One of the biggest challenges for parents, teachers and principals looking for high quality school assemblies and enrichment programs is the chore of locating them. How do you find them? How do you know they are good? Well, there are many ways to do just that, ranging from word of mouth, the internet, what the school has done before, and whatever brochures arrive in the mail. But by far the best way is to actually get a chance to meet a large variety of performers in person and see many of them actually performing segments of their shows, in person and all in one place.

Just such an opportunity is offered in many places around the country by way of gatherings known as showcases.

If your school is located in a remote area this may not be an option, but for schools in larger markets the option is often available.

Several states , such as Michigan and Kentucky, have art groups that stage conventions periodically and offer showcase situations where various performers strut their stuff. In other places private institutions exist that stage performer showcases once a year.

In the greater Chicago area, school representatives are indeed fortunate as they have access to not one but two different fine showcases. One is the older and one is newer, but both are worth attending.

For North East Illinois and the entire greater Chicago market, where a good many school assembly performers are resident, the grand daddy of showcases is the one held annually in Skokie, Illinois, at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. The other, a relative newcomer but still a great resource, is the Premier Showcase held a couple of weeks later in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. If your school is located in Chicago, it's suburbs, or anywhere nearby, including Michigan, Northern Indiana and South Eastern Wisconsin, you really should plan on attending at least one of these two fine shows.

The first, in Skokie will be held on Wednesday, August 28, at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts on Skokie Boulevard in Skokie, Illinois.

The second, The Premier Showcase, will be held on Tuesday, September 10, at the Abbington Distinctive Banquets, in Glen Ellyn. Details here!

Advance registration is required for both events, so make your plans to attend now!

Mobile Ed will be there, at both events, as we are most years. We are very excited about making the trip over the Chicago from our home office in Michigan, and having the chance to visit with all our friends, both school representatives we know already as well as performers. But it is just as exciting for us to have the chance to meet a whole lot of new friends. So, stop on by, and say hi! I expect several of our great performers to be there once again to meet you and answer questions. We will have lots of cool information about all of our great school shows, and you can even take care of your scheduling right there on the spot!

I will look forward to seeing you!

 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. He also spent ten years coordinating assembly programs for the elementary school where his own children went to school.