Summer may be the slow season for the North Pole’s Scout Elves, but donât let the silence fool youâitâs theatrical out here.
Every Friday evening, laughter bubbles from the peppermint-striped curtains of the Toy Testing Auditorium, where the Scout Unionâs Drama Club transforms into a whirl of velvet costumes, candy-cane props, and an abundance of questionable accents. Welcome to Marshmallow Improv Night, the seasonal tradition thatâs part training, part therapy, and entirely chaotic.
âWe may monitor childrenâs behavior nine months a year,â said Scout Drama Coordinator Thimble Jollyplum, âbut during the summer, we perform our own.â
đż Skits, Scripts, and Spilled Cocoa
Each week, Scout Elves sign up to perform spontaneous scenes in front of their peers, often with help from the Random Scene Snowglobeâa glitter-filled orb that assigns improv scenarios on the spot.
Fan favorites this season include:
- âThe Lost Stockingâ â A heartfelt monologue delivered from inside a laundry chute.
- âSanta Forgets His Pantsâ â A slapstick sprint through the sleigh garage.
- âElf vs. Elevator: A Battle for the Buttonâ â A silent scene, oddly moving.
- âThree Candy Canes and a Secretâ â More drama than dessert.
Special performances feature Marshmallow Prompt Challenges, where audience-tossed marshmallows must be incorporated into the scene without breaking character. One elf reportedly monologued for ten minutes with a marshmallow lodged firmly in one boot.
đď¸ Why It Matters
Though itâs all fun and jingle-bells on the surface, Marshmallow Improv is more than fluff.
âImprov teaches adaptability,â said former field scout-turned-acting coach Crimble Flickerpatch. âYou never know when a kidâs going to leave out celery instead of cookies. Drama teaches you to keep the magic going, even when things go sideways.â
Itâs also become a surprising recruitment tool. Many first-year elves unsure of field work find their confidence onstage. One standout performer from last summer, Muffin Blitzenloop, went on to narrate Santaâs official audiobook.
đ Backstage Whispers
This yearâs improv has seen a mysterious uptick in unscripted appearances by a masked figure known only as âThe Scone.â Always entering stage left, always tossing a single biscuit. No one knows who they are, but attendance has never been higher.
đ§ Want to Join?
Scout Elves staying behind for the summer can audition weekly (no experience requiredâonly courage and maybe a cape). Cocoa provided. Confidence optional.
âLaughter is the best preparation. Well, laughter and disguise glue.â â Thimble Jollyplum