The following is an overview of our in-school programming. For more in-depth information about our curriculum, please visit our FAQ.

Standard Residency

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.

The Performance

After the six workshop sessions, the BOM facilitators collect the journals of all the students, and bring them to our ensemble of professional actors. The ensemble adapts selected stories into a show that we will perform for the entire school community.

Barrel of Monkeys believes children’s theatre should not be condescending or preachy, but rather an empowering, joyful experience for all audiences — most importantly for the children who have written the material. Our performance is very similar to a sketch comedy show. The difference lies in the whimsical writings of the children who write what the adult actors perform. Our child-authored show uses physical comedy, sly pop-culture humor and song to bring a child’s story to life. The result is a fast-paced zany sketch comedy show that shocks, delights and warms audiences of all ages.