Playmakers Blog
Posted by Heidi on June 1, 2008
It’s our last show before Celebration of Authors!
We’re adding one brand-new stories from this school year. In fact, it’s from last week’s Orchard place show. Amazing.
We’re pretty sure the action packed “Attack of the Russian Army” could go head-to-head with any of those summer blockbusters at the movie theaters.
Full running order after the jump.
Posted by Ricardo G. on May 27, 2008
HOLA. COMO ESTAS. BIEN.
There is the old cliche: “Save the best for last.” Unlike my father, who uses the saying for everything ranging from the moment dessert is served at a restaurant or during last inning attempts at victory at White Sox games, I hardly utter it.
This last school show has been arguably the most exciting for me. There is the Monkey Triangle of Talent (Brennan Buhl, Kurt Chiang, and John Dixon) into which you would completely enjoy getting lost, the Meredith-made machine with craftsmanship that would make a Star Wars set jealous, a Spanish horror with a kiss of Dorian Gray featuring Brandon, emergent pop cultural icons in the form of an underwater sea band featuring Rachel Wilson like you’ve never seen her before—with fishtail and fiery ‘tude—and Mike Pryzgoda bringing what you’d expect: musical genius. And over all of it, the towering height (and talent) of Mike Tutaj.
However, it is not just the memories on stage harnessed by all these individuals or the Blues solo I sing penned and directed by Curtis that makes this show so memorable. (Magic minute of Monkey mathematics: Solo + me = Monkey First/Risk.) But rather a handful of minutes and seconds that occurred while discussing how to stage a story. That in itself is nothing unusual, but that this story about a serious penguin was written in Spanish made all the difference. (There happens to be a large Mexican-American student population at Orchard Place School.)
We sat and talked. We sat and talked about how to best stage this story. We discussed how to keep the language and native tongue of the student and make it accessible for those that might not know Spanish in the audience with compromising the original voice and language. We figured it out.
Immediately, I thought about my grandmother who didn’t leave her backyard cucumber garden for so long with no where to go without speaking English; or my mother and many other children of Mexican-American immigrants whose parents never spoke Spanish to them because they felt it might hinder them; or kids like me, who were teased about how they pronounced the “funny” food items in their lunchbox, pronunciation of several words or for that “gibberish” they were speaking on Report Card pick up day. Those were the times when “two was—not—better than one.”
But Sunday, May 25, 2008, was not those times. It was a time when speaking Spanish in class and out loud wasn’t just finally accepted—It was important. Worthy of our time, words, and a place. I joined BOM because of its mission and vision to celebrate “the voice of every child,” and I felt so lucky to be touched during this rehearsal to see the consideration by a group of passionate people placed on cherishing and facilitating this particular voice.
In a time where there is much debate about the legitimacy of immigrants in this country, particularly Mexican-Americans, and their successive generations still encounter at times a hostile climate, I have to say to Barrel of Monkeys for myself and any young person who has ever felt a little insecure to say “taco” too well: Thank you. Or Muchas gracias.
Posted by Ricardo G. on May 27, 2008
PRESS RELEASE: WILLIAMS WORKS WONDERS, GAMBOA GETS BLUES.
CHICAGO, IL—It is a typical Barrel of Monkeys rehearsal at Loyola Park: Actors working stages so hard with their dramatic reinterpretations of student stories that they register on the Richter scale. Artistic Director Laura Grey gets to her feet and in trying to make a note clear to refine the raw energy of her cast, flexes her own acting chops—the rooms bursts into laughter at her demonstration.
This is the penultimate practice before the Orchard Place School Show. And like any Barrel of Monkey’s rehearsal, it is filled with manic energy and mucho talent. However, the Orchard Place School Show is surely singular in this year’s Monkey season.
“The show is going to be great. Really. They’re awesome, the stories are awesome. Yeah, its gonna be great,” asserts Grey.
However, it is not just the usual commendable quality of cast and content that makes the Orchard Place School Show special, nor is it that this school show represents BOM’S annual venture outside of CPS schools to the suburbs—No. The Orchard Place School Show is unique for an entirely different reason:
Eclipses, Hailey’s comet, the alignment of planets and stars in particular fashions, the passing of Earth into the Age of Aquarius. These are the scientific phenomenon whose rare occurrences we do not take lightly, we hurry and huddle at telescopes or stare at sky in green fields on a purple midnight. The solo singing debut of Ricardo Gamboa during the Orchard Place School Show can be added to this list of modern wow.
Gamboa, a performance juggernaut indeed, does not shy away from preoccupations and truth: “You know that saying, ‘Jack-of-all-trades, master at none.’ It different for me. Something more like, ‘Jack-of-all-trades, master at many.’ But, I ain’t ‘bout to lie. One thing I cannot do: sing.”
He is not lying: Rumors state the Museum of Science & Industry even approached Gamboa once or twice earlier this year with an interest to record him singing to see if they can use it as psychological warfare on mosquitoes to make Chicago summers more enjoyable.
Not surprising, Curtis Williams shocked show cast and Company at large with news that he had written a song for Gamboa to lead. He elaborates: “Yeah, well… He’s just shy of horrible. But, in Monkey’s we believe ‘every idea is good idea.’ And I asked myself, ‘Why not?’”
“I’ve been one of Gamboa’s biggest fans. I mean he is… well, brilliant for so many reasons. I figured, I’ll write a song to highlight all the things that make him brilliant,” says Williams.
William has taken the true story misfortune of repeated bus passing and subsequent tardiness of student Jovan and turned it into a high energy, soulful blues blow-out that’s already bringing buzz.
“I’m taking off work and hangin’ outside of school, hopefully they’ll let me in to see him,” said a regular patron and tremendous Gamboa fan at That’s Weird Grandma, BOM’s long-running public show. “This is like going to see The Beatles. Except, like this time, there’s only one Beatle.”
Indeed, people are surely to be all involved in this event, but there a little more tension behind the curtain:
“Look, Ricky is amazing, but honestly, his voice scares me. Like I’ve had to stop rehearsals when he was singing because I thought there was a dying wild animal in the room and it really was only him joining in on a chorus,” says Grey.
She adds: “That said, Curtis has worked wonders, because Gamboa sounds great and gets the blues. Maybe it’s the Southside in him.”
Either way: Grab your telescopes. Or maybe you won’t need them. The singing constellation arranged by Curtis, bright with the usual musical comedic powerhouses of the cast, but this time with Gamboa as the North Star is sure to be beautifully blinding.
Parties interested in catching this freakish first may attend the Orchard Place School Show on May 28 or wait for its sure-fire induction into That’s Weird Grandma in 2008-2009.
Posted by Lacy on May 25, 2008
If When you come see That’s Weird Grandma (this Monday or next Monday, then we’re on a tiny hiatus, so get on it! The show ROCKS right now), the first story you will see is a true story about a thoroughly horrifying trip to Six Flags.
I get to take an actual picture during the story, which is producing no end of prize-winning photos.
A little context - John Dixon is the hapless child who is terrified out of his mind. Everyone else is a collection of miserable and angry clowns/pirates/who-knows-what-else who are both intent on consuming John’s soul AND seriously stoked about getting a novelty keychain with their picture in it, in approximately 2-3 hours.
As you can see, despite playing Angry Clown, in every photo Dixie is delighted that she will be featured on the blog yet again.
SEE THE SHOW! Seriously, it’s exceptionally good right now.
Posted by Heidi on May 24, 2008
Only two more performances before Celebration of Authors! That has almost nothing to do with this post, your weekly update of what will be in TWG this coming Monday.
This week we say goodbye to two stories that have been in for a long time (one of which you can still see live on WTTW if you missed in Grandma or at Wilmette), and welcome two new ones that make their TWG debut—Keys and The Dumb Lepercon, both sure to become favorites.
Full running order after the jump.