be provided throughout the day. There is a $25 entry fee per group. Be prepared to stay all day. The competition is open to the public.

Interested groups can sign up here through April 27 »

The competition will be held at The Black Box Theatre at MCC. Park in Parking Lot C and enter Building E.

For more information, email jgeller@mchenry.edu or call (815) 455-8746.

Auditions

The Black Box Theatre at MCC is proud to announce auditions for Arsenic and Old Lace, the classic black comedy by Joseph Kesselring! Auditions will be held in The Black Box Theatre from 6–9 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, August 25 and 26, with callbacks held on Thursday, August 28, from 6–10 p.m.

Participants are asked to prepare a 2–3 minute comedic monologue.

The play is open to MCC students and community members of all backgrounds and experience levels. All roles are open. We encourage actors of all ethnicities, genders, and body types to audition.

Rehearsals will be held beginning September 3, 2025, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, from 6 – 9:30 p.m. The production will start October 31 and run three weekends in November: November 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16.

Sign up to audition for Arsenic and Old Lace »

Arsenic and Old Lace — Fall 2025

MCC presents Arsenic and Old Lace, the classic dark comedy by Joseph Kesselring, directed by Jay Geller. 

Set in Brooklyn, New York, in the 1940s, Arsenic and Old Lace follows drama critic Mortimer Brewster as he discovers his sweet, elderly aunts have a deadly secret: they poison lonely old men with elderberry wine laced with arsenic. As Mortimer tries to deal with his eccentric family—including a brother who thinks he’s Theodore Roosevelt and another who’s a homicidal maniac—chaos and hilarity ensue.

The production features set design by Dan Frank, lighting design by Deb Homen-Madden, and costume design by Carol Foreman, with stage management by Nicole Weber and technical direction by Chris Adkins. Chelsea Boesiger is the assistant director, and Holly Adkins is the scenic painter.

The cast includes Holly O’Hair, Travis Greuel, Max Saunders, Kathie Comella, Robert Boyd, Robert Kaempfe, Greg Waldyn, Kae Schaefer, McKinley Shine, Mark Drinnenberg, Aidan McTague, Nathan Forrester, and Addyson Oates.

Performances

Arsenic and Old Lace opens on October 31 and runs on November 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, and 16.
Evening performances are at 7 p.m., and Sunday performances are at 2 p.m.

Reservations

Tickets are $17.85 for students, MCC employees, seniors, veterans, and MCC alumni and $23.18 for the general public.