Barrel of Monkeys Presents "That's Weird, Grandma"

Monday night we ended our long day with "That's Weird, Grandma," a theater production by Barrel of Monkeys. It was such a fun way to end our second night in the city. I am pretty sure everyone really enjoyed themselves. I sure know I did! The Barrel of Monkeys teach creative writing in the Chicago Public Schools and then the actors perform first for the school where the student attends and then for the public. The school program is six weeks where they go into the classrooms and work with students and allow them to write whatever they wish. They follow a curriculum and give young students the opportunity to use their imagination and put their own stories to life. Barrel of Monkeys has worked in 32 Chicago Public Schools and more than 7,000 low-income students have had the opportunity to work with the Barrel of Monkey staff. They also have an after-school program. The goals of the after-school program are to build the students’ self-esteem and their enthusiasm for creative writing and performing.

You can tell the actors that work with the students are very enthusiastic and very motivated to have fun with the students. They have wonder personalities and you can tell they love their jobs. Some of the stories we talked about after we left were Peanut Butter Jelly Sandwich/Red Black Dragon. This story was about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that came to life into a red and black dragon. Another one that was stuck in my head along with Danielle and Emily’s was I Am Foggylog with a Long Tail. We found ourselves walking through downtown Chicago singing parts of this poem. Some of the stories are written with so much imagination and I think that’s what makes them so great. Students need time to use their own imaginations and write about something they like. No two weeks are the same. They let you vote at the end of the show what stories you liked the most and what ones you could go without seeing. This would make me go back every week to see how it changes. At the end of the show some of us supported the non-profit organization by buying Barrel of Monkey t-shirts!

I think everyone was very impressed by the stories and production put on by the Barrel of Monkeys. I would for sure go back in the future when I am in Chicago.