Barrel of Monkeys Blog

Avondale Rehearsal

2009-11-10T03:57:35+00:00

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

2009-11-09T14:20:54+00:00

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

2009-11-03T21:52:02+00:00

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

2009-11-01T20:30:58+00:00

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

2009-10-25T17:27:50+00:00

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

2009-10-22T01:07:30+00:00

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

2009-10-18T20:19:44+00:00

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?

2009-10-13T16:36:04+00:00

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

2009-10-11T21:28:53+00:00

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

2009-10-11T19:20:37+00:00

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)