Barrel of Monkeys' THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA: The Holiday Special Begins 11/16

Barrel of Monkeys celebrates the season with THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA: The Holiday Special, a line-up of stories old and new inspired by the holidays, winter and the spirit of giving! From awkward family gatherings to Santa and his elves to snowball fights, every story is written by Chicago Public School students, adapted for the stage and performed by Barrel of Monkeys Company Members and directed by Artistic Director Joseph Schupbach. THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA: The Holiday Special will play Mondays at 8 pm from November 16 - December 28, 2015 at the Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are available at www.barrelofmonkeys.org. The press performance is Monday, November 23 at 8 pm.

Clever and funny - touching and poignant - the collection of short sketches and songs featured in THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA: The Holiday Special are equally entertaining for adults and children. The line-up changes each week by audience vote, so no two shows are ever the same.

Barrel of Monkeys, a Chicago-based arts education theater ensemble now in its 19th season, conducts creative writing workshops with 3rd through 5th grade students in underserved Chicago Public Schools. The ensemble of actor-educators then turns their stories and words into professionally performed theater, presented both in-school and for the general public through its revues. Barrel of Monkeys annually performs more than 300 student-written stories for the students in their schools and 175 stories on the stage for the general public.