McDonald’s® School Show FAQ

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.

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.”

Oakview Elementary, Maple Grove: “Super, easy message.  Good to see Ronald in such a useful capacity, showing leadership on a worthwhile effort – great for kids AND adults to see.”

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

Is there a charge?

There is never a charge for Ronald’s school shows!  It is funded by your local McDonald’s restaurant.

St. John the Baptist, Savage: “McDonald’s is doing a great service by making a performance like this available to schools.”

Crestview Elementary, Brooklyn Park: “Thank you for offering this program at no cost!  With budget restrictions we have not been able to bring many programs into the school.  This was fabulous!”

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!”

When do you perform?

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

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 that time.

Can we have both shows at our school?

Unfortunately we are not able to do both our bully show and our good choices 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.

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.

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.

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: “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 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.

Burnside Elementary, Red Wing: “This show exceeded our expectations!  It held the attention of our fifth graders as well as our second graders!  That is not easy to do.”

St. Clair Elementary, St. Clair: “The 6^th graders I was sitting by wanted to make fun of the show, but they were drawn into the program in spite of themselves.”

Cedar Park Elementary, Apple Valley: “Even the older kids enjoyed this immensely!”

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

We prefer 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!

Red Pine Elementary, Eagan: “The actors were wonderful and kept the students attention for the full 45 minute show!”

School For All Seasons, Isanti: “Great job!  All 350+ kids were on task.  That’s an accomplishment in itself!”

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

Where do you get your actors?

McRooney Entertainment hires only the best children’s theatre actors in the Twin Cities.  Our current actors have a combined experience of eighty eight years in show business!  These 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 in theatres such as Dudley Riggs’ Brave New Workshop, The Guthrie Theatre, Theatre De La Jeune Lune, Luxor Casino Las Vegas, and Mystery Cafe.  Our actors also boast over 100 commercials and a dozen movies on their resumes, 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!”

New Prague Elementary, New Prague: “Professionals at their best.”

Madelia Elementary, Madelia: “All 3 actors deserve a Tony Award!”

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 character development, 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.”

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

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!”

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.”

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

Lino Lakes Elementary, Lino Lakes: “Once again a quality McDonald’s production.  We loved every minute of it!”

J.W. Smith Elementary, Bemidji: “All of the programs we have from your organization have been superb.”

Reede Gray School, Redwood Falls: “Your program continues to be one of the ‘best’ presented in our school.”

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.