Greenhorn

Posted by Dan R. on December 1, 2011

I knew that becoming part of Barrel of Monkeys would be fun. I just didn’t know how much.

Having seen a number of performances of That’s Weird, Grandma and being lucky enough to know a handful of Monkeys socially,
I knew that the shows were inventive, creative and joyful and that the performers were much more so. As a result, I was excited to join.
Turns out, being a Monkey is not only a hoot; it’s full of surprises and challenges.

The first surprise comes from the kids and what they write. It’s easy to assume that kids see the world in simple ways, unburdened by the
complexities of grown-up life. The reality is that the worlds that they see and imagine are infinitely more amazing and complex that the
world we live in. Sitting in Loyola Park and reading pages from kids’ writing journals is a constant parade of mind-boggling delights.
It’s not simply the words they write; every now and again, one of these pages will be adorned with a picture that may, or may not,
be related to the story at hand. Either way, the creativity is palpable.
Challenge 1: Forget all your preconceptions about how kids think and imagine… you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Once we choose the stories for a school show, it’s on to creating the plays. As a new member of the ensemble, I was expecting at
least a little kind of pecking order, (more mother hen and fluffy chicks than angry buzzards).
Turns out, this isn’t the case. From the very first moment, each Monkey embodied the underlying principle that every idea is a good idea.
However, that means that there’s a responsibility to be open and receptive to other’s ideas without becoming a passive observer of the
process. Scenes are crafted by groups of one or two, then we perform for each other, pulling in other Monkeys
to fill remaining parts. Along the way, there’s a constant flow of ideas and support that makes the process a blast.
Challenge 2: Be both generative and generous as a performer and try something new

Then there’s the show itself. In all my years as a performer, I don’t think I’ve worked as hard, both physically and mentally, as I have
in a BOM school show. 23 Scenes in less than 60 minutes involves a lot of scurrying around. There are transitions to work, props to keep
track of, scenes to perform and truly no time to take a breath before the end of show song. All the while that this is happening,
you’re remembering that the work that you’re performing was written by a kid sitting in the audience with his or her friends and family.
There’s no scope for messing up or giving a flat performance.
Challenge 3: Give the show 100% for 100% of the time.

Perhaps these challenges seem obvious; surely keeping an open mind, being creative and generous and giving 100% are hardly novel ideas.
However, there’s something about Barrel of Monkeys that turns these up to 11. I feel very lucky to have joined such a wonderful group of
performers, so soon after moving to Chicago and I’m looking forward to rising to these challenges again and again and helping to save the world