PHYSICAL COMEDY in Schools
with Brent McCoy & Maya McCoy
Whether you’re looking for a hilarious 45-minute assembly, a community-building all school production, or a deep dive into developing empathy and improving group dynamics we can cater our approach to your school size and needs.
Transform your school into a hub of laughter, creativity, and collaboration with our Physical Comedy Artist-in-Residence program. Through mime, slapstick, storytelling, circus skills, performance, and a ton of laughter students are engaged, empowered, and gain confidence in their ability to be in front of others. Our collaborative creative process gives student ideas the spotlight.
Since founding YES! Theater in 2009, we have performed and taught circus & theater in over 60 elementary and middle schools. Which means, we only work in 3-8 schools per year and we often return to the same schools. The rest of the time we are internationally touring variety artists, practicing what we teach. You can learn more about our day jobs here.
“The ultimate student-centered activity!”
– Principal of Jay/Westfield Elementary School (Vermont)
“It was an exhilarating feeling to watch the ENTIRE student body and faculty laugh… a phenomenal act!”
– Parent of students at Clermont Elementary (Alexandria, Virginia)
“Engaging, funny, and appealing to all ages. ”
– 4th Grade Teacher at Longfellow Elementary (Portland, Maine)
“It was osum. So cool, so osum.”
– Kindergarten Student at East Montpelier Elementary (Vermont)
Vermont Schools
Good news: you can have your maple syrup and creemee too! We are on the Vermont Arts Council’s Teaching Artist Roster and qualify for their Artists in Schools grant.
“What a wonderful experience… you covered team-building, risk taking, creativity, ‘outside-the-box’ thinking, fine & gross motor skills, and FUN!!!”
– 6th Grade Teacher at East Montpelier Elementary (Vermont)
Maya McCoy
Maya started in theater when she was a kid, attended Circus Smirkus Camp, and continued studying theater at college. She went on to study with big wigs of clown and improv at Celebration Barn Theater. Maya has performed physical theater and clowning all over the world for audiences of all sizes, ages, and backgrounds.
She loves outdoor adventures and traveling to new places.
Brent McCoy
Brent has been teaching circus and theater in schools since 2003. He has been a juggling and circus enthusiast for over 25 years. He started performing professionally in 2005 and has since toured all over the planet with The Real McCoy Show & Her Majesty’s Secret Circus. He has studied with master eccentric, Avner Eisenburg; improv guru, Keith Johnstone; and juggling world champion, Fritz Grobe. He loves his job.
“Thank you, Brent and Maya , for working all week with the Craftsbury Academy kiddos! They were thrilled…so were we! We saw more excitement and enthusiasm from certain kiddos that we have ever seen! My cheeks still hurt from smiling and laughing at the show!”
– Teacher at Craftsbury Academy (Vermont)
School shows
Secret Circus Agents, Butterfly & Honeymoon, use acrobatics and juggling, hilarious physical comedy and mime to share a rock-solid message about saying “Oh Yeah!” to new opportunities, taking healthy risks, and being ready to meet the challenges of life. In the guise of a comic spy thriller, they must track down and stop supervillain, Dr. Awful, before it’s too late. But they might need a little help.
It’s been called “hilarious”, “phenomenal”, and “amazing” by students and teachers up and down the eastern seaboard. This is 45-minutes well spent.
This show is enjoyed by students in PreKindergarten to 6th Grade (and their teachers). If you’re looking for a show for older students or families, we’ve got you covered.
Artist residencies
WORKSHOPS | 1 – 4 hours
Brent and Maya’s circus and comedy workshops build coordination, confidence, and focus. With professional expertise, they foster goal setting, self-directed learning, and age-appropriate skill acquisition.
These workshops are also SUPER FUN.
SKILL DEVELOPMENT RESIDENCY | 5 – 10 days
A low-pressure way for students to acquire new skills and dip their toes into performance by sharing work with their classmates. With younger students the emphasis is on group dynamics, empathy building, and ensemble theater. Older students will work on slapstick, mime, storytelling, and physical circus skills. This option does not have a final performance at the end.
SHOW CREATION RESIDENCY | 5 – 10 days
We use the first few days of the program to develop skills and then we turn our attention to harnessing students’ energy and creativity to create original circus acts, clown gags, and stories. To conclude the program, the community comes together for a fantastic student-generated comedy performance.
