It’s been a tradition to introduce new stories to That’s Weird, Grandma after the school year has ended and we’ve performed our end of year show, Celebration of Authors. Not only do we have new sketches - but we also have a cast featuring new performers who haven’t done TWG! We started rehearsing for the show on Saturday in the rehearsal space at the Barrel of Monkeys office in Ravenswood.
On Sunday, we had another rehearsal and then took the show on the road to Rogers Park near the Lake off of Farwell.
Happy Father’s Day - and Super Hot Day, as it was in the 90s.
Joe Schupbach, Mary Tilden, and Rachel Wilson, pre-show!
We were definitely in the thick of things with performers singing, a guy cracking a whip in an open area, and people painting in the Artists of the Wall Festival - but we had to put the show on pause when it started to rain. With electrical equipment, we want to make sure the performers are safe - as well as our paraphernalia.
Barrel of Monkeys is also proud to welcome three Barrel of Monkeys newbies to That’s Weird, Grandma - Noah Appelbaum, Jasmine Jordan, and Ida Cuttler (seen below)!
Following our touring performance, the production’s first show at the Neo-Futurists Theater last Monday had a great audience! We were absolutely energized by the crowd as well as performing with each other after a brief hiatus.
Now that we’ve wrapped up our school residencies and closed the curtain on Celebration of Authors 2018, we’re ready to return to the Neo-Futurists Theater for That’s Weird, Grandma: Brand New Stories! We’re premiering sketches, songs, and dance pieces adapted from students’ stories written during the 2018-19 school year - and we can’t wait to share their wacky and poignant pieces with the wider Chicago theatre community.
We took a moment to talk with Brandon Cloyd, Barrel of Monkeys’ Artistic Director, about how excited he is to direct this production - take a look, then grab your tickets here. Performances begin this Monday night at 8!
We’ll be sharing some of our favorite adaptations from this year in the show - and to capture just how wacky and energetic it’ll be, we compiled this promo video featuring footage from some of our 2018-19 school performances. Take a look - and then join us at the Neo for the public premieres of our newest sketches and songs. You can purchase tickets here.
Our students are young, but they are not naïve. They know exactly what took place at the ballot box this week, and inside each of their brilliant minds are opinions and questions and hopes and fears about the future.
At Barrel of Monkeys, we work to provide our students with the tools and the confidence to express their ideas and share their stories. Sometimes, they write funny stories about monsters and aliens and attacking vegetables. Other times, they write beautiful testaments to the world as they experience it and their aspirations and dreams for a better future. All of their stories are important, and worth celebrating.
Today in this uncharted era, we offer the strongest words of hope we can find. Unsurprisingly, they come from a student. Please enjoy.
Untitled [Peace Lives]
by Beth C.
Peace lives in my eyes
They allow me to see what
good and beautiful things
there are in the world
I see the leaves on the trees
I see the smiles on people’s faces
I see my friends laughing
My eyes allow me to see
the bad things in the world
I see people living on the streets
I see people fighting
I see people crying
Peace lives in my hands
My pencil hits the paper
I let out all my anger
I write how I feel
My hands allow me to feel
I can touch
I can create.
With The Ten Diamonds and Sisters by Michelle A. from the Johnson School of Excellence slated to go into TWG on Monday, I sat down with Rawson Vint, the mastermind behind adapting this story into a song. We chatted about his process and special connection to the story. Read an excerpt from the interview below.
What first drew you to The Ten Diamonds and Sisters in the rehearsal room?
I think I gravitate to those types of stories because of the challenge, the originality of the work, and the chance to experiment. Diamonds in particular was a challenge because I set myself a task to do it word for word. There’s maybe two exceptions, but other than that—it’s verbatim what the author wrote.
Not only did you adapt this story into a song, you also originated the role of the mother. If this song were to be performed on Broadway, which celebrity would the producers hire to replace you? (Not that you’re replaceable but let’s face it, it’s a tough business)
I keep thinking “who’d be the most unlikely person to do this song” and it would have to be Alex Trebek from Jeopardy. Wouldn’t that be weird? And great? Can he even sing?
Does Diamonds tell a larger story? What metaphor or real life connections do you hope audience members take away?
There’s definitely some attachment anxiety going on in this family, not to mention they eat dinner at 10pm. But I think the take away is “take care of yourself and your family….and your diaaaaaaamonds”.
