Midlands Arts Centre - MAC

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(2615)

A contemporary, independent arts centre and charity nestled in Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham with a dynamic programme of art exhibitions, brilliant shows, independent cinema, creative courses and more. Specialising in contemporary work, MAC offers a busy programme of theatre, independent cinema, exhibitions and special events, as well as a wealth of practical classes in all aspects of creativity. Midlands Arts Centre is a national leader in developing work with children, families and young people of all backgrounds, and works extensively to support emerging and mid-career artists.

Looking for the perfect way to kick off half-term? Escape the rain and step into a world of wonder at MAC this Saturday ...
20/10/2026

Looking for the perfect way to kick off half-term?

Escape the rain and step into a world of wonder at MAC this Saturday with a FREE family day out!

🐰 Meet adorable furry, feathery, and prickly friends up close at our Woodland Petting Zoo, just like the magical characters from our Christmas show, Tales from Acorn Wood At Christmas. You can also get your little one's face painted with their favourite woodland friends.

🦉 And don’t miss our Surreal Creatures Trail! Pick up a free trail sheet and set off on an adventure through the building to discover each surreal creature.

Plus, keep an eye out for a special Christmas show offer while you’re here! 👀

This Saturday | 11am–2pm | Main Theatre | Free, drop-in

Some people come to MAC to see art. Plenty come here to make it.There’s usually something being made somewhere at MAC: c...
18/10/2026

Some people come to MAC to see art. Plenty come here to make it.

There’s usually something being made somewhere at MAC: clay on the tables, paint on someone’s hands, something being stitched, printed, drawn or tried for the first time.

A gift left to MAC in your Will could help care for our studios, support the artists who teach here and give more people the chance to discover something they love doing.

You can also write or update a simple Will for free with Farewill. There’s no obligation to leave a gift to MAC, but if this is one of the places you care about, remembering us is a lovely way to help keep creativity happening here.

Find out more - visit macbirmingham.co.uk today.

Making Magic with Arts Council England 🎭Do you remember your very first encounter with theatre? 💭When MAC first opened i...
17/10/2026

Making Magic with Arts Council England 🎭

Do you remember your very first encounter with theatre? 💭

When MAC first opened in 1962, its creative resources included one of the UK's few full-time companies of puppet makers and puppeteers. Led by John M Blundall - now acknowledged as one of Britain's authorities on puppetry - the Cannon Hill Puppet Theatre gave thousands of schoolchildren their first experience of theatre over its 30-year history, creating an important legacy through the many artists it trained.

With Arts Council England's generous support, MAC continues to build on this wonderful legacy, bringing imaginative, high-quality theatre to new generations of children. From The Dog with Two Dads and The Very Hungry Caterpillar to the upcoming A Message to the Future, we're helping Birmingham's children discover the magic of live performance, often for the very first time.

Do you remember your first experience of theatre or the arts at MAC? We'd love to hear your memories! ✨



IMAGES

1. Cannon Hill Puppet Theatre, c. 1960s
2. No Outsiders. Photo by Kate Green
3. Babies Adventures in Music. Photo by Will Pace
4. Midsummer Masti. Photo by Will Pace
5. A Message for the Future. Photo by Pete Woodhead
6. Babies Adventures in Music. Photo by Will Pace
7. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Rockefeller Productions
8. The Dog with Two Dads. Photo by Jess Oates

16/10/2026

Sparkling, dizzying, and deliciously potent!

🎉 Fallen Angels, Noël Coward’s champagne-fresh comedy of bad manners, shocked and delighted audiences at its 1925 premiere.

🍾 Two upper-class wives, their husbands away for the day, share a few toasts to their pre-marital dalliances - with the same man, who just may be en route from France to visit.

Nominated for 5 Tony Awards, this acclaimed revival by the Roundabout Theatre Company was filmed live on stage at Todd Haimes Theatre. Starring Rose Byrne, Kelli O’Hara and Mark Consuelos.

Fallen Angels | Thu 22 – Sun 25 Oct | 12A

Experience Ken Russell’s visionary masterpiece as you’ve never seen it before. The Devils returns to the big screen, ful...
15/10/2026

Experience Ken Russell’s visionary masterpiece as you’ve never seen it before. The Devils returns to the big screen, fully restored in 4K.

Starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave, The Devils is a bold, unflinching exploration of obsession, power and faith, inspired by the true story of 17th-century priest Urbain Grandier.

Don’t miss your chance to witness this legendary work in all its glory.

Fri 30 Oct – Thu 5 Nov | 18+

Ready for a night that breaks all the rules? Midgitte Bardot is the hilarious, subversive and sometimes dangerous alter-...
14/10/2026

Ready for a night that breaks all the rules? Midgitte Bardot is the hilarious, subversive and sometimes dangerous alter-ego of performance artist Tamm Reynolds.

Personal Spot is an evening of drag, performance art, radical hoo-ha, laughs, liberation from today's costly world, and a place for performance to buffer and polish.

Time works a bit differently here... Strap in. There will also be showtunes.

Midgitte Bardot's Personal Spot | Thu 12 Nov | 8pm | Ages 18+

🎬 Ali Plumb, that movie bloke off the internet with the interviews and the specs and the beard, is taking his delightful...
13/10/2026

🎬 Ali Plumb, that movie bloke off the internet with the interviews and the specs and the beard, is taking his delightfully nerdy film quiz on the road again. And he's coming to MAC! 🏆

So if you know your Batman from your One Battle After Another, your Spielberg from your Cronenberg, your Disney from your Pixar, join Ali for an evening of spot prizes, absurd music rounds, perplexing motion picture puzzles and the occasional joke.

Ali Plumb’s Untitled Film Quiz Project | Fri 13 Nov | 7.30pm | From £11.95

✨ A closer look at Surreal Solihull ✨What do you see?A feathered landscape? A hidden face? Something from a dream? 👀Thes...
12/10/2026

✨ A closer look at Surreal Solihull ✨

What do you see?

A feathered landscape? A hidden face? Something from a dream? 👀

These are just a few close-up details from Surreal Solihull, bringing together new work by 29 artists from across the West Midlands, inspired by the legacy of surrealist artist Emmy Bridgwater.

From collaged bird lands to painted dreamscapes, unexpected objects and uncanny visions, the exhibition invites you to look again at the familiar — and see it differently.

Curated by art historian and author Ruth Millington, the exhibition celebrates Bridgwater’s connection to the West Midlands and her lasting influence on British Surrealism.

📍 Arena Gallery | Open daily until Sun 22 Nov 2026
🎟️ Free entry, donations welcome

Come and see things differently. ✨

Kindly supported by players of the Postcode Lottery and Arts Council England.

📷 Details from works in Surreal Solihull. Artists featured include Ava Khera, Mahnoor Saparas, Tegen Kimbley, Paul Lemmon, Annette Pugh.

11/10/2026

“This was honestly one of the best things I've ever taken my kids too, we've been talking about it all week and want to come again!” – audience member

Come in your favourite PJs for a slumber party in a giant sleepover den and a night-time adventure into a playful world of imagination at Dance In The Dark.

As darkness descends, lets giggle as we get ready for bed, play in the spooky shadows, listen to night-time sounds, and feel the blustery wind and drizzly rain on our faces in the storm.

We’ll meet friendly nocturnal creatures… some slithering slugs, most magical moths, and fantastical fireflies. Discover the magic of the dark as we whirl and twirl, catch a shooting star and learn how to be brave at bedtime.

Sat 24 – Sun 25 Oct | Ages 3+ | £15.95 (adult and child ticket)

Making Magic with Arts Council England🪑 This autumn, we're celebrating 80 years of Arts Council England and the extraord...
10/10/2026

Making Magic with Arts Council England🪑

This autumn, we're celebrating 80 years of Arts Council England and the extraordinary creative possibilities their support has helped bring to life at MAC.

Have you ever wondered how an artist's idea becomes an exhibition, or what goes into making something you've never seen before?

Our recent exhibition created by Michael Pinsky, The Final Bid, offered a wonderful glimpse into that process, bringing together imagination, design and technical ingenuity to transform an idea on paper into an extraordinary moving installation of second-hand chairs suspended from our gallery ceiling.

And visitors weren't simply there to admire the finished work. Every bid sent a chair rising higher, inviting audiences to play an active part in shaping the installation as it evolved.

It's this wonderful mix of artistic ambition, experimentation and shared experience that Arts Council England's support helps make possible at MAC, giving artists the freedom to explore new ideas and audiences the opportunity to experience art in unexpected ways.



The Final Bid was commissioned by the Draiflessen Collection, Germany. Supported by Arts Council England and players of Postcode Lottery.

📷: Tegen Kimbley

Address

MAC, Cannon Hill Park
Birmingham
B129QH

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 9:45pm
Tuesday 9am - 9:45pm
Wednesday 9am - 9pm
Thursday 9am - 9pm
Friday 9am - 9pm
Saturday 9am - 9pm
Sunday 9am - 9pm

Telephone

+441214463232

Website

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