AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - This past Sunday, Oct. 23, the Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center hosted Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia’s “The Rainbow Fish.” Mermaid Theatre, located in Mi’kma’ki, travels around the world to promote the art of puppetry and encourage literacy, storytelling and the love of reading.
The company was founded in 1972 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia with a mission to make the arts more accessible to children in the Atlantic region of Canada. They present over 400 performances each year, representing Canada in more than a dozen countries.
The performance is an original stage adaptation of Marcus Pfister’s “The Rainbow Fish”, including two companion tales by the same author, “Rainbow Fish Discovers the Deep Sea” and “Opposites”. It was catered to children with bright colors and deep sea creatures of all shapes and sizes.
The stories follow the shimmering and colorful rainbow fish on his journey to make friends and explore the sea. Featuring a diverse cast of glowing oceanic creatures, the play is educational and encouraging to children of all ages.
The stage opened with a solid black backdrop to reveal the beautiful glowing scenery of the ocean floor with eye-catching sea creatures. As the show develops, more and more fascinating creatures are revealed growing in size. They seemingly float through space to mimic swimming through the ocean, leading audience members to wonder how the puppets were developed and maneuvered.
At the talkback proceeding the show, children were able to ask questions about the play and hear from the performers themselves. Most of the questions were about how the puppets were created and manipulated in order to create the illusion of sea creatures floating on their own.
The puppets used in the performance are made from sponge foam for structure, then covered with a thin layer of fabric expertly sewn and painted with fluorescent paint to glow on stage. The professional puppeteers maneuver the creatures to mimic swimming patterns and ocean currents.
The Gogue Center has quite a few upcoming events including “The Underwater Bubble Show,” “Step Afrika,” “Mean Girls on Broadway” and more. All student tickets are $25. For more information, you can check out their website here.
