The Miss Abbie the Clown Show Running time: 35-45 minutes. Set-up time: 30 minutes. Breakdown time: 20 minutes. Requirements: AC power access, min. 8 foot x 8 foot performing area. Also available outdoors in wind-protected area or with two adults to guard backdrop supports. To maintain the illusion, it's better if kids don't watch setup and breakdown.

Performing with taped musical accompaniment in front of a backdrop painted to look like Farmer MacGregor's garden, Miss Abbie begins with her signature easel routine. In this problem-solving piece, she gets stuck in the easel she tries to set up, and eventually figures out how to solve her problem while the kids laugh and offer advice to help her think her way through.

The easel then becomes a prop for the rest of the show as Abbie performs a magic routine with disappearing colors in a coloring book. The next skit is Symphony a la Mood. Using volunteers from the audience and music from Peter and the Wolf, Abbie conducts a symphony like you've never seen before.

The show ends as Abbie constructs a four-foot rabbit out of balloons that appear like magic from Farmer MacGregor's garden to the music of Peter and the Rabbit. The entire series of skits and routines is tied together by the theme of Miss Abbie's voyage of self-discovery as she passes from the characters of clown to magician to dancer to musician to conductor before discovering that deep down inside she's a clown after all.

Edweena's Christmas Surprise Running time: 35-45 minutes. Set-up time: 60 minutes. Breakdown time: 60 minutes. Requirements: AC power access, min. 10 foot x 10 foot performing area. Indoors only. To maintain the illusion, it's better if kids don't watch setup and breakdown. To see a preview of Edweena's Christmas Surprise click here.

Edweena Elf begins by inviting everyone to visit her cozy home at the North Pole, featuring a fully-painted backdrop of her living room, a 7-foot foam Christmas tree, and a gigantic box - her Christmas present from Santa. As the story line unfolds, she takes a phone call from Santa and goes through a series of comic, juggling, puppetry and magic routines in the process. Edweena hangs her family's Christmas stockings (hers is twice as big as anyone else's), does a rope spin with the Christmas garland, and loses her telephone at the top of the Christmas tree. She temporarily misplaces Santa's Christmas list (much to the kids' consternation), wrestles with her conscience about whether to open her Christmas present early, and comes up with her own present for Santa, among other episodes that show her clown skills and problem-solving abilities. In the end...well, it's a surprise - a big one!

Clown Make-Up Show & Tell: An Educational Experience Running time: 45-60 minutes Set-up time: 10 minutes. Breakdown time: 10 minutes.

In this mesmerizing educational experience, Abbie the Person transforms herself into Miss Abbie the Clown. Kids are entranced as, before their eyes, Miss Abbie turns from an ordinary person into a clown by applying make-up and changing into character as she does so. She talks the kids through each step of the way, explaining character creation and the use of greasepaint in a funny, entertaining style. Once in make-up, Miss Abbie performs her signature "getting tangled up in the easel" piece and, if time and audience size permit, teaches one or two clown skills. She concludes by showing how the make-up comes off and she returns to being a normal person. If appropriate, she will even paint red noses on all the kids.

This is a great show to introduce children to the art of clowning. The Program Coordinator for Arapahoe Library District said, "Several parents said they felt having you put on your make-up and become a clown right in front of their children's eyes helped them to not be afraid of clowns." It's also great for classes that are studying clowns, circuses, or performing skills. It's a big favorite, especially in libraries, schools, and daycare centers.