The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut presents a special guest performance of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by the acclaimed Stevens Puppets of Indiana on Sunday, October 2 at 2 p.m. in the Ballard Institute Theater located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs Center.
In this silly and non-scary version of Washington Irving’s classic story, children of all ages follow the lanky schoolmaster Ichabod Crane as he sings, dances, and falls in love with the giggly Katrina Van Tassel. Audiences will watch breathlessly as Katrina’s father Baltus and the village goofball Brom Bones try to run Ichabod out of town by telling him the tale of…The Headless Horseman. The Stevens Puppets bring this ever-popular classic tale delightfully to life with beautiful wooden marionettes. The entire production is underscored by classical music, and a fun time will be had by all! The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was originally adapted for marionettes in 1965 by legendary puppeteer Martin Stevens. In 2000, Dan Raynor, co-owner of Stevens Puppets, adapted the original script, and took it out on tour that same year.
Stevens Puppets was founded in 1933 by the Peabody-Award-winning Martin Stevens, pre-eminent American puppeteer and a founder of the Puppeteers of America. With his wife, Margi, Mr. Stevens created ground-breaking touring marionette shows. Dan and Zan Raynor, the owners, have been with Stevens Puppets for over 20 years, each coming from live-theater backgrounds of acting and directing. Dan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater and Zan holds a Master of Theology with a doctorate in Canon Law. Dan has taught theater at the Northwest Arkansas Academy of Fine Arts and directed professionally for theaters in several states. He has performed with and directed many professional musicians like Neil Young and Huey Lewis, and acted professionally with many theater companies in California. In addition to performing on stage as an actor and dancer, Zan has directed high school and college theater programs, and designed lights, costumes, and choreography for numerous theater companies in the Midwest and Northeast. Zan has taught every level of school, from Montessori preschool through university classes. The Raynors divide their time between studio artwork, both original and restoration, training other performing artists, managing complex tours, and performing all around the country at schools, libraries, festivals, and fairs.
Ticket Prices: Adults: $12; Students: $8; Kids: $6 (12 years and under).
Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, by phone at 860.486.8580, or online at http://bimp.ticketleap.com/. A surcharge will be added to any purchases made online. Tickets may also be purchased at the Ballard Institute on the day of performance starting at 10 a.m. There will be a limited number of seats. For more information about these performances, visit bimp.uconn.edu or call 860.486.8580.