Interview with David Messick -- "From the Sea to the Sky"
David Messick, the creator and owner of Rainbow Puppets, has been producing quality family-friendly puppet shows for children and parents since 1977. Their shows include "The Wright Brothers," "The Amazing Adventures of Chessie the Manatee," and "Toyland!" featuring the voice of Mickey Rooney. As part of the Jamestown sesquicentennial, Rainbow is now performing "From the Sea to the Sky," a history of the Virginia peninsula from 1607 to the present day.
We sat down with David to ask him about the show, the process of creating it, and the message he hopes to send to parents and children with this new production.
Check out theRainbow Puppets 2007 schedule to find a show near you or plan your trip to Jamestown.
ArcaMax: You've done a lot of different children's programs in the past. What made you decide to become a part of the Jamestown 400th celebration?
David Messick: I've always wanted to do a story about the history of the Virginia Peninsula. We've tried to get the project started several times in the past and finally, Jamestown 400th came along with some grants to help local artists participate. I jumped at the chance. Literally, many of the components of this show have been bouncing around in my head for over a decade.
ArcaMax: How did you choose which historical events were most relevant for children?
David: There were some naturals: The Monitor/Merrimack clash, set to the tune of the Anvil Chorus is a great puppet sequence. Cannon fire back and forth beating on those iron ships ... and no one wins, no one loses. They all just end up with headaches. One of my relatives was on the Merrimack. Actually, it was the CSS Virginia at the time of the battle. We call it the Monitor-Merrimack now but that was not the name of the ship at the time of the battle. Here's a curious sidenote: I'm related to one of the men on board the CSS Virginia ... Zadock Wesley Messick.
Here's something even more amazing, Anna Holloway, the Chief Curator of the USS Monitor Center at the Mariner's Museum knew that fact right away and included a comment about it in her responses (and corrections sent to me.) We had a lot great people helping get the story right... Dr. James Horne, the author of "The Land as God Made It" helped us with the Jamestown piece of the story.
According some bio info I found at Barnes and Nobel, he is also the "Director of the Rockefeller Library at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and a lecturer at William & Mary College." We also got help from Dr. James Stensvaag, retired historian at the Casemate Museum and a voice artist on the show. He plays the Northern Debater in the Great Debate. Gerri Hollins who leads the Contraband Slave Historical Society and plays Mary Peake in the show. She's got a terrific voice, sings professionally, and teaches grade school music classes. Some of her students play parts in the show as well.
I knew we had to work in the bad water and mosquitoes in Jamestown. Anyone who's lived here on the Peninsula knows how humid and miserable the wetlands can get. So there's a whole song about that... "Take Me Back to England!"
NASA Langley Research Center was another obvious choice... this will be told under blacklights with glowing rockets and a glowing moon.
ArcaMax: There are a lot of legends and "tall tales" surrounding the first landing in Virginia. What sort of approach are you taking to those, especially when educating kids who only know the old stories?
David: We've had many consultants help on this project including two Native Americans referred to us by the Jamestown 400th group. The Native Americans especially wanted us to clear up the Pocahontas story and I hope we've done that. Research now seems to indicate that the whole Pocahontas saving John Smith story is either an exaggeration or never happened at all. We make that very clear in the show. I felt that we had to acknowledge the story as it is so well known to children so we start to tell it and then get interrupted. I think it's pretty funny how we clear it up... come see the show and see if you agree.
ArcaMax: What about more recent events? Since people seem to be focusing mostly on the Jamestown/Yorktown material, how are you tying in things such as the NASA Langley Research Center and the Newport News Shipyard?
David: The point of this show was to tell the history of the Peninsula from before the founding of Jamestown through the present. I tried to find a through-line that made each component fall into place. It was quite a journey for me because I learned how our interpretation of history changes with time. When I was a child, our take was that the settlers came here and made a better life for all people. Of course, one has to acknowledge the Native American story and the story of the slaves who were brought here. And how do we acknowledge the mis-steps and injustices in a way that makes any sense to grade school students?
I had to create a through line in the story that tells important historic events while getting to something a little deeper: The colonists came here looking for riches, adventure and opportunity. They found and took natural riches... they then struggled for freedom from England... that created a nation that continues to struggle for justice and freedom for all. We acknowledge what happened in the past and realize that we as Americans have an opportunity to make lives better, to move forward and seek justice for all people.
We tell this in several ways... Patrick Henry celebrates the freedom from England... "We're free! We're all free." He turns and sees his own slaves looking back at him. Are they free? No. And Patrick Henry struggled with this internally... we acknowledge the founding father's struggle with slavery and then dramatize the great debate and the Civil War.
The Civil War is told exclusively from the city of Hampton... and what great stories there are... The Monitor/Merrimack, the freeing of slaves by Benjamin Butler at Fort Monroe, Mary Peake teaching slaves under the Emancipation Oak and an eventual end to the war.
So after that long explanation, let me answer your question... we looked for stories that either told of riches, opportunity, or adventure. Collis P. Huntington's shipyard created employment opportunities for many here on the Peninsula and connected us with the world. NASA created opportunities to explore the universe...
ArcaMax: What do you think kids and parents will like most about "From the Sea to the Sky"?
David: Wow. I would hope everything! I especially like some of the songs and interaction... Collis P. Huntington spurs the crowd on as he expresses his vision for a shipyard to compliment his railroad ventures. That should be a lot of fun. Mary Peake's musical number serves two purposes... it underscores the value of a great education and gives an overview of the African American experience through dance and puppetry. I hope they enjoy that part as well.
ArcaMax: What one thing do you most hope audiences will take away from this show?
David: That the Virginia Peninsula is a wonderful place to live... filled with rich history. I hope that our audiences will feel compelled to see the places we discuss in the play and then seek out more... Great places to start would be:
Of course, there's all the terrific things to do in Yorktown, Jamestown, and Williamsburg.
Beyond that there's
The Casemate Museum at Ft. Monroe
The Air and Space Center in Hampton
The Mariners Museum in Newport News
The Emancipation Oak and Museum at Hampton University
Hampton History Museum
See the Shipyard and the Dorothy (the first ship made there) in Newport News. At Huntington Park you can see a locomotive and the War Museum is on site.
To read more about Rainbow Puppets and their productions, including "From the Sea to the Sky," visit www.rainbowpuppets.com.
Comments