Starting at the end of February, the Monroe Theatre Guild began offering a program for middle-school students unlike anything it has done before. Called "Middle School Monkey Barrel," the program gives middle-schoolers a chance to use improv comedy games as a way to play around and have fun. The focus is on giving young people a fun place to hang out on Saturday nights without parents, and a place where parents can feel good about leaving their young teens.
Middle School Monkey Barrel will be held on the fourth Saturday of each month through May at the MTG. Doors will open for students at 7 p.m. Improv will begin at 7:30 and continue until 10 p.m.
The suggested cost is $10 per night, roughly the same price as going to a movie. The price includes snacks. All students are welcome; no one will be turned away if they don't bring $10.
The program is run in a drop-in style: Students who want to take part are not required to attend each month and registration is not required.
The atmosphere is designed to be a fun, supportive space for the middle-schoolers to hang out with their peers. The students will not be creating anything to perform at a later time - it will be all about having fun that night. At 10 p.m. anything they create is all done. The next month everything will start from scratch.
Middle School Monkey Barrel is headed up by Monroe native Enda Breadon. Breadon has performed with professional improv comedy troupes throughout the country. In 2007, he created a similar program at Atlanta's Georgia Ensemble Theatre and ran it for three schools years before handing it over to a fellow improviser. That program is still going strong to this day.
"The best thing about doing Monkey Barrel at MTG is it will give middle-school kids a chance to do what they really want: hang out with their friends and act silly, but do so in a way that is supportive and encouraging," Breadon said.
"I think it's important for parents to realize this is for everybody. We ask for $10 each time they come, but we'll take anyone for whatever they can pay as long as they're having fun and a positive part of the group."
The Monroe Theater Guild will be performing "Little Women" on stage tonight, so Middle School Monkey Barrel will be held at the Monroe Park and Recreation offices this month. Parents who are attending "Little Women" are encouraged to take the opportunity to have a "date night" and drop their middle-schoolers off at the Monkey Barrel program while they attend the play.
More information is available online at www.monroetheatre.com.
Middle School Monkey Barrel will be held on the fourth Saturday of each month through May at the MTG. Doors will open for students at 7 p.m. Improv will begin at 7:30 and continue until 10 p.m.
The suggested cost is $10 per night, roughly the same price as going to a movie. The price includes snacks. All students are welcome; no one will be turned away if they don't bring $10.
The program is run in a drop-in style: Students who want to take part are not required to attend each month and registration is not required.
The atmosphere is designed to be a fun, supportive space for the middle-schoolers to hang out with their peers. The students will not be creating anything to perform at a later time - it will be all about having fun that night. At 10 p.m. anything they create is all done. The next month everything will start from scratch.
Middle School Monkey Barrel is headed up by Monroe native Enda Breadon. Breadon has performed with professional improv comedy troupes throughout the country. In 2007, he created a similar program at Atlanta's Georgia Ensemble Theatre and ran it for three schools years before handing it over to a fellow improviser. That program is still going strong to this day.
"The best thing about doing Monkey Barrel at MTG is it will give middle-school kids a chance to do what they really want: hang out with their friends and act silly, but do so in a way that is supportive and encouraging," Breadon said.
"I think it's important for parents to realize this is for everybody. We ask for $10 each time they come, but we'll take anyone for whatever they can pay as long as they're having fun and a positive part of the group."
The Monroe Theater Guild will be performing "Little Women" on stage tonight, so Middle School Monkey Barrel will be held at the Monroe Park and Recreation offices this month. Parents who are attending "Little Women" are encouraged to take the opportunity to have a "date night" and drop their middle-schoolers off at the Monkey Barrel program while they attend the play.
More information is available online at www.monroetheatre.com.