KARAOKE SAVES THE WORLD: MONKEY SING, MONKEY DO

Posted by Joe on February 3, 2012 at 03:50 PM
General Other Performances Company Members

Think singing can’t change the world? Just ask these ladies:

The moment you have all been awaiting is right around the corner!  Our annual Monkey-O-Kee karaoke benefit will occur on Sunday, February 12 from 8pm-11pm at Mad River Bar & Grille, 2909 N. Sheffield Ave.  “What is it all about?” you may ask.  It is all about supporting Barrel of Monkeys’ work in the Chicago Public Schools.  Without you attending, singing, and laughing, the amazing stories written by children are at risk.

BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY

You know who loves Monkey-o-kee? The unnamed old lady from The Cowboys Who Fighted

When you purchase a ticket for the extremely fair price of $25, you not only get the chance to support BOM’s work with Chicago’s youth – igniting their imaginations, boosting their self-esteem and improving literacy – but you ALSO get well drinks, beer and wine, pizza AND pasta, not to mention the karaoke, and therefore, entertainment in abundance.

You know who loves Monkey-o-kee? The unnamed old lady from Grannies Lean Like a Cholo

Various and sundry other fun and fabulous activities will occur at the event, including a prize wheel, sponsored Monkey performances, and maybe a few surprises along the way.

You know who loves Monkey-o-kee? The unnamed old lady from Marshmelow

Ok. actually, that is Kayla from Cheerleaders.  But you get the point.

If you buy your tickets online now you will receive two, count them TWO, free spins on the prize wheel!  Could it get better?  Possibly and likely, but you will only know if you show up.

Buy dem tickets.

Also, look out for a blog detailing the sponsored monkey line-up.

These two are so excited about Monkey-O-Kee, they are dancing:

 

 

 

Greenhorn

Posted by Dan R. on December 1, 2011 at 11:43 AM
General

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

Interview with Brian Daniels, BOM Student from 2004

Posted by Molly on November 10, 2011 at 03:17 PM
General

On November 9, the Barrel of Monkeys office received a call from a young man who had been in the Barrel of Monkeys program at Choir Academy in 2004.  He was looking for the story he’d written that was performed at his school.  We found it.  Here it is:

I Remember When I First Went to the Beach and Almost Drowned by Brian Daniels, Choir Academy
When I went to the beach I was watching people swim and I ran around the sand then I went into the water and almost drowned.  When I got out I was LOST.  Then I reconized my cousins head I ran and I ran.  The I stoped an played with two girls when the left I lost his head then I saw his head again I ran to head and I wasn’t lost no more.  The End.

Mr. Daniels was kind enough to grant us an interview on what he remembers about his story and BOM, and what he’s up to now.

MOLLY:
We’re so glad you contacted us! What prompted you to call?

BRIAN:
I was sitting at home thinking about some things and the Choir Academy came to mind.  The school is closed now so I thought to myself:  “This school is now a legend.”  I wanted to send my kids to a school like the Choir Academy, because it had an impact on who I am today.  I started thinking of the numerous activities we did at the school and one of the main things I remember was the phrase “Barrel of Monkeys”.

I remember Mr. Silverberg and you guys performing my story in front of my school.  I also remember Mr. Silverberg explaining how they were keeping the stories and performing the stories elsewhere.  So I got on the internet and googled you guys and found the website.  From what was on the website I found out you were keeping the stories.  After typing “the choir academy” in the search bar, I saw other classmates’ stories that were performed, but not mine, so I decided to call.

MOLLY:
We are so glad you did! We found an archived copy of your story in your handwriting.  The story you wrote that we performed is from Day 3 of the Barrel of Monkeys program, “True Story Day.” Your story is called:  “I Remember When I First Went to the Beach and Almost Drowned.” What do you remember about writing that story?

BRIAN:
Well, after reading it, I remember my grammar wasn’t too good.  (Laughs)  Now that I’ve read the story from so long ago, I can revise it for you guys.

For some reason, I can remember back to when I was a baby in diapers.
So one night my family decides to go to the beach.
I remember playing with my cousins and big sister who is only a year older, in the shallow part of the water.
But as a baby who was curious about everything, I wandered off.
I somehow managed to get back in the water, but this time instead of playing in the shallow part, I went further.
As a small baby those Lake Michigan waves were huge and overwhelming.
The waves were just rocking me back and forth and I kept falling under.
I was eventually washed ashore.
I stood up and looked around and saw no one in sight.
I started walking.  I don’t know to where, but I started walking and began to cry.
I looked up and saw something that looked like my cousin’s head.
I screamed his name and began running toward it.
But still as a baby curious of everything, I came across two girls who were a couple years older than me and started playing with them.  They eventually left and I didn’t follow.
So I looked around again for my cousin’s head and found it and ran toward it again…and I guess I was found.

MOLLY:
I guess you were.  I’m glad, too! What do you remember about the Barrel of Monkeys writing workshops?

BRIAN:
I don’t remember much about the Barrel of Monkeys workshop, but one thing I do remember was Mr. Silverberg told us to take a true story of something that happened in your life and change it up and put a twist on it.  So I wrote the story of how I almost drowned, and for some reason I didn’t want to put a twist on it.

MOLLY:
It’s a good story as is! Are you still writing?

BRIAN:
Writing is a part of my life now because I write poetry.  It’s almost like a stress reliever, but it’s more like something that frees my mind and explains some things that I can’t explain.

Brian Daniels was part of the Barrel of Monkeys program at Choir Academy in 2004.  He is now 18, has completed a semester at DeVry in Tinley Park focusing on computer and electronic technologies.  He is currently on a break from school and is on a job hunt.

Mr. Eric Silverberg is an Emeritus Member of Barrel of Monkeys, and was Brian’s classroom teacher at Choir Academy.  Lisa Barker, Jonathan Mastro and Adriohn Richardson were the Barrel of Monkeys teachers.

Help Keep the Sun Shining on BOM

Posted by Amanda Farrar on October 4, 2011 at 10:50 AM
General School Shows

Barrel of Monkeys has had an amazing week!  We added 13 new ensemble members, received an award for Excellence in Children’s Theatre from the Illinois Theatre Association, and had a stellar show and audience last night! Want to help this week get EVEN BETTER?  You can!  Just by voting online for Barrel of Monkeys’ In-School Programming through Chicago Sun-Times Sun Shine Project!  Each year, the philanthropic arm of the Chicago Sun-Times asks for the community’s input regarding where their funds should go.  If you vote and/or leave a comment on our Sun Shine Project page, it will be considered as the Charity Trust decides what worthy organizations receive a grant.  You must vote THIS WEEK because voting ends on Sunday! 

Here’s how you vote! 

Visit www.chicagosunshineproject.com or click here.
If you haven’t ever logged into the site, it will ask you to create a user name and password (or you can use facebook to sign in).
Go to the Youth Art and Culture section, or just search for Barrel of Monkeys.
Either way, you are looking for Barrel of Monkeys’ In-School Programs! 
Hit the thumbs up button on the left hand side of the page to vote for us, and leave a comment if you’d like!

Just by following these simple steps, you can help children like these continue to benefit from our programming!

There have been some inspiring comments on the page, including one from Kathleen O’Donoghue:

This is an amazing program. I have attended school shows and public performances and in addition to the measurable impact on the students, the intangible benefits are astonishing. I witnessed the pride in the student authors and their peers, the excitement in the audience when the stories are interpreted by the ensemble and to me, perhaps most importantly, the obvious development of the valuing of storytelling. The ability to tell our own stories encourages community, reduces the incidence of objectification of the “other” and encourages us all to see that we are more similar than different. This is the most dynamic program involved in public education today.

We are doing well (not excellent) in the voting, so anything you can do to help get family and friends to vote would be much appreciated!  Our next benchmark goal is 150 votes - can you help us get there?  You’ll help our award-winning theatre driven by the imaginations of children continue! 

Know a Monkey Volunteer: Ali Chardon

Posted by Amanda Farrar on August 4, 2011 at 02:56 PM
General Company Members Miscellaneous

Alexis (aka Ali) Chardon has been volunteering for Barrel of Monkeys for over a year working on various marketing projects, including interviewing staff and company members a blog series called “Know A Monkey”!  (Keep an eye out for an interview soon with our new Educational Coordinator, Joseph Schupbach.)  Thus, I have decided to begin a “Get to Know a Monkey Volunteer” series.  It was only appropriate to begin with the amazing Ali!  Please, enjoy getting to know her as much as I have. 

AF: Ali, tell me a little bit about what you do in your day-to-day life.

AC: I am a lawyer.  I work at a small law firm in Chicago where we do commercial litigation.

AF: What is that?

AC: Well, it actually means a lot of things.  A lot of times it will mean contract disputes between companies.  We also do a lot of antitrust work at my firm.

AF: Yeah.  That’s great.  So what brought you to the Monkeys to volunteer?

AC: I was looking for something outside my sphere, to do with some of my mind and some of my free time, something I thought would be helpful but was also interesting to me because as much as I enjoy being a lawyer, it can be a little bit insular in terms of that world.  I had a friend named Dixie Uffelman—who I still have! She’s not a past tense friend! —who is a Monkey and so I’ve been to see “That’s Weird Grandma” over the years and just found myself sort of overjoyed every time I’m there.

AF: And how do you and Dixie know each other?

AC: Dixie and I know each other from the way-back machine when we were about juniors in high school.  We went to a semester high school program in rural Maine where we lived in cabins and went to school with forty other students from around the country.  We had a band together, which was fun, and which makes sense if you know Dixie because she can sing.  Makes no sense if you know me, because I can’t.  But while chopping wood one day we wrote a song together and a band was born.

AF: Awesome.

AC: I think we just had one song. 

AF: Alright, what is the song that you wrote while you were chopping wood?

AC: It’s called “I Don’t Need a Man”, and the other thing you need to understand is we were chopping wood with a maul, which is a kind of axe.  Unfortunately no one understands our song because the chorus was “I don’t need a man, I don’t need a man at all.  Girl, who needs a man when you’ve got yourself a maul? I don’t need no man to chop my wood, I’ve got a maul that’s twice as good.  I don’t need a man at all.” And no one seems to know what a maul is outside of our semester program, and they think we are talking about the place where you go shopping.  Totally different meaning!

AF: Amazing.  So have you written any songs since that time?

AC: That is the last song I’ve written.  I used to love creative writing as a kid and I was a creative writing major in college.  And that’s one reason why I’m drawn to Barrel of Monkeys.  I don’t do it anymore.  I write all day long but it’s … well, hopefully no one would call it creative.

AF: There is a sort of creativity that goes into it.

AC: You’re right actually.  Creative legal arguments.  But fiction should be staying out of it.  So, yeah, it’s definitely something I miss in my adult life and something I really enjoy being around.  You know, the Monkeys have their…there’s some kind of door that shuts at some point for a lot of us when we’re done in school with all the classes that kind of foster writing and creativity but the Monkeys kind of kept that door open.  And for that reason they’re all a little bit closer to that side of themselves. 

AF: That’s interesting.  Do you remember anything that you wrote as a child that stands out? 

AC: Yeah!  I do remember this one…I wrote what I thought was a very long story about a cricket.  And I have no idea what the cricket did, but it was epic!  I mean it was like, he had adventures and it lasted several several pages of a legal notepad.  I wonder what happened to that story. I was actually more into writing poetry as I got older – in high school and college.  But for some reason I studied fiction writing. 

AF: So, Ali, this is one of my favorite questions that you ask people: if you were a policeman in Chicago, how would you travel around and why?

AC: I would be a horsecop.  Like, I would be a horsecop, a horsecop, a horsecop.  There is no question, I want to cry when I see those animals they make me so happy. First of all, I love working animals.  I love working animals.  Like at the airport, German Shepherds, don’t even start! I think it is just so clever—to use any animals in the first place, and I love horses, and that these horses are so well-trained.  They can have bikes whizzing by them, they can have little yapping dogs at their feet, and they just, I don’t know, it just gives me pride to see these guys.  I guess horses calm crowds, people see horses and they just…

AF: Oh!

AC: Yeah, I didn’t know that.  And I just think you’d be like, a cowboy/cop…

AF: That would be pretty cool.  Yeah, you don’t mess around when there’s a cop and a horse.  You don’t. Because they’re terrifying animals in some ways, just because of their size.

AC: So, yeah that’s what I’d do.

AF: Great, I love it.  That’s fantastic.  What has been your favorite thing about volunteering for Barrel of Monkeys?

AC: Just in general, I think one of my favorite things is feeling like I’m some small part of it, like helping when I go to the fundraisers or a show I can take a little bit, a little small piece of pride that I’m involved in something.  I am so moved by “That’s Weird Grandma” when I go see it that you know, you just feel good when you’re a part of it too, some little cog in the wheel. 

AF: Great. Do you feel that door in yourself opening a little bit?

AC: (Sighs.)  I think need to go to some more shows.