This class is designed to build confidence and create ease in the art of public speaking. Through carefully guided exercises, activities, and creative imagery, students will explore the concepts of body awareness and vocalization. Lively and fun theater improvisations...
Art Form: Theater
Our Programs
How Freedom Works
Students gain a deeper understanding of American government with this lighthearted and engaging workshop or performance. Topics include gerrymandering, the Electoral College, how a bill becomes a law, and presidential order of succession. Also available for virtual...
WiseWrite
A SPRINGBOARD SIGNATURE PROGRAM From the first brainstorming session to an original performance by professional actors, students in the WiseWrite program learn what it takes to be a playwright — all while strengthening their literacy and writing skills. WiseWrite...
Medea, Thor & More: World Mythology
Note: This program can only be delivered virtually. Engaging, educational, and entertaining, MEDEA, THOR & MORE: WORLD MYTHOLOGY explores the meanings and functions of world mythology by bringing to life myths from several different areas of the world: “How Atum...
Heroes Are Everywhere: Write Your Own Journey Myth
Note: This program can only be delivered virtually. Stories are doorways to help us understand the world, and myths are some of the greatest stories ever told. Some of the most famous myths are journey myths, in which a character must go on a quest and face many...
Three Little What-zits and the Big Bad Who-zit
In this residency, Sherry Norfolk will perform a fractured version of “The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf,” then explore the pattern of fracturing stories with students. Students will research a particular state, continent, habitat or region to choose their...
Harriet Tubman: An American Hero
By now, many Americans have learned that Harriet Tubman was the most infamous leader of the Underground Railroad, but what does that mean? What exactly was the Underground Railroad and how was it run? What were the roads that were taken into Freedom? How many miles in...
Money Magic
Jeff wants a puppy. He wants a puppy more than anything so he asks his mom if he can get one. She says, “If you’re grown up enough to earn the money, then you’re grown up enough to take care of a puppy.” With the help of a zany cast of characters, Jeff learns to WORK...
Making it Happen!
What do you want to be? Jeff wanted to be an entertainer but he didn’t know how. He took a trip to the library, checked out some books and started learning. With effort, focus, perseverance and a good mentor – Jeff practiced and learned how to entertain. He didn’t...
Women Get the Vote: America’s Suffrage Story
What if you were told that you couldn’t vote? That’s what half of the American adult population—the female half—was told until 1920. Using historical records and dramatic reenactment, Karen portrays a cantankerous suffragette and her modern day...
How Freedom Works (Deluxe Edition)
Students gain a deeper understanding of American government with this lighthearted and engaging workshop plus performance. A group of 20-30 students plus and adult work with Jay and Leslie of Laughing Matters in a workshop and then during the show, they become the...
Professor I Drop, The Juggling Scientist
Jay Cady of Laughing Matters illustrates the concepts of kinetic and potential energy using bean bags, spinning plates, and other juggling equipment in this interactive classroom workshop. He also shares original poems about famous scientists and challenges students...
CSI: Photosynthesis!
Someone has killed Penelope’s beloved plant – and she calls in an expert detective to help her solve this mystery: “Detective C.O. Science.” However, Detective Science never works alone. Instead, she utilizes a large group of CSI interns, played by your students!...
Natural Wonders… Earth Protectors Who Led the Way
Former St. Louis Zoo Naturalist and Great Ape Keeper Dianne Moran leads students on a journey into environmental history as she portrays either Mountain Gorilla Researcher and Defender Dian Fossey, or Mother of Environmentalism Rachel Carson. Stepping from character,...
Chef Alfredo and Madam Souffle
Join Chef Alfredo and Madam Souffle as they cook up some fun with facts in their kitchen – your classroom! These entertaining and crazy cooks will use Drama Based Instruction (DBI) to show the relationships between sets of data, the order for solving equations, and...
Read! Write! Act!
A SPRINGBOARD SIGNATURE PROGRAM (Originally Developed by Alissa Rowan) Lights, camera, action! Students become master playwrights/screenwriters and enhance essential literacy skills as they work through the writing process of developing a scene in a play or a movie....
Turn Off The Lights
With shadow puppets, a completely different type of performance is available. Shadow Puppets resemble silhouettes more than traditional puppets and can move in very life-like and dramatic ways. When the house lights go down and the stage light casts the first shadow,...
Juggling Jeff’s Diabetes Show
R.E. Porter visits Dr. Dave and learns about the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, what insulin is, as well as diabetes management and prevention. Lots of audience interaction and several demonstrations with audience volunteers! Audience: Grades K-8...
Juggling To Read
Reading is everything! It allows us to communicate with each other, learn new things, pass on history, be entertained, explore the world and pass notes to each other! It also helps us to drive! Everything you see in the show can be learned in a book! What will you...
Juggling Jeff’s Jester History
A healer? Dietitian? Social equality leader? Entertainer? That's right - we are talking about the medieval jester! A 45 min. presentation on the historical medieval jester. Includes audience interaction, volunteers, juggling, comedy and more. Audience: Grades K-8...
Writing, Drama and Puppetry
Students explore and become excited about reading and writing through puppetry. As a group, students explore the writing process and become familiar with story elements and dramatic forms of writing. Then through creation their own puppets, students write their own...
Wiley and The Hairy Man
This play, set deep within a southern swamp, centers around a young girl, her mother, her faithful dog, and the Hairy Man who haunts Wiley's days and dreams. Dance, drama and music bring to life the adventures of this plucky heroine. In an exciting duel of wits, Wiley...
Improv Theater!
Improv Theater! is a unique theater class that combines theater games, acting techniques, and improvisation in a mix of adventure and creative exploration. Students create impromptu scenes and characters in a fun and supportive environment. Additionally, this class...
Instant Improv
Using students’ suggestions, school themes or curriculum connections, Ed Reggi and two ensemble members of Paper Slip Theatre create a play for your students. In addition to watching the play unfold before their eyes, audience members participate by portraying...
Peter Rabbit Grows a Garden
This performance features Peter Rabbit growing his own garden after receiving seeds and instruction from a disgruntled farmer named Jill. Problems arise when a gopher steals some of Peter’s carrots. Peter has to resolve the issue by sharing his knowledge of gardening...
Amazing Animals!
Join veteran Zoo naturalist and living history performer Dianne Moran as she presents a fun-filled learning experience. Live animals (spiders, insects, snakes, lizards and small animals), bio facts of skins, skulls, etc. along with lots of audience participation...
Sum of Our Favorite Numbers
Laughing Matters shows students that numbers can be fun. Stacking cups and juggling makes addition, subtraction, multiplication and division enjoyable for visual learners. A fun filled fairy tale, “The Ruler Who Measured Too Much,” is sure to entertain and inspire...
Read It Right Now
In this energetic, interactive performance, mime, juggling and magic make literacy come alive! Letters get animated as Jay mimes the entire alphabet from A (arrow) to Z (zipper). A clever magic trick is used to introduce rhyming words, synonyms, antonyms and...
Letters, Numbers, Shapes and Colors
On a journey through the alphabet from A to Z, Jay and Leslie use mime, juggling, sign language, and a big bag of tricks to teach little ones basic concepts they need for kindergarten. The centerpiece of the show is "M is for Mystery" where students learn to recognize...
Juggling the Earth’s Resources
In this fast-paced performance, juggling and diagrams bring environmental education to life. This program features a discussion of the impact of burning fuel on the ozone and global warming, a fun and interactive demonstration of the water cycle and a juggling...
Shakespeare’s Story: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Shakespeare created magnificent poetic theatre, but he started with great stories. Kings, queens, fairies, magic; many of his stories read like classic fairy tales. In this one hour session teaching artist and Shakespeare storyteller Daniel John Kelly guides his...
Dramatic Play Through Puppetry
Guided by puppeteer Paul Vandivort, students in this program learn to use puppets to enter imaginary worlds and to act out stories. In small groups, students practice cooperation while playing games that teach math, phonics and public speaking skills. Creating their...
Mission Improvable
Discover the creative world of improvisational dramatics. While constructing a short play based on a classroom theme, children experience the improvisation arts of pantomime, storytelling and spontaneous character. Ed Reggi chooses from more than 50 improvisation...
Messages in the Media
Ed Reggi leads a variety of theater games, hands-on projects and video presentations where students analyze the effects of media messages on their community’s attitudes and sharpen their own media literacy skills. Each student creates a mini-commercial in the form of...
Character Travel
For children, it’s amazing how fun fabrics, interesting props, music and movement can create a whole new world of characters. Ed Reggi facilitates this discovery as students use theatrical improvisation to try on new languages, customs and cultures. This workshop...
Amazing Creatures!
Join veteran zoo naturalist Dianne Moran as she engages students to join her on a journey into the wild realm of animals! Live animals, animal bio facts (skins, skulls and uniquely preserved specimens) along with lots of student participation highlight this fun and...
Play by Play Shakespeare
Students participate in interactive exercises designed to introduce them to Shakespeare’s poetry. They physically respond to lines of dialogue, perform scenes and play with the bard’s words; exploring word order, rhythm and emphasis. Throughout the workshop, they...
Lightning Multiplication and Division Tricks
Students will learn secrets of lightning calculation, focusing on multiplication and division. They will learn to mentally multiply a variety of 2 digit x 2 digit problems; to divide numbers circled on a calendar using mental division; to add 10 audience-generated...
Geometricks: Learning Geometry with Magic
Students will deepen their knowledge of geometry in a fun way as magic meets math. Perform magic with 5 different types of triangles! Demonstrate amazing properties of circles when they are stretched to their limits! Speed calculate the area of a rectangle! Each...
Adding and Subtracting by Magic
Students will learn to do a variety of math magic tricks. To successfully pull off the tricks, they must perform mental addition or subtraction. When they show family and friends their new tricks from each session they will also be honing their mental math skills! ...