During the summer of 1977, David Messick, Melvin T. Brooks, and a group of family and friends were hired to present a marionette puppet version of "Jack and the Beanstalk" for the Charles Taylor Library System in Hampton, Virginia. They were thrilled to be doing what they love - entertaining children.
Many years later, Messick, Brooks, their family and friends are still at it with Rainbow Productions, a non-profit touring theater company dedicated to providing original family entertainment.
Over the years the company has changed performance styles... moving from
marionette productions of "Jack" and "The Sleeping Beauty" to live
productions presented in the 1980’s.
Rainbow produced Virginia’s largest touring production... a one hundred member cast in Victor Herbert’s "Babes in Toyland." The company also presented the award-winning musical sequel to "The Wizard of Oz" called "Return to Oz" and twice toured with an all new musical version of "Beauty and the Beast" — long before the Disney classic hit the screen.
The 1990’s saw the company produce an interactive children’s event called "Storybook World," where children traveled through different fantasy lands to meet their favorite characters like Hansel and Gretel and Red Riding Hood. The highlight of "Storybook World" was Mother Goose Land where children saw a miniature puppet production featuring new musical versions of Mother Goose classics.
This led to Rainbow returning to touring puppet productions of "Jack and the Beanstalk," and "The Mother Goose Traveling Rock and Roll Show."
In 1996, Rainbow Productions joined Young Audiences of Virginia, an organization which has brought arts and education into schools for over 40 years. For the first touring years with Young Audiences, Rainbow revived their first full length musical, "Hansel and Gretel." After fifteen years, the show continued to entertain audiences of all ages.
Two original musicals premiered in 1997: "Noah's Floating Zoo" and "The Amazing Adventures of Chessie the Manatee." 1998 saw the Father/Son narrator team from "Noah" return, this time telling the nativity story. Since then, Rainbow has followed with "The Really Big Dinosaur Show," "Grandpa's Creatures Great and Small," "Wide Eyed Wanda's Wondrous Wetland Review," "Jonah" and the "Wright Brothers."
The company has performed or taught workshops at the Puppeteers of America National Convention, the Fellowship of Christian Puppeteers National Convention, the Virginia Festival of Puppet Ministry and Creative Arts, the Virginia PTA Annual Convention, and the Governor's Conference for School Board Members.
Rainbow has performed on stage, television, and radio. Now you can invite the company to your next event. Call (757) 851-3266 right now and schedule a performance.
Click here for bios of many of our staff members.
See a few famous people we've met.