Saturday, December 2, 2017

THAT’S WEIRD, GRANDMA: Holiday Stories by Barrel of Monkeys at the Neo-Futurarium Through 12/23

ChiIL Mama's Chi, IL Picks List:

Barrel of Monkeys Presents
THAT’S WEIRD, GRANDMA: 
Holiday Stories
Directed by Artistic Director Brandon Cloyd
December 4 – December 23, 2017 at the Neo-Futurist Theater

*Extra holiday shows added: Mondays at 8 pm. Added performances: Thursday, December 21 at 8 pm, Friday, December 22 at 8 pm and Saturday, December 23 at 8 pm.* 



Barrel of Monkeys celebrates the season with THAT’S WEIRD, GRANDMA: Holiday Stories, a festive line-up of sketches and songs written by kids and inspired by the holidays, winter, elves, gift-giving and much more! THAT’S WEIRD, GRANDMA: Holiday Stories will play Mondays at 8 pm – plus a special weekend of added holiday performances – from December 4 – December 23, 2017 at the Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave. in Chicago. Directed by Artistic Director Brandon Cloyd, THAT’S WEIRD, GRANDMA features stories conceived and written by Chicago elementary school students and adapted for the stage and performed by Barrel of Monkeys Company Members. 

Tickets are available at www.barrelofmonkeys.org or by calling (773) 506-7140. 

THAT’S WEIRD, GRANDMA: Holiday Stories features Barrel of Monkeys Company Members Ashley Bland, Barry Irving, Mari Marroquin, Meredith Milliron, Deanna Myers, Caleb Probst, Bradford Stevens, Mary Tilden, Gwen Tulin and Rawson Vint.

Clever and funny – touching and poignant – the collection of short sketches and songs featured in THAT’S WEIRD, GRANDMA is equally entertaining for adults and children. The line-up of the long-running, critically-acclaimed revue changes each week by audience vote, so no two shows are ever the same. 

Barrel of Monkeys, a Chicago-based arts education theater ensemble now in its 21st season, conducts creative writing workshops with 2nd through 7th grade students in underserved Chicago Public Schools and in its own after-school program. The ensemble of actor-educators then turns their stories and poems into professionally performed theater, presented both in-school and for the general public through its revues. Barrel of Monkeys annually performs more than 300 stories for the students in their schools and 175 stories on the stage for the general public.



Location: Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave. in Chicago
Dates: December 4 – December 23, 2017
Curtain Times: Mondays at 8 pm. Added performances: Thursday, December 21 at 8 pm, Friday, December 22 at 8 pm and Saturday, December 23 at 8 pm. 

Tickets: $15 for adults; $5 for children under 12. Discounts: $10 for students with ID, seniors, veterans and groups of 10 or more people. Tickets are available at www.barrelofmonkeys.org or by calling (773) 506-7140.

Upcoming Shows!

That’s Weird, Grandma: Holiday Stories
Mondays at 8pm, December 4 - December 18
Thursday, December 21 - Saturday, December 23 at 8pm

That’s Weird, Grandma: Stories for Change
Mondays at 8pm, January 22 - February 19

That’s Weird, Grandma: Stories that Groove
Mondays at 8pm, March 12 - April 9

That’s Weird, Grandma: Brand New Stories
Mondays at 8pm, June 18 - July 16

That’s Weird, Grandma: Stories about Food

Mondays at 8pm, July 23 - August 27

About the Director
Brandon Cloyd joined Barrel of Monkeys (BOM) in 2007 and has been deeply involved in many facets of the company ever since. Prior to joining BOM, Brandon graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and a minor in Business Institutions. Within BOM, Brandon has served as an actor, teaching artist, lead teacher, a member of Teacher Corps, as well as directing shows for schools and public performances of That's Weird Grandma. He has also held the role of the BOM After-School Program Coordinator at Loyola Park from 2014-2016 and the Program Director since the summer of 2016. Outside of Barrel of Monkeys, he worked as the Associate Director of Camp Echo, where he has spent 13 summers managing campers and staff at a co-ed sleep away camp in Upstate New York. Brandon has worked with other theatre companies including Urban Theatre Company, American Theatre Company, Filament Theatre, Ingen Productions, ACLE's Teatrino in Italy and Purple Crayon Players at Northwestern University. 



About Barrel of Monkeys
Since Barrel of Monkeys’ inception in 1997, its teaching artists have served more than 60 Chicago Public Schools. Over 15,000 elementary school students have participated in the Barrel of Monkeys programs, which aim to build students' writing skills, improve self-esteem, and instill confidence in their ideas and abilities.

Barrel of Monkeys is sponsored in part by Wintrust Financial, Allscripts, Inc., IMC Chicago, Ernst and Young, and Punchkick Interactive. It receives generous support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency; the National Endowment for the Arts; a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events; the Chicago Community Trust; Crown Family Philanthropies; Alphawood Foundation of Chicago; the Maurice R. and Meta G. Gross Foundation; Polk Bros Foundation; the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation; the Robert and Isabelle Bass Foundation, Inc.; The Saints; The Topfer Family Foundation, and many other generous individuals and foundations. 

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