Month: April 2016

“Beauty and the Beast” by Stevens Puppets, 5/22 at 2 p.m.

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The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present Beauty and the Beast by the acclaimed Stevens Puppets of Indiana on Sunday, May 22 at 2:00 p.m. in the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs Center.

Beauty and the Beast is a touching and humorous marionette play full of chuckles and drama. Artistic staging and clever effects accented with beautiful harp music bring this ever-popular classic triumphantly to life. Zan Raynor created Beauty and the Beast in 1999. After taking four years to make, it is the first new show to tour under the Stevens’ name since Aladdin in 1980. All the marionettes are fully carved of wood, hand painted, and dressed in hand-made costumes.

Ticket Prices: Adults: $12; Students: $8; Kids: $6

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, by calling 860.486.8580, or online at http://bimp.ticketleap.com/beauty-and-the-beast/. A surcharge will be added to any purchases made online. Tickets may also be purchased at the Ballard Institute on the day of performance. There will be a limited number of seats. For more information about this show, call 860.486.8580.

Ballard Institute Galleries Closed for Installation, 4/14-4/22

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From April 14 to April 22, 2016, Ballard Institute staff will be deinstalling our current exhibition From Thought to Image: 30 Years of Sandglass Theater and installing our new exhibition The Bureau of Small Requests: Puppetry and Animation of Laura Heit. While the main galleries at the Ballard Institute will be closed during this process, the museum will remain open during normal business hours, and our exhibit titled The World of Puppetry: From the Collections of the Ballard Institute will be on display in the lobby.

We  invite you to join us for the grand opening of The Bureau of Small Requests on Saturday, April 23 at 4:30 p.m. at the Ballard Institute. The opening events will include free performances by Laura Heit at 6:30 p.m. in the Ballard Institute Theater.

“The Wizard of Oz” by Stevens Puppets, 4/30 at 1 & 3 p.m.

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The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present The Wizard of Oz by the ever-popular Stevens Puppets of Indiana on Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 1 & 3 p.m. in the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs Center.

Lions and tigers and puppets, oh my! In this classic heart-warming tale, beautifully adapted for marionettes by Martin Stevens and Dan Raynor, children of all ages will watch with bated breath as a Kansas cyclone whisks Dorothy off to Oz, where she befriends the Scarecrow, who wants brains; the Tin Woodman, who wants a heart; and the Cowardly Lion, who wants courage. Together they set off on a journey to find the mysterious Wizard of Oz while evading the delightfully silly Wicked Witch of the West. World leaders in puppetry arts for over 80 years, the Stevens Puppets bring this tale to life with artfully hand-carved wooden marionettes and a musical score you are sure to be humming all the way home. Martin Stevens created this version of The Wizard of Oz in 1966. It closely follows both the book and movie versions. In the spring of 2012, The Wizard of Oz went through an extensive renovation, with all-new scenery, newly painted and costumed marionettes, a new digital soundtrack, and all new props. Don’t miss The Wizard of Oz!

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, by calling 860.486.8580, or online at http://bimp.ticketleap.com/the-wizard-of-oz/. A surcharge will be added to any purchases made online. Tickets may also be purchased at the Ballard Institute on the day of performances. There will be a limited number of seats. For more information about this show, call 860.486.8580.