Posted by Amanda Farrar on April 9, 2015
The Monkey Minute
That's Weird Grandma
Company Members
Barrel of Monkeys has upwards of 65 active members. These company and ensemble members lovingly refer to themselves as “Monkeys”. Monkeys act as teaching artists in the classroom, adapt the stories written by the students for the stage, perform them for the students in the schools, and finally, perform for YOU at That’s Weird, Grandma almost every week.
Each Monkey is paid for their work in the schools, but donate their time to perform in That’s Weird, Grandma to allow the revenue generated from these public performances to support our arts education programs in schools that need them the most.
Below, Lacy Campbell describes what it’s like to walk into a show that has been going on almost nonstop since 2001. You can see her and all her Monkey friends Sundays at 2pm through April.
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It’s Hard To Be Laura McKenzie
By Lacy Campbell
One of the [many] joys of being in That’s Weird, Grandma is that as a company member of Barrel of Monkeys, you can hop in and out of shows. Have some time on your hands? Sign up to do the show for six weeks! Want to do a play with another theater? No problem, sit the next one out and someone else will step in for you.
However, since the cast is constantly shifting in a fruitbasket turnover of tangled wigs and tutus, this means that many of us end up sharing roles. For example, Laura McKenzie won’t be in the next few weeks of That’s Weird, Grandma, so I’m taking over a few of her roles.
But here’s the real problem:
I can’t be Laura!!!
NO ONE CAN BE LAURA.
The facial expressions!? The physical comedy!? Her reaction when Horsewolf eats her hair and she’s initially furious, then realizes it’s Horsewolf and beams with pride and delight?* …Guys, I have huge shoes to fill.
But that’s the thing. I gotta fill them, and somehow, I will. On Sunday at 2pm.
Last weekend, in our seven-hour “learn, stage, and perform an entire show!” frenzied sprint that is New That’s Weird, Grandma Cast Weekend, the entire cast took on this impossible task in different ways. Mary Winn has to be Ryan in I Am A Butcher and I Love Meat. Gwen has to take over for Jen in Tragic Fireworks, and some poor soul has to step into Donnell’s role in Princess Who Don’t Like Ketchup.
In Monkeys, we are constantly raising the bar for each other by trying to be as wonderful as the person who went before us.
Who was the first dog you saw in The Dog Was Dead? I can no longer remember if the first dog I saw was Kristie, Molly, Erica, or Emjoy. They all are fantastic. They all are hilarious. I guarantee they all felt terrified that they couldn’t possibly be as amazing as the dog who went before.
They all were.
We all are.
Show’s at 2:00pm on Sunday. See you there!
*all these things actually happen. Please see Horsewolf, it’s such a good story.
Posted by Meredith on April 8, 2015
Hello Again!
At Barrel of Monkeys, we teach our students to write persuasive arguments. In 2010, Dariyell W. from the Stockton School, wrote an argument that has stuck with me for years and years. We are excited to share it with you this week in “That’s Weird Grandma”. Come out and see it at 2:00pm on Sunday. Bring your friends, bring your brothers!
Untitled (Brothers Argument) Dariyell W. – Stockton
I do not like brothers because they always messes with me.
I never get alone with my brothers because they tries to messes with me.
Sometime we get alone but I do not like them.
They always messes with me and I tell my mom.
Do some people like brothers?
I HATE BROTHERS.
DO YOU LIKE BROTHERS?
The Code: Say “Do you like Brothers?” To Ambar at the box office for discounted Tickets.
See you at the show!
Meredith (guest director)
Posted by Meredith on April 1, 2015
It’s Spring Y’all! It’s time again eating al fresco and for THAT’S WEIRD GRANDMA Matinees! Have a fancy brunch date in Andersonville and see the show at 2:00pm. What else would be better for a Spring Sunday afternoon?
To get you in that brunch mood- we’ve added “I am a butcher, I love meat” and the “Princess who don’t like Ketchup” to the show!
I am a Butcher and I Love Meat By Adarius W., Dewey
I am a butcher and I love meat love me and the meat’s so good for people.
I’m a butcher and I love meat
Let me count the ways
One, meat is so good for people
Two, meat can be so juicy
Three, meat can be so meatish
Four, meat is so tender
Five, meat is good for you
Six, meat is a nice thing to eat
Seven, you can put it on a grill and you can put lots of juicy things on it
That’s why I love meat.
Princess Who Don’t Like Ketchup By Myeshia S., Henderson Elementary School
Once upon a time there was three Princesses named Beyonce and Cinderella and Cindrillion. The three Princesses where goingout to eat and one of the princesses tasted keptchup and said this is so naste I am not eating keptchup ever again. Then a nother Princess said keptchup out they had fight and then Cinderala had whone the fight. The next day they asked each-other do you want to be in the group again and just Promise we won’t fight again. And kept on going out to eat. The end
The Code: Say “meatish” To Ambar at the box office for discounted Tickets.
See you at the show!
Meredith (guest director)
Posted by Amanda Farrar on April 1, 2015
The Monkey Minute
The Big Wedding: Everyone Get Married was a Fancy Schmancy Fundraiser benefiting Barrel of Monkeys, and the event held on March 28th marked our 13th fundraiser. Thank you for all who came out and celebrated the imaginations of children! What was the amount raised to support our work in Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Park Districts, you ask? $34,325 and counting! Board Member, Mike Maddaloni, provides his point of view of his first Barrel of Monkeys’ gala.
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The Big Wedding Was Outrageous!
By Mike Maddaloni
It was about 11:30 pm last Saturday night. The last of the guests of the Barrel of Monkeys’ annual Fancy Schmancy gala, “The Big Wedding,” had left the Drucker Center in Chicago and it was time to clean up. As the lights came up, the space that was this great event was transformed back to its primary function as 2 gymnasiums, prompting me to stand there in disbelief, and the only word I could use to describe it?
Outrageous!
When I say outrageous, I mean it in a good way. No, I mean it in a great way. If you are curious to why this came to mind, it was a line that Lionel Richie shouted over and over and over during the 1985 American Music Awards – you can get a taste of it here in this YouTube video.
These adjoining halls just hours before were the intimate setting for a great fundraiser and party for Barrel of Monkeys, not to mention the setting for a wedding of Rosanna and Buck, the story by a student of a Barrel of Monkeys’ creative writing class that inspired the theme for the event. From once you entered and got your corsage and then over to the gift registry, silent auction, candy buffet, photo booth and bar (what’s a wedding without a bar?), then into the main wedding reception complete with tables for guests and the dance floor. Designed by the creative team that puts on That’s Weird Grandma and our other shows, it was a truly beautiful space with plenty of room to dance and socialize with friends or complete strangers.
The Drucker Center was not the only thing decked out for the night. Many people wore wedding dresses, tuxedos, tacky bridesmaid dresses as well as other choices for dressy attire. The theme of the wedding, which was performed by the company actors, engaged all of the attendees, who watched from either their tables or chairs resembling a house of worship. The fact that everyone “got into it” made the night even more fun.
Of course this was not a complete surprise to me, but as I had never been to a Barrel of Monkeys gala event before, I had not experienced first-hand the magic and elegance of it all. I just joined the Board of Directors for the organization last fall, and this was my first major event with them. With the coupling of the aforementioned creative team and help from the staff, company, board and friends of the Monkeys, the transformation to a great space was possible.
Overall the night was a success. Thanks to the handiwork of many who worked to setup, run and takedown the event, as well as the myriad of sponsors and donors of items to the silent auction, it was a true win-win for Barrel of Monkeys and all the students they teach, as well as those in attendance on Saturday evening.
If you don’t believe me, look for photos for yourself on our social media channels – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. It was truly an outrageous night in Chicago – if you were there, thank you, and if you were not, as we say here in the Windy City… next year!
Posted by Joe on March 26, 2015
Y’all! There are only two more chances to see That’s Weird, Grandma: The Musical!
Come see what everyone has been talking about!
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Say “The Carnies Are Ready” to Ambar at the box office to receive discounted tickets!
See you at the show!
Joe
