Posted by Oona on February 19, 2011
That's Weird Grandma
TWG Weekly Update
Hi, friends! We have another awesome show planned for tomorrow afternoon, and some good news for those of you who missed our Valentine-themed stories. If you were too busy rubbing noses with your cuddlemuffin, or grinding Conversation Hearts into a fine powder under the heel of your snowboot, we’ve left in a few of our meditations on love (and candy) for a bit longer. We’ve also added two more stories: the medical drama The Day I Pulled A Muscle and a classic creep-out from the Monkey archives: 800 foot American Girl Doll/Talking Picture.
For $2 off your ticket, just say “Chimchar” at the box office.
Running order after the jump.
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Posted by Oona on February 13, 2011
That's Weird Grandma
TWG Weekly Update
Happy Valentine’s Day, BOM lovers! We have some terrific stories in today’s 2pm show to help commemorate the holiday about which so many are ambivalent. “Today I Am So Mad” is a cool acrostic piece about the challenges of staying upbeat in the face of rejection. “I Am A Vampire This Valentine’s Day” offers the under-represented perspective of those whose first love is blood. And “Kissing is Nasty” is a crowd pleaser whether or not you still believe in cooties.
Full running order after the jump!
For $2 off at the box office, use the password “chocolate.”
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Posted by Caleb on February 11, 2011
School Shows
After School Program
Well friends, the Loyola Park cast has but one day left to pull off Monkey greatness. Will they hit the mark? Well, to know for sure, you’ll have to come to the show on Monday. It’s going to be at Loyola Park, at 4:00, on Monday. Which is also Valentine’s Day, if you’re in to that sort of thing. But I digress. I do want to give you a taste of the juicy stories that we have been tasked with adapting. The Loyola Park Winter Show will feature a story about the effect the recent economic down-turn has had on the employment opportunities for under-the-bed monsters, as well as a story about an alien visiting a video-chat room. The show will also feature a choose-your-own adventure story as well as a plethora of creation myths. Ever wonder why T-Rex had short arms, or how giraffes got so tall? Yeah? Well we’ve got the answers!
I mentioned in the last posting that this cast has been working very hard, and now that I have figured out how to work my camera, I can provide photo documentation of the work. Please enjoy the photos that I have provided.
Lastly, how many monkeys does it take to fix a car? We don’t know either, but it’s definitely more than nine…
Posted by Alexis on February 11, 2011
Company Members
I got to visit with Monkeys Michael Govier and Curtis Williams during last month’s (awesome) Monkey-O-Kee fundraiser night, and just before they took off for an auspicious adventure!
I have been told that you guys are about to have an adventure. Tell me what it is!
Michael Govier: Curtis and I wrote a musical entitled “The King’s Proposal, or the Marriage of Princess Guido” and it’s going to Seattle to play at Seattle Musical Theater. So it’s a cool place, big venue … and we leave tomorrow.
Amazing – so this is the world premiere of your play out in Seattle? You’re coming back to Chicago right?
Michael: Oh yes, this is just an away game.
When you get out to Seattle, what’s it going to look like for you guys?Michael: Well, the play is already cast - we have a cast of 13 people and then we have set designers, costume designers, and everything is being built as we speak. The Seattle Musical Theater is a cool theater that’s been around for 33 years, so it’s not a brand new company, but this is the first time they’re doing a world premiere musical. I’ll be directing it, and Curtis will be musical directing it.
Curtis: I get a couple lines too though.
Michael: He’s actually in the show. The conductor is written into the play. And another Barrel of Monkeys cast member is coming out there with us, Brennan Buhl— he’s going to be playing one Princess Guido. And we found an abundance of talent in Seattle.
Can I get a quick synopsis of the play?
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Posted by Caleb on February 10, 2011
School Shows
In keeping with the recent tradition of rehearsing shows during historic, winter weather, the cast of the Loyola Park show has begun rehearsing during the week of single-digit temperatures. The snow that fell during the first rehearsal set a new record for total snowfall in Chicago during the month of February – 26 inches. (It should be noted that the vast majority of that fell during the CEA rehearsal process, but the record is cumulative.) All of this weather led director, Lacy Campbell, to establish a new Monkey agreement: “No making fun of other people’s winter gear.” The cast has done a nice job of following this, and all the other agreements, and deserves some Monkey-Bucks… Joe…?
After two days of excruciating labor, nearly every story has been adapted. We’ll finish tonight, and then begin the difficult task of polishing each performance so that it does each writer’s work justice. The level of awesomeness in each journal is magnificent, and the cast is doing its best to match it. Loyola Park authors, you’ve set the bar quite high!
