Inspired by the award-winning MathStart book series by Stuart J. Murphy, "The Main Street Kids' Club: A MathStart Musical" tells a tale of adventure, mystery, friendship and math. Six stories, each focusing on a different mathematical concept, have been deftly woven together and adapted by Scott Ferguson ("Schoolhouse Rock Live!"), with lyrics by Scott Ferguson and Michael Mahler, and music by Michael Mahler. The Main Street Kids Club - or "M.S.K.C."- is a cool kids' club where they love to use math to figure out all kinds of things. "Math skills = Life skills!" Toby, the "new kid in town," desperately wants to join. He has to prove himself first and thinks a 50 year-old treasure map he found might just do the trick. ("It's a Map!") When the gang arrives at the clubhouse ("The M.S.K.C."), Toby asks why everyone is wearing wildly colorful decorated t-shirts. They're celebrating! ("One Hundred Days of Cool") Danny, one of the club members, really wants to buy a pair of super-cool Heeleys (gym shoes with wheels), but is having a tough time saving up any money. His friends motivate him by re-enacting a MathStart story, "Less Than Zero." ("Perry the Penguin") Then everyone realizes that the M.S.K.C. itself needs to raise some money to fix up the clubhouse. Danny discovers Toby's treasure map before Toby can share it with the group and his "ticket" into the club is foiled. The gang goes off to find the buried treasure, leaving Toby is left behind to guard the clubhouse...still an outsider. ("If I Could Just Be Me") The MSKC kids follow the map very carefully ("It's a Map! Reprise") Meanwhile, back at the clubhouse, Toby reads another MathStart book, "More or Less," and learns about making predictions (interactive audience segment). Back on the treasure trail, the gang doesn't find a stash of gold, but a 50 year-old time capsule from a another kid's club! They find lots of cool stuff inside, including an old comic book called "Captain Invincible and the Space Shapes," which they have a blast acting out. But wait! No treasure means no money to fix of the clubhouse! They decide to set up a lemonade stand for a few days to raise the needed funds. Toby wants to help, but again is told that it's only for "official members." ("If I Could Just Be Me, Reprise") At first, business is great! The MSKC uses a bar graph to keep a record of their sales. ("Lemonade") On the 4th day sales go way down. A look out the window tells the story: All of their customers are over on the corner, watching Toby, who happens to be a fabulous juggler. Then Sheri has an idea... The next day, sales are over the top! Thanks to Toby's juggling, the crowds were huge. Danny asks Toby to join the club as Toby declares that "math skills equal life skills!" ("The M.S.K.C., Reprise") LICENSING / BOOKING INFORMATION: "The Main Street Kids' Club: A MathStart Musical For information on licensing a production, please contact HarperCollins: ChildrensPermissions@HarperCollins.com phone: 212.207.7700 / fax: 212 702 2582 To book a Theatrebam Chicago performance: http://theatrebamchicago.org Theatrebam Chicago is a Chicago-based non-profit theatre company offering three great touring shows: "The Main Street Kids' Club: A MathStart Musical," "Schoolhouse Rock Live!" and "Parker in the Park" - the Natural Science Musical. We travel to area schools and organizations to give performances of our fun and educational shows right in your own venue! Scott Ferguson (book & lyrics) Scott's background covers it all: director, actor, teacher and writer. "The Main Street Kids Club" was first workshopped at Northwestern University, which is also his alma mater. Scott is a veteran teacher and director for the NU National High School Institute. He is also the co-founder and artistic director of Theatrebam Chicago, where he conceived, co-wrote and directed the hit shows "Schoolhouse Rock Live!" and "Schoolhouse Rock Live Too!" He directed Jeff award-nominated productions of "Xena Live! Episode Two: Xena Lives!" and "A Man of No Importance." Scott has also directed several musicals for regional theatres across the country. Michael Mahler (lyrics & music) Michael has written music, lyrics and/or book for a number of productions, including: "Knute Rockne - All American" and "How Can You Run with a Shell on Your Back?" (Aesop's Fables"), along with over 40 songs for Northwestern's annual "Waa-Mu Show." Michael's work has been performed in various songwriter showcases in both New York and Chicago, garnering several honors. With Alan Schmuckler, Michael is the co-music director/arranger of the Chicago Sound Connection, and has released five recordings of liturgical songs. Michael received a lead actor Jeff Citation Award for "My Favorite Year" and a lead actor "The Sweet Smell of Success." Stuart J. Murphy (author of original books) Stuart is the author of the award-winning MathStart series, 63 books that teach mathematical concepts to young children through a combination of stories and visual learning strategies (HarperCollins). There are 21 titles in each of three levels for children ages Pre-K through Grade 4, covering everything from Counting, Doubling Numbers and Matching, to Timelines, Area, and Percentage. Each book includes a special section of related activities designed to help teachers and parents help their children by extending the learning beyond the stories. Stuart has also been on the authorship teams of a well over a dozen major text book programs. Special Thanks to RIVES COLLINS and Northwestern University for allowing a workshop of the show to happen, to all of the students that participated in the workshop (LAURA MERCHUT, ISABEL RICHARDSON , RB EMBLETON, ALEX WEISMAN, JOHNSON BROCK, AARON RICCARDI, LIZ OLANOFF, CARA RIFKIN, CAITLIN COLLINS, KRISTIN JOHNSON, JON KWOCK, STEVE MCQUOWN, DANA KAPLAN-ANGLE, KIRSTEN HUPPLER, BRITTA ROWINGS, COURTNEY BLACKWELL, MADELINE SCHEFFLER, LAURA NASH , KELBY SIDDONS and CASEY BISHOP) A very special thanks to Robert Ollis and Steven Silverman for their generosity and help in making the Original Cast recording a reality. A very very special thanks to Janet Ginsberg (our stage mom) and of course Stuart J. Murphy for their incredible support!