Posted by Bryan on May 15, 2015
Education
School Shows
Hi, internet! This is your good friend Bryan letting you know all is well—nay, FANTASTIC—with the North Lawndale school show adapting process. And I’ll have you know that it’s especially thrilling for me to be in on this collection of stories, having been one of the teachers at one of the school involved. Yes, having just finished our in-the-classroom workshop residency at Chalmers School of Excellence, Monkey Courtney and I are lucky in that we get to jump right into the making of our students’ freshly-writ stories into plays.
In fact, this school show is unique in that it teams-up four amazing schools, all in the North Lawndale area and each with their own residencies, into one big show. Chalmers School of Excellence, Dvorak School of Excellence, Herzl School of Excellence, and Johnson School of Excellence are all on the roster of this Avengers-level superhero troop, and I’m glad I get to be a part of this display of community.
Here’s a moment in rehearsal where monkeys Ashley, Elisa, Evie, and Geoff are a group of friends jamming out to their boombox, but I feel like they could easily be a quartet of supe’s warming up to battle some evil foe.
**Note to self: Explore a writing activity where we act out a story from a picture (a la Picture Day), take a snapshot of the acting, then write a totally new story based off of the snapshot. Lather, Rinse, Repeat until infinity!
Now that I think of it, the world could use a superhero team like that, with the energy, talent and creativity of all of our student writers, to overcome a fearsome cataclysmic event like the one depicted in one of our stories we’ll perform in the show, which I leave you with now:
The Ancient Attack
by Justin S., Johnson School of Excellence
Day 13 12:30pm April 15th. One night a war started. The dead dinosaurs came back alive. Every civilan in U.S.A. moved to other places. Cops soldiers and vehicles blocked the bridges to U.S.A.
Day 40 9:50am December 4093. Dead bodies and dead dinosaurs were everywhere
Eagle Wing 3: I just found 10 pterodactyls
Eagle Wing 2: Captain I’m going down. A dinosaur is inside my osprey!
Warthog 6: Our vehicles are destroyed but they have now turned into barriers when the T Rex stepped on them. Oh no we’re under attack run run run!!!
To be continued
Posted by Kassi on January 20, 2015
Education
School Shows
The Super 7 Girls of Willa Cather Elementary love scary stories. And we are having a great time adapting those spooky tales into thrilling plays.
In “The Day it was Halloween” by Nakiya B., the tension build will have you shaking in your boots.
“One Spooky Trick or Treating” by Lanesha R., includes a cast of some classic spook-sters, guaranteed to make you run and hide.
And finally… “The Clown” by Diamond R., tells the all-too-common true story of when a clown is pretending to be your dad.
The End…or is it? Mwahahahahaha…...ahhhhhahahahahahaha!
Posted by Amanda Farrar on December 29, 2014
Education
School Residencies
That's Weird Grandma
Company Members
Greetings!
It’s me, Joseph Schupbach, the new and fifth Artistic Director of Barrel of Monkeys. I am delighted and honored to be in this role. I am already having an incredible time watching artists work, teach, and create all while collaborating with Chicago Public School student authors!
While I started my new role in November, my relationship with Barrel of Monkeys began in 2005 when I was an intern.
I remember that summer very well. I spent most of my days with founding members Halena Kays and Kristie Koehler Vuocolo, which of course was a true delight. I would transcribe cassette tape (you heard me) recording of school shows, proofread grant applications, and sell t-shirts at the Monday night show (That’s Weird, Grandma - tickets available now ).
Even in these small tasks I fell in love with Barrel of Monkeys. I fell in love with the mission, the school programming, the sense of humor, the community, and the radical act of listening to children that is at the center of the work.
Since then, I have filled many other roles: volunteer, ensemble member, teaching artist, company member, lead teacher, director, board member, after-school program coordinator, education coordinator, marketing contractor, and now artistic director. After all of that, through all those jobs, almost 10 years later (this summer is my anniversary!) the things that attracted me to the Monkeys in 2005 are the same things that I value about my organization now.
And I have a feeling they are the things that you love about the Monkeys too:
- our mission,
- our school programming
- our sense of humor
- our strong community
- the radical act of listening to children that is at the center of our work
Unfortunately, all those things don’t fit into an acronym that you can cross stitch on a pillow or slap on a bumper sticker, but Barrel of Monkeys is changing the world one student, one journal, and one audience at a time.
Barrel of Monkeys strives to create, on a small scale, the world we want to share, create, and live in. A world where every idea IS a good idea, where collaboration is celebrated, and where young people are listened to, heard, and protected.
As the year comes to an end I invite you to share in the work that Barrel of Monkeys does daily, by making a donation. Much like in my intern days, every little bit helps. If you have already given your end of year gift, I thank you wholeheartedly. We are currently 85% of our way to our goal for the annual appeal! Check out this thermometer…not even $4,000 more to reach it!
Whether it’s 20 year old me transcribing scripts about space bugs or audience members like you giving even the smallest donation, support is key to our success.
If you have read this far, that means you are considering making a donation! Hooray! Thank you so much for all the support you give to our organization!
Happy New Year!
Joseph Schupbach
Artistic Director & Company Member
Posted by Jason on November 30, 2014
Education
After School Program
That's Weird Grandma
TWG Weekly Update
Touring Performances
Much of the online universe - including yours truly - was understandably abuzz this week after seeing the new trailer for the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. A long time ago (fall of 2004) in a galaxy far, far away (Loyola Park), Claudio F. wrote “Star Wars 3” - several months BEFORE the actual movie came out! Since BOM is always on the leading edge of pop culture, we’ve brought back Claudio’s vision, performed word-for-word, for this round of CWG, and we invite you to read it now and see it Monday, Dec. 1 at 8:00 in the final “Chicago’s Weird, Grandma” show of the year!
Star Wars 3
By Claudio F. Loyola Park After School Program
LuK: It’s snowy today master.
Jar: Don’t worry. If you are patient it will be gone soon.
LuK: We are staying in de castle 3 more days.
Jar: We need food and supplies.
LuK: Then we are going to outer space.
Jar: Then we are getting to meet Turkey.
LuK: And then we are going to turkey city.
Jar: Then we are going to the sea to relax, take all the human souls to give it to another baby when the baby is gunna come. Now that the soul is gone, we’re going to give you tips about Jedis
To be continued
Jar: Now let’s practice
(They do. With sticks)
Jar: Let me give you tips. There’s a lot of Jedi moves. There’s difficult ones. But you are going to discover them alone
To be continued
Jar: Let’s practice in the ballogram. There we will get our sticks.
LuK: Let’s go first to metro city. Let’s get our octopus bus.
Jar: We have trouble. A giant octopus dragon is attacking us. Let’s go into a cave, we will be safe.
LuK: Oh no, the power is out. Let’s get our suits to swim.
They swim to metro city. To be continued.
To make war.
LuK: We win the war! Let’s celebrate!
Princess: I’m the princess. Now for helping us win the war you win the precious ball of justice.
The End
And in other Star Wars news:
*See what the Ewoks might have evolved to in “Love is Enough for a Bear”!
*Banish the pod-races from your head with “I Believe Racing is a Cool Job”!
*Learn the true secret of Yoda’s Jedi training regimen in “Yoga Class in California”!
Special guests this week: The Young Fugitives, performing their adaptation of “The Battle and the War”! (See how this all ties together?!?)
Say “Put this party stuff up” to Ambar at the box office for discounted tickets!
Posted by Emjoy on March 18, 2014
Education
School Shows
Once upon a Monday early, while we traveled, we thought surely
The students of Poe wrote such awesome characters to explore
While we pondered their inspiration for their stories’ exclamation
As of someone’s jubilation, bubbling out a mental drawer
“They’re just brilliant!” we cried out, “They’ve got creativity galore—
All of this and so much more.”
Ah, distinctly we recall, it was in the chilly spring, not fall
Each story brought its Raven magic upon the stage floor:
Ms. Wilkins, Beyonce, Draco Malfoy, dragons, cheesecakes, zombies now destroyed,
Superheroes, oh what joy—joy for their creative repertoire
“Kids rule the world” echoed loudly and was a theme for sure,
All of this and so much more…
Thank you to the amazing Ravens at Poe Elementary Classical School. It was our first time working with you and we can’t wait to do it again!
