Educational Humor Experts, Improvisation Trainers, Award-Winning Performers
Wavelength Biography
Wavelength is an ensemble of professional actors and educators that leverages the research-based benefits of humor, laughter, and improvisation to train, motivate, and inspire professional educators. Founded in 1980 by Jim Winter, a former high school English teacher, Wavelength connects the dots between teaching and acting, a realization that came to Winter while studying improvisation at the Players Workshop of Second City in Chicago.
The ensemble, convinced by Winter that their skills in celebrating and satirizing political and social situations would be beneficial to educators, has since focused their humor on educational themes, recognizing the endless material it provides. Wavelength has delivered its humorous and insightful keynote performances to over 1.5 million educators across more than 2500 school systems both in the U.S. and internationally.
Wavelength not only performs but also offers teacher-training workshops that apply theatrical and improvisational communication techniques to boost educators' creativity, collaboration, and classroom efficacy. Their shows, developed into award-winning DVD training packages, are typically hour-long performances by a team of five, including four actors and a piano accompanist, featuring a blend of audience-inclusive improvisations and scripted scenes.
The technical needs for Wavelength are minimal, requiring only that they be seen and heard, adaptable to both modest and elegant school settings, with audience sizes ranging from 35 to 10,000. The ensemble currently includes 25 actors and musicians, all trained in educational issues and improvisational performance, providing flexibility in booking and performer availability.
Wavelength’s notable alumni include actors like Bob Odenkirk and Dan Castellaneta, and screenwriters such as Danny Rubin and Mary Ruth Clarke, highlighting the ensemble’s impact on both educational and entertainment sectors. Acknowledged as "the best in-service ever" by numerous teachers, Wavelength has crafted six live performances that excel in engaging and inspiring audiences, respected for their professionalism and insightful approaches to educational challenges through their foundational credo: Communication through Comedy.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Wavelength and other top speakers and celebrities.
Wavelength Speaking Topics
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Musical Staff: The Musical about Teaching
Your favorite Broadway show songs parodied and adapted to today's most pressing educational issues. Highlights include, "Mentors," "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Board," and "You Should Have Crammed All Night." Written and performed by our 3-person ensemble featuring some of the most talented musical theatre actors in Chicago. Excellent for laid-back, inspiring celebrations.
• RUNNING TIME: 60 minutes • CAST SIZE: 3 (2 actor, 1 musician) • RESONATING AUDIENCE: All staff • TOPICS INCLUDE: Mentoring, block scheduling, school board meetings, difficult students, standardized tests.
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Faculty Lounge
This one-woman presentation, created by founding members Debbie Lauer and Rochelle Richlieu, is a reminder "why you became a teacher" as 11 characters, played by one actress, interact and pontificate during "Teacher of the Year" voting. The faculty lounge is buzzing with the hopes, dreams and frustrations in this educational tour de force of characters, including teachers, administrators, parents, students and local politicians. "Belly laughs to tears."
• RUNNING TIME: 60 minutes. • CAST SIZE: 2 (1 actor, 1 musician) • RESONATING AUDIENCE: All staff • TOPICS INCLUDE:Teacher evaluation, student engagement, teaching techniques, parent intervention, community involvement.
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How do I book Wavelength to speak at my event?
Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Wavelength for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Wavelength, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Wavelength or any other speaker of your choice. -
What are the speaker fees for Wavelength
Speaking fees for Wavelength, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Wavelength are available upon request for live events and available upon request for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Wavelength, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent. -
What topics does Wavelength speak about?
Wavelength is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Actor, Celebrity, Education, Family & Parenting -
Where does Wavelength travel from?
Wavelength generally travels from New Jersey, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent. -
Who is Wavelength’s agent?
AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Wavelength for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Wavelength for your next private or corporate function. -
What is a full-service speaker booking agency?
AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Wavelength or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us. -
Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?
If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
Wavelength is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Musical Staff: The Musical about Teaching, Faculty Lounge, The “Sense” of Humor, “Those Who Laugh…Last!”, The Seven Habits of Highly Ineffective Educators and UnCommon Core Comedy. The estimated speaking fee range to book Wavelength for your event is available upon request. Wavelength generally travels from NJ, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Andie MacDowell, Jurnee Smollett, Nia Vardalos, Janine Turner and Jada Pinkett Smith. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Wavelength for an upcoming live or virtual event.
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