Playmakers Blog

It’s the day of the show!

Posted by Heidi on June 9, 2009

Celebration of Authors

Just a final reminder! Tonight is our annual “Celebration of Authors” show. This heartwarming event brings together some of our students from across the city, their families, teachers, supporters and members of the public.

We hope you can join us. The show starts at 7pm and is free, though members of the public are encouraged to make a small donation. You can make reservations online or by calling 312-409-1954.

If you can’t join us, never fear…we’re sure to post delightful photos over the next couple of weeks.

Arts Funding

Posted by Heidi on June 8, 2009

We at Barrel of Monkeys get funding from a lot of sources so that we can continue to work with schools that have the greatest need for our programs. You can see a list of our major funders here, and as you know we also rely on the generous support of some of our individual fans.

One of our largest funders is the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.  Funding for the arts in Illinois was already drastically cut by former Governor Blagojevich and now it looks like in addition to sustaining those cuts the IAC will endure a further, even more drastic, budget cut. The proposed IAC budget will leave the agency—one of the largest and broadest supporters of the arts and arts education in this state—with a budget equivalent to less than 50cents per citizen of Illinois. This is nearly a national per capita low.

If you support Barrel of Monkeys—and since you are reading this, I imagine you do—please take a few seconds to contact your elected officials to urge them to reconsider. The Illinois Arts Alliance has created an easy template for this, with some suggested facts for you to use and plenty of room for customization so that you can write a letter or email that comes from the heart. Their website will also automatically send your email to the appropriate officials, if you so choose. So please, visit their website and urge support for the arts in Illinois.

While we do not yet know what the specific impact of this budget cut would be on Barrel of Monkeys, we can only assume that cuts this deep would effect the IAC’s ability to fund us. A substantial cut to our grant from the IAC could have an effect on our ability to sustain our program goaks, and we strongly urge you to take less than the time it took to read this post to express your support for the arts.

It has been a busy month

Posted by Heidi on May 25, 2009

Happy Memorial Day!

Here are some of the things we’ve been up to in May:

*Poetry show performances.
*Loyola Park After-school Program final performance (in which many of the kids took on the starring roles).
*Chalmers School show (our last school show of the year)
*“That’s Weird, Grandma” matinees
*Preparing for Celebration of Authors

...so you can understand why we haven’t had much time to blog. But don’t worry, there will be new blog entries about all of these things soon, not to mention our exciting plans for the summer.

As a reminder, the last matinee (5/31) is sold out, but we would love to see all of you at Celebration of Authors on Tuesday, June 9th.  The regular Monday night schedule will resume June 15th at 8:00pm.

Thanks for being a monkey fan!

Reminders/Remainders

Posted by Heidi on May 6, 2009

That's Weird Grandma Celebration of Authors

Several Things.

Thing 1: I know I recently asked for your support very directly, but there are also ways to support BOM online without giving any money.  Thank you.

Thing 2: There are only 3 matinees with tickets still available as the 5/31 show is sold out in advance (we fancy!).  Please plan accordingly, you really don’t want to miss the zany delights found within the show right now, or the pleasure on the faces of the children in the audience.

Thing 3: Celebration of Authors 2009 is just about a month away. WOW. This amazing annual event is a chance for some of the kids we work with in CPS schools (plus their teachers and parents and friends) to come see their stories performed in a big fancy theater. This year we’re returning to the Athenaeum, and hope that you monkey fans can join us. Admission is free, though small donations are encouraged.