OPENING: Barrel of Monkeys Presents THAT’S WEIRD, GRANDMA Rings in the Holidays

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Barrel of Monkeys Presents

THAT’S WEIRD, GRANDMA 

Rings in the Holidays

Directed by Artistic Director Brandon Cloyd

December 10 – 22, 2018 at the Neo-Futurist Theater

An Original Sketch Show that is Written by Kids,

Performed by Grownups, and Enjoyed by Humans

ChiIL Mama will be out for the press opening, Monday, December 17th, so check back shortly after for our full review. BOM and THAT’S WEIRD,
GRANDMA are long time favorites of ours. Check it out!

Barrel of Monkeys celebrates the season with THAT’S WEIRD,
GRANDMA Rings in the Holidays, directed by Artistic Director Brandon Cloyd, playing Mondays at 8pm (plus special weekend performances) from December 10 – December 22, 2018 at the Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.barrelofmonkeys.org
or by calling (773) 506-7140. 



Barrel of Monkeys’ beloved holiday special returns with a mix of classic stories from the That’s Weird, Grandma repertoire alongside brand new sketches and songs. Make That’s Weird, Grandma your family’s newest holiday tradition!

The cast includes Noah Appelbaum, Ashley Bland, Maeli Goren, Barry Irving, Meredith Milliron, Deanna Myers, Oly Oxinfry, Mary Tilden, Raquel Torre and Rawson Vint.





Now in its eighteenth year, THAT’S WEIRD, GRANDMA features adaptations of stories written during Barrel of Monkeys’ creative writing residencies in Chicago elementary schools. BOM’s ensemble of professional actors, comedians and musicians bring the young authors’ stories to life as raucous sketches, songs and movement pieces, performing first for students in their schools and then for the public. These stories – from hilarious dialogues between unlikely characters to poignant pleas for social change – resonate with adults while celebrating the imaginations of young people. Every week brings a new line-up of stories, and BOM invites audiences to vote on their favorites at each performance.



Location: 
Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave. in Chicago

Performance Schedule:
Monday, December 10 at 8 pm (preview)
Monday, December 17 at 8 pm (press performance)
Thursday, December 20 at 8 pm
Friday, December 21 at 8 pm
Saturday, December 22 at 8 pm

Tickets: 
Preview: $10 for adults, $5 children 12 and under, $8 groups of 10 or more. Regular run: $20 for adults in advance; $5 for children 12 and under; $12 for seniors, students, veterans/military and groups of 10 or more. Teen Arts Pass (TAP) members: $5 with ID. Tickets are currently available at www.barrelofmonkeys.org or by calling (773) 506-7140.



About the Director
Brandon Cloyd joined Barrel of Monkeys 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. Before becoming the company’s Artistic Director in September 2017, Brandon served as BOM After-School Program Coordinator at Loyola Park from 2014-2016 and Program Director from 2016-2017. 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 Theater 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., 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.