General Questions
- Why are you called "Barrel of Monkeys"?
- BOM is wonderful! How can I offer my support?
- I'm really interested in working for Barrel of Monkeys. How can I make that happen?
Questions About Our Public Performances
- How much does your show cost? How can I get tickets?
- Where is the show performed? How do I get there?
- Why do you only perform on Monday nights?
- Can I bring a group to see TWG?
- Do you offer discounted tickets to my worthy nonprofit?
- Where did you come up with “That’s Weird, Grandma” for the title of your show?
- Do you really cut stories based on the audience vote?
- Are you affiliated with the Neo-Futurists in any way?
- Does BOM ever do public shows in venues besides the Neo-Futurarium?
- Do you perform at private parties?
Questions About Our School Programs
- What does BOM do in the classroom?
- Do the kids you teach perform in your shows?
- I'm a teacher. What can BOM do for my students?
- I'm a CPS teacher or administrator. How can I bring BOM to my school?
- What Chicago Public Schools have used BOM programming?
- Does BOM have an after-school program?
- Does BOM do professional development workshops?
- Will you perform for my school if I don't want/can't afford/don't have time for the full writing residency?
Why are you called "Barrel of Monkeys"?
We'll let Charles E. Funk, word historian, field that question:
"One monkey arouses a great deal of amusement. Two or more then double the interest and amusement. If one were to release a barrel full of monkeys, we must suppose that their antics would become hilariously comical."**From "2107 Curious Word Origins, Sayings & Expressions from White Elephants to a Song Dance" by Charles Earle Funk (Galahad Books, New York, 1993).
BOM is wonderful! How can I offer my support?
Please visit our Support page for ways to help out. Thank you!
I'm really interested in working for Barrel of Monkeys. How can I make that happen?
There are many ways to be involved with BOM! We recruit volunteers and interns year-round. If you are interested in teaching with Barrel of Monkeys, you should . We try to save one spot on every teaching team for a new volunteer, but we do have a little bit of a waiting list so don't be super sad if we can't get you started right away. Volunteer teachers must attend training sessions and make a clear commitment to attending each class of their residencies.
If you are an actor and think you'd be a great addition to the BOM ensemble, check the website in the fall, as we usually hold auditions in October. You can send us your resume and headshot if you'd like, but probably we'll just tell you to check back in the fall. If you are a keyboard player, however, with your interest.
If you are an arts administrator or manager, BOM has a small administrative staff, and we aren't currently hiring anyone from outside the ensemble…but we'd love to have you as a volunteer if you're interested.
How much does your show cost? How can I get tickets?
Tickets to our regular run of "That's Weird, Grandma" are $10 for adults, $5 for children. You may buy tickets online here or make reservations by calling our ticket hotline at 312-409-1954.
Where is the show performed? How do I get there?
"That's Weird, Grandma" plays at the Neo-Futurist Theater, located at 5153 N. Ashland Ave., on the corner of Ashland and Foster in Chicago. Directions to the theater can be found here.
Why do you only perform on Monday nights?
The performers do our Monday night shows for free; net proceeds support our educational program. Many of the performers are working actors around town who are in other shows (i.e. ones that pay) on the weekends. They are able to keep volunteering for us and presenting this great show precisely because it is on Monday night, a traditional theatrical off-night. Also, rent is cheaper on a Monday night and we like to keep costs low so that we can continue to serve the kids in Chicago Public Schools.
We do offer occasional Saturday matinees. You can find more information about our schedule here.
Can I bring a group to see TWG?
Yes please! Barrel of Monkeys loves groups. We will offer a discount for groups of ten or more. Typically, adult group-rate tickets are $7 and the first kid is free. Please call the office at 773-281-0638 or for more information. Please note: very large groups (fifty or more) should be booked well in advance to insure availability.
Do you offer discounted tickets to my worthy nonprofit?
Usually, yes. We have a soft spot for non-profits, especially those that serve children. Call the office at 773-281-0638 for more information about discounts and donations. However, as we are a nonprofit ourselves, we can’t give away too much; for example, we can’t come do a performance for free, and we can’t let you bring 150 people to the show for free.
Where did you come up with “That’s Weird, Grandma” for the title of your show?
It’s a line from one of the stories performed in the first run of the show. If we’d known it’d still be running so many years later we might have called it something different.
Do you really cut stories based on the audience vote?
Yup! Well, mostly...we have to take cast changes into consideration as well, and we generally won’t cut a story after one week (sometimes with more rehearsal it will become a new favorite). However, many stories stay in the show for a year or more because they are an audience favorite, and other cast favorites get cut sooner because the audience is not a fan. Some stories have been known to return after being cut, as well.
Are you affiliated with the Neo-Futurists in any way?
While Barrel of Monkeys performs in the Neo-Futurist Theater and even has a few company members who are also Neo-Futurist company members, we are not the same company. However, we like the Neos a lot and think they're dreamy.
Does BOM ever do public shows in venues besides the Neo-Futurarium?
Why yes! About once a year we do an additional show or run of shows somewhere else. In the summers of 2005 and 2006 BOM was asked to bring “That’s Weird, Grandma” to Theater on the Lake, a high honor in the theater community. BOM has also performed at the Gallery 37 Storefront Theater, the Wilmette Theatre, The Chicago Humanities Festival, The Chicago Sketchfest, and other notable venues.
Do you perform at private parties?
Generally not. In order to take on a one-time gig at a private party we’d have to be certain that rehearsals would not interfere with our core programs and that we’d be able to compensate all the performers appropriately for their time. This means we’re probably too expensive and hard to schedule for you - but if you’d like to give it a shot, . We can not do a show with fewer than 12 performers, and that’s a lot of scheduling.
What does BOM do in the classroom?
The school-based residency program consists of six 90-minute sessions in each classroom that we serve in a given school. BOM can work in 1–3 classrooms per school residency.
BOM teachers use writing and drama games to bring a joyful energy into the classroom. Our workshops use the modeling approach; each session begins with group activities that introduce the week’s theme in a creative and lively way, and ends with individual writing time, when the students can express themselves in their BOM journals.
One of the greatest strengths of the program is keeping the student/facilitator ratio low. Usually 4–5 BOM teachers go into the classroom. Being able to give individual attention allows us to quickly create a safe environment where kids feel comfortable to express themselves.
Each 90-minute workshop includes:
- Theatre games and dramatic storytelling
- Group-story writing
- Performances of group stories in the classroom by the students
- Individual writing time in a writing journal provided by BOM
Examples of activities include:
- Writing For Change—Students construct a written argument and are given space, both verbal and physical, to share their argument with their classmates on a "soap box."
- Physical warm-up/creative drama exercises where children physically create characters, settings or scenes they have thought up in brainstorms. Physically engaging the students gives them an opportunity to create in the moment without thought to consequence.
- Storyboard and dictation activities for recent immigrant students who struggle with English writing skills
- Short improvised two-person scenes, to introduce writing in script form.
The 3 rules of a BOM residency:
- EVERY IDEA IS A GOOD IDEA
- DON'T MAKE FUN OF OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS
- RESPECT EACH OTHER
Do the kids you teach perform in your shows?
The actors in our shows, both at school assemblies and in public performances like "That's Weird, Grandma," are all adults. However, children in our after-school program perform in their own shows at the end of each semester. See our Curriculum page for more information about our after-school program.
I'm a teacher. What can BOM do for my students?
- BOM raises student enthusiasm for language arts by providing an interactive residency that creates a joyful environment to express ideas, followed by a hyper-energetic performance of students' writing.
- BOM builds self-confidence in self-expression and self-esteem by providing workshops that create a safe and supportive place to explore thoughts and ideas, while validating those ideas through high-quality professional performance.
- BOM builds confidence in English writing skills for all students by providing creative writing alternatives that include storyboards, student dictation and one-on-one writing workshops.
- BOM brings a unique arts education program to Chicago's most under-resourced public schools, thereby serving the students that need BOM most.
While there are other programs that bring external theater or creative writing programs into schools, Barrel of Monkeys remains unique in that BOM programming combines both activities and further validates a child's creative expression by performing the child's work on stage using professional actors.
I'm a CPS teacher or administrator. How can I bring BOM to my school?
If you are a classroom teacher, Principal, school administrator or parent, and you would like Barrel Of Monkeys to work in your school, you should contact Program Director Elizabeth Levy. You may call her at (773) 425-4862 or .
We begin scheduling residencies for the following school year in early March, and our calendar fills up quickly. The fee for a single-class residency with one original performance is $3,500; the price for multiple-class residencies increases based on how many classrooms we work in. BOM can provide information on government grants that schools can apply for to help pay for our workshops.
What Chicago Public Schools have used BOM programming?
Since our inception we have worked in 40 Chicago Public Schools. More than 7,000 lower-income elementary school students with limited literacy skills and few opportunities for creative expression have participated in the BOM programs that build self-esteem and confidence in student ideas and abilities.
We have worked with the following Illinois schools/programs:
- Agassiz Elementary
- Albany Park Homework Program
- Avoca West Elementary School (Wilmette)
- Avondale Elementary
- Brenneman School
- Burnham Anthony School
- Byrd Academy
- Chalmers Elementary
- Choir Academy
- Cleveland School
- Columbia Explorers Academy
- Dewey Academy
- Farnsworth Elementary
- Field School
- Gale School
- Garfield Park Conservatory
- Gladstone School
- Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School
- Harold Washington Elementary
- Henderson Elementary
- Henry Suder Elementary
- Hibbard School
- Hough Street School (Barrington)
- Howland Elementary
- John C. Haines School
- Jordan Community School
- Lafayette Elementary
- Lee School
- Lincoln School (Spring Valley)
- Little Village Academy
- Loyola Park
- McCosh Elementary
- Meadowbrook Elementary (Northbrook)
- New Sullivan School
- Otis Elementary
- Pritzker School
- Reavis Math and Science Academy
- Reilly School
- Rogers School
- Seward Academy
- South Loop School
- Stockton Elementary
- Tyler School (DeKalb)
- Washington Irving School
- William H. Brown School
- Wright Elementary (DeKalb)
Does BOM have an after-school program?
We currently run fall, winter, and spring semesters of our after-school program at the Loyola Park Fieldhouse in Rogers Park. For more information, visit our after-school programs page.
Does BOM do professional development workshops?
Yes, we occasionally do professional development workshops. Please contact Program Director for pricing and more details.
Will you perform for my school if I don't want/can't afford/don't have time for the full writing residency?
We do not generally bring a touring version of our show to schools. From time to time we will create an original show based on stories that have been sent to us by participating schools or organizations. However, because this requires substantial rehearsal and adaptation time, we cannot do this when it would detract from existing educational programming. If you are really interested in bringing BOM to your school or organization, please contact Program Director . If you would like BOM to come perform an extended run at your theater, we’re definitely interested...in the summer when school is out. Please contact Executive Director .
