Bedlam bash to benefit Brian Monroe
Brian Monroe with his daughters Claudia (left, age 12) and Anika (age 10).
Brian Monroe has been “the foundation for the Hard Times Café for 14 years,” said former Hard Times collective member Miki Takata. Monroe has long been an active member of not only that cooperative café, but the larger Cedar-Riverside community, as a member of the Cedar-Riverside Business Association (CRBA) and a former director on the West Bank Community Coalition (WBCC) board.
It has been a difficult year for Monroe and his family, however; since the death earlier this year of the mother of his two daughters, Monroe has been raising the girls alone. Not long after, Brian himself was diagnosed with cancer on his tongue, which has required chemo and radiation therapy, and may lead to surgery, according to Takata. Compounding the problem is the fact that Hard Times – Monroe’s major source of income — has been closed pending renovations required by the city.
In response, friends and colleagues are rallying to support him with a benefit at Bedlam Theatre, 1501 S. Sixth St., on Sunday, Nov. 11, from 5–10 p.m. The “kid- and family-friendly” evening will include free chair massages; food prepared by former Hard Times cooks; a handful of bands covering Monroe’s favorite, The Stooges; and raffles and silent auctions of prizes, ranging from theatre tickets to tattoos and even a $320 trip to the dentist.
Other items include:
a $70 gift certificate for a local restaurant, donated by operators of a one-hour social peace and world justice show on WRFW radio station in River Falls, Wisc.;
a children’s puppet show by Dhann Polnau, who performs at Bedlam and Heart of the Beast theatres;
a Koerner, Ray and Glover box set donated by M.J. Mueller;
West Bank Boogie books from Bridge publisher Triangle Park Creative;
four sets of two tickets for any show this season at Theatre in the Round;
certificates for shiatsu massage by organizer Miki Takata;
lunch and a tour of City Hall by Ward 2 Council Member Cam Gordon; and more.
If you would like to donate items to be auctioned, contact Miki Takata at 612-724-7028 or by email at miki.takata.shiatsu@gmail.com
Donations will also be accepted at the event or ongoing at Associated Bank, 1801 Riverside Ave. or at Monroe’s home address; contact Takata for more information.
last revised: November 9, 2007