Barrel Of Monkeys Closes Season with THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA: Fantastic Beasts And The Stories About Them

Barrel of Monkeys concludes its 2019-20 season with THAT'S WEIRD GRANDMA: Fantastic Beasts and the Stories About Them, directed by Artistic Director Brandon Cloyd (June 24 - July 15) and company member Nick Hart (July 22 - August 12) playing Mondays at 8 pm from June 24 - August 12, 2019 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. The press opening is Monday, July 1 at 8 pm.

Meet the strange and wonderful creatures created by Barrel of Monkeys students, from talking animals to intergalactic lifeforms. BOM performers bring these beings to life through song, dance and ridiculous costumes in the company's lauded original sketch show.

The cast to date includes Noah Appelbaum, Aissa Guerra, Emily Marso and Nic Park.

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.

About the Directors

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. Brandon recently joined the Board of Directors for the League of Chicago Theatres.

Nick Hart graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in theatre in 2010. He has been a proud member of Barrel of Monkeys, a non-profit theatre and education organization serving Chicago Public School students and regularly performs in their show That's Weird Grandma since 2011. He is also an ensemble member with The Neo-Futurists since 2014. He has written and performed over 150 short plays for The Neo-Futurists, and is now regularly writing and performing for their new show The Infinite Wrench. He is also the creator of The Neo-Futurists Productions of Remember The Alamo and 60 Songs in 60 Minutes.

Photo: (left to right) Barrel of Monkeys company members Bryan Bosque, Andrés Enriquez and Rawson Vint perform "Octopus" in THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA. Photo by Evan Hanover.