Barrel of Monkeys Blog

Avondale Rehearsal

2009-11-10T03:57:35Z

Hello there! Last week, Barrel of Monkeys started rehearsing for the Avondale school show. The school show is this Friday, November 13th, and we have three more rehearsals left, but let’s talk about last week when we started!

Rehearsal #1 - Luke is directing the show, which consists of 13 Monkeys. Among them are two of the teachers who taught at Avondale, Rachel and Calliope. We read a lot of stories, since three classrooms are represented. The students are in 5th grade. We picked about six stories to perform, and it was a blast! Whew!

Rehearsal #2 - We adapted more stories, and the laughter was non-stop. Some of the stories are about robot babysitters, a pregnant man, and a limousine full of famous celebrities!

Rehearsal #3 - Uh oh. Two Monkeys were sick and couldn’t make it to rehearsal. Aw….darn. Luke told the rest of us to please stay healthy and get rest. We did more adapting, but made sure to leave parts for the sick Monkeys. We not only learned a new song that Philip and Carly wrote about a man in love with a grill which was tasty, but we also choreographed it! FUN!

For next rehearsal: We’re going to learn the closer and maybe another song! Stay tuned!

That’s Weird Grandma - Monday 11/9/09

2009-11-09T14:20:54Z

Whoa. It’s a whole new round, whole new cast, whole new running order!
SIX new stories are going into the show this week.

You’re gonna see some real winners here-

1. Superheroes- It’s a battle between “?” and “!”

2. Spider Monkeys- a rousing musical number. “Web was on people.”

3. The Three Friends- 3 old men show everyone who’s king of the neighborhood, then go to the park to bask in the glory.

4. My Dad at the Panda Express- See what happens when Montell’s father’s Orange Chicken order takes too long to arrive…

5. Untitled (a girl named silver)- One of Silver’s powers is bequeathing short names to people!

6. Turn Back the Clocks- it’s an all-out new-age house jam!

See you at the plays! Buy tickets here.

Superheroes
Twilight
The King and the Queen (Setting: At a Manchon)
Spider Monkeys
Three Friends
My Dad at Panda Express
Untitled (Silver)
Untitled (Haunted House with Women)
Clare
Princess Jump Rope
When a Tiger Turned Bad
3 Monkeys at the Beach
Turn Back the Clocks
The Magical Place

A BOM Halloween

2009-11-03T21:52:02Z

For this Halloween, Barrel of Monkeys played at the Chicago Cultural Center’s Hallowed Halls Halloween celebration! On Saturday morning, Barrel of Monkeys worked with about 40 kids in costume in a writing workshop and performance.

(Jason Sperling and Laura Grey with a Hallowed Halls attendee.)

A group of Fairytale Characters and Creatures wrote and performed a story about two fairytales! In one, everything was splendid. In the other, a dragon and dwarf crushed the princesses and ate the kings. A cat with good reflexes, a Monkey King, and The Grand Master save the day. For now…

(Rachel Wilson and Jason Sperling meeting the Fairytale Characters and Creatures.)

The Superheroes wrote and performed a story about overcoming a mass of bad guys, which included the dreaded Bowser! The story concluded with a well deserved celebration with pizza, hot chips, and pop.

(Mario and Luigi have come across Bowser before!)

The Monsters and Witches wrote and performed a story about a haunted house with a ton of ambushes, but at the end, at the snap of a finger, everything was turned back to normal.

(So many scary kids!)

The afternoon concluded with a performance of “That’s Weird, Grandma” to a crowd of more than 300 families!

What a great way to spend Halloween.

What did YOU do?!?

That’s Weird Grandma - Monday 11/2/09

2009-11-01T20:30:58Z

Avid & Casual Blog Readers,
Last chance to see this particularly attractive and talented cast before they go away…

AND, even though Halloween is over, it’s not too late to score some WICKED Halloween prizes (the adjective, not the musical) after TWG.
Would you like a fuzzy ghost sticker? Perhaps a mummy rubber ducky?…

Also, this is it. No doubt about it. The LAST performance of Tiny Door in the Back of My Closet before it is gone from the show!

The new story this week concerns a fictitious famous singer named Clare who must dress in man’s clothes to hide from her fans. It’s the only way.

See you there!! 8pm. Neo-Futurarium. You will like it.

Buy tickets hur.

Full running order below!

Princess Jump Rope
Twilight
Untitled (Standing Cat)
Teenager Girl & Pumpkin
Clare
If I Was a Bus Driver
My Date with a Vampire
3 Monkeys at the Beach
The Magical Place
The King and the Queen (Setting: At a Manchon)
When a Tiger Turned Bad
Untitled (Haunted House with Women)
The Tiny Door In the Back of My Closet
The Slithering Snakes

That’s Weird Grandma - Monday 10/26/09

2009-10-25T17:27:50Z

Avid & Casual Blog Readers,

We’re really starting to pack the show with Halloween goodness.

And last week’s Halloween prizes were just the beginning!

The new stories coming into the show are:

1. When a Tiger Turned Bad - The good tiger, Luther, is turned to the dark side by the bad lion, Martin. (Not a Halloween story, exactly, but a great morality tale)

2. Teenager Girl & Pumpkin - a teenager girl puts make-up AND lipstick on a begrudging pumpkin!

See it.

tickets available here.

Full running order after the jump.

My Argument Why Kids Should Ride Motorcycles
I Believe When You Buy a Toy You Will Get the Whole Set
The King and the Queen (Setting: At a Manchon)
When a Tiger Turned Bad
Untitled (Standing Cat)
Twilight
If I Was a Bus Driver
My Date with a Vampire
3 Monkeys at the Beach
Teenager Girl & Pumpkin
The Magical Place
Princess Jump Rope
Untitled (Haunted House with Women)
The Tiny Door In the Back of My Closet
The Slithering Snakes

Fun at Stockton

2009-10-22T01:07:30Z

Yes!!! I am trully enjoying “Stockton”. No doubt, it’s always a blast meeting up with the crew: Dana, Laura G., Goodrich, and Soszko over at “Angel Food” and ordering my usual English Muffin; but there’s nothing like walking into the classes every week and seeing the excitement on the kids faces. Not to tip my hat, but I think we have a few Barrel of Monkeys’ Instant Classics on our hands. Good times indeed. I can’t wait for the show. Talks to ya….

brad

That’s Weird Grandma - Monday 10/19/09

2009-10-18T20:19:44Z

Hi avid and casual blog readers,

Guess what?! Our limited edition Halloween shirts are now for sale at the show! They are orange and black and the monkey is wearing a witch hat!
We’ve also got some SWEET Halloween prizes we’ll be giving out after the show tomorrow…

The two, new, appropriately themed pieces going in this week are:

1. Twilight- 2 girls encounter a creepy Twilight aficionada at Borders.

2. Untitled (Haunted House with Women) - Joshiwa discovers a Haunted House to be much better than it seemed…

Buy tickets here.

See yous there!

Full running order after the jump.

My Argument Why Kids Should Ride Motorcycles
I Believe When You Buy a Toy You Will Get the Whole Set
The King and the Queen (Setting: At a Manchon)
Word Girl Telling the Story
Twilight
If I Was a Bus Driver
The Slithering Snakes
My Date with a Vampire
3 Monkeys at the Beach
The Texas Bull Outing
The Magical Place
Princess Jump Rope
Untitled (Haunted House with Women)
The Tiny Door In the Back of My Closet
Untitled (Standing Cat)

Looking For Some Fancy Schmancy Attire?

2009-10-13T16:36:04Z

Having trouble finding something to wear to Fancy Schmancy on Friday! You are in luck! Jason and I found this wonderful store while on our Honeymoon and I bet they’ll have the perfect look for you!

But, you must hurry! While they are open daily, they are located at 91 Oxford Street, Bondi Junction… in Sydney, Australia.
If you fly out today, you’ll be back in time for Fancy Schmancy on Friday! Hurry!

Auction Awesomeness

2009-10-11T21:28:53Z

Are you psyched about this Friday’s Fancy Schmancy benefit? I know you are! As well you should be. Not only will the party be a rip-roarin’ time, you will have the opportunity to bid upon many wonderful auction items while simultaneously supporting the work of your favorite nonprofit (that’s us, by the way).

What’s in store? I’ll tell you what is in store. Presumably, as a loyal BOM Blog reader, you have already read about Mr. Govier’s excellent offer. What, that isn’t enough for you? Well, there is more…

Did you see Drew Barrymore and Regina Spektor on Saturday Night Live this past weekend? That was NOTHING compared to seeing not-them-but-similarly-celebrity-people live and in person! Get a flight for two and two tickets to be in the SNL audience. These tickets are nearly impossible to come by, so don’t pass up this once in a lifetime experience.

Do you love food? Of course you do – who doesn’t. You must bid on two tickets to the December Wandering Goat Dinner. What is a Wandering Goat Dinner you ask? Bravo’s Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard is letting two lucky Fancy guests attend one of her secret dinners to preview drool-worthy dishes (not necessarily including goat) for her soon-to-be-opening restaurant, The Drunken Goat. Bid high-these tickets are coveted and sell out in 30 seconds online! For info and pictures on past dinners, visit www.stephanieizard.com.

Do you know how to read? I thought so. Our “Book Club in a Box” is just for you. It gives you a bunch of books to hand out to your friends, and gives you the opportunity to talk about the books WITH the amazing people who wrote them! Read books by authors Claire Zulkey, Kairol Rosenthal, J. Adams Oaks, James Kennedy, and Marcus Sakey, then meet them all in your home and question them incessantly!

Have you ALWAYS wanted to be a Monkey, but lacked the tree-climbing skills? You can live out your dream on the stage with Barrel of Monkeys in a production of That’s Weird Grandma by winning a walk-on role.

Are you already saddened by the recent drop in temperature? Escape the Chicago weather with a week on beautiful South Padre Island, Texas OR in Myrtle Beach, SC.

And oh! There is so much more…rooftop baseball! Sailing lessons! Theater tickets galore! Dining, massages, jewelry, parties! You must be there to see it all, and you will like it!

That’s Weird Grandma - Monday 10/12/09

2009-10-11T19:20:37Z

Hey avid and casual blog readers,

I just came from our Sunday morning rehearsal where we practiced two new GEMS that will make their debut tomorrow night. Both stories appeared in Celebration of Authors 2009.

1. The King and the Queen (Setting: at a manchon) - an epic, tragic dialogue in which Miranda’s stony heart leads to her unfortunate demise. (There’s some excellent character work going on in this one that you really won’t want to miss).

2. Untitled (Standing Cat) - The Farmer’s family throws a swinging party for all when the cat STANDS!

Come see the show, yes!

Buy tickets here. Full running order (with updated links to the stories) after the jump!

My Argument Why Kids Should Ride Motorcycles
The King and the Queen (Setting: At a Manchon)
Untitled (because I am deaf)
I Believe When You Buy a Toy You Will Get the Whole Set
Word Girl Telling the Story
If I Was a Bus Driver
The Slithering Snakes
Princess Jump Rope
3 Monkeys at the Beach
The Texas Bull Outing
The Magical Place
My Date with a Vampire
I am a Super Hero
The Tiny Door In the Back of My Closet
Untitled (Standing Cat)

Fancy Schmancy Auction Prize!

2009-10-06T17:29:16Z

And now, ladies and gentleman, an important message from Michael Govier.

Hello World.

You might have heard about Fancy Schmancy. The benefit for Barrel of Monkeys. We are trying to help the children in Chicago Public Schools. What you don’t like children? That’s fine. You might like going to a party with an open bar! Great food and an auction! Did I mention that there will be no children at the event? You don’t have to see the people you are helping because you don’t like children.

Okay you good now.

Did I mention at the party there will be an auction?

Yeah you heard me right an auction. With lots of cool stuff for sale. But I know you are asking yourself “What does this have to do with Michael Govier?” Good question. I, Michael Govier, am auctioning off the privilege to take me to dinner. YES YOU HEARD ME RIGHT! You can buy the opportunity to buy me dinner! YEAH that just happened! Starting bid $100.00 American dollars. I will see you at Fancy Schmancy October 16th, 7pm at the Chicago Cultural Center (77 E. Randolph St.) This is what you have to look forward too. (insert photo here of me at dinner.)

Sincerely,

Michael Govier
PhD, MA, MFA, PDF, IM, BVD, MIT, JJJ.

This concludes this important announcement by Michael Govier. Only attendees of the Fancy Schmancy get this once in a lifetime opportunity. There will be other stuff to get, too.

That’s Weird Grandma - Monday 10/5/09

2009-10-05T16:00:06Z

Our 9th season of TWG started last week before a great crowd.
The “Tiny Door in the Back of My Closet” was an audience favorite last week (and always), so it remains in the running order…but for how long???

The new pieces going into the show tonight are:

If I Was a Bus Driver - a favorite from Celebration of Authors last year. The story itself is a treat and so is the performance.

The Slithering Snakes - a mama anaconda escapes from the lab and attacks the country! Look out!

Buy tickets here. See you at the show!

Full running order below….

If I Was a Bus Driver
Princess Jump Rope
I Believe When You Buy a Toy You Will Get the Whole Set
Untitled (because I am deaf)
What Mother Nature Does to You
My Argument Why Kids Should Ride Motorcycles
3 Monkeys at the Beach
The Texas Bull Outing
Essentialism Poems
Word Girl Telling the Story
The Magical Place
My Date with a Vampire
I am a Super Hero
The Tiny Door In the Back of My Closet
The Slithering Snakes

Fancy Hats for you!

2009-10-05T15:31:50Z

Last night Amanda, Elizabeth, Heidi and I gathered in my dining room for what we call The Greatest Party of the Year. That’s right my friends it was indeed the Fancy Schmancy Hat Making Party!

These hats will be worn by all the fabulous people, who bought get schmancy tickets, at our Fancy Schmancy Benefit in two weeks.

What you haven’t bought your tickets yet? Just click here!

At two o’clock the dining room was prepped with ruffles, birds, fruit and glue guns.

The hats sat like blank canvases on my sofa.

I wondered if we could do these hats justice…

The ladies arrived and we began our work.
Gluing…

Adding height…

Sometimes we weren’t sure what do do next…

But the rules of Fancy Hat making say: When you think your done you must add one more thing.

After hours of fantastic labor we sucessfully created over 50 hats!
This is a taste of what you could be wearing at Fancy Schmancy 2009:

And so many more!

Now, it’s time to clean up…

Which hat will you wear at Fancy?

Auditions

2009-09-30T18:01:41Z

Auditions are nerve-wracking. Just sitting at the table outside auditions last night made me nervous. You dread sneaking a peek at the auditioners to see something like this . . .

Or maybe this . . .

But I promise the people in the room are really nice people who want you to do well! They look more like this . . .

Auditions started last night—the first auditions we’ve had in a couple of years—and a ton of interesting, talented people came out. We have two more nights of that to go. As the audition notice makes clear, we’re always looking to fill specific gaps in our company, which means you can be the awesomest awesome that ever awesomed and not be cast. AHHHH!!!!! Infuriating!!!!! But we appreciate every single person who takes the time to come out. Some of you are going to be Monkeys, and that thrills us!

As I twittered, new monkeys wait to be born. The galaxy prepares.

That’s Weird Grandma - Monday 9/28/09

2009-09-27T17:00:04Z

The 9th Season of TWG begins on September 28!!
My goodness!

Classic stories like “What Mother Nature Does to You” (a cautionary environmental tale warning against reckless deforestation) and “The Magical Place” (Dulce is transported to a fantasy land at McDonalds that is not what it seems) are still in the show and show no sign of budging from the run.

Also, for one week only and back by popular demand, the audience favorite, “The Tiny Door in the Back of my Closet” will make an encore performance.

Also, Maggie showed up in the office with a pumpkin spice latte, which means Halloween is fast approaching.
Appropriately themed stories such as this week’s, “My Date with a Vampire” will begin making their way into the show.
In this one, an internet-arranged encounter ends tragically.

Come to the Neo-Futurarium Monday night to see That’s Weird, Grandma!

Here is where to buy tickets.

Full running order below!

My Argument Why Kids Should Ride Motorcycles
My Date with a Vampire
I Believe When You Buy a Toy You Will Get the Whole Set
Untitled (because I am deaf)
What Mother Nature Does to You
Princess Jump Rope
3 Monkeys at the Beach
Untitled (Friends are Everything)
I am a Super Hero
Disco Girl
The Texas Bull Outing
Word Girl Telling the Story
Essentialism Poems
The Magical Place
The Tiny Door In the Back of My Closet