Posted by Amanda Farrar on November 30, 2009

Thank you, every single one of you 119 people who have voted to help Barrel of Monkeys win $25,000+ from Chase Bank! Haven’t yet voted? Have a Facebook account? Keep reading! Chase has decided to go to the public via Facebook to decide who should get their very-much-needed-and-in-demand charitable donations which will total $5 mil. So, all you have to do is become a fan of Chase Community Giving, then search for your favorite charities and start dealing out your votes! Each person gets 20 votes, but can only vote for a single nonprofit once (Not at all like what we’ve become accustomed to from reality television shows!).
106 charities will recieve gifts from Chase based on your votes - from $25,000 up to $1 million! It’s the easiest way to help a charity since sliced bread. Or something like that…
Posted by Luke on November 29, 2009
That's Weird Grandma
Buzz among the Monkeys is that this show is not to be missed. Only two weeks left before it’s a whole new round, new cast, new show!
Also, here at BOMCOM, we consider Monday to still be part of the greater Thanksgiving holiday experience time. I know it’s strange. But you win, because it means one more week of SPECIAL THANKSGIVING PRIZES!
Enough about prizes.
The art:
The two new pieces going into the show this week are:
W-I-A-R-D – a dialogue in which 3 girls discover a cryptic note. Who wrote it and why? It was definitely written by a boy as “boys don’t have good handwriting.”
Expensive Things – a persuasive argument with the thesis “I believe all expensive things should be dropped down to three dollars!”
Insert Black Friday joke here.
See you at the show!
Tickets available here.
Running order below.
Read more
Posted by Rachel on November 28, 2009
School Shows
After School Program
The Loyola Park show brought out our artsy craftsy side! Sarah, the head of the after-school program made a wall display of all the fantastic stories kids in our program wrote this fall.

New Monkey Caleb and I adapted a story about a house that is “too small.” That’s Levy poking her head through the windows.

New Monkey Marla created this fantastic hamburger puppet—yes, that’s the Whopper Jr. who tries to warn JFK of his impending assassination. As you can see, the warning is for naught.

Lacy and Luke came up with the stagecraft to make these ghosts float with Caleb’s magician’s wand and then fly into his hat.

And Laura G and I made a story about a Gingerbread Diary! I made the cookies, and Laura made that teensy tiny diary—it even has a staple clasp to keep it private.

Posted by Rachel on November 23, 2009
That's Weird Grandma
Aw, remember when it was Halloween? And Brennan wore the pumpkin head?

And Tom didn’t want Jason to put makeup on his pumpkin face?

And everybody wore a lot of orange?

Even special limited edition Monkey Witch shirts?
That was fun.
The last Halloween story has left Grandma. Laura says she doesn’t like when holiday stories stay in after their respective holiday. I have to agree, but is it really almost Thanksgiving?
Pilgrim’s Bounty just started on World of Warcraft, so it must be true.
Two things I’m thankful for:
Our long, sunny autumn. My first winter in Chicago, the first big snow happened on October 16. We are having a sweet fall season, y’all.
AND
Getting to play Jenny for the first time ever in “Thanksgiving.”
Posted by Luke on November 22, 2009
That's Weird Grandma
Special Thanksgiving prizes await you after the show…
All the trimmings are in place…
Barrel of Monkeys does not attempt the theatrical style of Harold Pinter often, but when we do, the results can be devastating.
A seasonal classic is returning to the Neo this week; Thanksgiving. In it, John must fight through the icy, tension-filled silence of his dysfunctional family in order to bring joy into the room.
Also, perhaps you’re planning travel this Thanksgiving? Well, take comfort in the fact that no matter how turbulent your travel experience, it can’t go as badly as it does for the poor, naive family in The Freakey People and the Baby, this week’s other new piece. This family flies to a remote island, then leaves their baby there to be raised by juice-box-sipping natives!
See you at the Neo to witness these dramatic new pieces and many more!
Buy tickets here.
Runlist below!
Read more