Some information to consider today about different types of school assembly performers. All different kinds of people are now involved in bringing programs to schools. We can divide them into some groups, though, in order to bring in some structure.

Some school assembly performers are what we often refer to as “Mom and Pop” operations. By this I mean that you have a presenter who travels to schools performing the show, while the spouse handles the scheduling. Sometimes there is just the presenter handling both their own scheduling and performing.
More often than not, this kind of show is local in nature and does not travel far. If they are willing to travel they usually will include additional fees to cover their travel expenses. Though the quality of performers such as this is all over the charts, from really great to really awful, one thing is usually a constant. They are usually hard to get hold of because they are usually performing when you call and so you must play some phone tag to reach them. On the other hand, if they are easy to reach it may mean they are not working much and that should send up red flags. 

At the other end of the spectrum are regional “arts” agencies that often sport a range of acts and performers ranging into the hundreds. Often these agencies operate in large markets where many actors, musicians, singers and artists live. They are able to offer so many options (sometimes literally hundreds) because these performers, focused on an arts career, are using school programs just to supplement their sporadic income from other sources. Though often good, many of these performers work only on infrequent occasions and so may not be terribly experienced with student audiences or even polished in their own show. Also, the offerings are often esoteric and may or may not be curriculum related in any direct way (I once saw an act offering - no joke - Chinese railroad Songs of the 1800’s).

In the middle are the mid to large sized agencies, like Mobile Ed Productions, that travel the country. To be fair, programs from companies like ours may not always be available when you want them, as tours are usually routed through different states, and are available to you when they are in your area. One week a presenter may be performing school assemblies in Ohio, and then in Indiana the next, and Illinois the week after.  However, performers for national agencies are usually very experienced and professional. They usually work every day (rather than once a month) and so become very polished in what they do. For example, an independent Ben Franklin may work anywhere from once a day to once every three months, whereas Dave Mitchell the gentleman who portrays our Ben Franklin, works up to ten times a week ( By the way, it’s Dave’s birthday today - Happy Birthday, Dave!) And, speaking at least for Mobile Ed performers, the programs are directly related to curriculum and carry no additional fees for travel expenses. One last benefit to national agencies is that they are usually easy to deal with. Since they almost always have a staffed office, you do not need to play phone tag waiting for a presenter to get back in touch with you, and if at any time you have questions about a presentation there is someone there who can assist you.

So, that's a basic guide to the business structure of most school assembly performers. Good shows can come from all three groups! But it is helpful to understand some of the pros and cons associated with each. If you would like to get some more information on this subject and are in the Chicago area, try and visit us next week at the Showcase in Skokie, Illinois!

Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fields of science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN