click for a downloadable pdf booklet of math activities!
Scott's background covers it all: director, actor, teacher and writer.
The Main Street Kids Club was first workshopped at Northwestern University, his alma mater. Scott is a veteran teacher and director for Northwestern's National High School Institute. In addition to his work in children's theater, Scott has directed a number of productions for Chicago companies, including We Three Lizas for About Face Theatre and the critically acclaimedBloody Bloody Andrew Jackson for Bailiwick Chicago—of which he is also a Founding Collective Member. Scott has also directed for regional theaters all over the country. Scott is 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!
Michael is a composer/lyricist with several award-winning productions to his credit, including: Hero (Joseph Jefferson Award, Best New Work, Musical), Knute Rockne: All-American, The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey and How Can You Run with a Shell on Your Back?.
His songs have been featured in concerts and showcases around the world, including the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's Festival of New Musicals and An Evening at the Kennedy Center. Michael himself is Jeff-nominated actor and musical director. Check out his debut self-titled EP with his band The Lincoln Squares! For more about Michael, including song clips, please visit his website.
A few years ago, Janet, Managing Director of SJM Media, had a glimmer of an idea for a math musical. Never one to ignore a good glimmer, she brought the idea, along with a hefty stack of MathStart books, to Rives Collins, a noted children's storyteller and an Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre at Northwestern University. Rives was intrigued.
Janet arranged for Rives to meet Stuart. Then Rives introduced us to Scott. Michael came on board for the workshop at Northwestern and rest, as they say, is musical theater history...
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"MathStart books are all about teaching math skills in the context of stories. But I had to wonder how that was going to covert into a staged musical for kids. Well it converted very well indeed! The math is there. The math skills are reinforced. It's all part of one cohesive story—an exciting story—that I think will get kids' attention. The whole notion of a musical about math for children is really an exciting idea." —Stuart J. Murphy
Based on six stories from Stuart J. Murphy's popular award-winning MathStart series, playwright Scott ("Schoolhouse Rock Live!") Ferguson has crafted an original story of adventure, mystery, friendship and...math! "Math Skills are Life Skills!" says the sign on the wall of the Main Street Kids' Club clubhouse. They are lots-of-fun skills, too.
From 100 Days of Cool (numbers 1 to 100) to Treasure Map (mapping) and an unscripted audience participation game of "More or Less" (comparing numbers), The Main Street Kids' Club gets kids tapping their toes and cheering. They will root for Perry the Penguin, who learns all about negative numbers while trying to save up some clams for a shiny new ice scooter. He's a whole waddle of fun! They will travel into space with Captain Invincible and his trusty pooch, Comet, navigating a meteor shower and warding off a galactic beast while learning about three dimensional shapes. And they will be humming composer Jeff award-winner, composer Michael Mahler's Lemonade for Sale tune as the they leave the theater, budding entrepreneurs ready for some serious bar-graphing. To quote a very cool second grader, "It's rad!" 
The Main Street Kids' Club, with a target audience is Kindergarten to Grade 3, runs roughly 40 minutes (see synopsis) and is available in two versions:
A reference recording of songs is included in the license. High school theatre directors! The M.S.K.C. is a wonderful way to provide your talented students not only with a great experience in children's theatre, but one with toe-tapping educational value that can be toured to district elementary schools, too! For more information, please contact Music Theatre International (MTI) at [email protected] / 212-541-4684 
The Main Street Kids' Club: A MathStart Musical is a tale of adventure, mystery, friendship and math!
Six stories, each focused on a different mathematical concept, have been adapted by Scott Ferguson into a ("Schoolhouse Rock Live!"), with lyrics by Scott Ferguson and Michael Mahler, and music by Michael Mahler. The Main Street Kids Club—The M.S.K.C.— is a cool kids' club where they love using math to figure out all kinds of things. It even says, "Math skills = Life skills!" on the wall of the official clubhouse. Toby is the new kid in town and he desperately wants to join. First, though, he has to prove himself math-worthy and hopes a 50 year-old treasure map that he found might just do the trick. (Song: “It's a Map!”) When the kids arrives at the clubhouse (Song: “The M.S.K.C.”), Toby asks why everyone is wearing wildly colorful decorated t-shirts. It turns out, they're celebrating! (Song: “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. To help inspire Danny and get him on the right savings track, his friends re-enact the MathStart story, Less Than Zero. (Song: “Perry the Penguin”) Then they realize 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. His "ticket" into the club is foiled! The gang goes off to find the buried treasure, leaving Toby behind to guard the clubhouse...still an outsider (Song: “If I Could Just Be Me”). The kids follow the map very carefully (Song: “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). Out on the trail, the treasure isn’t 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. Oh no! No treasure means no money to fix of the clubhouse, so the kids decide to set up a lemonade stand instead. Toby wants to help, but is told—again— that only for "official members” can be involved (Song: “If I Could Just Be Me” reprise). Business is great for the few few days. The kids use a bar graph to keep a record of sales. (Song: “Lemonade”). But on the 4th day sales go way down. A look out the window tells the story: All their customers are watching Toby, who happens to be a fabulous juggler, perform on a nearby corner. Sheri has an idea... The next day, sales are better than ever! Thanks to Toby's juggling, the crowds are huge. Danny asks Toby to join the club and Toby, grinning, says, "Math skills equal life skills!" (Song: “The M.S.K.C.,” reprise).
(performed by adults / teens)
Danny: A silly jokester who is superstitious. He is aggressive, inventive, free-spirited, and a bit dim. Male, 6-10 yrs old / Range: F3 - A5 Maggie: A total sweetheart and eternal optimist. She is smart, attentive, friendly, and caring. Female, 6-10 yrs old / Range: G3 - D5 Matthew: The leader of the Math club who comes up with all of the ideas. A true team player and epitome of sunny disposition. Male, 6-10 yrs old / Range: B3 - G5 Meg: A pessimistic tomboy who loves to antagonize Danny. Sarcastic at times, yet genuinely playful, she is heartfelt and sincere. Female, 6-10 yrs old / Range: F3 - D5 Sheri: A great thinker who loves math. She is very smart and enjoys sharing her stories to help educate her friends. Female, 6-10 yrs old / Range: A3 - D5 Toby: A great reader who is not the best at math, he is a recent transfer to school and is trying to find acceptance through the elite Math club. Male, 6-10 yrs old / Range: B3 - A5 *touring script available for a five-member cast
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