Primates Have Talent

Hello lovely monkey people,

Sorry for my silences. I recently got a full time job, in both theatre and education too! I have been away from computer and my brain filled with other things. That said, we have a MASC event at Beale Park this weekend. It is a new event so if you are free then come down and see us in the Toy Museum area. Primates Have Talent is a talent show where you will be taught 5 facts about a primate of your choice and then you can do whatever you like as a talent and answer the question. We will have people on hand to help you create your talented performance and support you all the way!

Monkey Hugs

Beale Park this year

Just a heads up for those who are local to Reading. MASC will be in Beale Park three times this year so feel free to come down for a lovely day out and to do some primate-themed activities. Firstly we are doing Monkey Athletics (Monkelympics as was) on the weekend of the 27th and 28th of July. Come down and test your primate abilities! We have 5 different activities that test 10 different things that make primates different from other animals.

Then over the weekend of the 31st of August and 1st of September we are going to do activities that haven’t been decided on. We will be running a poll to vote for what you think would be the best activities for us to run between: Monkey Biscuits and masks, Monkey Athletics, a trial of activities that are designed to promote empathy for pet primates, a show or some activities that are about palm oil (feel free to cast your votes via comments). Whatever happens we’ll be in the Toy Museum.

Then on the 31st of October and 1st of November which are a Thursday and Friday we will be launching Spooky Monkeys! Find out about primates that are active in the night and what makes them special. Compete between kids and adults and learn more about people’s relationships with night-time primates.

See you there!

Aldenham Park – The debrief

We had a great time at Aldenham Country Park last Thursday. We had a great audience for the first show, we had to put out extra seating for them! The second show had fewer people but they were all really noisy to make up for their lack of numbers. I have been reviewing some of the footage we got and I am very excited about putting it all together! Big thanks to our actors Bryony Tebbutt, James Gribble, Ben Lawson and Kyle Pocock.

Also thanks to the Hexagon, Dinrino Theatre Services, Dan Bryan, Mike Gribble, Daddy Pocock and Mr Daddy for the lending of equipment that made everything possible. I sadly managed to get no decent photos of the day but I will post some less decent ones when I get a chance to edit them.

Thanks everyone so much

Monkey hugs

Aldenham Country Park here we come!

Costumes checked, set checked, cast learning lines… all we need now is a couple of great audiences to make the filming a success! Equipment has been generously donated by Dinrino Theatre Services to make sure we get great audio for our video. Really looking forward to it.

If anyone is in North London and fancies a trip out to Aldenham Country Park on Thursday the 4th at 12 and 2 (Stanmore is the nearest tube stop) then we would welcome noisy audiences. It is free to see the show.

Monkey hugs

Cast confirmed for April

We are happy to announce our new cast for two shows in April at Aldenham Country Park on the 4th. Bryony Tebbutt and Ben Lawson will be reprising their roles as the multi-part male and female characters and we are welcoming Kyle Pocock and James Gribble into the cast as the Roloway and Local Man respectively. Rehearsals start next month and look out for the upcoming video output!

Monkey Hugs

A brilliant week – Thank you everyone

Last week we did three different events that brought funds into MASC. We did an after-school session of Monkey Biscuits at Alto Lounge in Caversham. Children decorated biscuits, masks and entered the colouring-in competition which we ran all week.

On Sunday we had two different things. Firstly MASC was the charity that had the collection after Meeting for Worship at Reading Quaker Meeting House. We raised a whopping £315.93! That is not including GiftAid which we will be claiming where we can. An enormous thank you to not only those who were so generous with their money after Meeting but all the wonderful people who came up to me and had kind words of support and encouragement. I felt so privileged to be supported like that.

In the evening we had a pub quiz at the Alto Lounge where we had 77 participants, which is one of the highest they have ever had for a pub quiz. The questions may have been a little hard but I think most people had a good time. A particular thank you goes to the people who came to support and amongst those the people who came from Reading Meeting to take part. As always, I am humbled by the kind and generous things that people have done for me and MASC.

These three things resulted in us taking over £400 for MASC last week, which will help us get to Morocco!

Much monkey love to all

And we’re off!

We went to scope out the pub quiz at the Alto Lounge on Sunday and enjoyed listening to the quiz and seeing how many people were there enjoying the fun. We saw this on the wall so we know the competition is begun.

Kyle, Aoife and I have been through all the pens and pencils to check they are all working and sharp. I amazed myself with this amazingly long sharpening! I was really impressed, small things I guess.

Really looking forward to tomorrow. Off for late-night baking now.

Hope to see people tomorrow between 4 and 6 at the Alto Lounge in Caversham for Monkey Biscuits and masks

Monkey hugs

Amendment – 27th of February Wednesday

I put the wrong date in the last post. It is the 27th of Feb!

MASC pub quiz

Two quick notices on the 26th of Feb and the 3rd of March we are doing events at the Alto Lounge in Caversham. On the 26th we are going in after-school to run some activities with children. We will do colouring-in (a new competition) and masks between 4 and 6 on the Wednesday so please pop down if you think your kids might enjoy it.

On the Sunday (3rd of March) we are doing a pub quiz from 8-10ish. It is £1 per person and teams of 2-6 people only. Come down and test your primate knowledge.

Oh and we booked the flights for Morocco yesterday! We are really going

Beale Park 2013

Yesterday I went to a meeting at Beale Park about what we will be doing there this year and I have some dates for the diaries. Firstly the 27th and 28th of July and the 31st August and 1st of September in which we will be doing two of three possible options the double bill of plays or Monkey Athletics or Monkey Biscuits. Then in October half term – 31st of October and 1st of November – we will be launching Spooky Monkeys a new set of activities teaching about nocturnal primates. More details of all to come. Hope to see some people there

Monkey hugs