McDonald’s® School Show FAQ

What can I expect from McRooney Entertainment?

Our mission is to change student behavior by performing the highest quality shows on the most important social topics; making a lasting impression using laughter, music, magic, and student participation.  McRooney Entertainment writes our shows in Minnesota for Minnesotans and utilizes the best and most experienced acting talent in the Twin Cities in order to achieve the highest level of professionalism.  There has never been commercial content, nor will there ever be a charge, for Ronald McDonald shows.

Weaver Elementary, Maplewood: “I cannot tell you how very valuable this program was – and is. It was without hesitation the best program with a positive message – concrete and insightful – I have ever had the pleasure of hosting. Your representatives were skilled, talented and child centered. The message hit home sugar coated! Very well done!”

Why is Ronald an effective messenger of social topics?

Kids know him and they love him!  There is an air of excitement, a buzz, and electricity when Ronald visits.  Kids are thrilled to see him!  They pay attention to Ronald.  They listen when he talks.  Most importantly, kids retain what they are taught. Ronald’s recognizability, the excitement that he offers, and the fun of the show leads to better retention of the subject matter.  That is something that other shows can’t match.

Kennedy Elementary, Willmar: “Great program!  The kids are still talking about how much they enjoyed it.  They have also been using the ‘respect’ vocabulary Ronald used.  The students listen to Ronald McDonald.”

How much does the show cost?

Other local traveling educational shows cost upwards of $1000, but there is never a charge for Ronald’s school shows.  No, really, it’s free!  There is no “catch,” either.  These professional productions are generously funded by your local McDonald’s restaurant.

Middleton Elementary, Woodbury: “McRooney Entertainment and cast are sensational! We have paid a lot of money to have theatre groups come in.  Quite honestly… yours are the best assemblies each year!”

Is this show a commercial for McDonald’s® ?

There is no mention of McDonald’s products, nor do we give away coupons.  This show is available to your school as a community service, courtesy of your local McDonald’s restaurant.  In 2010 89% of our performances were for schools for whom we’d performed before.  Schools book us again and again because our shows are educational, entertaining, and memorable.

Nisswa Elementary, Nisswa: “There were several skeptics on staff. I heard comments like, “another disruption with the academic time crunch” and “is this another marketing ploy for a fast food company?” The program was anything but a disruption and marketing ploy. The message was meaningful and significant, and presented in a truly enjoyable and lively fashion. Teachers reported this as one of the best assemblies in years.”

When do you perform?

We perform on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from October through May.  Generally we perform shows at 10am and 1pm, but we are flexible.

Kimball Elementary, Kimball: “I think this was one of the most informative, entertaining, worthwhile programs to hit the schools in years!  It’s great to see probably the biggest ‘name’ out in the neighborhood giving back to the community in such a positive way!”

How long does it take for you to set up and tear down?

We need an hour before the show to set up, the show lasts approximately 45 minutes, and we will need ½ hour to tear down and load up.  Please have the performance space available to us during the entire 2 hours and 15 minutes that we are visiting.

Valley View Elementary, Bloomington: “This performance was the most exciting, educationally worthy and appropriate show I’ve seen in 9 years.”

Can we have both shows at our school?

Unfortunately we are not able to do both our “Bully Buster” show and our “Trek For Respect” show at the same school in the same school year.  We want to keep our calendar open so we can give as many schools the opportunity to see our show as possible.  We’d be happy to come back next year!

St. Charles Elementary, St. Anthony: “You guys are great!!  The kids love you.  The teachers love you.  I can’t wait to see you again next year!!”

How far will you travel?

We perform in most of the state of Minnesota and a portion of Western Wisconsin.  If your school is in the Duluth/Iron Range area, Rochester, or Fargo/Moorhead, please contact us and we’ll forward you to the company that books in those areas.  If you are from outside of Minnesota, please contact the restaurant manager at your local McDonald’s and they will put you in touch with the booking agent in your area.

Solway Elementary, Bemidji: “As per usual super people – super production.”

What information is needed to book Ronald McDonald’s show?

We will need your school name, a contact person, number of students expected to attend the show, the office phone number, email address in order for a confirmation to be sent, and three dates that work for your school.

Albertville Primary, Albertville: “By far the best program we have had this year.  Teachers indicate they like the Ronald McDonald programs better than any other time after time.”

Are kindergarteners too young for this show?

No!  Kindergarteners attend our show all the time, and we regularly appear at kindergarten only schools.

Chaska Kindergarten Center, Chaska: “Excellent program – very age appropriate and relevant for our students.  You do an amazing job of making it fun for everyone – kids and adults – yet you have great crowd control and get your message across.  Thank you!! Tremendous…the best program we’ve ever had.”

Are fifth and sixth graders too old for this show?

Our shows are written by McRooney Entertainment by experienced local writers and are geared for Minnesota elementary schools grades K-5.  We have great success with those grades.  We have had mixed success with sixth graders.  We leave it up to each school to decide if they believe their sixth grade students will have a positive experience at our show.

Cornelia Elementary, Edina: “Excellent.  What impressed me is that Ronald captured the attention of our older kids.  I knew the younger kids would love it, but the humor held the attention of the older ones.”

We have a large student body. Is it better to have one big show or two smaller shows?

Not so simple answer: it depends.  Often it works well to do one large show, provided you have the space in your gym or performance area.  Not only does that free up time for us to perform at another school, a bigger show generates more excitement, leading to a more memorable experience for the students.  Don’t worry… our professional actors do an outstanding job keeping the kids focused on the show!  However, if your performance space it too small, or your school is too big, then it makes sense to schedule two shows.

Sunnyside Elementary, Red Wing: “Able to connect with 500 5-8 year olds.  Nice job!”

Where do you get your actors?

McRooney Entertainment utilizes only the best professional actors in the Twin Cities.  Our current acting company have worked together for ten years and have a combined experience of eighty eight years in show business!  Our actors have performed on countless stages in the Twin Cities, New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles in such productions as Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, “Tony and Tina’s Wedding”, and “Triple Espresso,” and at theatres such as Dudley Riggs’ Brave New Workshop, Guthrie Theatre, Old Log, History Theatre, Illusion Theatre, Luxor Casino Las Vegas, and Mystery Cafe.  Our actors also boast over 100 commercials and a dozen movies on their resumes, are members of SAG and AFTRA, and one of our actors was named “Funniest Person in the Twin Cities.”

Meadowview Elementary, Farmington: “What ever you pay them – they deserve more!  I had to watch it twice!  They perform each show like it is their first.  I watched this same cast last year so I can only imagine how many times they have said those lines – but you would swear this is their only performance – well written and beautifully acted!”

How long have you been doing elementary school shows in Minnesota?

McDonald’s has been offering high quality, non commercial, professional shows in Minnesota for over 35 years.  We’ve offered performances on topics like anti-bullying, character development, making good choices, conflict resolution, self esteem, recycling, and respect.  Dan Rooney and McRooney Entertainment LLC have been running the Twin Cities Ronald McDonald Program since 1997 and have continued the tradition of offering the most entertaining educational elementary school shows available in Minnesota.

Lakeside Elementary, Chisago City: “I have been in education for approximately 29 years.  Today’s show was as good if not the best show I have seen.  It provided a wonderful message while engaging and entertaining 500 plus students.  Thanks for sharing your talents and time with us at Lakeside.  Our students will remember this afternoon for a long time.  Maybe forever.”

Is Ronald retiring?

Absolutely not! Ronald has too many schools to visit, too many hospital patients to cheer up, and too many smiles to give.  Ronald has been brightening lives for almost 50 years, and he looks forward to another 50!

Our Lady of Peace, Minneapolis:  “Keep it up – you do make a difference.”

What else does Ronald do in the community?

Aside from being the face of McDonald’s Children’s Charities and performing over 150 socially conscious school shows a year, Ronald visits children in the following local hospitals monthly: University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s, Minneapolis Children’s, St. Paul Children’s, Gillette Children’s, Shriner’s Hospital, and the Ronald McDonald House.  He makes many appearances on behalf of the Twin Cities Ronald McDonald House each year.  Ronald appears in over 50 parades across Minnesota annually, and has appeared at numerous philanthropic gatherings including Special Olympics, Sharing and Caring Hands, Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance, the MN ALS foundation, Celiac ROCK, Neighborhood Night Out, Girl Scouts, and many more.  He also visits McDonald’s restaurants to entertain the customers and thanks the crew for their hard work.  Ronald does all of this free of charge, and does not hand out coupons or advertise for McDonald’s products.

New Richmond Elementary, New Richmond WI: “We’ve enjoyed having Ronald McDonald perform for our 3rd graders for several years now. The show has always exceeded our expectations and we hope to continue our affiliation with McDonald’s. In this day and age Ronald McDonald can still serve as a role model for our youth.”

I have a question that was not answered here. Who do I contact?

You can reach Dan Rooney of McRooney Entertainment LLC at ronaldprogram@mcrooneyentertainment.com