Virginia Creatures! - Sponsored by Sentara Health Plans
We've opened the book to reading fun! And some Virginia locations get the program at no cost!
Rainbow Puppet Productions introduces a whole new dimension to learning. The award-winning team has created a new musical review that shares the joy of reading through music, dance, puppetry, and storytelling. It's a traveling, early reading program designed around our new children's books.
And thanks to a very generous grant from Sentara Health Plans, some schools and youth centers will be getting the show at no cost.
Not Just a Show!
"Open a Book" doesn't end with the show. There's a book, created especially for each production that re-tells many of the highlights of the program. Students can relive and re-tell the stories to their families.
Produced by Award-Winning Experts...
Rainbow Puppet Productions have long been recognized for their ability to excite and entertain young audiences. In fact, they are the Young Audiences of Virginia Sunburst Award winner for their performance excellence. This fast-paced program will keep even the youngest of audiences entertained.
An all-new show!
Rainbow Puppets is happy to announce the latest edition of “Open a Book!” This year’s program is titled “Virginia Creatures.” It explores creature that have a direct connection to Virginia.
Down on the farm, you’ll chickens, pigs and other domestic animals.
Among Virginia’s official state creatures, we’ll see the Virginia Swallow-Tail Butterfly, pirates will try to take away our Eastern Oysters and, on the creepy side, we’ll see the Virginia Big-Eared Bat. We’ll also meet the most deadly creature in the state. It’s not one of our venomous snakes and its not a bear, it’s the white-tailed deer. Believe it or not, they are responsible for more accidents and deaths than any other creature in the state.
Traveling to the Atlantic Ocean, we’ll meet a brilliant Octopus and an American Lobster… who are only occasional visitors.
We’ll also meet former visitors… the Red Wolf was once common but now is found in the wild in neighboring North Carolina. We will celebrate this creature with our presentation of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.”
Finally, we’ll meet some prehistoric creatures including a dinosaur who had his own built-in musical instrument. The show concludes with one of Rainbow’s most popular songs, “The Dinosaur Hop.”
The Books! The Tour! The Grant!
The Books
Toddlers through third graders will receive our all-new version of THE DINOSAUR HOP! The book is a fun-filled overview of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. The back of the book features details about these fascinating animals. Rainbow has worked with experts at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, at the Virginia Living Museum, and the Virginia Aquarium to develop this information. Older students will receive VIRGINIA CREATURES which explores many amazing creatures from the commonwealth including the Virginia Big-eared bat, deer, foxes, and many others.
The Tour!
The show will be on tour throughout the state of Virginia in 2026 to 2027.
The Grant!
We have received a grant for 150 shows. Just fill out the form above or call us at 757 851-3266.
Frequently asked questions
- SHOW LENGTH: The show lasts under one hour from the moment students are seated until they are dismissed.
- NO-COST! The cost of books and the performance are absolutely free to your organization. While it's free to you, it is fully grant supported. Last minute changes or substantial changes in the number of students at the show are subject to a change / cancellation fee based on our current programming rates.
- SETUP TIME: We need one hour to set up. We need parking as close to the performance space as possible due to the amount of equipment we bring: LIGHTS, SOUND, SETS, PUPPETS. This is a huge, professional production.
- PERFORMANCE SPACE: We can perform in a gym, auditorium, or other large space. We prefer 15 x 15 feet of space. Please have the area cleared and ready for our setup.
- LOAD IN: For the safety of children, we recommend that you have staff member by the entry door as we load in and load out. We need the doors open to allow us to quickly set up and be ready on time.
- INTRODUCTION BY A SCHOOL OFFICIAL: This is a great time to remind students and teachers of theater manners. No conversations with neighbors, no cell phones, no texting, etc. This may be a first theater experience for some students so modeling great theater manners is part of the learning process.
- The program is grant--sponsored. If for any reason, grants are not renewed, we will offer an option to pay for a performance or cancel.