*** “That’s Weird, Grandma” is now celebrating its 25th birthday. Directed by Brandon Cloyd, this lively and energetic sketch show is made up of a series of vignettes written by Chicago Public School students, under the guidance of creative writing teachers from the Playmakers Laboratory and presented on stage once or twice a year by the teaching artists. With the vision of championing children’s ideas, Playmakers Laboratory enhances each vignette with music, choreography, and sound effects to create a one-hour-long family-friendly production that celebrates the imaginations of young people.
The original vignette from 25 years ago, which inspired the series, is entitled “That’s Weird, Grandma” and is retold in the middle of the performance to enlighten the audience. Here we see how Grandma falls forward and messes up her front teeth when she was a kid. (This is funny if you’re a kid, right? But the bit only gets more amusing!) And while the majority of the skits in today’s show are meant to be humorous, if not inventive, I learned today that the genre that most young writers tend to gravitate towards is horror. We see a short story called “The Orphan Girl” by Juliza, from McPhearson School, which depicts a fire, and a story called “Rose and Tony”, which depicts an almost drowning. Then there is the piece called “Dear President”, which seems almost as if a teen or an adult wrote it, because the premise is “No More War.”
Some of the better vignettes tend to be the ones where several students have teamed up to write them. My guest (who is a librarian by training) particularly liked “Sarah Goes to the Library”, written by four students at Columbia Explorers Academy. One of my favorites is called “Dear Brain” by Shawn, from the Peirce International School. While Shawn found television commercials to be distracting, this premise served as the basis for the teaching artists to incorporate several notable ones that would stick in our minds. But the skit that lasted the most with me was “The Shopping Habit” by Kayla, from the Trumbull Elementary School. And regarding that story, I won’t ruin the ending for you!
The program provides the actual script for each vignette and the name of the student who wrote it, plus the name of the school where they are enrolled. I attended the August 23rd performance, where in addition to the regular program, there is a note inside entitled “Today’s Featured Stories.” These happened to be “Love Is Enough for a Bear” by Ameena A., from the Johnson School of Excellence, and “My Sister Fell” by Cesar, from Stockton Elementary. While this blurb is not distinguished, the acting that makes it all too real is great! There is even one vignette written and presented entirely in Spanish; and if you don’t know the language, you can figure it out.
What amazed me was how different things are today from when I went to school with respect to writing credits. In my time, our full names would have been printed in the program, regardless of our age. Today, there was only a first name or a first name and the first initial of the last name. There might have even been a detail or two about us, such as what grade we were in and who our teacher was in addition to the basic school information.
The cast includes Company Members Linnaea Groh, Indi Gutierrez Marrero, Macaria Chaparro Martinez, Barry Irving, Lucas Johnson, Yongwoo Park, Lee Peters, Allison Sokolowski, Brad Stevens, and Lex Mann Turner. In addition, the August 23rd performance included emeritus cameos by Ashley Bland, Ricky Harris, Sam Nieves, and Kate Staiger. (Subsequent dates offer cameo appearances from many others.)
Live piano playing and guitar playing plus canned music accompany the vignettes. And the entire production is right-on-target with lighting and sound effects, thanks to stage manager Daniel Parsons. But the best part is watching how the components come together throughout. What is impressive is just how well the teaching artists could see through the children’s young work and know exactly how to develop it and jazz it up!
It is not fair to judge “That’s Weird, Grandma” using the same rating scale as I use for a finely tuned Broadway show. Despite the limitations of this production with its low-budget (no real set design or prop design or detailed costumes), it is being recommended. That’s because of how well a creative writing program run by Playmakers Laboratory can support a young student’s creativity and bolster their self-esteem. As an audience member, seeing the teaching artists on stage together with their optimistic idealism is infectious!
“That’s Weird, Grandma’s 25th Birthday” is playing through September 6, 2026, at the Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Avenue, in Chicago, located on the second floor of a large red brick building on the corner of Foster and Ashland.
Five performances only!
Tickets:
Adults: $26.06*
Youth (ages 4 – 15): $15.76*
Children 3 and under: free
*Ticket prices include a processing fee
Performance Schedule:
Sunday, August 23 at 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 29 at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 30 at 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 5 at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 6 at 2:00 p.m.
For more information and to purchase tickets visit: https://www.playmakerslab.org/.
Accessibility:
“The main entrance is through a pair of double doors on the first floor at 5153 N Ashland, where patrons walk up a flight of stairs to the second floor and through a series of hallways, into the main theater space. The building does have elevator access, but there is an additional hallway to navigate with a short landing of 4 stairs. Patrons who are wheelchair users or require other mobility considerations should call our offices at 773-878-4557, 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., or email at admin@neofuturists.org. We are happy to discuss providing access to anyone that wants to see our work.”
“Free street parking is often available on Ashland or on Foster west of Ashland. Parking is NOT allowed in the Swedish Museum Parking Lot, just north of the theater on the corner. You will be towed at your own expense.
To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at ” That’s Weird Grandma’s 25th Birthday”.
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