The City of Pontiac and the Vermillion Players are proud to announce the first dinner theater show to be performed at the new Eagle Performing Arts and Conference Center.
An original production, Home for the Holidays, written and directed by Julie Peterson will open on December 11th and run on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sunday Matinees over the course of two weekends. The meal will be catered by Bernardi’s II restaurant in Pontiac. Doors open on Friday and Saturday at 6:00 PM, dinner service runs from 6:15 – 7PM, and the curtain rises at 7:30 PM. For the Sunday Matinee shows, the doors will open at 12:30 PM, dinner service will begin at 12:45 – 1:30 PM, and the show will start at 2:00 PM. Tickets go on sale on November 13th, and are priced at $35.00 per person.
Home for the Holidays is a scripted musical revue that presents a series of characters in various holiday scenes: at the mall with Santa, frolicking in the snow, home with family and friends, and caroling the neighborhood, to name a few. The show features both classic, traditional Christmas songs, along with some contemporary Christmas music, all guaranteed to get the audience into a festive, holiday spirit!
The Eagle motion picture house was originally built in the 1930s as the city’s second movie theater. After over 40 years of operation, the theater was closed. Over the course of about 30 years the building has been utilized as a church, a physical fitness center, a racetrack course for remote controlled model cars, and finally, as an indoor paintball battlefield. When the building was vacated by the paintball business, the conditions inside and outside of the building began to seriously deteriorate. Several years ago, the building came under the control of the city. Faced with the difficult choice of razing the dilapidated structure, or trying to save it, the city opted to completely refurbish the old theater and to create a performance venue that would benefit the entire community. Plans for the new performance space include regular performances by the Vermillion Players, concerts, meetings, and other events.
Volunteers are also needed at the Eagle Performing Arts Center. Ushers, house managers, lighting and sound technicians, plus a few other opportunities, are wanted to staff the Eagle during special events. Interested persons are invited to contact the Eagle facility manager, Liz Vincent at (815) 844-1187 to learn more about becoming part of the volunteer staff.
Tickets for Home for the Holidays go on sale to the public on November 13th, and reservations can be made by calling the Eagle at (815) 844-1187 during regular business hours. If you have questions that need to be answered about the show, the venue, or the meal, contact us at the same number as above.