Rainbow Puppet Productions

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Description

The city of Hampton, Virginia is 400 years old. And who better to tell the story than the Rainbow Puppets. The company began presenting shows in the city over 30 years ago and are honored to be a part of the celebration with our new production, "Footsteps in History." The show is an ambitious undertaking by the company ’s founder and creator David Messick, Jr. and expands on the work he and the company began with their acclaimed telling of Jamestown ’s 400th anniversary three years ago. The show begins in 1607 when Pocahontas and Powhatan see strangers entering the land of their ancestors. Those strangers include Captain Christopher Newport and John Smith who set sail from England searching for riches and adventure. What emerges is a new nation that struggled to find freedom and opportunity for all people. This story is told within the borders of the Virginia Peninsula. You ’ll meet Chief Pochin of the Kecoughtan Indians, who welcomes John Smith and other explorers when they arrive, just before moving to Jamestown. A year later, in 1608, the Kecoughtans provide warmth, food, and shelter over the 1608 Christmas season. You ’ll also join a band of pirates and meet Blackbeard the Pirate. The arrival of African American slaves begins a struggle that explodes in Hampton where the first land battle of the Civil War is fought at Big Bethel. The Monitor and the CSS Virginia fight off of Hampton's shores and warfare changes forever. Benjamin Butler frees slaves in Hampton and Mary Peake teaches them under an oak tree where Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation is read and Hampton University is later built. James MacMenamin ’s crab business exports Hampton crabs around the world and Langley NASA explorers help us walk on the moon. David has written four new songs just for the occasion. The U.S. Army TRADOC Band from Fort Monroe performs several traditional musical selections in show. Artisans around the country have worked tirelessly to produce the numerous puppets and props necessary for telling the story. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jill Harrington has created an assortment of wide-mouthed puppets including Mary Peake, Christopher Newport, Chief Pochin, and James MacMenamin. In Hampton, Virginia, Laura Huff has sculpted human arm puppets of Abraham Lincoln and Patrick Henry. Over in Norfolk, Virginia, Craig T. Adams has created Powhatan and Pocahontas in a style reminiscent of traditional Japanese Bunraku puppets. Kathie Davis, also from Hampton, has painted additional rod puppets, shadow-style puppets and set pieces. Puppeteer Regina Smith has crafted all costumes in Iowa. Show creator David Messick, Jr. has been producing and writing original shows for schools and libraries for 30 years. He can best be described as a Renaissance man … “One day I ’ll discover something I ’ve actually mastered! ” says Messick. He is a BMI music composer with over 150 songs to his credit. His cd ’s of Rainbow songs can be found by many vendors over the Internet. As a tap dancer, choreographer and teacher, he has staged and/or appeared regional productions of many popular Broadway shows.

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