Fun Library Programs For All Ages & All Seasons!

Library Programs for All Ages! rivestlibraryshows.jpg

Summer & Year Round Library Shows Live & Online Options!

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Summer Reading Library Programs: Color Our World, Level Up at Your Library, and more will be explored with the art of mime, humorous stories, creative play and improv games. A positive shared experience at your library. Robert encourages families to think in new ways, learn some fun performing arts skills while fostering friendships with a smile and a laugh.

Library Staff Stress Relief Robert shares simple tools your staff and co-workers can use to relieve stress and have a fun time together. Uplifting breathing exercises, gentle movement and interactive laughter games. “Awesome,” “wonderful,” and “great,” are just a few of the adjectives we heard after Robert’s Stress Relief program at our Staff Development Day. Even our most introverted and team-building-averse staff were won over and actively engaged during his one-hour program of movement, de-stressing, and laughter! – Laurie Cavanaugh, Assistant Director, Thayer Public Library, Braintree, MA

Laughter is the Best Medicine Highlights the best of Robert Rivest's 20 year career as a master mime performer, comic actor and improv artist. Through humorous mime stories, spoken word physical comedy and a zany cast of characters, Robert Rivest transforms an empty stage into pure hilarity! His true gift is his ability to turn everyday situations into hysterically funny experiences that all ages can relate to! Robert's personal stories of growing up in Enfield, CT, are hilarious. His tales of childhood, teen-hood and high school pranks as well as his life in the performing arts and “healing arts” will move you to bursts of laughter and tears of joy! This is a cultural arts comedy event that you will never forget, full of imagery rich stories, awe inspiring mime illusion, and plenty of playful audience participation. A fun way to bring the whole community together through smiles, giggles, and roaring laughter.

Happy Halloween Tricks and Treats: In this fun, interactive program, Comic Mime Robert Rivest will take us through a series of spooky yet silly Halloween stories. We will also learn how to do some mime tricks and treat our friends to funny mime illusions and hilarious Halloween characters. Come in costume, Robert will use his mastery of mime and movement to help us move and act like our costume characters. Also bring some ideas and suggestions, as we will create our own spooky story together, on the spot!

Winter Wonderland with Comic Mime Robert Rivest. Celebrating all things snow! Robert shares the art of mime, funny spoken word stories, humorous characters and cool mime illusions. His Winter Wonderland library program is a highly interactive show. Everyone gets to learn mime and act out a wide variety of ways we can enjoy ourselves in a New England Winter. Library participants learn how to do comic mime bits and help create new ones. We then perform, interactive Mime stories on the many ways we enjoy snow, play winter sports and celebrate winter related Fun!

Holiday Library Programs, Seasonal Celebrations and Special Events: Is there a program you would like Robert Rivest to create for an upcoming holiday, celebration, or special event? Robert is super creative, he brings his joyful spirit and humorous take on life, to any given situation. Contact him today and see what fun, shared experience he can create for your library.

"Robert Rivest recently performed his Laughter is the Best Medicine show here at the Franklin Public Library and it was fabulous! Everyone in the audience, children and adults alike, were engaged, laughing along, and eager to get up and learn new mime techniques! It was so fun to see and the enthusiasm was contagious!” -Bree Comeau, MLIS, Assistant Youth Services Librarian, Franklin Public Library

“We recently had Robert Rivest come to perform Science in Motion for a weekday crowd of 69. The program was unique and engaging in a refreshingly simple way. Rob uses movement and humor to demonstrate simple scientific concepts, and the best part is he is more than welcoming of audience participation.

It was fabulous to see so many elementary schoolers on stage expressing themselves in mime. This was something new for them. It was a great look at where art and science intersect. Even the grownups were fascinated by the mime techniques and tried it out! We had a very "ebullient" crowd and Rob handled the energy like the pro he is. Highly recommended!”

-Alisa Iannucci, Head of Youth Services, Conant Public Library

Summer 2025 Library Shows & Workshops with Robert Rivest

Level Up at Your Library:

Robert Rivest inspires people of all ages to be more playful, light-hearted and adventurous. A renowned performing artist, Robert uses mime, comedy, improv and interactive stories to humorously highlight this year's Summer Library Theme. Participants get to learn new skills in physical comedy, mime illusion, and improv games. Robert Rivest is a funny man, who sees the world in a very funny way. He is known as "The Human Cartoon” because of his highly expressive face and flexible body. This interactive show is a great way for families to lighten-up, laugh together and make new friends.

Color Our World:

Robert Rivest helps us to brighten our world with creativity and light-hearted joy. First he entertains us with his mastery of mime, comedy, improv and storytelling. Then, Robert teaches us those skills! What is your favorite art form? We will explore all the ways art and creativity can “color” our world. Participants learn to express themselves with movement, facial expressions, character voices and laughter games. We will mime audience ideas of several forms of art that can help make a positive change in our lives and the world around us. This interactive show, is a great way for families to share a memorable experience at their librar, full of laughter and joy.

Robert Rivest improvising a few ideas for this summer's reading theme.

How many ways can you get into the ocean?

Playing with a few ideas for "Ocean's of Possibilities" library summer reading theme. Robert Rivest is an internationally admired performer, teacher and public speaker. He is a renowned comic mime artist, a talented stress relief educator, an engaging corporate wellness presenter, and a gifted laughter yoga master trainer. Since 1990 Robert Rivest has given over 8,000 presentations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and across the United States. His mission is to use mindfulness, laughter and the performing arts to bring greater health, happiness, and joy to individuals and organizations around the world

Wellbeing Laughter:

A fun way to feel healthier & happier

Robert's newest creation WELLBEING LAUGHTER is a wellness practice that frees the body and mind of stress and anxiety, in a playful, light-hearted way. Robert uses science-based methods such as mindful breathing, gentle movement and healing laughter as a fun way to optimize mental and physical wellbeing. This practice brings people together and unites them in a positive, shared experience of joyful laughter. Wellbeing Laughter lifts our mood in a matter of minutes and gives us a lighter perspective on life. Adaptable for children, teens, adults and staff.

"Robert Rivest's Wellbeing Laughter program was the perfect combination of entertainment and enrichment. Robert was an enthusiastic and responsive facilitator who engaged the participants with his well-paced interactive exercises. You'll definitely leave his program with a smile on your face! For libraries seeking a unique personal growth program, I recommend this program highly ." -Roxanne Starkin, Shrewsbury Public Library

Mindfulness in Motion:

Creative tools to manage stress and anxiety

Many schools and organizations are incorporating mindfulness as a way to help students and staff, focus, feel centered, and improve social skills. Robert Rivest's "Mindfulness in Motion" school and library programs help teach the basics of mindfulness in a fun, entertaining way. In this program, students and teachers learn mindfulness exercises and stress relief techniques that will help them breathe, relax, focus, act, and interact, mindfully. Robert is a great presenter, he shares simple, memorable stories and humorous tales that bring mindfulness principles to life. Robert Rivest has been teaching Mindfulness Meditation, Tai-Chi, and Mime, to all ages, for over 20 years. With his unique blend of energy, creativity, playfulness and peacefulness, Robert shares the joys of being alive, in the present moment.

"Thank you so much for a fantastic program in Mansfield last night! You had the whole audience hooked right from the beginning, and it was great to see parents laughing and participating right along with kids. I imagine there were lots of imaginary walls and ropes in Mansfield homes last night, as kids were both entertained and inspired by your show. It’s always a pleasure for me to watch families having fun at the Library, so thanks again for giving us all a memorable experience."

-Judy Stoughton, Children’s Librarian Mansfield Public Library, CT

Summer Fun @ Your Library! This is a pure celebration of everything that we love about summer. Comic mime Robert Rivest performs his favorite stories about summer and invites audience members to join in. Stories about the sun, swimming, camping, travel, friendship, ice cream, late nights, lightening bugs and more! This fun family show is full of audience participation! In addition to Robert’s humorous and inspirational mime theater stories, everyone will learn amazing mime illusions and how to create their own mime story. Together, we will act out exciting characters and stories highlighting summer fun!

Robert Rivest's Science in Motion! Great for libraries that are helping their local schools with core science progams! It is an explosive blend of comedy and science that enthralls both children and adults. Through an exciting use of mime, comedy, audience participation and informative science tie-ins, Robert Rivest inspires his audience to see science in a new light. Everyone gets to actively participate! From being part of a giant audience water cycle to trying out comic characters in Robert's hilarious science skits, it's pure fun for all. Science at Play! Audiences get to experience science kinetically! Robert's Interactive Science Stories include: Walls, walls, walls: Solid, Liquid, Gas A Rain Drop Journey: Water Cycle Life on Earth: Climate Change Get Moving: Gravity, Inertia Planting Seeds: Photosynthesis Baby Bird: Eggs, Habitat, Flight Push, Pull, Lift: Simple Machines The Aquarium: Sea life, Float, Sink Umbrella Piece: Wind, Weather Caterpillar/Butterfly: Metamorphosis

"We were so delighted with Robert Rivest's performance. It's wonderful to find someone with such tremendous talent who relates so well to kids."

-Jane Babcock, Director, Hadley Libraries, MA

"If you can only book one performer, make it Robert Rivest! His mime show was awesome. The audience loved him and completely enjoyed the interaction. Even the most shy were motivated to participate by his genuinely warm and friendly approach. We would have him back again in a heartbeat."

-Wendy Payette, East Brookfield Public Library, MA

Contact Robert: Email: Robert Rivest Phone: Phone: 413-519-2256

The Alphabet of Imagination! Robert joyfully leads audiences of all ages on an awesome A to Z journey! This fun, festive, high energy show is an amazing synthesis of movement, imagery, characters and illusion. With a different mime piece for each letter of the alphabet, Robert Rivest highlights the pure joy of our limitless imaginations.

Literacy Alive - Let's Celebrate Reading! is a quick moving fun-filled enrichment program that gets audiences of all ages excited about reading. Robert Rivest reveals the "hidden treasures" of reading and comically illustrates and the joys of reading everyday. More

Healthy Choices - Healthy Lives is a high-energy comedy program in which health and humor go hand in hand. Robert Rivest's humorous insights connect deeply with children, teens, and adults moving them to make mindful choices about food, exercise, entertainment and safety. More

Learn, Laugh, and Let Go: Interactive Stress Relief Show! Robert Rivest takes a humorous look at modern day stress and what we can do about it. Using mime, comedy, insight, and interaction Robert offers both "comic relief" and practical stress relieving techniques. With Robert's down-to-earth sense of humor and engaging style, audiences find stress reduction natural and easy. His closing interactive series of movement and laughter helps everyone get back to work, school, or home feeling calm and refreshed. How we handle stress affects every part of our lives! Fun PBIS Reward Programs for Schools!

Librarian and Library Staff, Stress Relief Robert Rivest offers creative stress relief workshops, in-services and staff development training for librarians and staff! His most popular staff development program for libraries is part comic relief and part stress relief tips from mindfulness meditation, tai-chi and laughter yoga. The laughter and improv team building exercises are tons of fun! The take away stress relief tips are very effective for work in the library and every day life. It can be a great stress reliever for the whole population, a library conference keynote, worksop, breakout session or a special staff workshop/in-service/training.

"Our audience for 'Learn, Laugh, & Let Go' was transformed from a stressed out group to a laughing, merry band by the end of Robert Rivest's workshop. He seamlessly blends comedy, mime routines, and practical insights in a fun way that ordinary folks unused to relaxation techniques can easily understand and apply to their own lives."

-Kirk G. Morrison, MLIS, Adult Programming Librarian, Whittemore Memorial Library, CT

"It was an absolute delight to have Robert Rivest perform here at the Gilmanton Year Round Library! We giggled ourselves silly!"

- Pam Jansury, Gilmanton Year Round Library, NY

"I worked in the wellness industry for 15 years. I not only gave many wellness-based presentations but attended numerous ones. What I found so wonderful about Robert Rivest's program is that it is so easy to take away the idea of smiling and laughing as a strategy for dealing with stress and a means for improving your overall health."

- Carla Grimaldi, MSEd. Read/Write/Now Adult Learning Center

Mime, Comedy & Character Workshop Master mime artist and comic actor Robert Rivest explores character, comedy and expression in this fascinating interactive program. Robert Rivest uses his famous comic mime stories and improv scenes as a fun way for participants to look at what lies beneath the surface in different written characters, and the "characters" around us, including ourselves. The program includes a mini 'hands-on' theater workshop in communication, subtext, facial expression and body language! Everyone love Robert's true to life characters, awesome illusionary skills and his playful, down-to-earth sense of humor. Fun PBIS Reward Programs for Schools!

"If you want a program that is interactive and a lot of fun then Robert Rivest's Mime Workshop is the program for you. The participants were laughing and imitating what Robert was doing. Teens were shown how to do mime and they had a blast."

-Margie Walker, Teen Librarian, Amesbury Public Library

"We were thrilled to host 'Comedy on the Move'; everyone had a fantastic time and I've had several people ask when he'll be back! Robert Rivest is a talented and engaging mime, storyteller, and physical comedian who will captivate audiences of all ages. His interaction with the attendees elevates an already outstanding performance to a true event for all!"

-Francie Berger, Reference Librarian/Programming Coordinator Hall Memorial Library, Ellington, CT

"I love programs that entertain parents as much as they do children, and Robert Rivest's show definitely accomplished that goal. His unique mixture of mime and comedy along with a strong pro-library message, completely engaged our diverse audience."

-Patty Falconer, Hampstead Public Library, NH

A Fun Comic Mime Show! Rivest Library Show on TV! Stress Relief Workshop! Laughter Yoga with Adults

" ...definitely hire him! He is easy to work with, and he is an impressive performer. Both the children and adults who came to his show at our library were laughing throughout his hour-long performance."

-Marissa Ciullo, Children's Librarian, Oxford Public Library, CT

"His energy is contagious, and I find fairly reticent kids eager to mime the mime, and we all get to learn some moves. We'll have him back again...He's always a hit.

-Amy Gavalis, Children's Librarian, Lincoln Public Library, Lincoln, MA

"I highly recommend Robert Rivest! I wish he could take over classes for a day, inspire some kids to get fit and learn to use their bodies in new ways and laugh a little more." Teen Advisor, Lunenberg Public Library, MA " Extremely gifted . . . Mr. Rivest's show was a huge success based on the feedback of patrons and staff of all ages! We loved reading was promoted!

-Laurie Meheran, Burlington Public Library, CT

"Very entertaining and inspiring! He held the adults' and children's attention well. It was the most successful show our library hosted and, without a doubt,, the show most able to bridge the generation gap."

-Mary Farrell, Children's Librarian, George Homes Bixby Memorial Library, Francestown, NH

Literacy Alive Show! Science in Motion!"We enjoyed your visit immensely. The way you interacted with the kids, and made sure any who wanted to participate got to participate, was especially appreciated. Also, the way you incorporated stories into the mime performance was very unique . . . You had the kids (and adults!) attention the entire time."-Becky Manahan, St. Albans Free Library, VT"The kids - and adults - who attended Robert's show were completely mesmerized by his performance. . . There were kids as young as three up on stage with tweens and teens, and everyone had a great time . . . A mom who was sitting next to me during Robert's performance turned to me at one point and said, "He's AMAZING!! Wow!!"-Abby Kingsbury, Harvard Public Library, MA"The audience was quite captivated by Robert's mime activities! Robert was extremely professional and the children and adults were mesmerized by his performance!" Laura Sidoti, Greece Public Library, NY

Summer Library Program BLOCK BOOKING is Available in MA, CT, NY, NH, NJ, PA, MD, VT and ME!