We have been presenting shows and workshops at NYC schools and touring DC to Boston and beyond for 20+ years. Improv is a powerful tool to get kids excited about listening and focus, teaching creativity and critical thinking and building confidence and self esteem. The result is better community, leadership and public speaking. We use the same program to train. Corporate teams, management amd sales.
Two things happened in the past year. One, our number of residencies at NYC schools has doubled. Two, my show, madcapped Mysteries has taken off.
With the residencies we often find some populations of kids more challenging than others. Usually it has nothing to do with the kids.
Some room are just better managed before we arrive. Teaching focus is a supplement. Other rooms, we are starting from scratch.
Some schools have better support mechanisms for kids on the spectrum, ADHD etc. Other schools have behavioral problems. After 20+ years I realize these are the same kids. One group just had more resources and support they need in the early years.
So at times, we have to throw all lesson plans out the window. I am not there to turn kids into actors or comics. I am there to teach these kids a better way through the noise. I teach listening and focus. I teach language arts and story telling. I teach creativity and public speaking. I teach community and leadership.
In the past I have brought my Uke in and do a single along. One day I played Santa Claus and every kid told me what they wanted for Christmas. I turned each interaction into a mini improv, as I do as Santa every December.
And what do you want for Christmas? – A Nintendo Switch – What do you want to switch it with?)
OR Kids, I was biking through Paris last year. I fell off my bike. Had to go to the nurse. The nice French lady points to my knee and say, “Look, you have a La BooBoo!”
My NEW Technique.
I bill Madcapped Mysteries as “the most original murder mystery show ever.” It has been a huge hit at corporate events, birthday parties and libraries. I have had a lot of success with teens and teens.
Madcapped is an improv show. The Experience starts as an extended call ’ems, columns, or human madlibs (everyone has their own name for this game). I announce myself as the detective as I do in any mystery show.
“May I have your attention please, my name is detective Frankie Horsham of the NYC Detective Squad. We have some things to discuss. I just discovered….” In an adult show, I point to someone looking for a name, who becomes our victim.
For kids, “I just realized that something has been stolen. What was that thing?” Yesterday at a Bronx school, someone said “a dolphin.”
No matter what the answer, from me, extreme YES AND…. “That’s right, A DOLPHIN was stolen from the…” (Lamborghini, kids love Lamborghini lol). PS this AI photo is pretty much the scene we imagined during the show.
This fill in the blank continues for 2-3 minutes. Then I point to a kid. “Stand up, what’s your name?” Before the show I instruct kids to use fake names. Younger kids get very hurt when their real name becomes a suspect. But with fake names it’s ALL pretend and play.
Yesterday, we got onto singers in one class. Latoya Jackson was front and center. She was doing a cover of Billy Jean without the rights. Meanwhile someone stole Sza’s only copy of her book UM I HAD. The book was all about what Sza had for breakfast. The perp? The 6-7 King from Puerto Rico. Workers and owners at the pizza shop and bodega were witnesses. The principal of the school was a character witness.
My words can’t even begin to explain how much fun the kids had and how engaged they were. And when they are engaged the subconsciously notice a change. When they start to flake out, I can call them on from a positive place. Now that we have focus, finally, I can inject some wisdom and technique.
“Remember, when it is yout turn to speak BIG VOICE. When it is not your turn, NO VOICE and LISTEN WITH YOUR EYES.”
With the mystery, there is more at stake than regular improv. Because after 15 minutes of meeting all the characters (I try to assign every kid in the room a role in the play, easier with groups of 20 or less) I split the teams up into detective squads to discuss the mystery and figure out what really happened.
FINALLY, each team gets a minute to present their solution.
At a public even, I bring prizes. I collect answer sheets. The final beats of the show is me hyper flabbergasted reading the various short stories teams create.
For a short class, we just let the kids share.
THEN, I wrap it up with…
GUESS WHAT YOU JUST DID!
You just created an original story from scratch. Working together, YOU created a bunch of characters, a setting, a plot…. I was just the glue. I steered the ship but YOU did all the work. And the result was FANTASTIC. And all you had to do was listen, focus and have some fun. Do that everyday and you can succeed at EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING.
Even math. Next time you struggle, don’t get upset. Say to yourself I GOT THIS or I CAN FIGURE THIS OUT.
Most people get to a place where it gets “HARD” and just give up on themselves. My final message to the kids, if you don’t give up on yourself AND put in the work, you CAN do anything.
THE SECRET TO MY SUCCESS
I teach what everyone else tries to teach. But as the guest teacher, if I can set myself up as the fun guy that truly cares I get them every time. Sometimes it looks like chaos. But like I teach, I dont try to work miracles. My goal is to get each Class 1% better every day. By removing all ego and insecurity and undue pressure, we often move the needle exponentially.
With improv, some students take 5 minutes, some tale a life time. Classes are the same way.
This show that has been my best seller the past 18 months (thanks to price point, word of mouth and repeat bookings combined). Now Madcapped Mysteries is just another tool in my chest.
I spread joy and laughter every day, one show/workshop/experience at a time. My Mission is to knock stage fright off the top of the phobias list and put a dent into the social anxiety epidemic leading to loneliness and stagnation in far too many kids and adults.
My public and private shows usually run 60-75 minutes, but I rocked the entire process in 30 minutes teoce yesterday. Bring Improv shows and workshops to your school, camp, community centers or family gathering. Ask for Madcapped Mysteries to be part of the fun.
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