KNOW A MONKEY: Dixie Uffelman

Posted by Alexis on June 7, 2010 at 10:01 PM
Company Members

The first in a series of monthly interviews with members of Barrel of Monkeys.

How long have you been with Barrel of Monkeys?
I’ve been with Barrel of Monkeys since the Fall of 2003. After graduating from Northwestern, where I was in Griffin’s Tale, I said to my friend Laura Gray, “I have to keep doing this work, I hear there’s a professional company, how do I become a part of it.”  And she introduced me to the Monkeys.

Do you have a favorite BOM story to perform right now?
Oh geez, well right now we’ve brought back an old favorite called Eddie’s Rim Shop, where I play Eddie’s wife ... it’s fun to do that story.  I also like stories like The Beat where you have to get something right.

What do you do when you’re not being a Monkey?
I work for Steppenwolf Theater Company and I’m the Production Coordinator there.  So it’s always fun when I get to see my Monkey pals at Steppenwolf, and whenever I read in someone’s bio at like the Goodman Theater or Steppenwolf ensemble member at Barrel of Monkeys, it’s like “That’s right! Check it!”

What does Production Coordinator mean?
Production Coordinator is kind of a weird title - basically I am the Assistant Production Manager.  What that means is along with my boss (the Production Manager) I help oversee the Steppenwolf Production Department - who are the people that make the scenery, the costumes, hang the speakers, point the lights, run the show and in general do everything to make the play happen.  Production managers are responsible for managing budgets, calendars and people. If we have done our job correctly, the show opens on time, under budget, and is just as the director and designers want it, with everyone working on the show feeling satisfied, and probably with a beer in their hand on opening night.

Do you have any pets?
Yes, I have a monster named Booker T. Uffelman. He’s an eleven month old English Bulldog, and he’s the most handsome dog in all of Chicago. He’s very charming ... he’s at home right now eating ice cubes.

Okay, so pretend you can’t be a Monkey or a Production Coordinator at Steppenwolf. What is your dream job?
Butter judge.  No question. I’d be a butter judge. One day I was flipping through a food magazine and there was a full-page ad for some kind of artisinal butter.  It said “winner of the something-something prize and the something-something prize for fine butters.” I put my university education to use and said, “if there are prizes for butter, there is someone whose job it is to taste butter and judge it …. Butter judge.” Absolutely my dream job.  Oh my lord, you just spread it on a baguette and taste it and take notes, and compare it to the other butter, and then you mix it in with vegetables …  That, or the people who take care of bee emergencies. You know, there are people who are a squad and they go take care of bee disasters.  So butter taster or the volunteer bee squadron.

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Celebration of Authors - TOMORROW!

Posted by Amanda Farrar on June 7, 2010 at 09:50 AM
General That's Weird Grandma TWG Weekly Update Celebration of Authors School Shows After School Program Company Members

Sadly, there will not be a performance of “That’s Weird Grandma” this evening.  Happily, there WILL be a FREE performance tomorrow night!  Tuesday, June 8 at 7pm, Barrel of Monkeys will perform Celebration of Authors at the Harold Washington Cultural Center, 4701 Martin Luther King Dr.  Click here to make a reservation!

Because artistic director extraordinaire, Luke Hatton, was so generous in offering me a part in this year’s Celebration of Authors, I have been spending much of my time in the last week watching the brilliant Monkeys at work, attempting to keep up, and on my own, doing some intense Michael Jackson choreography research. 

Being in the room with the Monkeys at work is like nothing I have ever experienced in my decades in the performing arts (albeit, the majority of which had a heavy dance emphasis).  Just the term “team work” does not really do this group justice.  I have seen the Monkeys work as a small group in the classrooms, but that controlled chaos pales in comparison to that in the rehearsal room when there are 35 Monkeys! 

I was amazed watching rehearsal for “The Tale of the Twelve Hip Hop Dancing Proncess”.  While Carly was reviewing choreography with everyone, Philip was teaching the vocals, and on the side, Musical Director Laura had an idea of layering in some more vocals.  She touched base with fellow Monkey musician Erick to see what he thought.  As he was encouraging, she went to Philip to see what he was good with it.  After a quick agreement from Philip, Laura had Mari and Rachel on their feet playing around with the additional vocals.  After some wrangling by Artistic Director Luke Hatton, and approximately 30 minutes, the play was ready to go!

I’ve always loved the process of art making, and the Monkeys have the process to beat all processes! 

The most amazing thing is that the passion and dedication of each individual Monkey is inspired by one thing: the children.  The intense urge of each Monkey to do justice to the student author’s story and make them proud is palpable.  The question after a performance by a Monkey is never “How was I?” it is “What did the author do when we were performing his/her story?”

Come see the Monkeys perform 30 brilliant stories written by students this school year, and better yet, see the students’ reactions. 

Runlist below!

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Chalmers Saves the Best for Last

Posted by Rachel on May 25, 2010 at 10:23 PM
School Shows Company Members

Chalmers is often the last school show of the year, and while we don’t play favorites, it is true that lots of Monkeys come out for this last blast.

One of these Monkeys is Kristie Koehler, former Monkey Program Director and current emeritus member. Emeritus is a fancy way to say she used to be around all the time, but isn’t anymore. You might remember her as Bob Stickle, Funny Bunny, or the Girl Who Broke Her Two Front Teeth. That story was performed in the very first That’s Weird Grandma and is the source of the title! Kristie’s the original “Grandma” on the very first That’s Weird, Grandma posters! I mean, you guys, that is famous!

Here she is with fellow Monkey veteran Matt Miller.

Kristie is a clown, a Neo-Futurist, a college instructor, a sometime TV producer, and one of the funniest people I know.

One of my favorite things about Kristie is that she’s older than me. (I mean, in Monkey years she’s older. Kristie, that’s what I mean. I’m not telling how old anybody is in real years, though young Philip recently described me as “still springlike.” I will take it. ) Back on track—when I first joined Barrel of Monkeys, I was not always sure what to do, so I would ask myself, “What would Kristie do?” and basically rip her off. While I could never be Kristie, it worked great! At the end of that first year, people told me I had grown a lot as a performer, and I thought, yeah, I learned how to rip off Kristie Koehler . . . Secrets. Learning and growing. Barrel of Monkeys, always learning and growing together.

No, but seriously that’s part of what makes a company strong—internal leadership and a shared sense of style and humor. We copy each other and mix it up with our own special sauce, find our inner Monkey. Mine has a healthy sprinkling of Koehler.

Joe and Rachel’s Big Day

Posted by Rachel on March 15, 2010 at 07:33 PM
That's Weird Grandma School Shows After School Program Company Members Miscellaneous

Joe and Rachel attempted a Monkey Trifecta this Monday: school show, teaching, Grandma.

To keep themselves alert and energized between stages two and three, they made this vlog for you!

Enjoy!

Joe & Rachel’s Big Day from Barrel of Monkeys on Vimeo.

Monkey Singers Announced!

Posted by Amanda Farrar on January 25, 2010 at 02:48 PM
Company Members

As you may have heard, the Monkeys are aiming to save the world one karaoke song at a time!  Here are four karaoke performances that will take place at Monkey-O-Kee this coming Sunday, January 31, 2010 (8pm-11pm at Mad River Bar & Grille, 2909 N. Sheffield Ave.) that you do NOT want to miss.

Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson
Starring Dixie and Elizabeth

Jumpin’ Jack Flash by Rolling Stones
Starring Brad Stevens
Featuring Zeke

U+Me=Us (Calculus) by 2gether
Starring Philip Markle
Featuring Geoff, Curtis, Tai and Tom

Paranoid Android by Radiohead
Starring Donnell Williams
Featuring Tai and Kurt , and Monkey friends Brad, Jessica, and Dean  

Amazing and unforgettable?  Indeed.  But, it gets even better.  You may or may not know that the Monkeys, they like their friendly competition.  Therefore, you – yes YOU – will determine the winning performance of the night.  One of these four performances will win the awesomely coveted grand prize of bragging rights for the entire year.  That’s right – bragging rights.  And a condo!  Okay – no condo.  Just bragging rights, but still!  Awesome. 

How do you vote?  With sponsorship dollars!  Sponsor your most favorite Monkeys by voting online now for whatever performance you think is going to totally rock.  Voting will continue through Monkey-O-Kee, and the winner will be named at the conclusion of the evening.  It will be a night to remember, folks, so make sure you are there!  Buy tickets and/or sponsor one of these brilliant performances, and in turn, save this world! 

Thank you for your attention and support.  In the words of the Magical Place, you are wonderful.

Wanna preview the originals before you see them improved upon by Monkeys?  Look-y here…
Man in the Mirror
Jumpin’ Jack Flash
U+Me=Us (Calculus)
Paranoid Android