Nearly four years ago, when 11-year-old Edwardsville native Rain Jennings told his mother he wanted to learn how to do ventriloquism, the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center (ESLC) staff member did not think he would end up on Steve Harvey’s “Little Big Shots” or NBC’s “Show Me St. Louis.”
Rain’s pre-recorded ventriloquism act will appear on “Little Big Shots” at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 8, according to his mother, Lara Jennings, counselor with the SIUE Upward Bound Math and Science program at the ESLC. Rain’s act supports “America’s Got Talent” winner Darci Lynne Farmer’s performance.
Rain, an SIUE Early Childhood Center alum, also displayed his ventriloquism skills Friday, April 6 on “Show Me St. Louis.”
“I like doing ventriloquism, because I get to make people smile, make people happy and make them feel good,” said Rain, the self-taught ventriloquist. “After I read a book on ventriloquism, I really wanted to try it. I researched it on YouTube and the internet, and then found out I was pretty good at it.”
Rain makes his own puppets and writes his own scripts. Some of Rain’s puppet characters include:
- Tomato, a white rabbit who is a Southern Belle and a tomato plant farmer
- Poe the Crow, a black crow who is inclined to poetry and the finer things in life
- Barnacle Jack, a grumpy old man figure who needs lots of assistance to see the bright side of life
“When Rain first said he wanted to do ventriloquism, I did not really know what to make of it,” said Jennings. “Ventriloquism is not something you can call up the YMCA and sign your child up for.”
“In the beginning, there was a lot of listening to his skits and watching him put on shows in the house,” Jennings continued. “Then his dad and I realized he was becoming more serious about his craft and started progressing. We started traveling to learn more about ventriloquism and then eventually to perform.”
Rain has performed in Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, California and Minnesota. He has taken classes with nationally known ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, has attended two ventriloquist conventions, was featured in the International Ventriloquist Society Magazine as an emerging young ventriloquist and is a member of two professional societies: International Ventriloquist Society and Puppet Guild of Greater St. Louis.
In 2017, Rain became the sole proprietor and opened his business under the stage name, “Rainy Day Ventriloquism.” Rain books shows, performs, and competes in puppet slams and open mics.
The young ventriloquist’s next upcoming appearance will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 19 at St. Louis Public Library’s Buder Branch, 4401 Hampton Ave.
To learn more about Rain, contact RainyDayVent@gmail.com or find him on social media by searching @RainyDayVent.
Photos:
The ventriloquism act of Rain Jennings, of Edwardsville, will be aired on Steve Harvey’s “Little Big Shots” on Sunday, April 8.
Lara Jennings, counselor with the SIUE Upward Bound Math and Science program, poses with her ventriloquist son, Rain, and his self-made puppet, Tomato.
Rain and his handcrafted puppet, Poe the Crow, pose with “America’s Got Talent” winner Darci Lynne Farmer while on the set of “Little Big Shots.”