Curtis Williams News

Celebrate your favorite heroes - super or otherwise - at Barrel of Monkeys' annual fundraising soiree Fancy Schmancy: We Could Be Heroes on Saturday, April 7, 2018 at The Drucker Center, 1535 N. Dayton Ave. in Chicago. Come dressed as YOUR favorite hero for an evening of delicious hors d'oeuvres from Entertaining Company, complimentary beer, wine and cocktails, a photo booth, live performances, music by DJ Debonair Status and dancing. The party also features a silent auction with dozens of great gift packages and a raffle for tickets to Hamilton in Chicago (includes a collection of props) and Saturday Night Live in New York. 

The Neo-Futurists' The Infinite Wrench, their open-run production at The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland Ave., reached a milestone Friday, Sept. 29. At the 11:30 p.m. performance, the ensemble wrote and performed the 10,000th premiere in their ongoing show featuring short plays in a race against the clock.

The Neo-Futurists' The Infinite Wrench, their open-run production at The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland Ave., reached a milestone Friday, Sept. 29. At the 11:30 p.m. performance, the ensemble wrote and performed the 10,000th premiere in their ongoing show featuring short plays in a race against the clock.

Barrel of Monkeys celebrates its 20th anniversary of arts education in Chicago Public Schools with a special one-night-only event: KIDS WRITE IT: 20 YEARS OF INTERGENERATIONAL STORYTELLING, featuring student-written stories from each of its 20 years, performed by the company's talented team of actor-educators, directed by Artistic Director Joseph Schupbach and co-directed by Co-Founder/Former Artistic Director Halena Kays. KIDS WRITE IT will be held on Thursday, July 27 at 7:30 pm at The Athenaeum Theatre Main Stage, 2936 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.athenaeumtheatre.org, by calling (773) 935-6875 or in person at The Athenaeum Theatre Box Office.  

Remember way back when (okay, it was 5 weeks ago) when I said I would start pairing restaurants with can't miss shows for date night? The time has COME, friends. Let's do this. Here's this weekend's Vital 5 in Jacksonville (June 9-11th).

Jon Jory's adaptation of Jane Austen's PRIDE & PREJUDICE posed significant scenic and lighting design challenges for Theatre Jacksonville's new Technical Director, Tim Watson. 'You've got about 25 locations and you can literally change from one to another on a single line,' Watson explains. 'There's no way you can do full sets for each location, but it's written that way - to be minimal. It's difficult to jump between so many locations and be so fast and so fluid. Jon Jory didn't want black-out scene changes, so it's more of an environment rather than actual locations.' Director Amy Canning agrees and calls the show 'very minimalist, but seriously complex with lots of moving parts and pieces.'

Ardea Arts announces BOUNCE The Basketball Opera, their latest project in development. Showcase performances will take place at Paerdegat Park in East Flatbush, Brooklyn Saturday-Monday June 25-27, 2016 at 6pm. BOUNCE is a free, non-ticketed event, open to the public. For more information, visit www.ardeaarts.com/bounce/.

Barrel of Monkeys, in collaboration with The University of Chicago Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, invites you to join student-authors, their classmates, family and educators for the annual CELEBRATION OF AUTHORS, featuring performances of student-written stories created at each of its partner schools and after-school program during the 2015-2016 season. Scroll down for photos from the 2015 edition!

Barrel of Monkeys, in collaboration with The University of Chicago Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, invites you to join student-authors, their classmates, family and educators for the annual CELEBRATION OF AUTHORS, featuring performances of student-written stories created at each of its partner schools and after-school program during the 2015-2016 season. Scroll down for photos from the 2015 edition!

Company members old and new will reunite as Barrel of Monkeys celebrates 15 years of its hit revue THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA with two special anniversary performances on Sunday April 17 at 2 pm and Monday, April 18 at 8 pm at its long-time home, the Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are available at www.barrelofmonkeys.org or by calling (773) 506-7140.

 The summer fun never has to end! Barrel of Monkeys ushers in the school year with its revue THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA: Back To School, directed by Artistic Director Joseph Schupbach, playing Mondays at 8 pm from August 17 - September 7, 2015 at the Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave. in Chicago. For tickets, reservations and information visit www.barrelofmonkeys.org or call (312) 409-1954.

Slip in the snake oil of Trust Us/Screw You which opens Monday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. at The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland.

It's finally time to say "ta-ta" to Old Man Winter as Barrel of Monkeys presents THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA: Spring Into Action! directed by Meredith Ibey Milliron, playing Sundays at 2 pm from April 5 - 26, 2015 at the Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave. in Chicago.

Barrel of Monkeys will present THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA: THE MUSICAL, an all-musical revue featuring stories conceived and written by Chicago Public School students, adapted into songs by Barrel of Monkeys talented team of composers and directed by Artistic Director Joseph Schupbach.

Barrel of Monkeys invites you to enjoy a summer full of brand new stories at its long-running, critically acclaimed revue THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA, directed by Artistic Director Molly Brennan, playing Mondays at 8 pm from June 19 - September 1, 2014 at the Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave. in Chicago. Throughout the summer months, THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA will premiere stories from the 2013-14 school year - all conceived and written by Chicago Public School students and adapted for the stage and performed by Barrel of Monkeys Company Members. Clever and funny - touching and poignant - the collection of short sketches are equally entertaining for adults and children. The line-up changes each week by audience vote, so no two shows are ever the same. Check below for production photos!

Barrel of Monkeys invites you to enjoy a summer full of brand new stories at its long-running, critically acclaimed revue THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA, directed by Artistic Director Molly Brennan, playing Mondays at 8 pm from June 9 - September 1, 2014 at the Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave. in Chicago. Throughout the summer months, THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA will premiere stories from the 2013-14 school year - all conceived and written by Chicago Public School students and adapted for the stage and performed by Barrel of Monkeys Company Members. Clever and funny - touching and poignant - the collection of short sketches are equally entertaining for adults and children. The line-up changes each week by audience vote, so no two shows are ever the same. For tickets, reservations and information visit www.barrelofmonkeys.org or call (312) 409-1954.

The Chicago Neo-Futurists get presidential in 44 Plays for 44 Presidents. The show opens tonight, October 6 at 7:30 p.m. at The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland.

The Chicago Neo-Futurists get presidential in 44 Plays for 44 Presidents. The show opens Saturday, October 6 at 7:30 p.m. at The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland.

Think the past nine years were bad? Get ready for this. The ten-year anniversary of the festival brings even more vapid dialogue, poorly developed characters and contrived plot lines as it explodes from six weeks to ten weeks of performances.

Spring is the time for change: more sunshiny days, shorter skirts, new beginnings, and one ridiculously funny musical debut involving mistaken identities and sword fighting. Coming this spring, the world premiere of Monty Python-esque musical The King's Proposal (or the Marriage of Princess Guido) will be performed as part of Seattle Musical Theatre's 33rd season.