Month: November 2016

“Making Marionette Theater with Frank Ballard” with Steve Abrams and Steven Brezzo on 12/7 at 7 p.m.

As the final event of the 2016 Fall Puppet Forum Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present Making Marionette Theater with Frank Ballard, with acclaimed puppet historian Steve Abrams and exhibition specialist Steven Brezzo, a UConn alumnus who worked with Professor Ballard. The forum will take place on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 at 7 p.m. in the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs Center.

Presented in conjunction with the Ballard Institute exhibition Frank Ballard’s Marionette Modernism: ‘Peer Gynt’ and ‘The Love for Three Oranges’, this forum will take the form of a conversation with Abrams, a Philadelphia-based puppeteer and current Editor of the Puppetry Journal, and Steven Brezzo, graduate of the UConn Puppet Arts Program and President of Opar, Inc., a company that produces touring exhibitions and stage shows. The conversation, moderated by Ballard Institute Director John Bell, will focus on the specifics of Frank Ballard’s marionette productions at UConn, and their larger significance as an important aspect of 20th-century American puppet theater.

Admission to this event is free (donations greatly appreciated!), and refreshments will be served. Come early, and experience our puppet exhibitions, as well as the video resources in our library nook. This forum will be broadcast via Facebook Live. Call 860.486.8580 for more information.

“The Snowflake Man” by Puppetkabob on 12/3 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

snowflake-man-2As the final production of its Fall Puppet Performance Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present The Snowflake Man by UConn Puppet Arts Program alumna Sarah Frechette of Puppetkabob on Saturday, December 3, 2016. There will be two showings, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., in the Ballard Institute Theater located at 1 Royce Circle, Storrs, CT.

The Snowflake Man is inspired by the life of Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley, the self-educated Vermont farmer and scientist who attracted world attention when he became the first person to photograph a single snow crystal.  The Snowflake Man swings audiences into the historic 1920s through creative storytelling, intricately designed Czech-style marionettes, and a striking pop-up book of watercolor scenery. This UNIMA-USA award-winning show combines art, science, and a little-known piece of New England history to magical effect!

Sarah Frechette is an artist, puppeteer and founder of Puppetkabob, a company that has toured nationally to schools, libraries, theaters, museums and festivals. She graduated from the University of Connecticut’s Puppet Arts Program, mentored with German master puppeteer Albrecht Roser, and created costumes for the stop-motion film ParaNorman. Her solo production of The Snowflake Man was awarded an UNIMA-USA Citation of Excellence, and this past summer, Sarah performed the production at the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Puppets Up! International Puppet Festival in Ontario, Canada. The Ballard Institute is excited and proud to welcome Sarah back to UConn for these performances. For more information about Sarah Frechette, visit www.puppetkabob.com.

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.

Fall Puppet Forum, “Object, Image, Text: The Bread & Puppet Press”, with Max Schumann and Clare Dolan on 11/16 at 7 p.m.

blue-calendar1As part of the 2016 Fall Puppet Forum Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present Object, Image, Text: The Bread & Puppet Press, a discussion with Max Schumann, Executive Director of New York City’s Printed Matter; and Clare Dolan, the founder and Chief Operating Philosopher of Vermont’s Museum of Everyday Life. The forum will take place Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at 7 p.m. in the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs Center.

Presented in conjunction with the Ballard Institute exhibition Object, Image, Text: The Bread & Puppet Press, this forum will take the form of a conversation with Max Schumann, an acclaimed painter who also heads the world’s leading center for artists’ books; and puppeteer, curator, visual artist, and Bread & Puppet veteran Clare Dolan, who will explore an integral element of Bread & Puppet Theater director Peter Schumann’s prodigious artistic output: pamphlets, books, posters, and book-like constructions that have complemented his dynamic productions since 1963.

Our final 2016 Fall Puppet Forum will be:

December 7: Making Marionette Theater with Frank Ballard, with Steven Brezzo (Opar, Inc.), Fred Thompson (Eugene O’Neill Theater Center), and Steve Abrams (Editor, Puppetry Journal)

Admission to this event is free (donations greatly appreciated!), and refreshments will be served. Come early, and experience our puppet exhibitions, as well as the video resources in our library nook. Forums will be broadcast via Facebook Live. Call 860.486.8580 for more information.